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Where can I find the official House roll-call record and vote text for the Epstein measure (date and bill number)?
Executive summary
If you want the official House roll‑call and the bill text for the measure that passed to compel release of Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein, contemporary news reporting identifies the measure as the "Epstein Files Transparency Act" and records the House vote as 427–1 on November 18, 2025 [1] [2]. Available sources do not reproduce a direct link to the official House Clerk roll‑call or the consolidated bill text, but major outlets list sponsor names (Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna) and describe the act’s scope and timing [3] [4].
1. What reporters are consistently saying about the vote
News organizations uniformly report the House approved a near‑unanimous measure on Nov. 18, 2025 that would force the Department of Justice to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” connected to Jeffrey Epstein—final House tallies reported as 427–1 with Clay Higgins as the lone “no” vote [2] [1] [5]. Coverage stresses the bipartisan nature of the outcome and that the bill now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain despite Senate leaders saying they might act quickly [6] [7].
2. How the measure is described (text summary reported by outlets)
Multiple outlets summarize the bill’s requirements: it would require the attorney general to make unclassified DOJ files about Epstein searchable and downloadable within 30 days of enactment, while allowing redactions to protect victims or active investigations [4] [7]. Reporting also notes the bill was advanced under suspension of the rules in the House, a procedure that requires a two‑thirds majority, and that sponsors include Rep. Thomas Massie (R‑Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑Calif.) [3] [4].
3. Sponsor names, procedure and political context you can cite when searching official sources
Use the reported sponsors and procedure as search terms on official sites: “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” “Thomas Massie,” “Ro Khanna,” and “suspension of the rules” alongside the date Nov. 18, 2025—these keywords match press accounts and will help locate the House Clerk roll‑call entry and the enrolled bill or bill text on Congress.gov or the House Clerk’s website [3] [4]. Reporters emphasize the discharge petition that forced floor consideration after leadership resisted, which is another useful procedural term to include when searching official congressional records [8].
4. Where reporters say the definitive records likely live (and what they don’t show directly)
Journalists point to the formal congressional channels as the authoritative sources for roll‑call votes and statutes, but the articles in the set do not themselves include the House Clerk roll‑call link or a direct Congress.gov bill number or text; instead they quote tallies, sponsor names and summaries [2] [1]. Available sources do not mention a bill number or provide a direct URL to the House Clerk’s roll‑call or to a specific bill page on Congress.gov—so you will need to query those official repositories using the names/date above [5] [4].
5. Conflicting or variant details to be aware of
Coverage is consistent on the vote count and sponsors, but small variations appear in reporting of absences (some outlets note five members did not vote; others report two or three didn’t vote) and in emphasis—some outlets frame the passage as a bipartisan victory for survivors while others highlight GOP infighting and leadership resistance [9] [5] [10]. That means when you pull the official roll‑call you should verify the House Clerk’s precise vote roster rather than rely on summary counts in press stories [5] [9].
6. Quick guide to the exact next steps to find the official records
- Search the House Clerk’s roll‑call archive for Nov. 18, 2025 and look for “Epstein Files Transparency Act,” sponsors Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, or the suspension‑of‑the‑rules consideration; reporters link these identifiers to the vote [3] [4].
- Search Congress.gov for the bill title or sponsor names and the date Nov. 18, 2025; outlets describe the bill’s provisions and timeline but do not publish the official bill number or link [4] [7].
- If you need the precise statutory language or enrolled bill, look for the bill page on Congress.gov or the text posted by the House Oversight Committee (reporting notes the Oversight Committee had already released large document troves, relevant context though not the full statutory text) [3] [4].
7. Caveats and reporting limitations
The assembled news coverage establishes the vote, sponsors, and broad substance of the measure but does not substitute for the primary, official records: the House Clerk roll‑call, the official bill text and any public laws or enrolled bills on Congress.gov. Available sources do not include a bill number or direct official links; verifying the final text and the official roll‑call requires consulting the House Clerk and Congress.gov using the names and date provided in this reporting [2] [1].