Here’s what an Epstein files vote in the House could look like

Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday night that the House of Representatives will vote next week on a bill that would compel the Department of Justice to release the complete Jeffrey Epstein files despite his long opposition to the discharge petition that forces a vote.

“It’s a totally pointless exercise,” Johnson argued. “It is completely moot now. We might as well just do it. I mean they have 218 signatures, that’s fine. We’ll do it.”

House Republican leaders have yet to say specifically when the vote will occur or how it will be considered on the floor.

Johnson says House will vote on releasing Epstein files next week

“We haven’t done the schedule yet — but as soon as possible,” Johnson said in a gaggle with reporters Wednesday night. “We might be able to do it under suspension. I am not sure. But we haven’t figured that out yet.”

Here’s what we know about what could happen next week:

What does the bill do?

The Epstein Files Transparency Act would compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all “unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in the Department of Justice’s possession.

It seeks, among other things, information on Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell; individuals related to Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements; any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains or sealed settlements involving Epstein or his associates; internal DOJ communications concerning decisions to charge, not charge, investigate or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates; and information related to Epstein’s incarceration and death.

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It allows the AG to withhold or redact material that: contains personally identifiable information of victims or victims’ personal and medical files and similar files; depicts or contains child sexual abuse materials; would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that it is narrowly tailored and temporary.

What might the House vote look like?

By a rule: The Epstein files bill could be brought up under a rule, which would require a simple majority for passage. The bill would first need to clear the House Rules Committee. Once Rules advances the measure to the floor for full consideration, there would be debate on the rule followed by a vote to adopt it. Then, the House would debate the bill itself followed by a final vote.

It is almost certain that the House would pass the Epstein bill if it came up under a rule. There are 433 House members currently, so it would need 217 votes if all members are voting and present. If the bill is brought up under a rule, the earliest we could see a vote is likely Tuesday.

Under suspension: The Epstein files bill could be brought to the floor under suspension, which would require a two-thirds majority to pass. If all 214 Democrats and the four Republicans who signed the petition vote in favor, there would still need to be about 70 Republicans to vote in favor for the bill to pass. There are 433 House members currently, so the magic number is 289 if all members are voting and present.

House Republicans currently project about 40 to 50 members in the conference will vote in favor. If the speaker brings the bill up under suspension, it could be considered as early as Monday night when the House returns for 6:30 p.m. votes.

What happens if it passes the House?

The bill would then go to the Senate, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t have to bring it up. It’s unclear if Thune would put the bill on the floor, though he has said he is for transparency.

If it passes the Senate

The bill would then go to President Donald Trump, who would most likely veto it. It would take a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House to override the president’s veto.