A discharge petition to force a House vote on a second Epstein files bill reached 218 signatures on Wednesday, Nov. 11.[1] The petition, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., seeks a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act II.[1] The milestone lets supporters bypass House Republican leaders and bring the bill to the floor.[2]
All 214 House Democrats signed the petition, along with four Republicans.[1] The Republicans are Massie, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.[1][2] ABC News described all four Republicans as lame ducks.[1]
Related: Massie Files 8 Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth, Forcing a House Vote Within Two Days.
What the bill would do
The bill would let state attorneys general, Epstein’s victims and members of Congress sue the U.S. attorney general.[1] Those suits could challenge the unlawful withholding or redaction of investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein.[1]
It builds on the first Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed in November 2025.[1] President Donald Trump signed that law after a Massie discharge petition forced the House vote.[1]
Massie has accused the Justice Department of ignoring that law’s disclosure requirements.[2] “The Department of Justice continues to unlawfully withhold over 3 million Epstein files that should be released to the public,” Massie said in a July statement.[2]
How the discharge process works
Massie launched the petition over the summer to get around House leadership.[2] Once a petition has 218 signatures, the motion sits on the House calendar for at least seven legislative days.[1] One of the signers must then offer a motion to discharge the bill.[1]
If that happens, the speaker has two legislative days to act on the motion.[1] If the motion passes, the House moves on to consider the bill itself.[1] Discharge petitions, once rare, have succeeded eight times in the current 119th Congress.[1]
What comes next
Any floor action on the bill would come after the Thanksgiving recess, possibly as early as Dec. 2 or 3.[1] That vote would fall in the final weeks of the current Republican-led House, before Democrats take control in January.[3] The Boston Report’s Congress tracker follows House floor action, and more coverage is on the Politics and Government hub.
Sources
- ABC News: Discharge petition on 2nd Epstein files bill secures 218 signatures, teeing up floor action
- CBS News: House petition for new Epstein files bill gets enough support to force vote
- CBS News: Top White House lawyer warns of “blatant criminality” in Democrats’ investigations push
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