House Republicans just pulled the plug on their workweek a day early, dodging a contentious showdown over Jeffrey Epstein’s files like a matador sidestepping a charging bull.
The Guardian reported that Republicans announced on Tuesday that they’d wrap up votes by Wednesday instead of Thursday, just before the five-week summer recess, while Democrats cry foul over avoiding a vote on releasing documents tied to the notorious Epstein case.
This isn’t just a random calendar quirk; the House was slated to stay in session through Thursday, per the original plan.
On Tuesday, GOP leaders made the call to cut the week short, a move Democrats quickly pounced on as a deliberate sidestep to avoid the Epstein issue.
“They are ending this week early because they’re afraid to cast votes on the Jeffrey Epstein issue,” said Ted Lieu, Vice-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Afraid or not, it’s hard to ignore the timing—it smells like a convenient escape from a sticky situation.
Democrats have been relentless, pushing amendments last week to unrelated bills in the House rules committee, trying to force a vote on releasing Epstein’s records, only to be shot down by Republicans each time.
By Monday, frustration boiled over as Democrats planned more Epstein-related amendments during a rules committee hearing, prompting GOP members to stonewall further votes, effectively freezing House floor action.
House Speaker Mike Johnson offered a compromise—a non-binding resolution on the Epstein files—but don’t hold your breath; that vote won’t happen until after the August recess. A symbolic gesture, sure, but it feels like kicking the can down a very long road.
“There’s no purpose for Congress to push an administration to do something that they’re already doing,” Johnson argued. Yet, if transparency is the goal, why the delay on even a symbolic nod?
Elsewhere, Donald Trump recently urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury testimony tied to Epstein, though it’s only a sliver of the full documentation. Bondi herself claimed on Fox News in February, “Epstein’s client list was sitting on my desk right now to review.” If true, why the slow drip of information?
Adding to the drama, a House oversight subcommittee, led by Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, approved a subpoena on Tuesday for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s close associate, currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking, while the Justice Department also seeks her input. It’s unclear when, or if, she’ll testify before Congress.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan effort by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna to force a vote on the Epstein files is in the works, though it’s delayed until the House reconvenes in early September. Bipartisanship on this issue is a rare bird—let’s see if it takes flight.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department doubled down, stating Epstein’s 2019 death in federal prison was a suicide and insisting there’s no client list to release, shutting the door on further disclosures.
This has left many supporters of President Trump fuming, expecting revelations of elite connections and alleged cover-ups. The silence from the department feels like a brick wall to those seeking answers.
Democrats, sensing an opportunity, are leveraging this rift among conservatives to push for House control in future cycles, while Republicans like Majority Leader Steve Scalise deflect criticism with, “We’re going to have committee meetings through Thursday, and there’s still a lot of work being done.”
Meetings are one thing, but cutting floor time short—especially with spending bills looming to avoid a government shutdown by September’s end—raises eyebrows.
Then there’s the biting critique from Joe Morelle, Number-Two Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who lamented, “We haven’t done appropriation bills, and yet we’re going to take extra days off.”
He’s got a point—shaving off workdays when critical legislation hangs in the balance seems like a risky play, especially when public trust is already on thin ice over the Epstein saga. For a party preaching accountability, this early exit might just hand Democrats a shiny talking point.