Who Voted Against Releasing the Epstein Files?

AI Summary: who voted against releasing the epstein files has two different answers depending on whether you mean the final bill vote or the earlier Senate procedural vote. In final passage, only Rep. Clay Higgins voted no in the House and the Senate passed by unanimous consent, but in September 2025 a separate Senate vote to table release language passed 51-49.

who voted against releasing the epstein files is a query that often mixes together different votes on different dates. The short answer is: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) was the only House "No" vote on final passage, while 51 senators voted to table release language in a separate September 10, 2025 Senate procedural vote (House Clerk, Senate Roll Call 512, Congress.gov actions).

Direct Answer: who voted against releasing the epstein files

• Final House vote on H.R.4405 (November 18, 2025): Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) voted no; vote total was 427-1 with five not voting (House Clerk).
• Final Senate passage (November 19, 2025): The Senate passed H.R.4405 by unanimous consent, which means no recorded no vote on final passage (Congress.gov).
• Earlier Senate procedural vote (September 10, 2025): The Senate voted 51-49 to table Schumer Amendment 3849, effectively blocking forced release language at that stage (Senate Roll Call 512, AP).

Image credit: Noclip/Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

The Only House No Vote: Clay Higgins

Coverage from Al Jazeera, BBC, and the Louisiana Illuminator all identified Higgins as the lone dissenter in the House 427-1 vote.

Higgins said he took a "principled NO" position and argued the bill risked exposing non-criminal third parties. He also said he might support a Senate-amended version with stronger privacy protections for people named in files but not criminally implicated (Louisiana Illuminator, BBC).

The House Clerk roll call confirms:

• No: Higgins (LA)
• Not voting: Beyer (VA), Casar (TX), Rulli (OH), Sherrill (NJ), Womack (AR)

(House Clerk)

Image credit: Official House Photographer Dana Barciniak/Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Full Senate List: Who Voted to Table Release Language on September 10, 2025

The September 10 Senate vote was on a motion to table Schumer Amendment 3849. A "Yea" vote supported tabling (blocking) the amendment. The motion passed 51-49 (Senate Roll Call 512).

Senators voting Yea (to table):

• Banks (R-IN)
• Barrasso (R-WY)
• Blackburn (R-TN)
• Boozman (R-AR)
• Britt (R-AL)
• Budd (R-NC)
• Capito (R-WV)
• Cassidy (R-LA)
• Collins (R-ME)
• Cornyn (R-TX)
• Cotton (R-AR)
• Cramer (R-ND)
• Crapo (R-ID)
• Cruz (R-TX)
• Curtis (R-UT)
• Daines (R-MT)
• Ernst (R-IA)
• Fischer (R-NE)
• Graham (R-SC)
• Grassley (R-IA)
• Hagerty (R-TN)
• Hoeven (R-ND)
• Husted (R-OH)
• Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
• Johnson (R-WI)
• Justice (R-WV)
• Kennedy (R-LA)
• Lankford (R-OK)
• Lee (R-UT)
• Lummis (R-WY)
• Marshall (R-KS)
• McConnell (R-KY)
• McCormick (R-PA)
• Moody (R-FL)
• Moran (R-KS)
• Moreno (R-OH)
• Mullin (R-OK)
• Murkowski (R-AK)
• Ricketts (R-NE)
• Risch (R-ID)
• Rounds (R-SD)
• Schmitt (R-MO)
• Scott (R-FL)
• Scott (R-SC)
• Sheehy (R-MT)
• Sullivan (R-AK)
• Thune (R-SD)
• Tillis (R-NC)
• Tuberville (R-AL)
• Wicker (R-MS)
• Young (R-IN)

Republicans who voted Nay (against tabling) were Hawley (R-MO) and Paul (R-KY) (Senate Roll Call 512, AP, Axios).

Why Coverage Can Sound Contradictory

The confusion comes from three different votes:

1. September 10, 2025: Senate 51-49 tabling vote on a release amendment (procedural vote, not final H.R.4405 passage) (Senate roll call).
2. November 18, 2025: House final passage of H.R.4405 at 427-1, with Higgins as the only no vote (House Clerk).
3. November 19, 2025: Senate final passage by unanimous consent, then bill sent for signature (Congress.gov).

That is why a statement like Sen. Durbin's September 10 release can say Republicans voted against release, while later November coverage says only one member voted no on final House passage (Durbin statement).

Reddit Threads Referencing This Question

For public reaction tracking, these Reddit threads discussed the vote split and why only one House member opposed final passage:

• r/inthenews: House passes bill demanding government release Epstein files
• r/videos: Watch moment House passes bill to release Epstein files
• r/PoliticalDiscussion: Why did only one representative vote no?
• r/BreakingPoints: Trump to support vote on releasing Epstein files

These are useful for understanding information demand and framing, but official vote records should remain your source of truth.

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Bottom Line

If you mean final passage of H.R.4405 in the House, the answer to who voted against releasing the epstein files is Rep. Clay Higgins. If you include the earlier September 10 Senate procedural vote, then 51 senators voted to table release language, and that is the source of many "Republicans voted against release" headlines.