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house oversight committee
'Pam Bondi Must Testify': House Democrats Demand GOP Set New Deposition Hearing for Fired AG
"Any attempt to evade the subpoena must be met with measures to hold Ms. Bondi in contempt of Congress," said Rep. Robert Garcia.
Apr 17, 2026
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday demanded their Republican colleagues force former US Attorney General Pam Bondi to meet her obligations to testify under oath.
Bondi had been subpoenaed to testify on April 14 about her handling of criminal case files related to late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, the Department of Justice said in a letter sent to the committee last week that she didn’t have to comply with its congressional subpoena because she is no longer attorney general, having been fired by President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the panel, sent a letter to Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) in which he expressed concern that "Oversight Republicans are unwilling to take the actions needed to secure Ms. Bondi's required testimony."
Garcia pointed out that the committee voted on a bipartisan basis to subpoena Bondi last month to testify about the "possible mismanagement of the government's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell," and other topics.
Garcia said that while Republicans on the committee have made noises about compelling Bondi to testify, "there has been zero indication that there, in fact, has been any concrete progress toward a rescheduled date."
The California Democrat concluded by warning Comer that letting Bondi skate on testifying before the committee was not optional.
"Any attempt to evade the subpoena must be met with measures to hold Ms. Bondi in contempt of Congress," he wrote. "In the absence of any communication with the committee, and with no indication that she even plans on appearing for her compulsory deposition, this step may soon be appropriate."
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) promoted Garcia's letter in a social media post and declared: "Pam Bondi must testify under oath in front of the American people. No exceptions."
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) earlier in the week also said there needed to be consequences for Bondi after she failed to show up for her scheduled testimony.
"Since she didn’t show up, Oversight Democrats will move to hold her in contempt of Congress," said Crockett. "The [Epstein] survivors deserve justice—and we will get answers. Enough is enough."
Democrats aren't the only ones on the committee who are demanding Bondi testify, as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) wrote last week that the former attorney general "cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of attorney general," emphasizing that "the American people deserve answers, and we expect her to appear as soon as a new date is set."
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'The Cover-Up Continues': Fury as DOJ Says Pam Bondi Won't Testify at Epstein Hearing
"She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress," said Rep. Robert Garcia.
Apr 08, 2026
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers reacted with outage on Wednesday after the US Department of Justice said former Attorney General Pam Bondi would no longer be required to testify before the House Oversight Committee next week.
Bondi had been subpoenaed to testify on April 14 about her handling of criminal case files related to late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, the DOJ said in a letter sent to the committee on Wednesday that she didn't have to comply with its congressional subpoena because she is no longer attorney general, having been fired by President Donald Trump earlier this month.
This prompted an angry response from Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Oversight Committee, who said that Bondi didn't get out of her obligation to testify just because she had been ousted from her position by the president.
"Our bipartisan subpoena is to Pam Bondi, whether she is the attorney general or not," Garcia emphasized. "She must come in to testify immediately, and if she defies the subpoena, we will begin contempt charges in the Congress. The survivors deserve justice."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) led the congressional effort to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files, also refused to accept the justification for canceling Bondi's testimony.
"The cover-up continues," Khanna wrote in a social media post, "but we will fight for accountability."
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) reminded the former AG that complying with congressional subpoenas was not optional.
"Just because Pam Bondi got fired, doesn't mean that she's no longer accountable for her role in the White House cover-up of the Epstein files," she wrote. "She MUST come to testify before the Oversight Committee or be held in contempt of Congress. This is far from over."
Democrats weren't the only ones fuming over the DOJ's letter, as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) also refused to back down on compelling Bondi to testify.
"Pam Bondi cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of attorney general," Mace wrote. "Our motion to subpoena Pam Bondi, which was passed by the Oversight Committee, was for Bondi by name, not by title. She will still have to appear before the Oversight Committee for a sworn deposition. The American people deserve answers, and we expect her to appear as soon as a new date is set."
Bondi has come under fire in recent months for not only her handling of the Epstein files, but her compliance with Trump’s demands to file criminal charges against political enemies including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James.
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'This Isn't Over': AOC Says Pam Bondi Must Still Testify on Epstein Files Despite Firing
"We must also investigate the continued breaking of the law around the DOJ still hiding Epstein files from the public," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Apr 03, 2026
Pam Bondi may no longer be US attorney general, but that doesn't get her out of previously scheduled testimony before the House Oversight Committee about her handling of criminal case files related to late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in a Thursday social media message posted shortly after Bondi's termination, warned the one-time AG that being fired by President Donald Trump "still doesn’t get her out of testifying to Congress about Epstein."
"We must also investigate the continued breaking of the law around the DOJ STILL hiding Epstein files from the public," Ocasio-Cortez added. "This isn’t over."
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Bondi "will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath" on the scheduled date of April 14.
"Oversight Democrats have been leading serious investigations into Bondi and Secretary Kristi Noem," Garcia added. "If they think we are moving on because they were fired, they are gravely mistaken."
The calls for Bondi to follow through with her planned testimony aren't only coming from Democrats, as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) told CNN on Friday that she has no plans to back off her demands that the former AG speak under oath later this month.
"When I issued this subpoena that was voted on by the Oversight Committee a number of weeks ago, we did it by name and not by the title of the attorney general," said Mace. "So she's still compelled and required by law to come before the Oversight Committee, and at this juncture I'm not backing away from that or backing down from that. I do believe that handling of the Epstein files was done in a very poor manner."
Rep. Nancy Mace: "The subpoena is by name and not by the title of the attorney general, so she's compelled and required by law to come before the Oversight Committee, and at this juncture I'm not backing away from that" pic.twitter.com/UULq6e9Q4m
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 3, 2026
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, also cited Bondi's handling of the Epstein files as a permanent and emblematic stain on her legacy as the nation's top law enforcement officer.
"[Bondi] ran an historic and egregious cover-up right out of the Justice Department," Raskin said. "Investigations into co-conspirators were shut down. She withheld three million pages of documents in defiance of the law. The names of abusers, enablers, accomplices and co-conspirators were redacted from public view while the identities of victims were exposed to the world. Under Bondi, perpetrators were coddled and survivors given the back of the hand."
In addition to her handling of the Epstein files, which earned bipartisan criticism, Bondi also ceded to President Donald Trump's demands to file criminal charges against political enemies including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James.
Both of those cases were tossed last year by a federal judge who found that Trump's handpicked US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was illegally installed in the position.
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DOJ Under Fire for Withholding Epstein Files Related to Alleged Trump Child Sex Assault
"Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the president of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House," said one Democratic congressman.
Feb 24, 2026
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee announced Tuesday that an investigation will be opened into the US Department of Justice's withholding of Epstein files related to an alleged sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl committed by President Donald Trump decades ago.
“For the last few weeks, Oversight Democrats have been investigating the FBI’s handling of allegations from 2019 of sexual assault on a minor made against President Donald Trump by a survivor," Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said in a statement.
“Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice. Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes," he continued. "Oversight Democrats will open a parallel investigation into this."
"Under the Oversight Committee’s subpoena and the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these records must immediately be shared with Congress and the American public," Garcia added. "Covering up direct evidence of a potential assault by the president of the United States is the most serious possible crime in this White House cover-up."
Oversight Dems have access to a list of documents, including interviews detailing serious allegations against President Trump, that are missing from the DOJ’s so-called “unredacted” files.Where are the missing files? What do they say? This all points to yet another cover up.
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— Rep. Robert Garcia (@robertgarcia.house.gov) February 24, 2026 at 2:21 PM
The Trump administration is accused of continuously flouting the Epstein Files Transparency Act—which mandated that all materials related to convicted child sex criminal and longtime former Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein be released by December 19. But critically, the law gives Attorney General Pam Bondi wide discretion to redact large amounts of information that could harm "national security."
Files on Epstein—who died under mysterious circumstances in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges—that have not been released to the public despite the transparency law "include what appears to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews, and notes from conversations with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor," NPR reported Tuesday.
That minor was allegedly introduced to Trump around 1983, when she was 13 years old.
“[REDACTED] stated Epstein introduced her to Trump, who subsequently forced her head down to his exposed penis which she subsequently bit," a DOJ file on the alleged incident states. "In response, Trump punched her in the head and kicked her out."
The child is one of more than two dozen women who have accused Trump of raping, sexually assaulting, or sexually harassing them.
In 2023, a civil jury in New York City found Trump civilly liable for sexually abusing and defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million. In a separate defamation trial, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll another $83.3 million.
Trump, who denies any wrongdoing, is challenging these civil awards. Trump also denies an allegation that he and Epstein "brutally raped" a 13-year-old girl identified by the pseudonym "Katie Johnson" at a 1994 party.
As NPR reported Tuesday:
Other files scrubbed from public view pertain to a separate woman who was a key witness for the prosecution in the criminal trial of Epstein's co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. Maxwell is seeking clemency from Trump. Some of those documents were briefly taken down and put back online last week, while others remain hidden, according to NPR's comparison of the initial dataset from January 30 with document metadata of those files currently on the Justice Department website.
Earlier this month, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said that the unreacted Epstein files, which he had viewed, contained "more than million" references to Trump.
Robert Glassman, an attorney representing a woman who testified against Maxwell, blasted the DOJ for its "ridiculous" handling of the Epstein files.
"The DOJ was ordered to release information to the public to be transparent about Epstein and Maxwell's criminal enterprise network," he told NPR. "Instead, they released the names of courageous victims who have fought hard for decades to remain anonymous and out of the limelight. Whether the disclosures were inadvertent or not—they had one job to do here and they didn't do it."
Responding to the NPR report, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said on X, "I guarantee if these files exonerated Trump, they would have been released," adding that Bondi "must resign, and she must be prosecuted."
Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released a statement Tuesday asserting that "Donald Trump continues to lie about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, while his administration works overtime to hide the truth about Epstein’s heinous crimes from the American people."
"Tonight at the State of the Union, Trump will be in the same room as survivors of Epstein’s crimes, whom he has denied transparency and justice," Witmer added. "He and his administration must be held accountable for protecting pedophiles.”
Democratic lawmakers including Garcia, Raskin, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have invited Epstein survivors as guests to Tuesday night's speech by Trump.
Elisa Batista, campaign director at the advocacy group UltraViolet Action, said in a statement Tuesday that we are in solidarity with the courageous survivors showing up in defiance of Trump’s attempts to change the conversation at the State of the Union tonight."
Batista continued:
Their bravery represents the will of millions of Americans who are demanding accountability not just for all those who enabled Jeffrey Epstein, but also for public officials like Attorney General Pam Bondi who continue to protect those abusers and enablers by refusing to release all of the Epstein files.
When it comes to the Epstein class, the real state of the union remains unchanged: These powerful abusers and enablers believe they will be shielded by their wealth, networks, or influence. Now, like before, it’s been the fearless insistence of survivors that’s stood in the way of efforts by politicians like Trump and Bondi to sweep the full legacy of Epstein’s child sex trafficking network under the rug.
“No matter how much Trump and Bondi try to distract us from the fact that they broke the law to keep the public in the dark about the extent of Epstein’s child abuse, we, survivors and allies, will not allow them to forget their role in offering cover for Epstein and his enablers," Batista added.
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Arrest of Ex-UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson Over Epstein Ties Sparks Renewed Calls for Justice in the US
"In the UK, they are prosecuting the Epstein class..." said Rep. Ro Khanna. "We need accountability in the United States."
Feb 23, 2026
After a second prominent associate of Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in the UK, calls are growing louder for those in the US who may have been complicit in his crimes to face similar accountability.
Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the US, was arrested by police on Monday on "suspicion of misconduct in public office.” The arrest is reportedly in connection with an investigation opened into the former minister earlier this month.
Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorship by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in September after leaked emails showed that he'd maintained a close friendship with Epstein long after the financier had been convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.
A criminal probe was opened last month after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released more files, suggesting that in 2009, Mandelson—then a member of the UK government—had passed Epstein sensitive internal economic information that could have affected international markets.
Bank statements also show Mandelson accepting $75,000 from Epstein over several years for an unknown purpose.
He is the second powerful figure in British society to be arrested amid scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein this month. Last week, former Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in office, after emails showed him forwarding trade reports to Epstein, which were produced during his role as an official UK envoy.
Epstein had been charged with the sex trafficking of dozens of underage girls before his death in jail in 2019, and connections with the financier have led prominent individuals across Europe to be shamed out of office or out of influential corporate positions.
Neither Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor nor Mandelson has been criminally charged with any sexual misconduct related to the billionaire. However, at least two women have publicly accused Mountbatten-Windsor of having sex with them while underage after procuring them through Epstein.
In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil suit for about £12 million with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that the former prince had sex with her when she was 17.
The arrest of yet another British government official for inappropriate dealings with Epstein has only heightened the contrast with the unaccountability of American elites, who have thus far emerged from the Epstein scandal unscathed despite damning connections.
"Peter Mandelson, the former British Ambassador to the US, was arrested today on suspicion of misconduct in public office. This is after files revealed Jeffrey Epstein sent $75,000 to accounts connected to him," wrote the official social media account for the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, which oversees the release of the files. "As we have said before: No one is above the law. We will make sure accountability and justice come to everyone in Epstein's world."
Files released by the DOJ in January, in compliance with a law passed last year, showed that at least one woman had accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s after being introduced to him by Epstein, and that the FBI considered her to be credible, speaking to her on at least four occasions. It is not known what happened as a result of the investigation, and the DOJ slideshow referencing her allegation has since been scrubbed from the department's website.
Meanwhile, at least six other members of the current Trump administration have documented ties to Epstein revealed by the files.
Most notably, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was revealed to have lied when he claimed to have cut off connections to the billionaire in the early 2000s. In fact, Lutnick maintained a relationship with Epstein for nearly a decade after the billionaire registered as a sex offender and even visited his infamous Caribbean island with his family.
Many other figures in the upper echelon of American society also maintained close relationships with Epstein despite his criminal conviction, including former President Bill Clinton, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
Following news of Mandelson's arrest, US Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)—who has led the charge for the release of the files in full to the American public, along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—said he wanted to see similar investigations and charges against Epstein's American associates.
"In UK, they are prosecuting the Epstein class [Massie] and I have exposed," Khanna wrote on social media. "We need accountability in the United States."
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GOP Votes Down Pressley's Motion to Investigate Minneapolis ICE Shooting
"Republicans shamefully voted it down—demonstrating once again that they have never cared about law and order or keeping our communities safe," said the congresswoman.
Jan 08, 2026
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley told her fellow members of the US House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that a motion she was introducing during a hearing was "pretty straightforward": The committee, she said, should conduct oversight regarding a federal agent's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a woman in Minneapolis who was killed in her car earlier in the day.
But the motion failed, with every Republican on the panel voting against it.
Pressley (D-Mass.) introduced the motion during a hearing regarding a fraud scandal in the state, hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot Good, who was in the driver's seat of her car as multiple officers approached her. Good was acting as a legal observer, according to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), monitoring ICE actions following the Trump administration's surge of federal agents into Minnesota, in part to target members of the Somali community.
Footage of the shooting shows an officer trying to open the car door and the driver turning the wheel before starting to drive forward. An agent who had approached the driver-side bumper draws his gun and shoots the driver multiple times.
Despite what is shown in the widely available video, President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Vice President JD Vance were quick to place blame on Good. Trump said she “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over” the ICE agent, while Noem said Good had committed an "act of domestic terrorism."
Pressley called on the congressional committee to investigate the case.
"Since this committee is responsible for oversight of federal law enforcement, we must investigate," she said. "This subpoena will get to the truth, and it should have bipartisan support."
Pressley condemned her GOP colleagues for blocking the effort to get to the bottom of what happened in Minneapolis, which has also been described by multiple eyewitnesses who dispute the Trump administration's narrative.
“DHS’ claim that an agent shot in self-defense is a bold-faced lie and the video footage is damning," said Pressley. "But after I moved to subpoena all records and footage related to this killing, Republicans shamefully voted it down—demonstrating once again that they have never cared about law and order or keeping our communities safe.
“What happened today is a despicable consequence of Donald Trump’s campaign of terror, fear, and demonization of vulnerable communities and we cannot allow it to be normalized in America," said Pressley. "I demand a thorough and independent investigation into this tragedy so the victim, her loved ones, and the public get the accountability and transparency they deserve. It’s time for the Trump administration to end its cruel, unlawful mass deportation agenda once and for all.”
The ACLU on Wednesday noted that Good was killed as Congress negotiates the Department of Homeland Security's budget for the coming year, months after lawmakers voted to add "an unprecedented $170 billion to the Trump administration’s already massive budget for immigration enforcement."
“For months, the Trump administration has been deploying reckless, heavily armed agents into our communities and encouraging them to commit horrifying abuses with impunity, and, today, we are seeing the devastating and predictable consequences,” said Naureen Shah, director of policy and government affairs at ACLU. “Congress must rein ICE in before what happened in Minneapolis today happens somewhere else tomorrow. That means, at a minimum, opposing a Homeland Security budget that supports the growing lawlessness of this agency.”
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'End This White House Cover-Up': House Dems Pounce on Latest Trump-Epstein Bombshell
"All of this is so disturbing and so disgusting," said Rep. Greg Landsman.
Sep 08, 2025
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Monday released a photo showing a pornographic birthday card that US President Donald Trump allegedly sent to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The birthday card's existence was originally reported by The Wall Street Journal back in July, and it features an outline of a naked woman along with Trump's squiggly signature in the area where the woman's pubic hair would be.
🚨🚨HERE IT IS: We got Trump’s birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesn’t exist.
Trump talks about a “wonderful secret” the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files! pic.twitter.com/k2Mq8Hu3LY
— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) September 8, 2025
Trump has for weeks denied that he ever sent Epstein such a birthday card and he filed a libel lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal that sought at least $20 billion in damages for what it described as "glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting."
With the note's existence seemingly confirmed, however, many Democratic lawmakers rushed to charge the president with trying to cover up the full extent of his relationship with Epstein, who was accused by multiple women of sexually abusing them when they were teenagers.
"We got the Epstein note Trump says doesn't exist," said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). "Time to end this White House cover-up."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called on the Trump White House to release the full Epstein files.
"Trump said it didn't exist, but here it is," she said. "Thank you, Oversight Dems, for proving he is lying. And if he's lying about this, what else is he lying about? Makes it clear why he is so opposed to releasing these files..."
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) had a similar reaction to the card.
"No surprise the note does exist," she said. "More proof this White House cover-up is to protect Trump, the powerful, and the wealthy. Release the full files now."
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) also took note of Trump's past denials about the letter's existence and declared, "All of this is so disturbing and so disgusting."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took a defiant tone after the note's publication and continued to insist that it was all a "hoax."
"As I have said all along, it's very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it," she said. "President Trump's legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation... This is FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax!"
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'We Are Going to End This White House Cover-Up': House Panel Subpoenas DOJ for Epstein Files
"Ghislaine Maxwell can't be taken at her word, so we need these files now in order to corroborate any claims she makes," said Reps. Robert Garcia and Summer Lee.
Aug 05, 2025
A House of Representatives subcommittee on Tuesday issued a subpoena for files related to the criminal prosecution of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's demands that people stop talking about the case.
As The Washington Post reported, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) issued the subpoena "nearly two weeks after one of the panel's subcommittees—with some GOP support—voted to compel the Justice Department (DOJ) to release the files." In addition to the Epstein files, Comer also issued subpoenas to former President Bill Clinton, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Comer requested that the United States Department of Justice deliver the requested documents related to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his imprisoned longtime associate, by August 19.
Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Summer Lee (D-Pa.), both members of the House Oversight Committee, celebrated the subpoena while also emphasizing that much more work needs to be done to bring true justice for the people who were victimized by Epstein and Maxwell as part of an international sex trafficking operation.
"We must continue putting pressure on the Department of Justice until we actually receive every document," they said. "While this subpoena is a critical milestone in our investigation and a win for the American people, we won't stop demanding every piece of information our government has in a timely manner. We know that Ghislaine Maxwell can't be taken at her word, so we need these files now in order to corroborate any claims she makes. It's important to show folks that corruption and violations of our laws don't go unchecked, regardless of your political party or how much wealth you have. This fight is not over."
In a separate statement posted on X, Garcia vowed that "we are going to end this White House cover-up."
Controversy over the Epstein files exploded over the summer when the DOJ and FBI issued a joint statement asserting that Epstein had no "client list" of powerful men involved in his sex trafficking ring and that no further disclosures about the matter were warranted. Epstein, whom law enforcement officials determined died by suicide while in prison in 2019, was a longtime associate of Trump and also had relationships with other powerful public figures including former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
Allegations of a cover-up by the Trump White House grew louder after The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the president had been informed back in May that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files, although it is not clear whether these mentions were incriminating.
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Call It the 'Dismantling Government Act': House GOP Advances Bill Backing Musk-Led Destruction
"This bill would rubber-stamp unchecked abuses of power even further," said the leader of one government watchdog group.
Mar 26, 2025
The top Democrat on the U.S. House committee tasked with holding the Trump administration accountable said Tuesday during a debate on a Republican proposal that the GOP knows President Donald Trump cannot legally "'delete' whole federal agencies" or "take a chainsaw to beloved programs like Social Security and Medicaid."
"Congressional Republicans also know these dangerous, deeply unpopular cuts would never be approved by Congress through regular order," said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. "So now they've brought us H.R. 1295, the so-called Reorganizing Government Act, in a desperate attempt to circumvent the normal congressional process."
The bill, said Connolly, would more accurately be called the Dismantling Government Act, with its resurrection of a "long-dormant statute as a Trojan horse to give President Trump and Elon Musk unprecedented, filibuster-proof authority to eliminate federal departments and agencies, statutory programs, government services, and regulatory protections that promote the health and well-being of American families."
H.R. 1295 was approved to advance out of the committee in a party-line vote, with Republicans voting to give Trump authority that has not been granted by Congress since 1984, allowing him to submit a plan to restructure federal agencies. Congress would be required to vote on the plan within 90 days and the proposals would not be subject to a filibuster, allowing the GOP-controlled Senate to approve the dismantling of agencies with a simple majority.
Between 1932 and 1984, Congress periodically gave presidents limited authority to reorganize limited portions of the government, but lawmakers have denied requests from both Democratic and Republican presidents to renew the authority.
Under the Dismantling Government Act, Trump would be permitted to make sweeping changes to agencies through December 31, 2026, and the previous limitation barring presidents from abolishing agencies would be removed.
In his opening statement during the committee's debate on the legislation Tuesday, Connolly warned that "the Dismantling Government Act would grant Donald Trump and Elon Musk a filibuster-proof pathway to get their reckless actions blessed by Congress, and we already know exactly what they'll do with that power."
The Republicans proposed the legislation amid numerous attempts by Trump and Musk, the billionaire tech CEO and megadonor he appointed to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to dismantle federal agencies and freeze government funding—some of which have been blocked by federal courts.
"The reason they are pushing for this bill is because Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE have already been found consistently to be acting outside of the law in their mass layoffs and agency closures by the courts," said Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz). "Now, instead of defending their own powers, congressional Republicans are pushing forward this bill to hand over their powers to the president."
Under the Dismantling Government Act, Trump and Musk would be granted filibuster-proof, unilateral power to:
- Abolish federal departments and agencies including the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other federal agencies that protect consumers, with just a simple majority vote in the House and the Senate;
- End statutory programs mandated by Congress through "reorganization" plans, which could lead to cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other essential programs Americans rely on;
- Gut agencies' abilities to enforce laws and regulations, and eliminate rules and regulations deemed "unnecessary and burdensome," threatening protections for Americans' clean drinking water, environment, health, and safety; and
- Fire federal workers, hamstringing the courts' ability to serve as a check for the dismantling of our government.
"Since the start of the Trump-Musk regime they have engaged in shocking abuses of power and taken a wrecking ball to the services and earned benefits regular Americans depend on to pay for more tax breaks for their billionaire donors and expand their own fortunes," said Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US. "This bill, better called the Dismantling Government Act, is a power grab that would greenlight an enormous expansion of presidential power, help Trump and Musk skirt checks and balances, and accelerate their ultimate agenda of gutting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to offset tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans."
"The Trump-Musk administration's billionaire-first agenda has already shifted the balance of power to help corporate special interests, and away from everyday Americans—this bill would rubber-stamp unchecked abuses of power even further," Carrk added.
Accountable.US is one of 200 civil society groups, representing millions of Americans, that signed a letter calling on Congress to reject the legislation.
"H.R. 1295 not only creates a fast track to dismantle these critical entities but does so by exempting these efforts from the filibuster, thus allowing the Senate to eliminate these agencies and their critical functions with a simple majority. In other words, this bill provides a fast track to the destruction of the critical entities that ensure our families are safe, our workers have protections, our environment is protected, and our markets are fair," wrote the groups, which form the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, on Monday.
"The American public expects Congress to make government work more effectively and preserve the separation of powers," the coalition added, "not give presidents 'carte blanche' to dismantle government agencies and institutions."
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Democrats Demand Hearing on 'Backroom Agreement' Between DOGE and DeJoy
"Any potential deal that would give Elon Musk and his DOGE associates unilateral authority to manipulate the most critical, expansive national mail network on the planet is deeply troubling," wrote a group of House Democrats.
Mar 17, 2025
A group of House Democrats is demanding that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform conduct a public hearing on the Trump administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's plans for the U.S. Postal Service, in light of recent reporting that U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says he signed an agreement with DOGE to assist the nation's mail service "in identifying and achieving further efficiencies."
The news follows Washington Post coverage from February, when the outlet reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering putting the Postal Service under the control of the Commerce Department. In December, the Post also reported that Trump was eyeing privatizing the Postal Service. Elon Musk, a GOP megadonor who is playing a core role in Trump's efforts to slash federal spending and personnel, has also said the Postal Service should be privatized.
Postal workers unions are fiercely opposed to any effort to privatize the Postal Service.
"The Trump administration... is now subjecting the USPS, America's most trusted federal institution, to the chainsaw approach of Elon Musk and DOGE. This broad assault on the independence of the USPS demands congressional oversight, especially from the committee with jurisdiction over the USPS," according to the letter, which was signed by 20 House Democrats.
In a March 13 letter to congressional leaders, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress he signed an agreement with representatives from Elon Musk's DOGE and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) so that DOGE could help the U.S. Postal Service, which has experienced billions in financial losses in recent years, work to address "big problems."
The Postal Service plans to cut 10,000 employees in the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program, according to DeJoy's letter.
DeJoy cited challenges facing the Postal Service, such as "mismanagement of our self-funded retirement assets," "burdensome regulatory requirements restricting normal business practice," and "unfunded mandates imposed on us by legislation."
The letter demanding a public hearing, which was addressed to House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), was spearheaded by Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.)
"This backroom agreement between the billionaire-led DOGE and Postmaster DeJoy sets off alarm bells about this administration's plans for the Postal Service's role as a cornerstone public institution," according to the letter. "The Postal Service facilitates the delivery of more than 115 billion pieces of mail each year, a significant portion of which is delivered to rural, low-income, and hard-to-reach areas that would not otherwise receive service if not for the universal service obligation, which has received bipartisan support in Congress and is integral to the mission of Postal Service."
"We agree that there are steps Congress could take to strengthen the financial sustainability of the Postal Service, but any potential deal that would give Elon Musk and his DOGE associates unilateral authority to manipulate the most critical, expansive national mail network on the planet is deeply troubling," they continued.
The group is urging that the committee hold a hearing and wrote that they have prepared a letter to send to DeJoy asking that he furnish any signed agreements he made with the GSA and DOGE. The group is urging that Comer also sign on to that letter.
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