This Government Shutdown is A Strategic Move by Trump to Delay Release of Epstein Files

A government shutdown kicked off today 10/01/25 Tuesday, grinding federal operations to a halt and furloughing hundreds of thousands of workers, just as a newly elected Democratic congresswoman was poised to tip the scales on a high-stakes vote to unseal long-withheld files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The timing has sparked accusations of political maneuvering from Democrats, who claim House Republican leadership is deliberately blocking Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva from being sworn into office to derail the release of the so-called “Epstein files” — a trove of Department of Justice documents tied to Epstein’s sprawling sex-trafficking network.

Grijalva, a progressive Democrat who clinched a special election in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District last week with a decisive 68.9% of the vote, arrived in Washington on Monday prepared to take her oath and dive into legislative work.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., adjourned the chamber early without administering the ceremony, leaving her in limbo as the midnight funding deadline passed without agreement.

“This isn’t about procedure; it’s about protection,” Grijalva said in an interview Tuesday morning from Capitol Hill, her voice carrying the frustration of a freshman lawmaker sidelined on her first day.

“The American people elected me to fight for transparency, and now they’re seeing firsthand how far some will go to keep secrets buried.”

The Epstein Files: A Bipartisan Flashpoint

At the heart of the controversy is H.Res. 712, a bipartisan discharge petition sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., that would compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to declassify and release Epstein-related DOJ files.

The measure has garnered broad support, with 217 signatures already in hand — one shy of the 218 needed to force a floor vote, bypassing leadership’s control.

Grijalva has pledged to provide that crucial final signature, a commitment she reiterated during her campaign.

“If elected, on my very first day in Congress, I’ll sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” she told voters in Tucson last spring, standing alongside Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who endorsed her bid.

Massie’s office confirmed Tuesday that the Kentucky Republican is urging Johnson to expedite Grijalva’s swearing-in, citing House precedent and federal law.

“Rep. Massie encourages Speaker Johnson to follow applicable laws and House precedent to ensure Rep.-elect Grijalva is sworn in at her earliest eligibility,” spokesperson John Kennedy said in a statement.

The files in question stem from investigations into Epstein, the financier who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting federal trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Epstein’s 2008 Florida plea deal — which granted him leniency despite allegations involving underage victims — has long been a source of scrutiny, especially given his ties to high-profile figures, including President Donald Trump.

Trump, who once described Epstein as a “terrific guy” in a 2002 interview, promised during his 2024 reelection campaign to “release everything” related to the case.

Yet his administration has moved slowly, citing national security and ongoing reviews.

Johnson himself called for Epstein transparency in a July floor speech, but critics note the speaker’s close alignment with Trump, who handpicked him for the gavel in January. He has quickly fallen back in line, from calling for full transparency to trying to save face by saying Trump was an FBI informant in the Epstein case all along.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump

Shutdown as Distraction? Republicans Push Back

The shutdown, now in its first hours, stems from a familiar impasse: Republicans, holding slim majorities in both chambers, demanded steep cuts to non-defense spending and stricter border policies in a stopgap funding bill.

Democrats balked, leading to the lapse.

Trump, speaking to reporters en route to a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser Monday, dismissed concerns with characteristic nonchalance: “I don’t worry about that,” he told Politico, adding that any blame would fall on “radical Democrats.”

But Grijalva and her allies see a deeper strategy.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pointed to the procedural snub as evidence of Epstein anxiety.

“This is probably being done because she’s the 218th vote on releasing the Epstein files,” Jeffries said in a Sept. 26 interview, noting Arizona’s secretary of state had certified the election with no outstanding ballots.

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., fired off a letter to Johnson late Monday, blasting the “reckless cancellation of votes” that delayed not only Grijalva’s oath but also any immediate path to averting the shutdown.

“Any delay in swearing in Representative-elect Grijalva unnecessarily deprives her constituents of representation and calls into question whether the motive behind the delay is to further avoid the release of the Epstein files,” Clark wrote.

Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

However, the speaker has a track record of swift action in similar scenarios: Earlier this year, he swore in three Republican special-election winners from Virginia and Florida within 24 hours of their victories — none of whom were agitating for Epstein disclosures. This showcases hypocrisy from the House Speaker with no sense of justice.

For context, the House recessed early in July to sidestep an initial push on the discharge petition, a move Democrats decried as evasion.

And with Trump back in the White House — marking Day 254 of his second term — the dynamics have only intensified.

A provocative statue depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands, erected near the Capitol last week as protest art, was quietly removed by the National Park Service on Monday amid backlash.

Public Mood Turns Against GOP on Dual Crises

Polls underscore the political peril for Republicans.

A September Economist/YouGov survey revealed stark public skepticism about Trump’s Epstein ties: 68% of Americans believe he knew “some” (23%) or “a lot” (45%) about the crimes before investigations ramped up, with just 9% saying he knew nothing.

On the shutdown front, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Tuesday showed divided but unfavorable odds: 38% of respondents would pin primary blame on Republicans, 27% on Democrats, 31% on both, and 4% on neither.

Economists warn prolonged closure could cost the economy billions, echoing the 35-day shutdown of 2018-19 that battered Trump’s approval ratings.

Grijalva, undeterred, plans to press her case from the sidelines.

“The hesitation, the roadblocks — it only makes you wonder what’s so desperate to stay hidden,” she told MSNBC last week.

As federal parks close, air traffic controllers go unpaid and veterans’ benefits teeter, the Epstein saga adds a layer of intrigue to what was already a high-wire act for the new Congress.

For Grijalva’s 760,000 constituents in southern Arizona — a district encompassing Tucson and stretching to the Mexican border — the delay means weeks without full representation on everything from immigration reform to federal funding for border communities battered by recent floods.

“This shutdown isn’t just about budgets; it’s about burying the truth,” Grijalva said.

“And I won’t let that stand.”