The Senate moved swiftly Tuesday to advance a bill forcing the Justice Department to release more information about its case against the late Jeffrey Epstein, acting just hours after the House overwhelmingly approved the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump, who had spent months trying to block it.
Senate Clears Bill By Unanimous Consent
Senators approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act by unanimous consent, a procedure that requires every senator's assent but no roll call vote. Earlier in the day, the House passed the bill 427-1, a rare show of near-unanimity that sharply increased pressure on GOP leaders and the White House.
"This is about giving the American people the transparency they've been crying for," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor before requesting passage, as per a Politico report. "Jeffrey Epstein's victims have waited long enough."
The unanimous consent deal means the Senate will not amend the bill, a direct rebuff to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other House GOP leaders who had urged changes. Johnson later told reporters he was "deeply disappointed" the Senate moved without revisions, saying the legislation "needed amendments" to address concerns about innocent third parties.
Trump Signals Support After Months Of Resistance
Trump told reporters Monday he would sign the bill if it reached his desk, saying, "I'm all for it," after months of disparaging the push as a partisan "hoax." But in a social media post Tuesday, he said he didn't care whether the Senate acted "tonight, or at some other time in the near future," and urged Republicans to stay focused on his broader agenda.
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Trump on Friday said that he asked the Department of Justice to examine the connections between his onetime associate Epstein and several prominent figures.
Bill Targets DOJ Records On Epstein, Maxwell
As noted in an ABC News report on Tuesday, if signed into law, the measure would require the Justice Department to release unclassified federal records related to Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The measure will also likely force the release of sealed records of other individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epstein's "criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity, plea agreements or investigatory proceedings," according to the bill text.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) issued a statement immediately after the Senate action saying everyone involved in Epstein's operation must be "brought to justice," and calling for "transparency and integrity at the highest levels of government."
Democrats have repeatedly accused Trump of trying to keep thousands of pages of files secret to protect wealthy and politically connected associates. The rapid, amendment-free approval in the Senate highlighted Republicans' limited appetite to prolong a fight that had already tied their House conference in knots for months.
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