President Trump picked a very public moment to reopen a long simmering fight, and he did it with a grin.
During his State of the Union address, President Trump called on Congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act, legislation that would bar members of Congress and their immediate families from buying and selling individual stocks. The idea is straightforward. If lawmakers have access to sensitive, market moving information through their official duties, they should not be trading on it. Period.
“Let’s also ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information,” President Trump said, drawing applause from both sides of the aisle. Lawmakers actually stood up. That alone tells you how radioactive this issue has become with voters.
Then he added a little spice. “They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up, if she’s here? Doubt it.”
That line landed exactly as intended.
Pelosi later responded on CNN when asked about the jab. “I say back to him, as that’s what members said, look at your own self,” she claimed. She argued there was nothing improper about her record and insisted that if there had been wrongdoing, “people get prosecuted for it.” When pressed about whether she stood during the applause, she said, “Well, we all did. I did too.”
The back and forth highlights why this issue refuses to go away. The 2012 STOCK Act already prohibits trading on nonpublic information and requires disclosure of stock transactions. But public skepticism has not eased. Too many headlines, too many suspiciously timed trades, and too many eye popping returns have left voters wondering how Washington seems to outperform Wall Street so consistently.
The new proposal, introduced by Representative Bryan Steil, would go much further. It would bar members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual publicly traded stocks at all. Lawmakers who still hold shares would have to provide advance public notice before selling them, creating a seven day disclosure window.
Supporters say the goal is not just to stop illegal insider trading, but to eliminate even the appearance of self dealing. That appearance has done real damage. Trust in Congress is already near historic lows. Watching elected officials trade stocks while regulating industries does not exactly build confidence.
The bill has cleared a House committee and has bipartisan interest, but its future is uncertain. Some lawmakers argue it goes too far. Others say it does not go far enough.
What is undeniable is that voters are tired of the perception that Washington plays by different financial rules. President Trump knows it. Lawmakers know it. The question is whether Congress is finally willing to police itself in a meaningful way.
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