In a remarkable display of political efficiency that left a Daily Show correspondent utterly stunned, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bill forcing the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files this week. The swift action came just moments after comedian Ronny Chieng had predicted the legislation would face lengthy delays.
A Comedian's Stunned Reaction
Ronny Chieng, correspondent for The Daily Show, had just finished celebrating the Senate as the place where legislation and senators go to die when he received news of the bill's unexpected passage. His reaction was one of pure disbelief. Wait what? Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on — wait, how — how the fuck did it pass this fast?! Chieng exclaimed during his Wednesday monologue.
The comedian had expected the typical congressional slowdown tactics. I thought a bill in the Senate had to go through amendments and committees and floor votes and Mitch McConnell's neck folds, he quipped. And they have to add some unrelated earmarks that somehow make Lindsey Graham millions of dollars. Like, how did they get around all that?
The Secret: Unanimous Consent Procedure
The answer to Chieng's bewilderment lay in a rarely used parliamentary maneuver. The Senate approved what's formally known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act through a process called unanimous consent. This procedure allows the Senate to accept the House's version of a bill without amendments, committees, or the usual lengthy voting process.
This development was particularly surprising given that House Speaker Mike Johnson had fully expected the upper chamber to amend the legislation, which would have sent it back to the House for further approval. Instead, Senate Democrats successfully pressured Republicans to pass the bill exactly as written by the House.
Implications and Comedic Follow-up
The unusual speed and bipartisan cooperation left Chieng wondering why this procedure isn't used more frequently. Wait, you can do that? Unanimous consent? Well then, why don't you do that with every bill? he asked incredulously.
In his signature comedic style, Chieng speculated about the secret to the bill's success. I mean, does it only work on bills with Epstein's name? he pondered. In that case, we might need to pass the Jeffrey Epstein Universal Healthcare Epstein Act Featuring Jeffrey Epstein!
The passage represents a significant step toward greater transparency in the long-running Jeffrey Epstein case, which has captivated public attention for years due to the financier's connections to powerful figures and his death while in federal custody.
