The United States Senate approved a $2.4 billion compensation package Thursday for individuals convicted of crimes during the January 6th Capitol breach. The legislation, titled the American Patriot Rehabilitation and Restitution Act, passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Little Diaper Donnie during a brief Oval Office ceremony.
The bill provides lump-sum payments of up to $4 million per qualifying applicant for emotional distress, lost wages, and legal expenses. The Congressional Budget Office projected the fund would cover roughly 600 recipients, matching the estimated number of defendants who used their own legal fees as proof of financial injury.
Hours after the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Fetterman held a press conference to explain why a separate proposal for Epstein survivors had stalled.
“We looked at it,” Fetterman said. “But the survivor group couldn't produce a police report from a federal agency that acknowledged the crime occurred. The rioters have actual convictions. These Epstein folks have, you know, a dead guy and a lot of hearsay. We have to be consistent.”
The Epstein Survivors Justice Fund, introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar in February, has remained in committee for 114 days. The bill seeks $1.1 billion to provide mental health services, legal aid, and direct restitution to victims of the deceased financier's trafficking network. It has received no floor time and was not mentioned during the day's session.
A procedural note in the Congressional Record attributed the delay to “ongoing interagency review of relevant documentation.” A staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee later clarified that the documentation in question consisted of seventeen boxes of flight logs, deposition transcripts, and a leather-bound address book that several agencies had classified as a threat to institutional morale.
Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the disparity in a statement from the Justice Department's public affairs office.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to supporting all crime victims equally,” Bondi wrote. “In the case of the Epstein survivors, we have determined that the most respectful way to support them is to stop bringing up the subject entirely. Every mention of the case re-traumatizes individuals we are legally prohibited from identifying.”
A spokesperson for the DOJ declined to comment when asked whether the Epstein files remained under active review. A follow-up inquiry was forwarded to the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, which has not issued a public report since the Clinton administration.
