Congress Reviews Epstein Files and Faces DHS Funding Deadline in High-Pressure Week

Members of Congress begin reviewing unredacted Epstein files and negotiating Department of Homeland Security funding this week, with a Friday deadline looming for the agency to run out of money.

The renewed focus on Jeffrey Epstein comes after a group of survivors appeared in a Super Bowl PSA calling for transparency. The video highlighted 3 million files still not released and urged viewers to demand answers from the Attorney General.

Starting today, members of Congress can examine the unredacted version of millions of pages that the Justice Department released on the late sex offender. "Where are the rest of the documents? Why? Why did they release victims' names?" asked Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

The House Oversight Committee also gets a look at Ghislaine Maxwell today through a virtual deposition. The Epstein accomplice will appear from the Texas prison camp where she's serving a 20-year sex trafficking sentence. Her attorneys told the committee she plans to plead the Fifth Amendment and won't answer questions.

The document review coincides with negotiations over DHS funding. Unless lawmakers reach agreement on reforms to ICE and Border Patrol's immigration enforcement by Friday, the department will run out of funding. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Republicans "have gone way too far," while Republicans have ruled out amnesty for undocumented immigrants and stripping protections from law enforcement officers.

It's unclear what specific reforms are under negotiation or whether negotiators will meet the Friday deadline.