Miller-Meeks Calls for Vote to Ban Congressional Stock Trading
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) called on the House Committee on Administration to advance legislation banning Members of Congress and their spouses from buying or selling individual stocks while serving in office.
Miller-Meeks is a cosponsor of the Restore Trust in Congress Act, bipartisan legislation that would prohibit Members of Congress and their immediate families from owning or trading individual stocks. She is now urging House leadership to move this reform forward without delay.
“Iowans expect, and deserve, a Congress that works for them, not for personal profit,” said Miller-Meeks. “Members of Congress should not be trading individual stocks while writing laws and receiving nonpublic briefings. It’s time to end this practice, restore trust, and make sure the decisions we make are driven solely by the people we serve.”
In a letter sent to Chairman Bryan Steil and Ranking Member Joe Morelle, Miller-Meeks called for a comprehensive reform package that includes:
- A full ban on the buying and selling of individual stocks by Members of Congress and their spouses;
- Clear alternatives such as blind trusts, index funds, or diversified mutual funds;
- Strong, uniform enforcement with real penalties for violations.
Miller-Meeks emphasized that bipartisan proposals already exist, including the Restore Trust in Congress Act, and that the Committee is well positioned to unify these ideas into a single, enforceable reform. She noted that the American people overwhelmingly support a stock-trading ban and that passing one would be a major step toward rebuilding faith in Congress.
“Congress must prove that we put the public’s interest ahead of our own,” she wrote. “A stock-trading ban is common sense, long overdue, and overwhelmingly supported by the American people.”
Neither Miller-Meeks or her husband own any individual stocks.
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