House Schedule Implodes Over Epstein Files in Blow to Johnson

Simmering Republican tensions over the Jeffrey Epstein files are blowing up the House floor schedule for the second week in a row and could force the chamber to leave early for its summer recess.

A push by Democrats to turn a Rules Committee hearing into a forum on allegations of a cover-up of federal information pertaining to the disgraced businessman forced the GOP to recess the meeting indefinitely. The meeting ended without any rules for moving ahead with this week’s planned bills — three of them Congressional Review Act resolutions with broad Republican support.

The unexpected hurdle means unless Republicans can reverse course, they won’t be able to vote on signature party-line legislation this week. The GOP can only move non-controversial legislation under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote for passage.

The House is set to leave for recess Thursday and return in September. But the chamber could head out early without any legislation to consider under a rule.

Shortly after the Rules Committee stopped its meeting, panel member Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told reporters the committee wouldn’t meet again this week. He said Republicans agreed not to let Democrats “grandstand,” and instead would vote on only non-controversial suspension bills.

“We do suspensions — I think that’s right,” Norman said.

Democratic Push

Rules Committee Democrats had planned to bring up amendment votes on releasing the Epstein files. The move would have forced Rules Committee Republicans to either support their release, a priority of the party’s base, or side with President Donald Trump, who only would allow for the release of limited grand jury information about Epstein.

Democrats have repeatedly hammered congressional Republicans on the Epstein issue since Trump reversed his earlier demands to release all information about the convicted sex offender. The president has called the push for a release a “hoax.”

Democrats say the files could humiliate Trump, who was friends with Epstein before he faced charges of sexual trafficking. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 as he was awaiting trial.

“My belief is we need the administration to have a space to do what it is doing, and if further congressional action is necessary or appropriate, then we’ll look at that,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Monday. “But I don’t think we’re at that point right now.”

Last week, Johnson was only able to move forward on a party-line spending clawback bill after hammering out a non-binding resolution from Rules Republicans backing the Epstein files’ release.

But Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a conservative Trump critic who’s leading a push for a binding resolution, accused Rules Republicans of voting for a weak resolution to provide political cover. Johnson hasn’t scheduled a floor vote on even the non-binding resolution.

The House Rules Committee met Monday afternoon on multiple bills, including rollbacks of Biden administration land management rules, but recessed before considering amendments.

Rules ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) warned Republicans at the meeting “you should be prepared to be here for an all-nighter.”

Massie, whose discharge petition to force a floor vote on the binding resolution could come after August recess, called this a “watershed moment” for Johnson to break with Trump on the Epstein files. Massie said Republicans will be closely watched by voters on whether they support his resolution.

“This will be an issue that does follow Republicans through the midterms, and it will follow each individual Republican through the midterms,” Massie said. “It will follow people into their primaries — did you support transparency and justice, or did you come up here, get elected and fall into the swamp?”