In a rare display of near-unanimity, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, to require the Justice Department to release all files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move, supported by the entire Texas congressional delegation and nearly every member of Congress, marks a dramatic shift in the political handling of the Epstein case and shines a spotlight on both bipartisan demands for transparency and the deep partisan suspicions that continue to swirl around the scandal.
For months, the effort to force the release of the Epstein files had been mired in political maneuvering. According to reporting from The Texas Tribune, President Donald Trump had repeatedly urged Republican lawmakers not to support a discharge petition—a procedural tool that would have forced a vote on the measure regardless of House leadership’s wishes. The petition, however, eventually gained the support of all House Democrats and four House Republicans, though notably, none were from Texas. This groundswell of support made it clear that the issue would not fade quietly into the background.
The political calculus shifted dramatically last week when the House Oversight Committee released a batch of documents linking Trump to Epstein, including emails from Epstein that directly mentioned the former president. The revelation injected new urgency into the debate, and as bipartisan support for releasing the files grew, Trump reversed course. On Sunday evening, November 17, 2025, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, insisting they had “nothing to hide.” The next day, he publicly pledged to sign the bill if it reached his desk.
Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, echoed this new stance on his podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz, stating, “The bulk of the evidence, from everything we know, is going to be evidence that is a real, real problem for, I suspect, a significant number of Democrats.” Cruz went on to say, “I’m glad the President did this. I’m hopeful the House can vote. We can put this behind it, and then we can have some real accountability to people who committed criminal acts and hurt underage girls.”
The Senate wasted no time, passing the bill unanimously later that same Tuesday and sending it directly to President Trump, who reiterated his commitment to sign the legislation. The rapid passage in both chambers was a testament to the mounting pressure from the public and within Congress to bring the full extent of Epstein’s activities—and his connections to powerful figures—into the light.
One of the most striking aspects of the House vote was the unity among Texas Republicans. Every single Texas Republican ultimately voted in favor of releasing the files, despite none joining the discharge petition that had pushed the issue to the forefront. The only dissenting voice in Congress was Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, who stood alone in voting against the measure.
Some lawmakers underwent dramatic reversals in their positions. Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican from Richmond, Texas, had as recently as Friday, November 14, 2025, derided the effort as the “Epstein Hoax” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The Democrats are using the Epstein Hoax to distract us from the winning of President Trump and his administration,” Nehls wrote. He urged his Republican colleagues not to be swayed by what he called political noise. Yet by Monday, he had changed his tune, telling reporters he would support the release of the files and echoing Trump’s assertion that the documents would exonerate the president. Nehls was quoted as saying, “If Donald Trump says ‘Jump three feet high and scratch your heads,’ we all jump three feet high and scratch our heads.”
Other Texas Republicans, such as Rep. Keith Self of McKinney, maintained that they had always supported the idea of releasing the Epstein files but believed that internal House investigations were making sufficient progress without the need for a discharge petition. This sentiment reflected a broader reluctance among some GOP members to break ranks with party leadership—at least until Trump’s own position shifted.
Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Austin, spoke passionately on the House floor ahead of the vote, highlighting the importance of transparency. “Today, a united Republican Party and a bipartisan super majority is going to pass a bill to increase transparency regarding the egregious abuses by Jeffrey Epstein,” Roy declared, emphasizing the need for openness about the crimes and abuses that had long been shielded from public scrutiny.
Democrats, for their part, welcomed the vote but were quick to point out what they saw as a pattern of Republicans prioritizing party loyalty over accountability. Rep. Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Farmers Branch, Texas, described the vote as largely symbolic. “It is political gamesmanship at its worst,” she said. “They’ve traded that accountability for complicitness to a president out of fear that they’re going to harm their great leader.” Johnson’s comments underscored the persistent tension between the two parties over the handling of the Epstein case and the broader question of holding powerful individuals to account.
Despite the near-unanimous vote, the path to this moment was anything but straightforward. The discharge petition, which ultimately forced the House leadership’s hand, had been a source of friction for weeks. While all House Democrats and a handful of Republicans supported it, most Republicans—including those from Texas—initially refused to sign on. Only when it became clear that the petition had enough momentum to succeed did party leaders move to bring the bill to the floor, a maneuver designed to avoid a public split within GOP ranks.
As the bill now sits on President Trump’s desk awaiting his signature, the nation waits to see what revelations the Justice Department’s Epstein files may contain. The files are expected to include a trove of documents, emails, and correspondence that could shed new light on the extent of Epstein’s criminal network and his relationships with influential figures across the political spectrum. For some, the release represents a long-overdue step toward justice and transparency. For others, it is a political gambit fraught with risk and uncertainty.
Whatever the outcome, the vote marks a significant moment in the ongoing saga of Jeffrey Epstein. It demonstrates that, at least for one day, the demand for transparency and accountability was strong enough to bring together lawmakers from both sides of the aisle—even if the motivations behind their votes remain as complex and contested as ever.
