January 1, Trump Backs Ban on Congress Stock Trades

Wyatt’s Take

• Trump joins push to block lawmakers from stock trades
• Bipartisan bill aims to stop members and spouses from owning stocks
• Most Americans support tougher rules for Congress

President Trump is calling for an end to stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses. This support comes as a new bill, the ‘Restore Trust in Congress Act,’ gathers support from both sides of the aisle.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna introduced the bill to prevent lawmakers and their partners from buying and selling stocks. Trump cheered her move on Truth Social, saying, “MASSIVE WIN! Congresswoman Anna Luna is using a procedural loophole to force a vote to ban stock trading for Congressmen and Senators THIS MONTH! Nancy Pelosi is FREAKING OUT!”

If House leaders do not act, Luna plans to use a discharge petition, a method that can force a vote by gathering enough signatures from other members.

Last month, even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed support for ending Congressional stock trades. In Luna’s words, “Ninety-five percent of Americans support this…we’ve asked leadership to put this on the floor. If they don’t, I’m saying [the] timeline is [the] end of month. There’s a discharge petition prepared and ready to go. I think it’s very clear where the White House stands on this.”

The bill boasts 16 original cosponsors, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Representative Chip Roy declared,

“It’s far past time to ban Members of Congress from day trading stocks, and for the first time, a bipartisan coalition is standing together behind a united proposal to do just that.”

Fellow supporter Seth Magaziner added,

“We must take a strong stand against corruption and end stock trading by members of Congress once and for all.”

Right now, senators can own and trade stocks as long as they report trades over $1,000 within 45 days, according to the 2012 STOCK Act. This law bans insider trading but doesn’t stop them from buying or selling stocks entirely.

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Wyatt Matters

Middle Americans work hard for their paychecks and expect honesty from elected leaders. Holding Congress to higher standards makes Washington a little more like Main Street.