On July 15, 2025, Bryan Steil, the House member for Wisconsin's 1st District, voted for a 211-to-210 procedural motion that kept the House from voting on an amendment to make the Justice Department publish the Jeffrey Epstein files, so his vote was one the motion could not lose. In September 2025 he voted for a rule that put a committee investigation forward as a clear alternative to the Massie-Khanna bill to force the release.
Steil did not sign the discharge petition that forced the House to vote on the files in November 2025, which two Wisconsin Democrats signed, and has not signed the 2026 petition for a second Epstein files law, which sits two signatures short. Ten days after the July 2025 vote he wrote that he had "been publicly calling for the release" of the information. Since the release began, a federal judge found the administration likely violated the law.
Bryan Steil's Votes and Petitions on the Epstein Files
- Steil Cast One of the Votes That Blocked a House Vote on Releasing the Epstein Files in July 2025. On July 15, 2025, Bryan Steil voted for the previous question on H.Res. 580, a procedural motion that passed 211 to 210, so a switch by him alone would have defeated it. Defeating it would have let the House vote on an amendment from Rep. Ro Khanna requiring Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish the Jeffrey Epstein files, The Hill reported. On July 22, 2025, House Republican leaders canceled that week's remaining votes and started the August recess early, which put off any House vote on the Epstein release bill until September, Scripps News reported.
- Steil Voted for a Rule That Offered an Investigation Instead of Releasing the Files, in September 2025. On September 3, 2025, Steil voted for H.Res. 672, a rule that adopted a measure "to show support for" the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation, The Hill reported; the rule passed 212 to 208. The Hill reported that the measure was offered as "a clear alternative" to the bill by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna that required the department to publish its Epstein records, a bill GOP leaders and the White House were hoping to stop; that bill reached the floor only after a discharge petition, which Steil did not sign, gathered 218 signatures.
- Steil Did Not Sign the Petition That Forced the House Vote on the Epstein Files. Bryan Steil is not among the 218 members who signed Discharge Petition No. 9, filed on September 2, 2025 to force a vote on the Massie-Khanna bill; every Democrat and four Republicans signed it, including Wisconsin Democrats Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore. The petition waited weeks for its final signature because Speaker Mike Johnson kept a newly elected Democrat from being sworn in for seven weeks, CBS News reported.
- Steil Has Not Signed the 2026 Petition for a Second Epstein Files Law. As of October 26, 2026, Steil had not signed Discharge Petition No. 27, filed on August 31, 2026 for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which had 216 of the 218 signatures it needs; Wisconsin Democrats Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore have signed it. Until the bill passes, state attorneys general lack the access to the files that, Rep. Thomas Massie wrote, they need to prosecute perpetrators under state law, and the bill would make it easier for survivors to sue for their records, KATV reported.
- Steil Said He Had Been "Publicly Calling for the Release" of the Epstein Files Ten Days After Voting to Block a Release Vote. Asked by WPR about Democratic ads on the Epstein files, Steil wrote in a statement reported on July 25, 2025, "I believe sunlight is the best disinfectant and that greater transparency will benefit the public. All legally permissible information should be released," and "I have been publicly calling for the release of all information excluding the victims' names and photographs." Ten days earlier he had cast one of the 211 votes that blocked the Khanna release amendment from reaching the floor, and in September 2025 he did not add his name to the petition to force a release vote.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bryan Steil on Epstein Files
What is Bryan Steil's record on the Epstein files under Trump?
Bryan Steil voted for the 211-210 procedural motion that blocked a July 2025 House vote on releasing the Epstein files, a vote his switch would have reversed, and voted for the September 2025 rule that put an investigation forward instead. He signed neither discharge petition to force votes on the files, including the 2026 petition for a second law, which is two signatures short, while two Wisconsin colleagues signed both.
Did Bryan Steil sign the Epstein discharge petition?
No. Bryan Steil did not sign Discharge Petition No. 9, which forced the 2025 House vote, and as of October 26, 2026 had not signed Petition No. 27, which Thomas Massie filed for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, a second Epstein files law.
Did Bryan Steil vote to block the release of the Epstein files?
Bryan Steil voted on July 15, 2025 for the procedural motion that stopped a House vote on Rep. Ro Khanna's amendment to release the files; it passed by one vote, so it could not have passed without his vote. The House then canceled previously scheduled votes and left early for August.
Is Bryan Steil pushing for more of the Epstein files to be released?
Bryan Steil has not signed Petition No. 27, which would force a vote on a second Epstein files law, though few Americans are satisfied with the release so far: in January 2026, a CNN poll found that "Just 6% of Americans" were satisfied with how much had been released.
Last updated: 2026-10-26