Ro Khanna Stock Ban: Analysis of Loopholes
A hot topic that often comes up outside the political echelons is the concern about lawmakers trading stocks in companies they oversee through their legislative work. While this issue occasionally gets attention from good government organizations in Washington, it’s a major talking point on podcasts like Joe Rogan and popular finance accounts such as WatcherGuru, Quiver Quantitative, and Unusual Whales that reach millions of people daily.
One of the voices calling for a change is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has been pushing for a ban on congressional stock trading. Recently, Khanna made waves with a tweet outlining his proposed bill, H. Res. 938, urging Congress to take action on the issue. The resolution emphasizes that members of Congress should not trade stocks while holding confidential information or crafting policies, pointing out that over 80 percent of Americans from various political backgrounds support a ban on lawmakers trading stocks.
Khanna has been actively advocating for changes to clean up corruption in Washington, promoting measures like banning PAC and lobbyist donations, preventing members from becoming lobbyists, enacting term limits for Congress and SCOTUS, and establishing a code of ethics for SCOTUS.
Although the current text of Khanna’s bill does not cover the trading activities of spouses or dependent children, he has reassured that the next Congress will address this issue by aligning the bill with the TRUST in Congress Act to ensure a comprehensive approach to the matter. Khanna believes that introducing such measures will help enhance transparency and maintain the integrity of congressional operations.