Congressional Stock Trading Ban Faces Partisan Roadblocks

Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna is attempting to force a House vote on a bill to ban stock trading by members of Congress through a discharge petition. The effort has garnered signatures from 15 Republicans and 59 Democrats. However, the initiative is facing strong opposition from party leadership.

Top Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are insisting that any ban must also include President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, citing their access to nonpublic information. This move mirrors a previous attempt in the Senate involving Senator Josh Hawley, which drew criticism from Trump. Meanwhile, Representative Chip Roy, a chief GOP cosponsor of the bill, has declined to sign the discharge petition, favoring traditional legislative processes. As a result, multiple competing proposals are emerging, significantly lowering the likelihood of a ban passing in the current Congress.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna filed a discharge petition in December to force a vote on the Restore Trust in Congress Act. This bipartisan bill, led by Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner and Republican Representative Chip Roy, would require lawmakers to sell individual stock holdings within 180 days of enactment.

The discharge petition requires 218 signatures to force a floor vote, bypassing the Speaker's control. As of the latest count, the petition has secured:

• 15 Republican signatures
• 59 Democratic signatures
• Total of 74 signatories

Despite the support, the effort faces internal criticism. Representative Magaziner noted that Luna "jumped the gun" by introducing the measure before proponents were ready. Furthermore, Representative Roy, a key architect of the original bill, has not signed the petition. Roy stated, "As someone that tries to work through regular order, I don't think you should go down the discharge petition route. I think this is a dangerous road to go down."

Following Luna's petition, Democratic leadership shifted the parameters of the debate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others now insist that the ban must extend to the President and Vice President. Jeffries argued that there is "zero justification and rationale for allowing a president of any party, or a vice president of any party, to be able to engage in stock trading while they have the awesome power of the presidency, vice presidency, and executive branch in their hands."

At the request of Democratic leadership, Representative Magaziner introduced a new bill that includes President Trump and Vice President Vance. He plans to file a new discharge petition for this expanded version. However, no Republicans have signed onto this new bill.

Experts believe this strategic expansion may derail the entire process. Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, acting vice president of policy at the Project On Government Oversight, stated, "I think we had a real path, and I think intentionally, this effort from Democratic leadership has really undercut that path. Everyone's going to be basically retreating into their partisan corners now."

The current standoff echoes a similar situation that occurred in the Senate in July. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri struck a deal with Democrats to advance a stock trading ban that included Trump and Vance. This move drew the ire of Trump, who criticized Hawley as "second-tier" in a Truth Social post.

Currently, Republican leadership is planning to roll out its own plan early next year. Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed support for a ban but voiced concerns that a full ban could hurt the party's ability to recruit candidates. Luna claims Johnson has agreed to introduce a bill on the issue in the new year, though details remain unclear.

Democratic leadership views the focus on Luna's petition as a distraction. A senior Democratic aide described the petition as "unsound" and noted that its unamendable nature "would leave critical flaws in place." One House Democrat, speaking anonymously, compared the focus on congressional trading to "going after parking tickets when you have people committing murder," referring to President Trump's financial activities.