Prohibit the trade of stocks in individual companies by Members of Congress, the President, Vice President, and Supreme Court Justices
Currently members of Congress are allowed to buy and sell stocks while serving in office. The STOCK Act requires them to disclose trades within 45 days. A proposal would prohibit members of Congress from buying or selling individual stocks while serving.
Arguments For & Against
Pro Argument
Members of Congress have access to information from classified briefings and legislative deliberations that the public does not have. This creates too many potential conflicts of interest and the appearance of corruption. Banning stock trading would restore public trust in Congress.
Con Argument
Laws against insider trading already exist and the STOCK Act already requires disclosure. A major study found that members of Congress do not outperform the market, suggesting they are not trading on inside information.
Source document: Stock-Trading-Questionnaire-National-Swing-Six.docx.pdf
| Type | Organization | Date | Nat | Rep | Dem | Gap | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New PPC Survey (2026) | Program for Public Consultation | February 2026 | – | – | – | – | other |
| New PPC Survey (2026) | Program for Public Consultation | February 2026 | 76% | 78% | 75% | 3% | favor |
| New PPC Survey (2026) | Program for Public Consultation | February 2026 | 71% | 74% | 70% | 4% | favor |
| Deliberative Survey | Program for Public Consultation | July 2024 | 72% | 71% | 78% | 7% | favor |
| Deliberative Survey | Program for Public Consultation | July 2024 | 74% | 71% | 80% | 9% | favor |
Program for Public Consultation — February 2026
Proposals have been put forward to prohibit high-level officials in the federal government from trading stocks in individual companies. They would still be allowed to buy or sell shares of funds that include stocks in numerous companies. For each group of federal officials, please say whether you favor or oppose prohibiting them from trading stocks in individual companies.
Program for Public Consultation — February 2026
Members of Congress.
Program for Public Consultation — February 2026
The President, Vice President, and Supreme Court Justices.
Program for Public Consultation — July 2024
A proposal has been put forward in Congress that would actually ban Members of Congress (and family members that live with them) from trading stocks in individual companies. For any such stocks that they already own, they would have to either: Sell them OR Put them in a 'blind trust' which an independent person manages and decides which stocks to buy or sell. However, Members of Congress would still be able to buy or sell shares of mutual funds or index funds that include stocks in numerous companies.
Program for Public Consultation — July 2024
Another proposal is to prohibit the President, the Vice President, and Supreme Court Justices from trading stocks in individual companies. Currently, these top-level officials are not required by law to disclose their stock trades. Many Presidents and Vice Presidents, though, have voluntarily disclosed their stock trading.
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