Republican Rep. Thomas Massie says Congress is on the verge of another showdown over the Jeffrey Epstein files, announcing plans to force a House vote on legislation that would allow survivors and state officials to challenge the Justice Department over withheld records.
Massie made the announcement Thursday, predicting that lawmakers would reach the required signature threshold when the House returns next week.
“When we return next week, we’ll get 218 signatures for Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which guarantees a vote,” Massie wrote on X.
“Survivors will be able to get their own records, State Attorneys General can prosecute crimes, and we can take the DOJ to court for keeping critical files hidden.”
The Kentucky Republican has been working with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to strengthen the original Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November 2025.
But Massie and Khanna say the Trump administration has failed to release all the records required under that law. They have accused the Justice Department of improperly withholding documents and maintaining excessive redactions.
Their new proposal, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, would give survivors, state attorneys general and certain other officials the ability to sue the U.S. attorney general over alleged violations of the disclosure requirements.
It would also allow survivors to obtain unredacted records concerning themselves and provide state and local prosecutors with access to material needed for investigations.
Massie has been pursuing a discharge petition, a congressional procedure that can bring legislation to the House floor despite opposition or inaction from committee leadership.
As of the latest reported count, the petition had 216 signatures, just two short of the 218 required. Massie says he expects to secure the remaining support next week.
The Justice Department has defended its handling of the original law, saying it has released millions of pages and that certain withheld records fall within permitted exemptions.
The latest push comes after Tuesday’s midterm elections, with Democrats preparing to take control of the House in January and promising renewed scrutiny of the administration’s handling of Epstein-related records.
For now, Massie’s announcement remains a prediction rather than a completed legislative victory. The petition still needs the required signatures, and the proposed law would have to pass Congress before its new enforcement provisions could take effect.
But the Republican congressman is making clear that he intends to keep the pressure on the Justice Department — and on his own party — when lawmakers return to Washington.
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