Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTJoseph Zeballos-RoigSun, July 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM GMT+2 5 min readThe House earlier this week passed legislation that would set new restrictions on stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children. It doesn't seem likely to cross beyond the Senate with critics deriding the measure as an inadequate one that contains "loopholes" and unrelated voting restrictions.The stock trade bill — known as the "Stop Insider Trading Act" — passed on Wednesday in a 232-198 vote with 13 Democrats siding with every House Republican. Democratic senators, though, aren't likely to endorse the legislation since lawmakers won't be compelled to sell off their existing stock portfolio.Must ReadSen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts described it as a set of "MAJOR LOOPHOLES.""Lawmakers can continue owning and selling stocks — so it won't solve the problem," Warren said in a Thursday X post. "Not gonna fly in the Senate. Members of Congress should not own, buy, or sell stocks."Democratic senators also won't be satisfied with the House GOP's inclusion of new voting restrictions. In this case, it would also mandate that voters present photo ID to be able to cast a ballot in federal races. The provision is a key plank from the SAVE America Act that President Donald Trump has championed for much of the summer.What the House-passed stock ban does and doesn't doThe legislation bans individual stock trading among members of Congress and their families. Yet they are able to keep current stock portfolios intact and reinvest any dividends from their investments. Members would be required to give up to two weeks notice before selling stock, or face financial penalties.Critics argue the measure will not set up enough guardrails to diminish distrust of elected officials possibly profiting from their position on financial trades.Congressional lawmakers are already banned from employing nonpublic information for private profit under the 2012 Stock Act. Barring all stock trading by lawmakers and their spouses, though, has drawn overwhelming support among Republican and Democratic voters over the years.About 48% of members of Congress own individual stocks as of late 2025, according to annual disclosures and blind trust reports reviewed by the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit organization advocating for political transparency.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info