House Republicans may choose to scrap several floor votes this week as internal party drama over the release of Jeffrey Epstein files is derailing the work of the Rules Committee.
The panel came to a standstill, again, Monday night as GOP leaders struggled to contain rank-and-file Republicans and their Democratic allies clamoring for a floor vote to compel the release of materials related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Committee Democrats had planned to force a vote Monday evening on legislation that would compel the release of the materials, as the panel worked to tee up floor consideration on a slate of unrelated legislation. It was poised to be a repeat of what transpired last Thursday inside Rules.
But rather than this time work through the Democratic disruption, Republicans chose instead Monday to recess the rest of the Rules meeting altogether, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying it was “unlikely” that the panel would reconvene this week at all.
That would send the House home for August recess without being able to vote on immigration legislation and other bills that would not otherwise be able to pass on the chamber floor with a simple majority vote.
“At the end of the day, look, Democrats are yelling and screaming,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) in an interview. “They spent four years covering up for Epstein, and you know, at least President Trump’s in the courts right now trying to get documents released, and I really think you’re gonna see, hopefully, a lot unsealed from that and then we’ve got some other options.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the Rules Committee, also accused Democrats of “grandstanding” and said Republicans refused to give the minority party “an endless microphone.”
