Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson responded on Thursday amid reported blowback from members of his party over criticism they've faced for voting down a Democratic-led effort to force the release of documents related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The House voted to cut billions of dollars for foreign aid and public broadcasting early Friday morning, a win for President Donald Trump as he is plagued by GOP divisions over the release of the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

House Republican leaders are preparing for a late night in the chamber as they try to jam through President Donald Trump’s $9 billion package of cuts to federal funding — after a day of intense talks with GOP holdouts demanding a vote on a Jeffrey Epstein-related measure.