The upper chamber of Congress on Tuesday gave swift approval to a bill that will require the publication of official records associated with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the lower house and a change of position by the president and his GOP allies. The administration relented after months of trying to delay the cross-party initiative involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.
Swift Approval in Congress
Senators proceeded by consensus, which needs acceptance from each senator but does not require a individual voting process, expediting the process. Just before, the House voted decisively for the bill on a massive majority.
The public have endured sufficient delay. The survivors have suffered long enough,” Chuck Schumer declared in a Senate remarks on Tuesday, before requesting the chamber to adopt it by consent. “Let the truth come out. Ensure full disclosure.”
Next Steps
This legislation next will be sent to the president for his signature. The president indicated on Monday that he would approve the bill.
Though Trump has for months rejected the uproar over the authorities' approach of the Epstein case as a “political stunt”, he expressed his backing for the legislation over the past few days, and announced he would sign the measure if it comes to him.
Support and Opposition
The Democratic party, along with victims and their representatives who were watching from a public section, applauded after the bill was enacted. Lone dissent came from a GOP representative, who said he feared the measure would disclose specific data of people, persons of interest and others implicated in the investigation.
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