WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) sent a bipartisan letter to House leadership reiterating their previous calls to hold a vote on legislation to ban stock trading by members of Congress.

“As we work to ensure no members of Congress are profiting off their work with stock trades, continued delays in bringing legislation to the floor are unacceptable,” said Congressman Pappas. “Violations of the STOCK Act and reports of potential conflicts of interest make it clear that we must strengthen existing laws. There should be no reason for Speaker Pelosi to delay this process, and I urge House leadership to bring legislation to the floor and call a vote.”

“One’s time in Congress should be a temporary public service, and those serving in the People’s House must avoid any and all appearances of conflicts,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick. “Holding a vote on the House floor on banning Members of Congress from trading stocks while in office is long overdue. The failure of Congress to end these flagrant and frequent violations of the STOCK Act diminishes any sense of trust or transparency that the American people deserve to expect from their elected officials. Once again, I am insisting that leadership takes immediate action on this issue, and I am strongly encouraging all of my House colleagues to stand together to demand the same in the spirit of transparency and bipartisanship.”

Pappas broke with Democratic House leadership in support of the stock trading ban in 2021, and after his advocacy, Speaker Pelosi reversed course and announced legislation to ban stock trading by members of Congress would be considered by the House. He supports and has helped lead several pieces of legislation to make these needed reforms.

Pappas is a co-sponsor of H.R. 336, the Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust in Congress (TRUST) Act. This bill requires a Member of Congress, as well as any spouse or dependent child of a Member, to place specified investments into a qualified blind trust until 180 days after the end of their tenure as a Member of Congress.

Pappas has also co-sponsored H.R.1579, the Ban Conflicted Trading Act, which would prohibit members of Congress from certain financial activities while holding office, including purchasing or selling specified investments and entering into a transaction that creates a net short position in a security, and H.R.8106, the Fighting Foreign Influence Act, which would curb foreign influence and close the revolving door of former members of Congress and senior government officials who lobby on behalf of foreign governments, in many cases with adversarial relationships with the United States, when their public service ends.