Enforce the Epstein Files Release Law

What this plank asks for

Congress gives victims and state officials the right to sue in federal court to make the Justice Department release the Epstein investigation records that Congress ordered released in November 2025. The Senate also confirms no Attorney General nominee who has not promised, under oath, to fully comply with that order.

Where it stands

QUEUE

Two planks on the slate, congressional term limits and a binding Supreme Court ethics code, are fully qualified today. This one fails the Consensus Test on count and span, with 2 admitted pollsters against 3 needed and about 5 months of fieldwork (July 11 to December 22, 2025) against 18 needed. The polls ask if the government should release the files, and none asks about a right to sue. The newest verified poll falls outside the recency rule on December 22, 2026.

What moves it: a new poll from an admitted pollster fielded on or after January 14, 2027, on a question about enforcing release, plus a third admitted pollster.

The evidence

All numbers are the percent who said yes. The medians across the seven counted waves are 81 national, 73 Republican, 91 Democratic and 80 independent. The newest counted fieldwork ended December 22, 2025.

The five tests

• Consensus: FAIL. Two admitted pollsters of three needed, and about 5 months of span of 18 needed.
• Action: PENDING. Congress can pass the amendment and set a confirmation standard, but no poll asks about the right to sue.
• Outcome: PASS. The plank names a floor vote, a passage standard and a compliance result.
• Grading: PASS. Discharge signatures, rule votes, floor votes, cloture votes and confirmation votes are all on record.
• Single-Subject: PASS. One outcome, that the release law is enforced, reached by two levers.

In Congress right now

• H.R. 9694, introduced July 15, 2026 by Rep. Massie (R-KY). Latest action: referred to Judiciary on July 15, 2026. It has 7 cosponsors. Vehicle status: no determination yet. This number expires in January 2027.
• S. 5005, introduced July 15, 2026 by Sen. Merkley (D-OR). Latest action: referred to Judiciary on July 15, 2026. It has 1 cosponsor. Vehicle status: no determination yet. This number expires in January 2027.
• H.Res. 1430, Discharge Petition No. 27, filed August 31, 2026 by Rep. Massie. It carries the same text as H.R. 9694, word for word. The Clerk lists 216 signatures and 218 are needed. 212 signers are Democrats and 4 are Republicans. The last signature came on September 16, 2026. Vehicle status: no determination yet. This number expires in January 2027.
• Confirmation lever: spent. The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as Attorney General on August 8, 2026, by 50 to 49. No nominee is pending. The lever returns with the next Attorney General vacancy.

Bill numbers above belong to the 119th Congress. They expire when the 120th Congress is seated in January 2027. The plank does not.

How signers would be graded

House:

• Sign the discharge petition.
• Vote on the rule and the previous question.
• Vote on the plank itself.
• Vote in committee where a vote is recorded.

Senate:

• Vote for cloture. It takes 60 votes.
• Vote on the plank itself.
• Vote against any Attorney General nominee who has not made the under-oath promise.
• Consent or object when the plank is offered by unanimous consent.

Passage takes a simple majority in each chamber, plus 60 votes for Senate cloture. A veto takes two thirds of each chamber to override. No one is graded on a lever the rules did not offer.

Lines of attack and our answers

• Attack: Blanche was confirmed with no promise, so the plank is dead.

Answer: The vote is public record. The confirmation lever returns at the next vacancy and the right to sue is a separate lever that is still open.

• Attack: The bill does more than enforce the law.

Answer: The plank is the outcome and not any bill. The Pledge has made no determination yet. Each bill version gets a published determination that names any provision outside the plank.

• Attack: This is a Democratic cause.

Answer: The House sponsor is a Republican. Of 216 petition signers, 4 are Republicans. Republicans said yes to release at 67 to 76 percent in every counted wave.

• Attack: The newest poll is ten months old.

Answer: That is true. It is why the plank is in the queue and why a new poll is the stated trigger.

• Attack: You cite an advocacy poll.

Answer: The Pledge does not count polls commissioned by the movement or by advocacy groups. The GBAO poll is shown and does not count.

Sources

1. YouGov crosstab, July 11-14, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
2. YouGov crosstab, July 18-21, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
3. YouGov crosstab, July 25-28, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
4. Marist Poll release, October 2025: maristpoll.marist.edu
5. YouGov crosstab, November 15-17, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
6. YouGov crosstab, November 21-24, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
7. YouGov crosstab, December 20-22, 2025: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
8. YouGov crosstab, July 17-20, 2026: d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net
9. Washington Post poll page (could not be opened): washingtonpost.com
10. H.R. 9694 actions: congress.gov
11. S. 5005 actions: congress.gov
12. House Clerk, Discharge Petition No. 27: clerk.house.gov
13. H.Res. 1430 text: govinfo.gov
14. Senate roll call vote 230, Blanche confirmation: senate.gov

Last updated October 19, 2026. Criteria version: Draft 3, ratified October 16, 2026.