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When did congress vote on the release of Epstein files the first time
Executive summary
Congress first held the decisive votes to force the release of Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein on November 18, 2025, when the House approved the measure by a near‑unanimous 427–1 margin (later acted on by the Senate and sent to the president) [1] [2]. Multiple outlets report the House vote occurred on that Tuesday and the Senate agreed quickly thereafter, with President Trump saying he would sign and then signing the bill [3] [4].
1. What happened on November 18, 2025 — the vote that broke the logjam
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, the House of Representatives used a discharge/forced vote process to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act by essentially unanimous margins (reported as 427–1), overcoming months of delay and opposition within Republican leadership; that House vote is the “first” major congressional vote to compel DOJ records to be released [1] [2]. Reporting says the House action was sparked by a bipartisan coalition — including dissident Republicans such as Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene working with Democrats — and by pressure from Epstein survivors [5] [6].
2. Why some outlets call this the first time Congress “voted” to release the files
News organizations uniformly treat the Nov. 18 House tally as the seminal congressional vote because it was a formal, recorded action by the chamber to compel the DOJ to release unclassified Epstein materials; that House vote then moved the measure to the Senate, which agreed quickly, allowing transmission to the president’s desk [7] [1]. In short: the House vote on Nov. 18 is described across outlets as the initial, decisive congressional vote to force release [3] [2].
3. What the Senate did immediately afterward
After the House passed the bill on Nov. 18, the Senate approved the House‑backed measure swiftly — by unanimous consent or without objection in many accounts — and the bill was sent to the White House the following day for the president’s signature [5] [8]. Reuters described the Senate step as the unraveling of White House attempts to slow the process; major outlets reported the Senate approved the House bill very quickly after the House vote [9] [8].
4. The president’s role and timing of signature
President Trump had opposed earlier release efforts but reversed course shortly before the House vote, saying he would sign the bill if Congress passed it; after the House and Senate actions the bill was transmitted to the White House and Trump announced he had signed the legislation [10] [4]. Reporting also notes caveats: signatures and the law do not guarantee every page will be publicly released because the bill contains exceptions for ongoing investigations and victim privacy [11] [12].
5. What “first time” might mean and alternative readings
If a reader’s question means “when did Congress first formally vote on a measure to compel release,” the answer is Nov. 18, 2025 (House) followed immediately by Senate action [1] [2]. If the question instead asks whether Congress had previously held any related hearings, subpoenas, or committee votes about Epstein records earlier in 2025, available sources in this packet do not catalogue any earlier full‑chamber votes compelling DOJ release — they focus on the Nov. 18 House vote as the breakthrough (not found in current reporting).
6. How reporters frame limitations and political context
News coverage emphasizes political dynamics: months of delay by Republican leadership, a White House effort to slow the vote, pressure from survivors and bipartisan lawmakers, and a last‑minute presidential shift that helped secure near‑unanimous support [9] [5]. Outlets also flag that statutory exceptions and DOJ discretion mean large swathes of documents could remain withheld even after the law is signed [11] [12].
7. Key factual anchors you can cite directly
- House vote: reported as 427–1 on Nov. 18, 2025 [1] [13].
- Senate: moved swiftly, approving the House measure and sending it to the White House [5] [8].
- Presidential signature: Trump announced he signed the bill after congressional action; reporting notes legal exceptions could limit what becomes public [4] [11].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the provided set of news excerpts; if you want roll‑call detail, committee history, or the bill text, those items are not included in the supplied sources and therefore are not described here (not found in current reporting).