TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who represents parts of Pinellas County, is making a push to ban stock trading by members of Congress and their families.
“If you want to be a stock trader, get into a different career field, but don’t do it in Congress,” Luna said in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters.
Similar efforts have been made by multiple members of Congress over the years, though legislation on the issue hasn’t been passed since 2012, which saw the enactment of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.
The STOCK Act required members of Congress to file financial disclosures on their stock trades and implemented new penalties for members who took part in insider trading. Though in the decade since its passage, no member of Congress has been prosecuted under the STOCK Act, according to Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan watchdog group.
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) proposed legislation earlier this year, the End Congressional Stock Trading Act (H.R. 1908), that would tighten restrictions on members of Congress. The act would have prohibited lawmakers, their spouses and any dependent children from investing in or trading stocks. Burchett introduced the act in March, but it never made it off the committee floor.
Now, Luna said she’s prepared to force a vote on the legislation by using a discharge petition, which forces a bill out of the committee and onto the House floor for a vote. To do so, she would need 218 votes from her fellow representatives, a simple majority.
“I’m currently trying to do a discharge petition because Congress has continually messaged on this but refuses to actually bring a bill to the floor,” Luna said in the interview on Fox News.
Congress is on recess for the month of August, so any vote on the petition or bill wouldn’t come until they return in September.
Luna indicated in the interview with Watters that she’s gotten plenty of pushback on the legislation and petition, but isn’t prepared to back down.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m taking a lot of heat not just from my own party, but we’re going to see it from the other side, and I’m ready to name names,” she said.
When asked about House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Luna declined to name him specifically, but said she’s been getting pushback from “House leadership.” She also said other lawmakers have told her she’s “putting the republic in jeopardy” by moving forward on the issue.
“What I’m trying to do is actually save the republic, and so if you think that that’s the biggest problem that we have in this country, maybe you shouldn’t be in a leadership position,” Luna said in response.
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