Rep. Tim Burchett is leading a renewed push to force a House vote on legislation that would ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
Burchett filed a discharge petition this week with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida. If the petition reaches 218 signatures, it would require the House to vote on the Restore Trust in Congress Act.
The bill would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks. It would require sitting lawmakers to divest within 180 days and incoming lawmakers within 90 days. Diversified mutual funds and similar non-individual holdings would still be allowed.
Burchett said Congress has lost credibility on ethics and financial conflicts. In an interview on LindellTV, he argued the practice damages public trust.
“If you think your congressman can make 600% return on their investment, they ought to be on Wall Street, not here,” he said. “And it’s crooked.”
Burchett pointed to defense-industry stock purchases during periods of major national-security action as an example of the problem.
“When Biden gave our missile defense system to Ukraine, we had to replenish ours through a multi-billion-dollar no-bid contract,” he said. “And who do you think owns stock in those missile defense companies? Members of Congress. Some had bought it as early as two weeks prior to that.”
He said Congress is “crooked as a dog’s leg” and “infinitely broken,” adding that lawmakers need to “send a message to America that we’re going to fix it.”
Outside pressure is also building. More than 100 former members of Congress signed a letter this week urging House leadership to bring the bill to a vote before the end of the year.
The signatories include former Tennessee lawmakers Lincoln Davis, Harold Ford Jr. and Zach Wamp. They warned that the appearance of insider trading has damaged trust in Congress and cited recent stock-trading spikes by members and their families during the rollout of President Trump’s tariff policy.
The Restore Trust in Congress Act was negotiated by a bipartisan group that includes Burchett, Chip Roy, Seth Magaziner, Brian Fitzpatrick, Pramila Jayapal and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Reform groups have described the bill as one of the most comprehensive stock-trading bans Congress has considered.
It is not yet clear how many lawmakers will sign the discharge petition. Some members who support the policy in principle have been reluctant to bypass leadership. Others appear uneasy about divesting personal investments.
If the petition reaches 218 signatures, House leadership would be required to hold a vote. The coming days will determine whether the bill advances or whether momentum slows again.
