XPost: alt.politics.usa.congress, alt.politics.republicans, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns   
   From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   WASHINGTON (TNND) — From the COVID-19 pandemic to changes with tariffs   
   and even as recently as the government shutdown, lawmakers on Capitol   
   Hill often have information days before the general public finds out,   
   information that could be worth millions of dollars.   
      
   It’s one reason why a group of Democrats and Republicans is pushing for   
   changes to the law regarding stock trading by members of Congress.   
      
   During a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, House Administration   
   Committee Chairman Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said, "I believe it's   
   critical that lawmakers, regardless of party, regardless of seniority,   
   are not profiting from insider information that they learn while working   
   on Capitol Hill.   
      
   Oftentimes, it’s not just information they’re learning, but laws they’re   
   creating, including changes to environmental or healthcare policies, or   
   helping to decide which medications may be covered by Medicare.   
      
   “In this moment, confidence in our government is abysmally low.   
   Fostering public trust in our institutions is the absolute bedrock of   
   the American experiment. It’s what gives our government legitimacy,"   
   said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y..   
      
   The “Restore Trust in Congress Act” has been picking up momentum, but   
   even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who said he supports it, also   
   expressed sympathy for those who don’t.   
      
   “You’re going to have less qualified people who are willing to make the   
   extreme sacrifice to run for Congress,” he said on May 14. "I mean, just   
   people just make a reasonable decision as a family on whether or not   
   they can come to Washington and have a residence here, residence at   
   home, and do all the things that are required."   
      
   So far, there are no plans for a vote, despite widespread public support   
   for the legislation.   
      
   Still, Peter Schweizer, who has written a book on this and whose   
   research helped push an earlier version of the legislation to be passed   
   in 2012, said there's a reason it hasn’t moved forward.   
      
   "I think the reason Congress is reluctant to vote on this is, first of   
   all, there are a lot of members of Congress who are doing very, very   
   well in their stock trades," he said in a recent interview with The   
   National News Desk.   
      
   According to the site Quiver Quantitative, which tracks stock trades by   
   lawmakers, the most active Congressional traders in 2024 were the   
   following:   
      
   Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) -Trade volume worth $72,611,000   
   Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) - Trade volume worth $69.874,000   
   Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) - Trade volume worth $44,391,500   
   Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.) - Trade volume worth $29,327,000   
   Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) - Trade volume worth $26,875,000   
      
   If a vote on the floor continues to be put off, lawmakers have made   
   clear they would have no problem using a discharge petition to force a   
   vote.   
      
   That’s the same process that was used earlier this week to get the bill   
   on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files passed.   
      
   https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/lawmakers-still-fighting-to-get-   
   stock-trading-banned-members-congress-medicare-mike-johnson-traders   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)