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How did Democrats vote on the Epstein measure and who were the Democratic yes votes?
Executive summary
The House voted 427–1 to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, with virtually every Democrat voting “yes” and Rep. Clay Higgins (R‑La.) the lone “no”; a small number of members did not vote (two Republicans and three Democrats by some accounts) [1] [2]. The Senate agreed to pass the measure by unanimous consent, clearing a path to the president’s desk [3] [4].
1. What the roll call shows: near‑unanimity, not unanimity
The most consistent fact across outlets is the overwhelming bipartisan margin: 427 members voted to compel the Justice Department to release Epstein‑related files, one voted against it, and a handful did not cast a vote—reports name two Republicans and three Democrats as absent in some counts [1] [2]. News organizations and congressional trackers describe the tally as “near‑unanimous” rather than literally unanimous, and most outlets single out Rep. Clay Higgins as the lone “no” [5] [6].
2. How Democrats voted and who the Democratic yes votes were
Available sources report that “all Democrats” present supported the measure and characterize Democratic support as essentially unanimous among the party’s House members; multiple outlets state that House Democrats “were on board” and “all Democrats voted yes” [7] [8] [9]. Several outlets also provide interactive vote lists (The New York Times and Washington Post) that enumerate every member’s vote, which the Times says shows three Democrats did not vote [2] [10]. For a complete, member‑by‑member list of which individual House Democrats voted “yes,” the New York Times’ interactive roll call and the Washington Post’s vote tracker are cited as sources that map every representative’s vote [2] [10]. Available sources do not reproduce a full list of every Democratic yes‑voter in a single prose paragraph; they instead offer interactive or tabulated roll‑call pages [2] [10].
3. Procedural context: how this reached the floor
The vote followed a successful discharge petition that forced the bill onto the floor after months of resistance from House GOP leadership and an earlier DOJ refusal to disclose more materials; Democrats and a bipartisan group of members gathered sufficient signatures to compel a vote [4] [11]. The discharge path and public pressure from survivors and some Republicans made a recorded vote inevitable despite initial attempts to avoid one by unanimous consent [4] [12].
4. Political dynamics inside both parties
Democrats framed the measure as transparency for survivors and accountability; reporting notes Democrats and survivors applauded on the House floor after passage [4] [13]. Republicans were split—many joined Democrats after President Trump reversed his opposition and told Republicans to support the release, which changed the political calculation for GOP members [1] [14]. Some Republican leaders publicly called the vote a “political show” even as they voted for it; Speaker Mike Johnson voted yes while urging amendments to protect privacy [15].
5. Senate and next steps
The Senate agreed by unanimous consent to pass the House bill once it arrived, meaning the measure was set to be cleared quickly and sent to the president [3] [4]. Several outlets note the Senate’s action was procedural and expedited the bill’s path to enactment [3].
6. Limits in the public reporting and what’s not in these sources
The available reporting consistently affirms broad Democratic support but does not list every Democrat’s name in a single quoted passage; instead, outlets provide interactive roll‑call tools [2] [10]. If you need a definitive list of every Democratic “yes” name‑by‑name, available sources point to the NYT and Washington Post vote pages as authoritative roll‑call records [2] [10]. Claims about why any individual Democrat abstained or missed the vote require member‑specific statements, which are not cited in the current set of reports—available sources do not mention individual explanations for the three Democrats who did not vote [2].
7. Competing narratives and implicit agendas
Coverage shows two competing frames: Democrats and victims portrayed the vote as overdue transparency [4]; Republican leaders and some Trump allies depicted it as a partisan stunt even while joining the majority to avoid political fallout [15] [14]. The president’s late conversion—characterizing the controversy as a “Democrat hoax” before endorsing release—altered incentives for GOP members, an implicit political calculation noted across reporting [1] [14].
If you want, I can extract the full member‑by‑member roll call from The New York Times or Washington Post interactive pages cited here so you have a verified list of every Democratic “yes” vote and the names of those who did not vote [2] [10].