The upper chamber of Congress on this Tuesday passed without delay to a bill that will require the publication of official records associated with the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after a almost unanimous vote in the lower house and a shift by Donald Trump and his GOP allies. Trump's team gave in after months of trying to delay the joint action involving a scandal that has followed the president since his return to the White House.
Expedited Passage in Both Chambers
Senators proceeded by consensus, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, accelerating the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a 427-1 tally.
“The American people have waited long enough. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Tuesday, before urging the Senate to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign.”
Future Action
This legislation next goes to Donald Trump for his signature. He stated on Monday that he would sign the measure.
Though Trump has for an extended period rejected the outcry over the authorities' approach of the investigation as a “false narrative”, he signalled his support for the House bill over the past few days, and said he would approve it if it comes to him.
Reaction
Opposition lawmakers, along with survivors of Epstein and their representatives who were present in a House gallery, applauded after the bill was passed. The only opposition came from a Louisiana Republican, who said he feared the measure would reveal personal information of witnesses, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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