Senate Confirms Alex Acosta as Labor Secretary and Blocks Release of The Epstein Files
This table shows three Senate roll calls related to Jeffrey Epstein -- a pair of votes in April 2017 confirming Alex Acosta as secretary of labor in the first Trump administration and a vote in September 2025 to kill an amendment adding the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the fiscal 2026 military budget (S 2296). Acosta is shown here stating in July 2018 he would resign from the cabinet over ties to Epstein while he was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008.
Dash = Not Yet in Office
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| To Confirm Labor Secretary Alex Acosta | To End Debate on Alex Acosta Nomination | To Block Release of Epstein Files | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Murkowski | R | AK | YES | YES | YES |
| Dan Sullivan | R | AK | YES | YES | YES |
| Tommy Tuberville | R | AL | — | — | YES |
| Katie Boyd Britt | R | AL | — | — | YES |
| Tom Cotton | R | AR | YES | YES | YES |
| John Boozman | R | AR | YES | YES | YES |
| Mark Kelly | D | AZ | — | — | NO |
| Ruben Gallego | D | AZ | — | — | NO |
| Adam Schiff | D | CA | — | — | NO |
| Alex Padilla | D | CA | — | — | NO |
| Michael Bennet | D | CO | NO | NO | NO |
| John Hickenlooper | D | CO | — | — | NO |
| Richard Blumenthal | D | CT | NO | NO | NO |
| Chris Murphy | D | CT | NO | NO | NO |
| Lisa Blunt Rochester | D | DE | — | — | NO |
| Chris Coons | D | DE | NO | NO | NO |
| Ashley Moody | R | FL | — | — | YES |
| Rick Scott | R | FL | — | — | YES |
| Jon Ossoff | D | GA | — | — | NO |
| Raphael Warnock | D | GA | — | — | NO |
| Brian Schatz | D | HI | NO | NO | NO |
| Mazie Hirono | D | HI | NO | NO | NO |
| Charles Grassley | R | IA | YES | YES | YES |
| Joni Ernst | R | IA | YES | YES | YES |
| Jim Risch | R | ID | YES | YES | YES |
| Michael Crapo | R | ID | YES | YES | YES |
| Richard Durbin | D | IL | NO | NO | NO |
| Tammy Duckworth | D | IL | NO | NO | NO |
| Jim Banks | R | IN | — | — | YES |
| Todd Young | R | IN | YES | YES | YES |
| Jerry Moran | R | KS | YES | YES | YES |
| Roger Marshall | R | KS | — | — | YES |
| Mitch McConnell | R | KY | YES | YES | YES |
| Rand Paul | R | KY | YES | YES | NO |
| John Kennedy | R | LA | YES | YES | YES |
| Bill Cassidy | R | LA | YES | YES | YES |
| Elizabeth Warren | D | MA | NO | NO | NO |
| Ed Markey | D | MA | NO | NO | NO |
| Chris Van Hollen | D | MD | NO | NO | NO |
| Angela Alsobrooks | D | MD | — | — | NO |
| Angus King | I | ME | YES | YES | NO |
| Susan Collins | R | ME | YES | YES | YES |
| Gary Peters | D | MI | NV | NO | NO |
| Elissa Slotkin | D | MI | — | — | NO |
| Tina Smith | D | MN | — | — | NO |
| Amy Klobuchar | D | MN | NO | NO | NO |
| Eric Schmitt | R | MO | — | — | YES |
| Josh Hawley | R | MO | — | — | NO |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith | R | MS | — | — | YES |
| Roger Wicker | R | MS | YES | YES | YES |
| Steve Daines | R | MT | YES | YES | YES |
| Tim Sheehy | R | MT | — | — | YES |
| Thom Tillis | R | NC | YES | YES | YES |
| Ted Budd | R | NC | — | — | YES |
| Kevin Cramer | R | ND | — | — | YES |
| John Hoeven | R | ND | YES | YES | YES |
| Deb Fischer | R | NE | YES | YES | YES |
| Pete Ricketts | R | NE | — | — | YES |
| Jeanne Shaheen | D | NH | NO | NO | NO |
| Maggie Hassan | D | NH | NO | NO | NO |
| Andy Kim | D | NJ | — | — | NO |
| Cory Booker | D | NJ | NO | NO | NO |
| Ben Ray Lujan | D | NM | — | — | NO |
| Martin Heinrich | D | NM | NO | NO | NO |
| Catherine Cortez Masto | D | NV | YES | YES | NO |
| Jacky Rosen | D | NV | — | — | NO |
| Kirsten Gillibrand | D | NY | NO | NO | NO |
| Chuck Schumer | D | NY | NO | NO | NO |
| Bernie Moreno | R | OH | — | — | YES |
| Jon Husted | R | OH | — | — | YES |
| James Lankford | R | OK | YES | YES | YES |
| Seat is Vacant | OK | ||||
| Ron Wyden | D | OR | NO | NO | NO |
| Jeff Merkley | D | OR | NO | NO | NO |
| John Fetterman | D | PA | — | — | NO |
| David McCormick | R | PA | — | — | YES |
| John Reed | D | RI | NO | NO | NO |
| Sheldon Whitehouse | D | RI | NO | NO | NO |
| Seat is Vacant | SC | ||||
| Tim Scott | R | SC | YES | YES | YES |
| John Thune | R | SD | YES | YES | YES |
| Mike Rounds | R | SD | YES | YES | YES |
| Bill Hagerty | R | TN | — | — | YES |
| Marsha Blackburn | R | TN | — | — | YES |
| John Cornyn | R | TX | YES | YES | YES |
| Ted Cruz | R | TX | YES | YES | YES |
| John Curtis | R | UT | — | — | YES |
| Mike Lee | R | UT | YES | YES | YES |
| Mark Warner | D | VA | YES | YES | NO |
| Tim Kaine | D | VA | NO | NO | NO |
| Peter Welch | D | VT | — | — | NO |
| Bernie Sanders | I | VT | NO | NO | NO |
| Maria Cantwell | D | WA | NO | NO | NO |
| Patty Murray | D | WA | NO | NO | NO |
| Tammy Baldwin | D | WI | NO | NO | NO |
| Ron Johnson | R | WI | YES | YES | YES |
| Jim Justice | R | WV | — | — | YES |
| Shelley Moore Capito | R | WV | YES | YES | YES |
| John Barrasso | R | WY | YES | YES | YES |
| Cynthia Lummis | R | WY | — | — | YES |
Issue 1
Senate Confirms Alex Acosta as Secretary of Labor
Voting 60 for and 38 against, the Senate on April 27, 2017, confirmed Alex Acosta as secretary of labor in the first Trump administration. Acosta was later to resign from the cabinet over his lenient handling of a criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein. But his suspicious ties to Epstein were mentioned only once in lengthy debate on the Senate floor on his qualifications to join Trump’s cabinet.
Acosta resigned as labor secretary on July 19, 2018, after his soft prosecutorial treatment of Epstein became a national news story. In 2008, while he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta approved a deal that quashed an imminent federal indictment of Epstein while allowing him to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a 14-year-old girl.
A yes vote was to confirm Acosta.
Issue 2
Senate Votes to End Debate on Alex Acosta Nomination
Voting 61 for and 39 against, the Senate on April 26, 2017, invoked cloture (ended debate) on the confirmation of Alex Acosta as secretary of labor in the first Trump administration. Acosta was later to resign from the cabinet amid public furor over his lenient handling of a criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 when he was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. But his ties to Epstein were mentioned by only one senator, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, in debate on his nomination spread over two days on the Senate floor.
A yes vote was to close debate on the Acosta nomination.
Issue 3
Senate Republicans Block Release of Epstein Files
The Senate on Sept. 10, 2025, voted, 51 for and 49 against, to table (kill) a Democratic amendment adding the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S 2296). At the time of this vote, the transparency bill was buried in the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sponsored the amendment. Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri joined all 47 Democrats in support of the amendment and 51 other Republicans voted to kill it.
A yes vote was to block the Epstein Files Transparency Act.