A rare bipartisan coalition in Congress is pushing to do something Washington has talked about for years but never delivered: ban lawmakers, their spouses, and their children from trading individual stocks. The effort centers on the ETHICS Act, and unlike past attempts, it has Republicans and Democrats standing side by side.
The Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks Act, known as the ETHICS Act, would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks, securities, commodities, and futures. It is one of several bipartisan measures now in play aimed at ending a practice that has fueled public distrust of Congress for more than a decade.
Why This Fight Keeps Coming Back
The frustration is simple. Members of Congress write the laws, fund the agencies, and sit on committees that oversee entire industries. They also routinely see information the public does not. When those same lawmakers buy and sell stock in the companies they regulate, it creates an obvious appearance problem — and, critics argue, a real opportunity to profit from inside knowledge.
Polling has shown for years that Americans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support banning congressional stock trading. Yet proposal after proposal has stalled out, often quietly, blocked by the very people who would be affected. That history is exactly why supporters are pointing to the unusually broad, cross-party backing this time around.
What the ETHICS Act Would Actually Do
Under the ETHICS Act, lawmakers would be required to either sell off their prohibited holdings or move them into a tightly regulated qualified blind trust — an arrangement in which an independent manager controls the assets and the official has no say over what is bought or sold. The bill also carries real financial penalties for anyone who violates the rules, putting teeth behind the restriction rather than relying on the honor system.
The legislation is being co-led by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) alongside a coalition that includes Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY), and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO). That lineup — pairing conservative Republicans with progressive Democrats — is precisely the kind of coalition reform advocates say is needed to overcome the gridlock that has killed similar bills before.
The ETHICS Act is not the only measure on the table. A separate bipartisan bill led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) has already drawn more than 126 cosponsors, another sign that momentum behind a congressional stock trading ban is building across party lines rather than fading.
An Important Reality Check
For all the energy behind these proposals, one fact matters above all: these bills have been introduced and referred to committee. They are not law. Past versions have advanced this far before — generating headlines and public enthusiasm — only to die without a floor vote.
The open question is whether this Congress will be different. Lawmakers now face a clear test of whether they are willing to vote for rules that would directly restrict their own families’ finances, or whether yet another reform will quietly stall out of public view.
What This Means for Americans
For ordinary Americans, the stakes are about trust. When the people writing the rules can personally profit from the industries they oversee, it erodes confidence that Congress is working for the public rather than for itself. A stock trading ban would not fix every problem in Washington, but supporters argue it is one concrete, enforceable step toward accountability — and that the public deserves to know which lawmakers are willing to take it and which are not.
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