13 Nov 2025

What’s next in Congress on the push to release the Epstein files

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By MATT BROWN and JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is speeding toward a vote next week on releasing files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a step that comes after months of resistance from Republican leaders.

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Takeaways from the newly released Epstein documents

They have no choice but to allow consideration of the bill after a petition on the measure reached the necessary 218 signatures. It comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said President Donald Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.

Public speculation has been rampant for years about Epstein’s operation, death and connection to powerful and wealthy individuals, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaires and celebrity academics, among others.

Why is the House about to vote?

Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced a petition in July to force a vote on their bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The effort was backed by all House Democrats and four Republicans, including Massie and Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

Minutes after Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona was sworn into office Wednesday, she signed her name to the Epstein petition, pushing it to the magic number of 218 — a majority in the 435-member House.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said following Grijalva’s swearing-in that he would expedite the petition process to bring a vote on the bill to the House floor early next week.

Johnson has pushed back on claims that he has obstructed the Epstein legislation to protect Trump or others. He told reporters Wednesday that the Republican majority took issue with the phrasing of the measure, which he claimed did not adequately protect victims. Johnson has also pointed repeatedly to the Epstein investigation being conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has resulted in thousands of pages of documents being released, including more than 20,000 on Wednesday.

What does the bill do?

The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted, per the bill.

The department, however, would not be allowed to redact information due to “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

Is it going to pass?

Johnson, who had dismissed the petition as a “moot point,” said he will bring the measure to a vote next week. If everyone who signed the petition supports it on the floor, it will pass.

But the bill appears likely to pick up additional Republican votes — potentially dozens or more — now that it is moving forward. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who did not sign the discharge petition, has said he plans to back it.

The tougher test will come in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53–47 majority and it would likely take 60 votes to move the bill to final passage.

Asked in September whether the Senate would take up the Epstein bill if it passed the House, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, “I can’t comment on that at this point.”

Thune added that the Justice Department “has already released tons of files related to this matter.”

“I trust them in terms of having the confidence that they’ll get as much information out there as possible in a way that protects the rights of the victims,” Thune said.

Can Trump stop it?

If the measure passes the Senate, it would go to Trump, who almost certainly would veto it. He has opposed the discharge petition from the start, even reaching out Wednesday to two Republicans who had signed it.

“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.”

A president’s veto can be overridden with a two-third vote in both chambers. That has only happened twice since 2009.

Massie said Trump can avoid the entire ordeal by releasing all the Epstein files held by the federal government.

“There’s still time for him to be the hero,” Massie said of Trump.

13 Nov 2025

Texas’ Top Voucher Vendor Taps Abbott Allies in Contract Bid, Program Rollout

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Even before the Texas Legislature finally passed its private school voucher bill earlier this year, the race was on among the handful of firms in the burgeoning voucher vendor sector to win the lucrative contract to launch and administer what will be the largest program of its kind in the nation. 

That race is now over as the Texas Comptroller last month awarded the job to a New York firm called Odyssey. In winning the bid, and in its plans to ramp up the program, Odyssey cultivated close ties to the political world of Governor Greg Abbott. 

One of the top outfits in the voucher vendor game, Odyssey is backed with major venture capitalist investments. As the Texas Observer previously reported, Odyssey and others pushed hard to win the Texas contract, essentially the industry’s holy grail.

Awarding the contract to the private administrator of the program—known as a certified educational assistance organization (CEAO)—marks a key milestone in the voucher rollout as the comptroller delegates control of almost every facet of the program, from handling applications and approvals for students to accepting the private schools and other vendors eligible to participate, plus controlling the flow of state money to and fro. Odyssey will also be in charge of the marketing and PR involved with promoting and defending the program, which the state has dubbed “Texas Education Freedom Accounts.””

Voucher funds will be eligible to be used not only for participating private schools’ tuition and homeschooling but also for tutoring services and an array of other educational materials. 

Abbott staked much of his hard-earned political capital, and campaign cash, on getting the school voucher program over the finish line. In the 2024 Republican primaries, he used his political war chest to oust several anti-voucher incumbents who’d previously blocked passage in the Texas House. This effort was aided by a record $6 million in campaign contributions from Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania billionaire and voucher advocate. 

During the legislative session, Odyssey tapped lobbyist Luis Saenz, who was previously Abbott’s longtime chief of staff, to work on its behalf as the governor worked to pass the bill (It also made Daniel Warner, ex-Speaker Dade Phelan’s education policy advisor, its state director.)

For PR, Odyssey will also turn to Abbott allies, according to its bid proposal, which the Observer obtained under state open records law: Odyssey hired the Austin firm Vianovo to run public relations for the program, with a team that includes John Wittman, Abbott’s former communications director, and Matthew Hirsch, Abbott’s ex-deputy chief of staff. 

“Vianovo will serve as the lead for proactive media engagement across Texas, building relationships with journalists, pitching positive stories about the Program, and coordinating interviews with Comptroller staff, participating families, school leaders, vendors and providers,” the proposal states. It would also handle any turbulence that may emerge. “In the event of controversy or misinformation, Vianovo will provide crisis communications strategy, issue rapid response guidance, and ensure a consistent, aligned message across stakeholders.” 

In rolling out the program, Odyssey said in its bid proposal that it plans to partner with a long list of “outside stakeholders” to “raise awareness” of private school vouchers in Texas. Those entities include powerful conservative organizations: the American Federation of Children, Americans for Prosperity, the Club for Growth, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, the Texas Home School Coalition, and Texas Values Action. Those groups provided considerable political support to Abbott as he campaigned for legislative support around vouchers over the past two years. 

Odyssey’s contract will cost the state a total of $26 million for 2026 and 2027 with an option to extend for two more years beyond that, as well as $2 million a year for a marketing campaign. The law stipulates that the state can pay such vendors, or CEAOs, up to 5 percent of the biennial funding, which is currently $1 billion. The ceiling for the contract value could dramatically increase in the future as the program’s costs are projected to jump to around $5 billion by the end of the decade.

Odyssey’s bid was the lowest, according to the Houston Chronicle, compared with $40 million from Classwallet and $50 million from StudentFirst Technologies. The comptroller also graded Odyssey higher than those two competitors on its qualifications, performance in other states, and plan to implement the program in Texas, per the Chronicle. 

The New York technology firm has become one of the most popular players in its rapidly growing niche market. Odyssey was founded in 2021 by Joseph Connor, who had already made a career in school privatization as a lawyer, consultant, and founder of a “microschools” company. Connor also wrote an amicus brief for a critical 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that state-funded private school vouchers did not equate to religious discrimination. 

As the Texas Tribune has reported, Odyssey also won a $500,000 contest for education innovation founded by Yass and his wife. In response to the prize, Connor celebrated the Yass family for launching “an incredible movement to push for school choice and education freedom nationwide.”

Odyssey pitched itself to Texas as the only vendor capable of providing a fully automated system to administer all facets of the program. “From application to eligibility and funding to spending, our system removes friction and delivers real-time support. As the pioneer in the space, and still the only provider able to verify identity and deliver eligibility determinations in seconds, we’ve demonstrated how automation can expand access while ensuring integrity,” Connor wrote in the bid proposal. 

Critics have pointed to issues that Odyssey has had in running similar voucher programs in other states. 

“Given Odyssey’s track record of operational mismanagement and misuse of state funds in much smaller voucher programs, Texans should sound the alarm about the Comptroller’s decision to entrust Odyssey with $1 billion of our taxpayer dollars and the educational outcomes of our children,” said Maggie Stern of the public education advocacy group Our Schools Our Democracy in a statement last month. “We urge the Comptroller to ensure that discretionary information is included in a thorough and public annual audit on how Odyssey manages Texas’ voucher program.”

The company’s work on other state voucher programs has been met with complaints. In 2022, Odyssey won its first statewide contract in Idaho to run that state’s voucher-like program. As Idaho Education News reported, the State Board of Education identified $180,000 in ineligible purchases under the program, though a later audit identified a smaller dollar amount and the governor gave “the program a clean bill of health,” the Idaho outlet reported. Odyssey also had to turn over interest it had earned from holding program funds in a bank account. In Iowa, the state auditor found the company’s contract increased beyond its initial cost to account for transaction fees. 

The contract stipulates that Odyssey could face penalties if it does not meet certain performance standards, such as keeping its online platforms running and promptly processing transactions. 

In a letter to the Texas Attorney General, Odyssey argued against release of certain materials related to its bid that it deemed confidential. “Given the importance of government contracts in this business segment, any insight into the process, and specifically how to win a government contract has significant commercial value,” the company wrote. 

Odyssey also hired a group called Outschool.org to assist with what it called “grassroots” marketing of the program—with an emphasis on homeschooling families, who its bid pointed out are expected to make up a large share of program participants and “face distinct barriers” including “concerns over government interference, regulatory confusion, and lack of support.” Odyssey and Outschool would partner with state home school groups, including the Texas Home School Coalition, as well as TikTok influencers to “deliver program information from trusted voices.” Steel Digital Studios was also hired as a subcontractor for Odyssey, charged with heading up its advertising services. That Austin firm has previously done work with Texas state agencies and universities, in addition to local school districts. 

The next phase in the voucher rollout—applications open in February 2026—will be for Odyssey to set up an online “marketplace” of approved private schools, along with other education vendors to provide eligible services like tutoring, online learning, and curriculum material. Odyssey will be fully in charge of that marketplace, vetting each potential vendor and either providing its recommendations to the comptroller or, if the state chooses, making unilateral decisions on vendors. 

Since signing the vouchers bill into law, Abbott has ensured his influence will extend through the implementation of the program—including with the bending of state law to make state Senator and key political ally Kelly Hancock the acting comptroller. (Hancock also named Mary Katherine Stout as the state’s voucher program director; Stout previously served as Governor Rick Perry’s budget director and as a vice president of TPPF.)

In an emailed statement, an Odyssey spokesperson told the Observer: “Like any company doing business in and with the State of Texas, Odyssey partners with the best experts available who can help administer the program and ensure that all eligible Texas families have the resources they need to access Texas Education Freedom Accounts. Odyssey is proud to have been the top-scoring company in a competitive bidding process.” 

Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The post Texas’ Top Voucher Vendor Taps Abbott Allies in Contract Bid, Program Rollout appeared first on The Texas Observer.

13 Nov 2025

States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends

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By GEOFF MULVIHILL and DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press

With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday that they are working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it still could take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.

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The timeline for SNAP benefits remains uncertain, even as the government is set to reopen

A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from President Donald Trump’s administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While some states already had issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.

The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of around $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for a regular month.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” But the agency didn’t say whether that timeline applies to when the money is available to states or when it could be loaded onto debit cards used by beneficiaries.

West Virginia, which hadn’t issued SNAP benefits, should have full November benefits for all recipients by Friday, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Thursday.

The Illinois Department of Human Services, which previously issued partial November benefits, said Thursday that it is “working to restore full SNAP benefits.” But it won’t happen instantly.

“We anticipate that the remaining benefit payments will be made over several days, starting tomorrow,” the department said in a statement, and that “all SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits by November 20th.”

Colorado said late Wednesday that it is switching from delivering partial payments to full SNAP benefits. Funds could be loaded onto electronic benefit transfer cards starting as soon as Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis and the state’s Human Services Department said.

Missouri’s Department of Social Services, which issued partial SNAP payments Tuesday, said Thursday that it is waiting for further guidance from the USDA about how to issue the remaining November SNAP benefits but would move quickly once it gets that.

Paused SNAP payments stirred stress for some families

The delayed SNAP payments posed another complication for Lee Harris’ family since his spouse was laid off a few months ago.

Harris, 34, said the North Little Rock, Arkansas, family got help from his temple and received food left by someone who was moving. With that assistance — and the knowledge that other families have greater needs — they skipped stopping by the food pantry they had sometimes used.

They and their three daughters have been able to keep meals fairly close to normal despite missing a SNAP payment this week. But they still have experienced stress and uncertainty.

“Not knowing a definite end,” Harris said, “I don’t know how much I need to stretch what I have in our pantry.”

Federal legislation funds SNAP for a year

The USDA told states Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP benefits for November amid the government shutdown. Many Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored.

After judges ruled the Trump administration must tap into reserves to fund SNAP, the administration said it would fund up to 65% of its regular allocations. When a judge subsequently ordered full benefits, some states scrambled to quickly load SNAP benefits onto debit cards during a one-day window before the Supreme Court put that order on hold Friday.

Meanwhile, other states went forward with partial benefits, and still others issued nothing while waiting for further USDA guidance about the situation.

Amid the uncertainty over federal SNAP funding, some states tapped into their own funds to provide direct aid to SNAP recipients or additional money for nonprofit food banks.

The legislation to reopen the U.S. government provides full SNAP benefits not only for November but also for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which runs through next September.

Associated Press writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this report.

13 Nov 2025

Average US long-term mortgage rate rises again, inching up to 6.24%

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By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage edged higher for the second week in a row, though it remains near its low point so far this year.

The average long-term mortgage rate ticked up to 6.24% from 6.22% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.78%.

Just two weeks ago, the average rate was at 6.17%, its lowest level in more than a year.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, edged lower this week. The rate averaged 5.49%, down from 5.5% last week. A year ago, it was 5.99%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year yield was at 4.10% at midday Thursday, up slightly from a week ago.

When mortgage rates rise they reduce homebuyers’ purchasing power. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has been stuck above 6% since September 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows. The housing market has been in a slump ever since.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank last year to their lowest level in nearly three decades. Sales have been sluggish this year, but accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased.

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Applications for loans to buy a home jumped nearly 6% last week to their strongest pace since September, even as mortgage rates ticked higher, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The late-summer pullback in mortgage rates has also benefited homeowners eager to refinance their current home loan to a lower rate. Applications for mortgage refinancing loans accounted for about 56% of all mortgage applications last week, down slightly from the previous week.