Overview
- The bid targets the Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would bar members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks and require divestment into diversified funds.
- Enforcement would be handled by the House and Senate Ethics committees, with violations fined and posted publicly, and the House bill does not permit blind trusts or extend to the president or vice president.
- Only Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and Rep. Tim Burchett had signed the petition initially, with Republicans Lauren Boebert and Elise Stefanik among those saying they plan to add their names.
- Backers note more than 100 bipartisan co-sponsors support the underlying bill, but House leaders have not scheduled a markup despite a November hearing, prompting use of the same petition process that recently forced a vote on releasing Epstein-related files.
- Supporters say the 2012 STOCK Act’s disclosure regime is weak and erodes public trust, and they point to strong polling for a ban as the Senate advances a related measure with differing provisions.