Ban stock trading by members of Congress
Restoring Trust in Congress Act of 2026
Plain-language summary
This bill would stop sitting lawmakers and their immediate families from trading individual company stocks. Anyone covered would have to move those investments into a blind trust — an account managed by an independent trustee they cannot direct — or into broad index funds. Violations would trigger civil fines equal to 10% of each transaction and public disclosure within 48 hours. The bill does not restrict ownership of diversified mutual funds, Treasury bonds, or real estate.
AI-generated explanation. Review the official text and official sources before drawing conclusions — summaries can omit important detail.
The strongest case on each side
Lawmakers routinely receive non-public briefings that move markets; even the appearance of trading on that information corrodes public trust. A blind-trust requirement removes the conflict entirely rather than relying on after-the-fact disclosure, which studies of STOCK Act filings show is frequently late and rarely enforced.
The bill imposes a significant property restriction on officials and their families that disclosure already addresses at lower cost. Forced divestiture within 90 days could trigger real tax losses, may deter qualified candidates of modest means who hold employer stock, and does nothing about the larger information channels of family members outside the covered group.
Both cases are presented in their strongest form. Quorly does not take a side.
What it changes — and what it doesn't
- •Members, spouses, and dependent children must divest individual stocks or move them to blind trusts within 90 days
- •Civil penalty of 10% of transaction value for violations, published within 48 hours
- •Blind-trust filings become searchable public records
- ○Does NOT restrict diversified mutual funds, index funds, Treasuries, or real estate
- ○Does NOT apply to congressional staff or federal judges
- ○Does NOT unwind trades made before enactment
Recorded votes
Party breakdown is an estimated demonstration visual.
Timeline
- Feb 11, 2025Introduced in the House by Rep. James Whitman (D)
- Apr 8, 2025Hearing held by the Committee on House Administration
- Nov 19, 2025Reported favorably out of committee, 8–4
- Apr 22, 2026Passed the House, 312–118
- May 4, 2026Referred to Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
Discussion
The committee calendar is the tell here. Watch whether a markup actually gets scheduled before the August recess — floor speeches are noise, markup dates are signal.
Cosponsor count has been the best single predictor in my model this cycle. Cross the ~200 mark in the House and passage odds roughly double, controlling for committee.
Worth reading the strongest-against section before taking a position — the implementation questions are where most bills like this actually stall, not the politics.
Video
6:41Rep. Khanna introduces the Restoring Trust in Congress Act on the House floor
3:18Speaker Johnson on the June floor calendar: border bill scheduled, trading ban unmentioned
Sponsor
Community sentiment
LivePublic Pulse demonstration sample · not a scientific poll
Related forecast markets
Will Congress enact a ban on congressional stock trading before January 3, 2027?