The U.S. House of Representatives is moving to tighten the rules on its own members, taking up legislation that would crack down on lawmakers trading stocks. The measure, known as the Stop Insider Trading Act, reached the House floor as part of a busy day of debate, with a final series of votes expected late in the evening.
Supporters say the bill is meant to strengthen existing law. Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx defended it on the floor, arguing that many Americans have grown concerned that the current STOCK Act is insufficient and that stronger measures must be implemented. The legislation, she said, would increase transparency and reassure the public that members of Congress are working for their constituents rather than for themselves.
Not everyone was convinced the bill goes far enough. Some Democrats argued that it amounts only to small, incremental steps, and said the better approach would be to ban stock trading by members of Congress outright rather than layering additional rules onto the framework that already exists in the STOCK Act.
A sharper objection came over what critics said the bill leaves out. A Democrat from Massachusetts contended that the measure fails to address alleged wrongdoing tied to the executive branch, gesturing toward the White House and accusing an official of profiting from questionable deals, in pointed remarks that underscored how partisan the debate had become.
The insider-trading measure was one of several bills on the House agenda, part of a packed and contentious session. Lawmakers sparred over a range of issues through the day, with members from both parties trading accusations as leadership pushed to work through the full slate of legislation before the chamber.
The final round of votes was expected to come late in the evening, at around 8:30 to 9 p.m. The outcome will offer a signal of how far Congress is willing to go in restricting the financial activities of its own members, an issue that has drawn sustained public attention and support that cuts, unevenly, across party lines.