Congress orders DOJ to release all Epstein case files within 30 days.

What it does

The bill requires the Attorney General to release all unclassified files about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. It also covers their partners and named officials. Files must be released within 30 days in a searchable format. The DOJ can only hide parts to protect crime victims and child abuse material. It can also hide parts for active cases, graphic images, or real safety threats. Each hidden part must be explained in writing to Congress.

Who it affects

Citizens can read files about a major case. The public can see what the DOJ chose to do about prosecuting certain people.

One thing to notice

The bill makes the DOJ explain in writing to Congress why it hides any part of a file. This creates a public record of what was hidden and why.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

24 cosponsors: 23 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Jul 15, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 15, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
• Nov 18, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 427 - 1 (Roll no.”
• Nov 18, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Jordan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”
• Nov 19, 2025 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed/agreed to in Senate: Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed…”
• Nov 19, 2025 — Signed into law · Congress.gov: “Became Public Law No: 119-38”
• Nov 19, 2025 — Sent to president · Congress.gov: “Presented to President”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 1 reports from Dec 2025 to Dec 2025.

Those reports show $10,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 2 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.

Ro Khanna, who sponsored the bill, received $1,000 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Demand Progress Action — $10,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• Attorney General — The head of the Department of Justice, the federal law enforcement agency.
• unclassified — Files that are not marked as secret by the state.
• real safety threats — Genuine danger to the country from foreign enemies or terrorism.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.