Austin-San Antonio U.S. Rep. Chip Roy voted to block release of Epstein files

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes portions of San Antonio and Austin, voted Tuesday to block the release of the Epstein files in the House Rules Committee.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act was shot down along an 8-4 party-line vote, preventing the proposal from being brought to a vote on the House floor, New Republic reports. The act would have compelled the Justice Department to release all files relating to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The act died in committee days after Epstein’s alleged victims held a news conference on Capitol Hill demanding legislation compelling the trove of documents to be released.

Roy was joined by seven other Republicans in preventing the bill from reaching the House floor. Roy is the only Texas Republican in the committee.

Roy’s vote to block the measure comes just a week after his impassioned speech at a House Rules Committee hearing calling for creating a subcommittee in the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the Epstein files, according to video footage captured by Forbes.

“Pursue the truth wherever it may lead,” Roy said during the meeting, adding, “What the hell are we afraid of?”

After Tuesday’s non-starter in the House, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s bill demanding the release of the Epstein files was blocked the following day by Republicans in the upper chamber. The Senate voted 51-49 to cease the measure — a procedural move to force a vote on the issue.

Sens. Rand Paul and Josh Hawley were the only Republicans willing to cross the aisle and join Democrats in calling for the release of the files.

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This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025.