Re: SIGN HERE: Stop members of Congress from potential insider trading

Friend, to maintain the integrity of our democratic systems, we must address a significant concern--the stock ownership and trading activities of members of Congress. [Sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to own or trade individual stock.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( Our government representatives are elected to serve the public interest, not personal or financial gains. However, recent investigative reports have uncovered instances where lawmakers own and trade individual stocks in industries they regulate, raising serious questions about conflicts of interest and the potential abuse of privileged information. Bipartisan efforts are underway to address this issue, such as the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, which proposes prohibiting members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent minors from owning or trading stocks, commodities, or futures. The act seeks to eliminate potential conflicts of interest and restore public trust in our elected representatives. By promoting a clean separation between public service and personal finance, we can ensure that our lawmakers focus solely on their primary task - serving the people. [Sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to own or trade individual stock.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( Thanks for all you do, Mayra Souza, Daily Kos P.S. Below is an email we sent out earlier demanding that Congress members be banned from owning or trading individual stock: --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, [sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to own or trade individual stock.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( It should be a given that members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to invest in the very industries they oversee. Yet, they do just that. Reports have [revealed]( that numerous members of Congress and their staff have violated a financial conflict-of-interest law, STOCK Act, which requires lawmakers to disclose financial trades within 90 days. Yet, they're reprimanded with barely a slap on the wrist. It's a major conflict of interest for members of Congress to own or trade individual stock. Many lawmakers have made trades in industries directly related to their legislative responsibilities, including pharmaceuticals, defense, energy, and even Covid. [Sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to own or trade individual stock.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( This pattern of behavior undermines public trust in our political institutions. It creates a perception, or in some cases a [reality](, that our elected representatives are using their positions of power to unfairly benefit from insider information. Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have proposed bills that limit or ban Congress members from buying or selling individual stocks. The Senate [version]( (PDF) of the bill is sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and has the support of over 20 lawmakers. Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Raja Krishnamoorthi, and GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Brian Fitzpatrick have just [unveiled]( the bipartisan [Restoring Faith in Government Act](. Lawmakers benefiting financially from insider information relating to their legislative duties is completely unacceptable. They are in Congress to help their constituents, not to line their pockets. [Sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to own or trade individual stock.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( Thank you for fighting with us, Mayra Souza, Daily Kos Daily Kos needs you now more than ever We are falling behind our projections for two of our three major revenue streams: advertising and list building. This means that at this moment, we need to rely more and more on donations from the Daily Kos community to make ends meet. Can you chip in $5 right now to help Daily Kos keep fighting? [Donate $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.