Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republicans voted with Democrats to direct the DOJ to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images)
Nearly all House Republicans voted for it, as demands for transparency and President Donald Trump's green light on the legislation gave them little recourse otherwise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters at his weekly news conference on Tuesday that he would vote in favor of the bill, despite concerns about what he saw as limited protections for victims and other innocent people whose names may be released against their own wishes.
"Who's going to want to come forward if they think Congress can take a political exercise and reveal their identities? Who's going to come talk to prosecutors? It's very dangerous. It would deter future whistleblowers and informants," he said. "The release of that could also publicly reveal the identity, by the way, of undercover law enforcement officers who are working in future operations."
House GOP leaders had also been supportive of a parallel investigation led by the House Oversight Committee that's led to the release of thousands of pages of documents from both the DOJ and Epstein's estate.
Massie, Khanna and the bill's supporters argued it was the best recourse to get justice for Epstein's victims, and they have criticized Johnson's favored route as toothless. They have also contended the bill provides sufficient protections for Epstein's victims.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., speaks alongside Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 18, 2025. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Several other House Republicans told Fox News Digital on Monday night that they shared the speaker's concerns and hoped that the Senate would make changes to the legislation.
Khanna and Massie, however, warned the Senate not to go too far during a press conference on Tuesday morning alongside several of Epstein's victims.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS
"Don't muck it up in the Senate. Don't get too cute. We're all paying attention," Massie warned. "If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people, and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up in the Senate."
It's not yet clear what Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will do with the legislation.
His counterpart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled he would seek to force its consideration in the Senate.
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"Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it — period," Schumer said in a statement.
"Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-votes-overwhelmingly-force-doj-release-jeffrey-epstein-files