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  • Epstein files: discharge petition gains signatures needed to force US House vote

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    White House reacts to Epstein emails

    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called new information today on Epstein emails regarding President Donald Trump a “manufactured hoax.”

    WASHINGTON – A bill concerning the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein is set to spark a future debate in the U.S. House.

    A discharge petition regarding the release of the files gained its 218th signature on Wednesday, the threshold needed to force a U.S. House vote on the matter, according to The Hill. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) signed on immediately after being sworn in on Wednesday. 

    “It’s about time for Congress to restore its role as a check and balance on this administration and fight for we, the American people,” Rep. Grijalva said in her first speech on the House floor, where she also acknowledged the two Epstein survivors in attendance. “Justice cannot wait another day.” 

    The Epstein petition calls for a bill that would order U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to release unclassified Department of Justice documents related to the federal government’s case against Epstein; the petition is led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). 

    ‘Numerous references’ to the president 

    Dig deeper:

    Grijalva’s signature came just hours after House Democrats released emails which seem to indicate President Donald Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation than he’s previously let on. These emails specifically accuse the president of spending “hours” at Epstein’s house with one of his sex trafficking victims. 

    In an exchange between Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, he stated that “of course” Trump “knew about the girls.” 

    The other side:

    Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the emails didn’t prove anything about the president’s knowledge of the operation. 

    “What President Trump has always said is that he was from Palm Beach, and so was Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-Lago until President Trump kicked him out because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile, and he was a creep,” she said. 

    House Republicans released 23,000 pages from the Jeffrey Epstein estate on Wednesday as well; these files were obtained earlier this year via subpoena by the House Oversight Committee, according to The New York Times. These files also include “numerous references” to the president, The Times says. 

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a ceremonial swearing-in for Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., left, who won the special election on Sept. 23 to replace her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesd

    A long shot bill 

    What’s next:

    The soonest the House could vote on the bill would be in December, and even if it passes, the Republican-controlled Senate would also need to pass it before it would head to Trump’s desk for a signature. 

    The president signing on would be a long shot. 

    In a Truth Social post, the president said that Democrats “are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the shutdown.” 

    Plus, prior to the vote on Wednesday, the president and other administration officials reached out to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-G.A.), three of the four Republicans that joined House Democrats in signing the discharge petition, according to The Times and several other outlets.

    As noted by The Hill, any one of these lawmakers removing their names would have prevented the petition from moving forward. 

    Big picture view:

    Notably, House leadership has the ability to “turn off the procedural mechanism” within a discharge petition that allows U.S. House members to force a vote, as noted by The Hill. They may do just that in this case, as Republican leaders continue to oppose the bill to release the unclassified Epstein files. 

    Meanwhile, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows that about three-quarters of Americans support the release of all the Epstein files. 

    The Source: Information above was sourced from The Hill, The New York Times, Truth Social, NPR/PBS News/Marist and previous FOX 5 DC reporting. Rep. Adelita Grijalva’s first speech on the House floor and comments from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were also referenced. 

    U.S. HousePoliticsDonald J. TrumpNews

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    Isabel.Soisson@fox.com (Isabel Soisson)

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  • Here’s how long the government shutdown could go on

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    WASHINGTON – At 12 a.m. Wednesday morning, the federal government shut down after Congress failed to pass a continuing resolution to keep agencies operating. 

    Republicans have introduced a stopgap bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21, but Democrats have so far blocked it, as the bill does not include what they believe to be adequate health care funding. 

    Democrats want to negotiate with Republicans to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and reverse cuts that were recently implemented to Medicaid funding as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” 

    About 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of the shutdown, with their total compensation costing roughly $400 million each day, according to the Congressional Budget Office. 

    While it’s true that federal agencies have some discretion in deciding which services to suspend and which to maintain, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, it could have a negative impact on the economy as a whole.

    So, how long could this shutdown last? 

    The soonest things could be resolved 

    Dig deeper:

    It’s rare that federal government shutdowns go on for multiple weeks, but it does happen. For example, the country saw a monthlong government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, during Trump’s first term. 

    This shutdown is expected to last at least three days, as the Senate isn’t likely to hold any votes until at least Oct. 3. This is because lawmakers are observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. 

    As of publication, however, Democrats and Republicans appear to be stuck in a blame game of sorts, so the exact timeline of the shutdown is hard to pinpoint. 

    What they’re saying:

    “If Republicans want Democratic participation, then they have to negotiate,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told The Hill. “This is a core principle of why people elected us to office.” 

    “We’re not going to discuss and negotiate it while they’re holding the hostage of the federal government,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Tuesday morning on CNBC. “Release the hostage, and we will have that conversation about how we can keep these exchanges up and going.” 

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., gestures while speaking with reporters as the government lurches toward a shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Thune added on the Senate floor that negotiations over the ACA subsidies would only occur after the federal government reopens, according to the Hill. 

    “Anything that’s going to be done is going to have to be done with significant reforms,” he said. 

    But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer isn’t buying that. 

    “We think that when they say later, they mean never,” he said on the Senate floor. 

    While it’s true that a dozen more moderate Republicans have signed on to support a bill from Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) that would extend the subsidies for one year, more conservative Republicans appear to be vehemently against doing so. 

    House Speaker Mike Johnson said last month that there was “zero chance” he would consider supporting it, for example. 

    Unclear timeline

    Big picture view:

    Senate Democrats voted again on Wednesday to block the Republican bill that would have funded the government through the third week of November.

    The bill failed in a 55-45 vote—the same as Tuesday’s vote—and 60 votes are needed to advance it.

    Three Democratic caucus members voted with Republicans on the bill: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent, and Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.). Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) voted against the bill. 

    Since the House won’t convene again until Monday, the only real option the Senate has at this point in time is to pass the bill that’s already failed twice. Thune said Wednesday that he plans to keep the upper chamber in session over this weekend to vote again. He says this is the only scenario in which President Trump signs on. 

    “As of this morning, critical federal employees including members of the military, Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers are working without pay,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “Democrats are well aware of the damage of a government shutdown.”

    The Source: Information above was sourced from The Hill, USA Today, the Congressional Budget Office, POLITICO, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Congress and Senate voting records and previous FOX 5 DC reporting. 

    U.S. SenateU.S. HousePoliticsDonald J. TrumpNews

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    Isabel.Soisson@fox.com (Isabel Soisson)

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  • Dems to propose alternative to GOP stopgap bill as government shutdown looms

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    WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, top Congressional Democrats said they opposed House Republicans’ stopgap spending bill that would fund the government past the Sept. 30 deadline, and said they plan to offer an alternative bill in its place.

    Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement that their respective chambers would not support the Republican bill unless the two parties could compromise on health care spending. 

    “The House Republican-only spending bill fails to meet the needs of the American people and does nothing to stop the looming health care crisis,” the statement reads. “At a time when families are already being squeezed by higher costs, Republicans refuse to stop Americans from facing double-digit hikes in their health insurance premiums.”

    Democrats angered the more progressive wing of their party earlier this year when senators allowed a similar temporary spending bill to advance. This time, it appears they’re digging their heels in. 

    Dig deeper:

    Earlier in the day, House Republicans unveiled their bill, which would fund the government through Nov. 21—current funding levels for federal agencies would be extended for seven weeks.

    Their bill also includes $58 million to boost security for members of the executive branch and the Supreme Court, and another $30 million for general lawmaker security. Republicans would need at least seven Democrats to advance this bill, and more likely, as some Republican lawmakers have said they will not support it.

    “We need responsible options to keep the government open while all this work continues and Republicans are committed to making that happen,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday. 

    Stuck on health care 

    Schumer and Jeffries specifically suggested that Republicans could add an extension of the Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025 to their bill. These enhanced tax credits were passed during the COVID-19 pandemic to help Americans afford coverage.

    Congress has extended these subsidies twice already. And while twelve Republicans and seven Democrats are backing legislation that would extend these subsidies for one year, Johnson said on Tuesday that there was “zero chance” he would consider doing so as part of this temporary spending bill.

    “Predictably and unfortunately, there are some Democrats who are openly pining for a government shutdown,” he said.

    Many Democrats have also pushed to reverse cuts that were recently implemented to Medicaid funding as part of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led Senate Democrats last month in introducing legislation that would repeal these changes. 

    Following a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters that Democrats plan to offer a stopgap bill that includes the health care language they’re looking for, as well as restrictions on Trump’s ability to rescind federal funding previously approved by Congressional lawmakers. 

    “We think we’re going to have…an alternative that American people will like a whole lot better,” he said.

    Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said she’s involved in developing this alternative Tuesday. She told reporters that the alternative bill will not only address the expiring health care subsidies, but will address “health care writ large.” This includes federal spending cuts to health agencies. 

    WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 16: House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) appears during a House Rules Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on September 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. An emergency measure, the Continuing Appropr

    DeLauro, along with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, issued their own joint statement on Tuesday saying that they’ve been working with their Republican counterparts to draft a bipartisan spending bill. 

    “House Republican Leadership has decided they would rather take us to the brink of a shutdown instead of working with Democrats on a bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the government funded, protect Congress’ power of the purse and improve health care,” they wrote. 

    The lawmakers then called on Speaker Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to join their fellow Republicans in drafting a new bill. 

    “Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune need to finally come to the table to negotiate with Democratic leadership on health care, lowering the cost of living and other critical issues—something they have outright refused to do for weeks.”

    Schumer: ‘Things have changed’ 

    Big picture view:

    More broadly, the Democrats’ rejection of this Republican stopgap bill appears to be a rejection of Trump’s way of governing. 

    Recently, the president took to social media to urge Congressional Republicans to unite around a so-called “clean” continuing resolution. 

    “In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!’” the president posted on his platform, Truth Social.

    Sen. Chuck Schumer weathered much of the backlash in March when he voted with Republicans to keep the government open, but this time he says, “things have changed.” 

    In an interview with the Associated Press, Schumer said that a shutdown wouldn’t necessarily worsen a U.S. political environment that already has the president challenging the authority of Congress. 

    “It will get worse with or without it,” he said, “because Trump is lawless.” 

    The Source: Information in this article was sourced from social media, several statements and pieces of legislation, The Medical Economics Journal, The New York Times, The Associated Press, The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, NPR, POLITICO, The Hill, USA Today and The United States Committee on Finance. 

    NewsPoliticsU.S. HouseU.S. SenateDonald J. Trump

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    Isabel.Soisson@fox.com (Isabel Soisson)

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  • House passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package after months of struggle

    House passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package after months of struggle

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    WASHINGTON — The House is pushing swiftly through a series of votes in a rare Saturday session to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, Democrats and Republicans joining together after a grueling monthslong fight over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion.

    With overwhelming support, the House approved the Ukraine portion, a $61 billion aid package, in a strong showing of American backing as lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Some lawmakers cheered, waiving blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.

    The $26 billion package aiding Israel and providing humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza also easily cleared. Each segment of the aid package faced an up-or-down vote. A national security bill that includes a provision forcing sale of the popular platform TikTok was quickly approved, as was another supporting Indo-Pacific allies.

    The unusual process is allowing unique coalitions to form around the bills, pushing them forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, where passage in the coming days is nearly assured. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

    “The eyes of the world are upon us, and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

    The weekend scene presented a striking display of congressional action after months of dysfunction and stalemate fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply split over foreign aid, particularly for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. Speaker Mike Johnson, putting his job on the line, is relying on Democratic support to ensure the military and humanitarian package is approved, and help flows to the U.S. allies.

    The morning opened with a somber and serious debate and unusual sense of purpose, Republican and Democratic leaders united to urge swift passage that would ensure the United States supports its allies and remains a leader on the world stage. The House’s visitor galleries crowded with onlookers.

    “Sometimes when you are living history, as we are today, you don’t understand the significance of the actions of the votes that we make on this House floor, of the effect that it will have down the road,” said New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This is a historic moment.”

    Passage through the House would clear away the biggest hurdle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as Ukraine’s military supplies began to run low. The GOP-controlled House, skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine, struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance be tied to policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico order, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.

    Reaching an endgame has been an excruciating lift for Johnson that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker’s office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history – an urgent sacrifice as U.S. allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.

    “The only thing that has kept terrorists and tyrants at bay is the perception of a strong America, that we would stand strong,” Johnson said this week. “This is a very important message that we are going to send the world.”

    Opponents, particularly the hard-right Republicans from Johnson’s majority, argued that the U.S. should focus on the home front, addressing domestic border security and the nation’s rising debt load, and they warned against spending more money, which largely flows to American defense manufacturers, to produce weaponry used overseas.

    Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all but pleading with lawmakers to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.

    At stake has also been one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities – halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly endorsed Johnson’s plan this week, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.

    “We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,” the House Democratic leader, New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, said during the debate.

    While aid for Ukraine will likely win a majority in both parties, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the bill aiding Israel as they demand an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.

    At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with lawmakers as he tilts the GOP to a more isolationist stance with his “America First” brand of politics.

    Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a bulk of Republicans oppose further aid. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., offered an amendment to zero out the money, but it was rejected.

    At one point, Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the bipartisan Senate proposal on border security. This past week, Trump also issued a social media post that questioned why European nations were not giving more money to Ukraine, though he spared Johnson from criticism and said Ukraine’s survival was important.

    Still, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the “America Last” foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills do not include border security measures.

    Johnson’s hold on the speaker’s gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Greene, supported a “motion to vacate” that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. Egged on by far-right personalities, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to voluntarily step aside, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

    The speaker’s office has been working furiously to drum up support for the bill, as well as for Johnson, R-La.

    The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats endorse, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and legislation to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.

    Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the situation in recent weeks. Russia has increasingly used satellite-guided gliding bombs – which allow planes to drop them from a safe distance – to pummel Ukrainian forces beset by a shortage of troops and ammunition.

    Copyright © 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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