Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to members of the media alongside U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) during a press conference following Democrat’s weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 3, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
The National Defense Authorization Act funds the Department of Defense operations outside of the typical government budget and this year, one Democrat didn't come to play.
Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) added an amendment to the bill that would mandate that Attorney General Pam Bondi release all of the files around the investigation of accused trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Semafor's Burgess Everett wrote Wednesday morning on X.
"Oh boy," Everett said of the move.
Schumer achieved a cloture vote on the amendment, which requires that at least 16 Senators sign that they end debate and the amendment would come up for a vote. Once invoked, there's a 30-hour limit on debate and the vote on the question. If it passes, Bondi will have 30 days to release the files.
Schumer released a statement saying, "Republicans will HAVE TO vote on it. We’re going to keep fighting until these files are released."
"It's rare to see a Senate minority leader file cloture, but it's allowed. The amendment tree to the defense bill was not 'filled,' which gave Schumer the opportunity to offer an amendment to the bill," said CSPAN Capitol Hill producer Craig Caplan.
See the video below or at the link here.