Overview
- The Epstein Files Transparency Act reached the floor via a discharge petition and passed the House 427-1 after a months-long Massie–Khanna push.
- Speaker Mike Johnson called discharge petitions “too common” and is considering tightening House rules, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise favoring higher thresholds.
- Rep. Jared Golden’s petition to restore collective bargaining rights for thousands of federal workers hit 218 signatures, with a vote expected after the Thanksgiving recess.
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says she is ready to use a petition to force a vote on banning individual stock trading by lawmakers, while GOP moderates such as Don Bacon explore additional petitions, including on Ukraine aid.
- Any mid-Congress rules change faces steep hurdles, as such moves typically require the start of a new Congress or a two-thirds vote, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the votes are not there.