Larson Moves to Force House Vote on Congressional Stock Trading Ban

Washington, D.C. - Before leaving Washington for the week, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) signed a bipartisan discharge petition to circumvent Republican leadership and force a vote in the House on H.R. 1908, the End Congressional Stock Trading Act. This bill would prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning and trading stocks.  

“Americans should be able to trust that their elected officials are in Washington working on their behalf, not padding stock portfolios and drumming up crypto schemes,” said Larson. “No public servant should be able to use the information they learn on the job to enrich themselves or their loved ones. That’s why I worked with President Obama to ban insider trading by Members of Congress – and why we need to strengthen that law. Speaker Johnson is the only person standing in the way of a vote on our stock trading ban, so we’re going to force his hand. With Congress’ approval rating at an all-time low, it is time for us to step up and restore trust with the public. Let’s end Congressional stock trading once and for all.” 

Larson has long been an advocate for regulating Congressional stock trading. In 2012, he helped lead efforts to pass the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, to ensure Members of Congress cannot profit from information they learn in the course of their work and joined President Obama when he signed it into law.  

Larson is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act with Reps. Chip Roy (TX-21), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), to prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, dependent children, and trustees from owning, buying, or selling individual stocks, securities, commodities, futures, and other comparable assets.