House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated he will not block a vote on legislation to make public the Jeffrey Epstein files, even as the House remains in recess for a fourth consecutive week. The recess, which began with the government shutdown at the start of the month, has delayed a discharge petition that is one signature short of the 218 needed to force a vote.
The petition, signed by all House Democrats and four Republicans, aims to release documents from the federal investigation into Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The final expected signature is from Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat elected last month, but Johnson has refused to swear her in until the House reconvenes, which he says will not happen until the government reopens.
Johnson argued that the discharge petition is unnecessary, citing an ongoing bipartisan House oversight committee investigation that has already released tens of thousands of pages. Democrat Ro Khanna, a co-sponsor of the petition, welcomed Johnson's commitment to a vote, saying, 'The advocacy of the survivors is working.'
The government shutdown, now in its 21st day, shows no signs of resolution. Senate Republicans have held multiple votes on a continuing resolution to fund the government through November, but Democrats have blocked it, demanding extensions for Affordable Care Act subsidies and curbs on presidential rescission powers.
