House grinds to a halt as GOP tries to shut down Epstein votes
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise speaks at a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters on July 15. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
House Republicans have virtually stopped work on all major legislation leading up to their six-week summer recess to avoid taking votes on forcing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Why it matters: Democrats have been using every opportunity to force their GOP colleagues on the record about Epstein as President Trump pressures them to make the issue go away.
- "They're certainly not making it easier for themselves. ... If the Republicans continue to make their jobs harder, that's on them," said Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
- She added: "We certainly won't refrain from pointing that out as long as they continue to perform this self-own time and time again."
- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) shot back: "Where were these 'interested' Democrats for four years when they could have released all of it? They have no credibility because they had no desire to release it when they were in control."
State of play: The House Rules Committee is not planning to hold votes this week to prepare major legislation for the House floor, meaning any remaining votes will likely be on small, noncontroversial bills.
- The House had been scheduled to vote on GOP legislation involving immigration and environmental policies this week, which had to go through the panel first.
- But Democrats planned to force yet more votes on amendments aimed at pressuring the Justice Department to release all its documents on Epstein.
The latest: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Monday evening that he has no plans to send members home early for August recess.
- "There's no need to allow the Democrats to just continue to hammer their political points and make speeches and grandstand, so that's why Rules is going in," Johnson said.
- "There was nothing time sensitive that we needed to handle by way of a rule, so the work of the House will continue all week."
What they're saying: Members of the Rules Committee in both parties told reporters the standstill is due to Republicans not wanting to vote on the Epstein-related amendments.
- Trump has been keeping pressure on his Republican allies not to try to force the release of the documents, despite his MAGA base long clamoring for such a move.
- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the ranking member of the Rules Committee, told Axios there is also "concern whether they can pass a rule on the floor" since right-wing Republicans are increasingly agitating for an Epstein vote.
What's next: Republicans won't be able to put off the inevitable, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) telling reporters he is confident he can get 218 members to sign onto a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the files.
- "Politicians do not like conflict. They like to tell both sides that they're on their side, and so that's why we need an actual vote in the U.S. House of Representatives," Massie told reporters.
- If Johnson tries to quash such a vote, he added, it would be tantamount to a "cover-up."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect additional reporting.
