Giving Democrats no chance: Republicans are putting the brakes on Epstein vote in Congress

Giving Democrats no chance: Republicans are putting the brakes on Epstein vote in Congress. July 22, 2025, 8:35 a.m.

The Republican leadership in Congress is trying to make the best of its summer recess. There will be no more votes on the Jeffrey Epstein files before then. But a rebellion within a section of the party is already looming for September.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have halted virtually all legislative work to prevent a vote on releasing documents related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein case. This is intended to eke out a six-week summer recess, reports Axios . The U.S. legislature is currently in its final week of session, with the next one scheduled for early September.

The House Rules Committee therefore plans to hold no further votes this week to prepare important legislation for the House. Republican initiatives on migration and climate policy had been planned.

The reason for this reluctance is pressure from the Democrats, who are using every opportunity to put pressure on the Republicans regarding the Epstein documents and further fuel the conflict between US President Donald Trump and parts of his party.

Rebels collect votes

By submitting amendments to legislative initiatives, Democrats are trying to keep the issue permanently in the spotlight and force votes on releasing the records. "Why are the names of President Joe Biden or President Barack Obama being invoked now? Because Donald Trump is scared and the Trump administration is scared. What are they hiding from the American people? Release the records so the American people can make their own decision," said Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday.

Trump recently exerted considerable public pressure on his fellow party members not to force the release of the documents, even though his MAGA base has long demanded such a step. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Monday that he would not allow any further votes on the Epstein case during the final week of the session. "I believe the administration needs to have the latitude to do what it's doing, and if further action by Congress is necessary or appropriate, then we will look at that, but I don't think we're at that point right now because we agree with the president," Johnson told CNN .

In the long run, however, the leadership of the president's party will not be able to resist a vote. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has now persuaded ten representatives of his own party to vote on the Epstein files. Together with all Democrats in the House, they could thus force a showdown in the House of Representatives. However, that won't happen until September 1 at the earliest. Until then, Trump and Johnson still have a chance to rein in rebellious members of Congress.