In a move that sent a jolt through Capitol Hill, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) just played hardball with a defense bill—and dragged the long-shadowed Jeffrey Epstein case along with it.
Schumer attached a bold amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi release every file related to the Epstein investigation. The bombshell was first reported by Semafor’s Burgess Everett, who dropped the news with a curt, telling reaction: “Oh boy.”
This isn’t your typical add-on to the NDAA. The bill is one of the few pieces of legislation Congress reliably passes each year, funneling hundreds of billions into military operations and defense spending. So when Schumer wedged in an amendment dealing with one of the most explosive and secretive criminal cases in recent memory, it didn’t go unnoticed.
Schumer isn’t bluffing either. He filed cloture on the amendment—a procedural hammer that forces a vote if enough senators (at least 16) agree to stop debating and move things forward. Once invoked, the Senate gets 30 hours to chew over the amendment before it’s put to a vote. If it passes, Bondi would have just 30 days to hand over the goods.
“Just a few minutes ago, I filed an amendment on the Senate Floor to require the Attorney General to release all the Epstein files. Republicans will HAVE TO vote on it,” Schumer said in a statement. “We’re going to keep fighting until these files are released.”
For context, cloture filings from a Senate minority leader are rare. Like, really rare. But in this case, the amendment tree on the NDAA hadn’t been “filled”—a procedural term meaning the bill still had room for more amendments—so Schumer pounced.
“It’s rare to see a Senate minority leader file cloture, but it’s allowed,” noted CSPAN Capitol Hill producer Craig Caplan. “The amendment tree to the defense bill was not ‘filled,’ which gave Schumer the opportunity to offer an amendment to the bill.”
So now the pressure’s on. Republicans have to go on record—yes or no—on whether they want the Epstein files out in the open. That includes whatever dark corners they’ve been locked in for years. The timing, optics, and political stakes are all combustible.
Watch Schumer’s remarks below:
BREAKING NEWS: I just filed an amendment on the Senate Floor to REQUIRE the Attorney General to release the Epstein files.
Republicans will HAVE TO vote on it. We’re going to keep fighting until these files are released. pic.twitter.com/bHFGNnuk3T
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 10, 2025
