(WASHINGTON) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the Senate could act as soon as Tuesday to approve the release of the Justice Department’s files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Thune said there’s currently an effort ongoing to determine whether any senator opposes moving forward with the bill. If no one objects, Thune said it was a “possibility” that the bill could be passed Tuesday — the same day it overwhelmingly passed in the House.
He also dismissed the idea that the Senate would amend the bill despite House Speaker Mike Johnson urging the Senate to do so.
“I think when a bill comes out of the House 427 to 1 and the president said he was going to sign it, I’m not sure that amending it is in the cards,” Thune said.
Johnson is not enthusiastic about the prospect of the Senate fast-tracking passage of the Epstein files bill in the upper chamber without making changes.
“I just texted him, we’re going to get together,” Johnson said about Thune. “We’ll talk about that.”
“There’s an easy way to amend the legislation to make sure that we don’t do permanent damage to the justice system, and I’m going to insist upon that,” Johnson added. “We’ll talk to our Senate colleagues.”
In remarks on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would personally call for the Senate to unanimously act on the Epstein bill later Tuesday.
“As soon as the House sends us the Epstein bill the Senate should move without delay to pass it unamended and send it on to the president’s desk to be signed into law. We should pass this bill as soon as possible, as written, without a hint of delay,” Schumer said.
The measure that passed in the House compels Attorney General Pam Bondi to make available all “unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” in the Department of Justice’s possession related to Epstein.
How would it work on the floor if this happened?
If the Senate does move on the Epstein bill on Tuesday evening, it’s expected to be by unanimous consent.
Right now, Thune said the Senate is checking in with members to see if there is anyone who objects to passing the bill Tuesday night.
If there is no objection, it could be a very quick process on the floor. Thune or another senator would likely rise to ask for the bill to be passed unanimously. The presiding officer would ask if there were any objections and, if there were none, the bill would be approved.
There are, of course, many procedural hiccups that could emerge. But the possibility exists that this could be moved across the floor quickly.
Schumer could seek unanimous agreement for final passage, or he could seek unanimous agreement to hold a vote on the bill Tuesday night. Either way, his actions, if all 100 senators agree, could send the bill to Trump’s desk as soon as Tuesday night.
Sen. Jeff Merkley is the sponsor of the Senate’s version of the bill that would compel release of the Epstein documents.
In a separate speech on the floor, Merkley also called for the bill to be swiftly passed.
If the bill passes in the Senate, it will go to Trump’s desk for him to sign it into law. The president said on Monday that he will sign the bill should it reach his desk.
“I’m all for it,” Trump said.
If the legislation — as it’s written in the House-passed bill — is signed into law, it could compel the release of federal records on Epstein and his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as other individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epstein’s “criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity, plea agreements or investigatory proceedings,” according to the legislation text. Victims’ names and other identifying information would be excluded from disclosure, as would any items that may depict or contain child sex abuse material, according to the text of the House-passed bill.
Trump does not need to wait for Congress to act — he could order the release immediately.
Even if the measure passes through the Senate and is ultimately signed into law by Trump, it’s unlikely the Justice Department would release the entire Epstein file, according to sources. Any materials related to ongoing investigations or White House claims of executive privilege will likely remain out of public view.
When would this happen?
The timing is very unclear.
The Senate floor is currently open and the Senate is expected to vote at 5:30 p.m. ET on a separate matter unrelated to the Epstein files.
Thune could also decide to hold off until later in the week if that is the preference of his members.
-
ABC News’ John Parkinson and Rebecca Gelpi contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
