The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a measure that will mandate the disclosure of official records associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a almost unanimous vote in the House of Representatives and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. The administration gave in after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a controversy that has plagued the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Congress
Senators proceeded by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a recorded vote, speeding up the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a near-unanimous vote.
“The American people have been patient long enough. Jeffrey Epstein’s victims have waited long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a address to the chamber on Tuesday, before asking the Senate to approve it without opposition. “Uncover the facts. Let transparency reign.”
Next Steps
This legislation next goes to Trump for his approval. The president signaled on Monday that he would endorse the legislation.
Although the president has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “false narrative”, he expressed his backing for the House bill over the past few days, and announced he would approve it if it is presented to him.
Support and Opposition
Democrats, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were seated in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was enacted. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who expressed concern he feared the measure would disclose specific data of witnesses, those under scrutiny and others caught up in the investigation.
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