Pelosi votes against House stock ban despite its potential to protect her trades
On July 22, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) voted against a proposed congressional stock trading ban in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill passed with a vote of 232-198 and would have prohibited members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks while requiring public notice before selling any holdings. Despite its name, the Stop Insider Trading Act (H.R. 7008) does not require lawmakers to sell existing stock positions. The current framework for congressional trading dates back to the 2012 STOCK Act, which mandates disclosure of trades over $1,000 within 45 days but has never prohibited trading outright. This system allows traders and watchdogs to track and even replicate members' portfolios using disclosed data. Pelosi's own portfolio reportedly outperformed the S&P 500 in recent years. Public support for a stock ban is strong—86% of registered voters favor it—but enforcement remains weak, with no known prosecutions under the STOCK Act despite documented violations.
