Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is moving forward with plans to force a vote on requiring the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Why it matters: The bipartisan push by Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has proven popular in Congress, despite attempts by President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson to dampen the efforts.

• Massie said he's intentionally timed his discharge petition so the vote can be forced shortly after the lengthy August recess.
• "You're going to fundraisers, you're going to town halls, you're going to the grocery store, you're going to the beach — you're going to hear from people," he said of his colleagues.

Driving the news: After numerous unsuccessful efforts to swat away the Epstein issue, President Trump announced yesterday he had directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury transcripts in the Epstein case.

• Johnson had the House Rules Committee prepare a nonbinding resolution that calls on the DOJ to release all information pertaining to Epstein — a way to address the issue while minimizing backlash from Trump.
• But the House speaker hasn't committed to holding a vote on that measure.
• Massie told us those concessions are insufficient and he still plans to move forward with his discharge petition, which forces a House vote on his binding bill if it is signed by 218 members.

Between the lines: The real question is whether Johnson will once again employ the procedural maneuver he used in April to kill a discharge petition over proxy voting for new parents.

• Massie said he is not worried, because "that affected 435 people ... and the Epstein sex trafficking ring is a lot bigger than that."
• Similarly, Khanna told us: "Being allowed to vote in the House is important. But the release of the Epstein files — to the MAGA base — matters 100 times more to them. So I think it's a totally different situation."

What's next: GOP leadership is considering canceling votes next week, in part to delay Massie's efforts.

• Johnson told reporters today that Republicans remain unified on the issue, despite Democratic efforts to sow division within the party.
• "We will see how all this develops," he said. "We're in line with the White House, there's no daylight between us. We want transparency, and I think that will be delivered for the people."

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— Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz

Lost in the coverage of Republicans passing rescissions was the lack of drama in the final vote.

• Just two Republicans, Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Mike Turner (Ohio), voted "no" on the final bill.

Why it matters: Faced with internal pressure and promises of future concessions, a bloc of vulnerable House Republicans ultimately fell in line to support clawing back federal funding they had long defended.

• Before the first House rescissions vote in June, a group that included Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.) and Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) grappled with how they could justify cutting spending from public broadcasting and the global AIDS program PEPFAR. The latter is credited with saving over 20 million lives.
• However, the Senate's watering down of the bill, including the removal of $400 million in cuts to PEPFAR, made it easier for moderates to support.

"The Senate has improved the House's original version of this bill," Bacon said in a statement following last night's vote.

• "I also received a commitment from Speaker Johnson to keep funding for local public media in this year's budget and will work to retain funding in this year's appropriations bill."

— Kate Santaliz

GOP Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt is running a new ad more than 200 miles away from his Houston-area district.

Why it matters: Hunt sees an opening in the Texas Senate race. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn is faltering in Republican primary polling, and mega-MAGA challenger Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general, is under the microscope.

• The new Hunt ad is a clear effort to introduce himself to voters outside the area he represents.
• It also aims to paint an implicit contrast with Paxton, whose wife, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last week.

📺 The ad presents Hunt as a family man, showing himself with his wife and three young children.

• "Family, faith, freedom. These are the values that define Texas, and they're the values that define Wesley Hunt," the ad says.

Hunt — who has yet to formally announce a Senate bid — is spending in the "six figures" to air the commercial in the Houston and Dallas media markets, according to a source familiar with the buy.

• Hunt has been running a separate ad in the Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Waco and Amarillo areas highlighting his military background.

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— Alex Isenstatdt