A Republican lawmaker on Monday unveiled legislation aimed at banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks, framing the move as a way to restore public trust and eliminate the appearance of profiting from insider information on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said on “Mornings with Maria” that the “Stop Insider Trading Act” would ban members of Congress from buying individual stocks and require advance public notice before sales.
“If you want to trade stocks you should go to Wall Street, not to Capitol Hill. I think we have an opportunity here to dramatically improve America’s trust in Congress,” he told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo.
“Ultimately, what this will do is prevent any member from ever profiting off of insider information on individual trades in stocks. I think this is a great opportunity. I think we’re going to see broad support.”
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The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of the stock-trading crackdown legislation.
The outlet reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leadership support the measure, along with several Republican lawmakers who have previously pursued their own proposals to restrict stock trading by members of Congress.
Steil’s bill joins a long line of similar proposals dating back more than a decade, including the most recent version of the bipartisan “Restore Trust in Congress Act,” which was introduced in September 2025.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., criticized Steil’s bill Monday afternoon, arguing it didn’t do enough.
She called on Speaker Johnson to advance the “Restore Trust in Congress Act,” citing the bill’s broad support.
“Any bill that still allows Members of Congress to own and trade stocks falls far short of what the American people want and deserve. We are disappointed that the bill introduced by Republican leadership today fails to deliver the reform that is needed and instead protects the wealthiest Members of Congress by allowing them to continue to hold and sell stock,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement.
“While this bill prohibits Members from buying new stocks, it does nothing to remove the conflict of interest that arises from owning or selling existing stocks,” she explained. “Members can still act on legislation, investigations, and briefings that directly influence the value of their stocks for personal benefit.”
Steil told “Mornings with Maria” that he expects the bill to move through the House Administration Committee quickly.
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