Florida GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced a resolution to advance the End Congressional Stock Trading Act, a bill aimed at prohibiting members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from trading or owning individual stocks, bonds, commodities, and other complex investments. The initiative is intended to reduce corruption and restore public trust in government institutions.
Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) first introduced the End Congressional Stock Trading Act (H.R. 1908) in March. At that time, he stated: “If you are making 100-plus-percent returns on your trades, you should be on Wall Street, not in Congress.” He added, “I hope we do the right thing and restore trust in Congress.”
Luna filed a discharge petition to bypass House leadership and force a vote. On Thursday, she explained her decision, criticizing both Democrats and Republicans who engage in stock trading. She said:
“In the morning, I will be filing a special rule in the House of Representatives that will allow me to call up something called a ‘discharge petition.’ It is a tool used to side step leadership as a way of getting legislation to the floor by manually collecting signatures from all members of Congress.”
She continued: “This mechanism, once signatures are collected, will bring the legislation to the floor that will stop the very corrupt and blatant insider trading many members of Congress are engaging in… and yes it is happening on both sides by both [Republicans] and [Democrats]. I realize this will make me very unpopular with some of my colleagues, but I don’t care. It’s the right thing to do. More importantly, it’s what the American people want.”
“No one sent to Congress should be enriching themselves through Wall Street while writing the very laws that regulate our markets,” Luna added. “This bill is about accountability, transparency, and restoring faith in the institution of Congress.”
Former President Donald Trump expressed support for banning stock trading in Congress in April, citing Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her husband Paul. Both reportedly achieved substantial gains in 2024, including a 54% portfolio return, more than double the S&P 500’s 25% increase. The Pelosis’ trading success even inspired the launch of “The Pelosi Tracker,” an app allowing users to replicate their investments; as of mid-2025, over 110,000 investors had signed up.
To force the discharge petition, Luna must collect 218 signatures, though the petition is often used to pressure House leaders to bring legislation to a vote. Luna emphasized: “I hope the powers at be do the right thing and bring legislation to the floor to stop insider trading. It has to happen immediately. The corruption is bad. If they do not and slow roll this, I fully plan on calling [up] this petition.”
She also posted on Twitter:
“In the morning, I will be filing a special rule in the House of Representatives that will allow me to call up something called a ‘discharge petition.’ It is a tool used to side step leadership as a way of getting legislation to the floor by manually collecting signatures from…” — Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) August 28, 2025
“Congress needs to be banned from trading stocks. The corruption exists on both sides and insider trading is a huge problem. I am attempting to force a vote in the house on this very topic and am taking a lot of heat for it. Watch below.” — Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) August 1, 2025
