A bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats used a discharge petition to bypass House leadership and force a vote on releasing Justice Department records related to Jeffrey Epstein; the House passed the legislation 427-1, and Trump signed it after reversing his opposition.

Lauren Boebert joined the petition led by Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna to disclose millions of records; Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 before trial, and his death was ruled a suicide.

Boebert said White House officials, including then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, tried to persuade her to withdraw her signature, but she refused.

None of the four Republicans who led the 2025 push to release the files—Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, Thomas Massie and Lauren Boebert—will serve in Congress next year, though they are leaving for different reasons.

Greene resigned after a feud with Trump, Mace pursued South Carolina’s governorship and lost her Republican primary, Massie lost his primary to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, and Boebert lost reelection to Democrat Eileen Laubacher.

Their departures should not be treated as one political punishment for defying Trump, since each had different circumstances and reasons for leaving.

The Epstein files became a major issue in the 2026 midterms, with Democrats using ads against opponents who had initially resisted disclosure and survivors campaigning for Democratic candidates while saying Republicans had declined invitations to join their tour.

After Democrats won both chambers of Congress, Epstein survivors said they would hold the party to its transparency promises; Massie said he would seek support for a second bill allowing survivors to request their own case records and giving state attorneys general more power to prosecute Epstein-related crimes.

Massie and Ro Khanna are also pursuing enforcement of the original law and disclosure of additional records, and Massie hopes to secure another House vote before the term ends.

Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging unlawful military action in Iran and other abuses of power; Hegseth dismissed the effort, and Republican leaders may block it.

The departures also come amid a broader decline in Republican women’s representation: among 12 House Republican women who resigned, sought higher office or are projected to lose reelection, none will be replaced by another Republican woman, while Representative Virginia Foxx’s race remained too close to call.

Together, the transparency and impeachment efforts represent some of the departing lawmakers’ final opportunities to use their votes to challenge the administration and pursue accountability before their congressional careers end.