Rep. Gabe Vasquez Leads 35 Members Demanding Speaker Johnson Bring Stock Trading Ban Bill to the Floor for a Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) demanded House Speaker Mike Johnson bring H.R. 6731, the Restore Trust in Government Act, to the House floor for a vote in a letter he led along with 35 of his House colleagues. The bill would prohibit presidents, vice presidents, Members of Congress, and their families and trustees from owning and trading individual stocks. It would also require Members of Congress to divest from all assets covered under the bill within 180 days of the bill becoming law.

"We urge you to bring H.R. 6731, the Restore Trust in Government Act to the floor immediately for a vote when the House of Representatives returns from the August recess", wrote Vasquez. "The American people deserve a real stock trading ban for politicians in Washington, to end the corruption that lets politicians get rich off of inside information while working people struggle,"

"The American people are sick of the corruption in Washington. They are sick of paying more for gas, groceries, and healthcare, and Congress doing nothing about it because politicians get rich by profiting from the industries and corporations that keep prices high," the letter continues. "They want to end the corruption and we have a responsibility to deliver on that."

Speaker Johnson previously held a sham vote on a bill pretending to prevent stock trading which received bipartisan opposition. This political ploy included massive loopholes allowing members to keep the stocks they own and continue buying private stocks and profiting off of cryptocurrency. Additionally, Johnson added unrelated provisions to the bill that would erode voting rights for eligible voters, disenfranchise Tribal voters, and erode privacy rights by requiring some voters to mail a copy of their driver's license, passport or Social Security information in order to cast a ballot.

"Speaker Johnson should stop playing politics and holding show-votes on weak, watered-down bills that do nothing to stop corruption in Washington," said Vasquez. "The Restore Trust in Government Act has strong support, includes real reforms that apply to both Congress and the President, and will show the American people that we are here to work for them."

Read the full letter HERE.

Rep. Vasquez is one of the few members of Congress who does not own or trade individual stocks. This latest push builds on Rep. Vasquez's long record of working to hold Washington accountable and fight corruption:

• Introduced the TRUST in Congress Act and the Restore Trust in Congress Act to ban stock trading for Members of Congress.
• Called for a vote on H.R. 1908, the End Congressional Stock Trading Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Luna (R-FL) to ban members, their spouse or dependent children from buying stocks and increasing notice requirements.
• Cosponsored the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act to ban public officials and federal employees from insider trading on prediction markets.

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