Epstein Revelations Intensify Senate Debate Over Chávez Monument

A clash on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee over a bill to defund and close the César Chávez National Monument escalated after Epstein-related allegations and emails resurfaced during the debate. Sen. Martin Heinrich proposed temporarily closing the site and studying a new monument to honor the farm labor movement, while Sen. Mike Lee accused him of preserving a “crime scene.” Cornyn’s bill would immediately shutter the monument, sell the land and contents, and remove Chávez’s home and gravesite. The episode occurs amid a wider reckoning over sexual misconduct in Congress and the Epstein file releases; Heinrich’s office said he never met Epstein.