The push to stop members of Congress from trading individual stocks is moving again.
On January 12, 2026, Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) introduced the Stop Insider Trading Act (H.R. 7008). The Committee on House Administration, which Steil chairs, advanced it on January 14. The bill would bar members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from buying individual publicly traded stocks, and would require advance public notice before they sell stocks they already hold.
A Broader Bipartisan Alternative
This month, Sens. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Restore Trust in Congress Act, the Senate companion to a House bill from Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Seth Magaziner (D-RI). It goes further: it would ban both ownership and trading of individual stocks by members and their immediate families.
What the Law Already Requires
The STOCK Act of 2012 confirmed that insider trading laws apply to members of Congress and requires them to report stock trades over $1,000, generally within 45 days. Critics note that it regulates disclosure, not ownership, and that the usual penalty for a late report is a $200 fee.
The Key Difference
- Stop Insider Trading Act: stops new purchases and requires notice before sales, but members could keep stocks they already own
- Restore Trust in Congress Act: would ban members and their immediate families from owning or trading individual stocks at all
Polls have long shown strong support across both parties for limiting congressional stock trading. The question in 2026 is which version, if any, can pass both chambers. Truth Trench will follow both bills.
Keep Digging With Truth Agent
This article is a starting point. Truth Agent puts the public record at your fingertips, including the Constitution, federal law, regulations, court opinions and oversight reports, so you can follow these bills, read their text and check your representatives’ trade disclosures without relying on anyone’s summary, including ours.
