Epstein files debate returns to US Congress
The push to force the release of the full Jeffrey Epstein files is back at the centre of American politics, with Democrats now in control of the House and a cross-party bill aimed at forcing a vote.
Published November 6, 2026 11:26 am GMT+0545
The demand to fully release the secret files linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has returned to the centre of American politics as the US Congress prepares to meet again next week.
The issue gained fresh force after the Democratic Party won a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, making tougher parliamentary oversight of the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files all but certain.
At the heart of the push is the Epstein Files Transparency Act 2, a bill introduced in July by Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democrat Ro Khanna of California. The two are preparing to use a discharge petition to force the bill onto the House floor for a vote.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson has tried to block the bill, but Massie has said he will gather the 218 signatures needed and force a vote as soon as the House opens.
The bill would give victims, state attorneys general and local prosecutors the right to sue the US attorney general to release documents the Justice Department unlawfully withheld or blacked out. It would also require the department to hand over full, unredacted documents to victims who ask for them.
Robert Garcia of California, set to chair the House Oversight Committee under the Democrats, has warned that people who worked with Epstein, and powerful men who raped and sexually exploited young women, have still not faced justice.
Garcia said no public hearings were held under Republican leadership, which allowed many of those involved to avoid appearing before Congress. Under Democratic leadership, he said, they will have to come and give evidence, and should keep their lawyers ready.
He has made the Epstein files one of his main lines of inquiry, alongside the Trump administration, corporate corruption, and the work of the Department of Homeland Security and immigration enforcement.
Corruption and the protection of powerful people were major issues in the midterm elections. Between 1 September and 21 October alone, candidates from both parties spent more than 70 million dollars on adverts about Epstein, child sex abuse and sex crimes.
President Donald Trump signed the first Epstein Files Transparency Act last year, but victims and MPs say the Justice Department released many pages heavily redacted and left out key financial documents.
With Congress due to begin in January, a long legal and political battle between the White House and Congress over the files now looks likely.
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