Bessent says he’ll push to end congressional stock trading

Speaker Mike Johnson has been personally pushing back against Rep. Anna Paulina Luna‘s (R-Fla.) plans to try to force a floor vote on a ban in September via a discharge petition. But just as the effort to pass a full-out ban has bipartisan support, it also has fierce bipartisan opposition from members who have been bombarding their leadership with their concerns over August recess.

Ian Krager, a spokesperson for the former House speaker, told POLITICO in a statement that she “does not own any stocks and has no knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transactions.” Wyden’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Still, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have sought to use the issue as a cudgel in messaging efforts throughout the spring and summer. House Democrats slammed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in April after she disclosed purchasing stocks shortly before President Donald Trump announced a partial reversal of his tariff policies.

Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in April called his bill to bar stock trading by lawmakers and their spouses the PELOSI Act.

“People shouldn’t come to Washington to get rich, they should come to serve the American people,” Bessent said on Wednesday. “And it brings down trust in the system. Because I can tell you that if any private citizen traded this way, the SEC would be knocking on their door.”