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Epstein Files have no protection during shutdown
The Epstein files currently have no protection because of the government shutdown. By law, the Antideficiency Act prohibits federal employees from working during a lapse in appropriations unless their duties protect life or property. Records work does not qualify. That means the archivists, FOIA officers, and records managers who oversee 33,000 pages of Epstein material are furloughed and legally barred from even logging in to the systems that hold them.
After the 2018 shutdown, agencies admitted to “records management gaps” and missed FOIA deadlines. Digital transfers were delayed, and some were never completed. The legal structure of the shutdown is not neutral. It operates as a shield, preventing accountability at the exact moment victims and the public are demanding transparency.