US House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced that the House will vote next week on a bill compelling the release of government files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn in, providing the final signature needed to trigger a floor vote on the legislation.
Johnson, who opposes the bill, told reporters on Wednesday that the vote would take place as soon as the chamber returns from recess. Grijalva, who succeeded her father Raúl Grijalva after his death in March, became the 218th signatory on a discharge petition, automatically forcing a vote on the measure. In her remarks, she said, 'Justice cannot wait another day. Adelante.'
The discharge petition rules would have allowed Johnson to delay the vote until early December, but his announcement brings it forward. Several Republicans, including Don Bacon, Tim Burchett, and Rob Bresnahan, have indicated they will support the bill, potentially splitting the party conference.
Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, in a death ruled a suicide. The Justice Department earlier this year stated it would release no further details about the case, sparking calls for transparency. Even if the bill passes the House, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where leaders have shown no intention of bringing it to a vote, and President Trump has dismissed it as a 'Democrat hoax.'
