The House of Representatives will begin its August recess early amid a dispute over the so-called Epstein files, which have divided Republicans.
House GOP leadership announced Tuesday that previously scheduled votes for Thursday have been canceled.
The decision follows Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introducing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would require the government to publicly release all documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaker Mike Johnson has declined to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, saying he wants to give the administration “space” to release what it can independently. In response, Massie has launched a discharge petition — a procedural tool that allows lawmakers to bypass leadership and force a vote on the House floor. The petition must be signed by a majority of House members to advance.
Massie claims he already has the necessary support, saying Democrats and nearly a dozen Republicans have signed on.
However, House rules require a discharge petition to sit, or "ripen," for seven legislative days before it can be considered. That timeline pushes any potential vote until after lawmakers return from the August recess in September.
The push for more transparency intensified after the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo stating their review of the Epstein case found no “incriminating client list,” no evidence of blackmail involving prominent individuals, and no grounds to charge any third parties.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Conspiracy theories have circulated about his cause of death and network.
