By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US House on Thursday will conduct a second vote on files tied to Jeffrey Epstein, as per media reports.

A discharge petition hit the required number of signatures on Wednesday. The step forces the bill to the floor without the approval of Republican leaders.

A scandal that refuses to fade is back on the House floor. Lawmakers from both parties have bypassed their own leaders to force the issue, while the government insists it has already done what the law asked.

Rep. Thomas Massie announced that his petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II had reached 218 signatures. That is a majority of the House. Rep. John Garamendi of California signed as the 218th name.

All 214 Democrats signed, along with four Republicans.

GOP are Massie, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman and Brian Fitzpatrick.

Massie wrote on social media that the petition reached the mark that morning.

The measure is aimed at enforcement. It would let members of Congress, state attorneys general and survivors sue the US attorney general for withholding or redacting Epstein records.

The first Epstein Files Transparency Act was signed on November 19, 2025. The new bill adds a way to take the Justice Department to court if it does not comply.

Massie has accused the department of ignoring the first law.

He said it had flagrantly and consistently ignored the disclosure requirements.

Massie also accused the department of unlawfully withholding more than 3 million files and of heavily redacting others. The department disputes this.

The department said it followed the law.

Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee in July that the department complied with the act.

He admitted mistakes. He said that when a victim’s name was improperly left un redacted, staff took the document down and fixed it. Also, he has said about 1% of redactions needed fixing after release.

President Trump supporters noted that he signed the first law, released thousands of pages and cooperated with the House Oversight subpoena.

They argued that he has done more for victims than anyone before him.

Massie lost his primary to Trump-backed Rep.-elect Ed Gallrein.

He is trying to finish his agenda during the lame-duck session.

The petition hit 218 a after fellow Republicans blocked his attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Massie is working with Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Teresa Leger Fernandez and Ro Khanna. Khanna was the original cosponsor of the first bill.

Khanna said the new act would let state attorneys general prosecute people who abused and trafficked young girls. The bill itself, as described, focuses on lawsuits over withheld records.

The vote will not come at once. The motion sits on the calendar for at least seven legislative days. After that, one of the signers must offer a motion on the petition.

The House would then vote on discharging the Rules Committee. It would vote on a procedural resolution. Only then would it vote on the bill.

The floor action is expected after Thanksgiving. It could come as early as December 2 or 3.

Media reports said the petition should become eligible by early December.

It had pointed to an earlier vote. The later schedule reflects the House calendar and the holiday recess.

The 2025 vote was lopsided. The first bill passed the House 427 to 1 in November 2025. That result came after Massie and Khanna got enough signatures to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson.

The Senate then passed it by unanimous consent. Trump signed it the next day. The second bill may face a harder road.

House passage is only the first step. The bill must pass the House and the Senate, and the president must sign it.

Senate Republican leaders could decline to take it up before the new Congress starts in January. That timeline is tight. A bill left unfinished at that point would need to start over.