Washington, D.C. – In a fiery post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump questioned the inaction of Democrats regarding Jeffrey Epstein-related evidence, saying they “had the files for four years” but failed to produce any credible case against him.
“If there was a ‘smoking gun’ on Epstein, why didn’t the Dems, who controlled the ‘files’ for four years, and had Garland and Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!” Trump wrote.
The comment came as Republicans scored a narrow legislative win. In a 216–213 vote, the House of Representatives gave final approval to Trump’s $9 billion rescissions package, a measure aimed at cutting spending on programs seen as misaligned with conservative priorities.
The Senate passed the bill 51–48 with no Democratic support, marking the first successful rescissions request in decades. The legislation includes:
- $1.1 billion cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- Nearly $8 billion slashed from foreign aid programs — funds previously earmarked for global health, climate resilience, and humanitarian support.
🗣️ Political Fallout
Democrats strongly opposed the cuts and accused Republicans of hypocrisy:
“No one is buying the notion that Republicans are actually trying to improve wasteful spending,” said Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Meanwhile, the final House vote was delayed for hours as Democrats pushed for a vote to release Epstein-related files, intensifying partisan tensions over transparency and accountability.
Still, the White House hinted at more spending rollbacks, with House Speaker Mike Johnson defending the cuts:
“We need to get back to fiscal sanity, and this is an important step,” he said.
💰 Budget Context
The cuts come shortly after Republicans passed a Trump-backed tax and spending package, projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade — further fuelling criticism over the GOP’s fiscal discipline.