House Speaker Johnson Pumps Brakes on Congress Stock Trading Ban

Friday Dec 5 2025 00:00

Duration

2 min

  1. 1. House Speaker Expresses Reservations on Congress Stock Trading Ban

House Speaker Expresses Reservations on Congress Stock Trading Ban

House Speaker Mike Johnson appears to have put the brakes on proposals aimed at prohibiting members of Congress from trading stocks. Johnson, the third most powerful figure in American politics after the President and Vice President, told Punchbowl News on Wednesday that members of Congress should still be able to own stocks. He suggested that a ban could deter qualified individuals from running for office. "You don't want to put an extra barrier to good people who want to serve," Johnson explained. While Johnson expressed concern about "people gaming the system and abusing power," he also indicated that "there's probably a way to prevent that from happening and allow people to do legitimate trades." Notably, Johnson had previously voiced support for a congressional stock trading ban earlier this year. "I'm for it, because I think that we should not have even the appearance of impropriety," he said at the time. Johnson's comments come as Florida Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna and Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett are pushing for a vote on a bill that would ban members of Congress from trading stocks. The legislation, drafted by a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress, would require current members of Congress to divest their individual stock holdings within 180 days of the law's enactment, while newly elected members would have 90 days to do so. The ban would also extend to the spouses and dependent children of members of Congress. However, members of Congress and their families would still be permitted to invest in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other broadly held funds. Luna and Burchett are employing a mechanism called a "discharge petition," which, if signed by 218 or more members of the House of Representatives, would force a vote on the bill, even if the Speaker opposes it. It is not clear whether they will reach that number of votes, and Johnson predicts they will not succeed. "We should let the process play out naturally," Johnson told Punchbowl News. "There are a lot of good people working on this, and we'll eventually get to a place that everyone's comfortable with, but we have to allow the process the time to work." Democrats have largely supported the proposal to ban stock trading for members of Congress. At a press conference on Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Democrats are "overwhelmingly in support of banning congressional stock trading," but given Republican opposition, it may not move forward until Democrats regain control of the House.

Risk Warning: This article represents only the author’s views and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, investment research, or a recommendation to trade, nor does it represent the stance of the Markets.com platform. When considering shares, indices, forex (foreign exchange), and commodities for trading and price predictions, remember that trading CFDs involves a significant degree of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Leveraged products can result in capital loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Before trading, ensure you fully understand the risks involved and consider your investment objectives and level of experience. Trading cryptocurrency CFDs and spread bets is restricted for all UK retail clients.

Default Author Avatar

Written by:

Sophia Claire

Asset List

View Full List
Most Traded Commodities Indices Crypto Shares Forex
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now
Asset
Sell
Buy
Change (%)

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Trade Now

Latest

View all

Friday, 8 May 2026

Duration

4 min

Gold Price Today, May 09: Gold (XAUUSD) at $4,720 Faces Correction Risk After 250% Rally as Oil Leads Markets

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Duration

6 min

Tata Gold ETF Rides XAUUSD Breakout as Middle East Developments Shake Markets

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Duration

3 min

Gold Price Today, May 08: XAUUSD Surge to $4,753 on Easing Oil and Inflation Signals

Latest news

Monday, 11 May 2026

Indices

Latest ETF News Highlights: BTC Price (BTC/USD) Holds at $81,500 Amid Strong Bitcoin ETF Inflows

Monday, 11 May 2026

Indices

Gold Price Today, May 12: XAU/USD Rises Sharply After Fed Cut Live Gold Price at $4,750

Sunday, 10 May 2026

Indices

Stock Market Today: Nifty Slips Below 24,200, Sensex Drops to 77,328 as Oil Crosses $100

Sunday, 10 May 2026

Indices

Gold Price Today, May 11: Gold (XAUUSD) Trading at $4,695, Central Banks Keep Buying as Investors Seek Shelter

Friday, 8 May 2026

Indices

India's Tech Boom: India’s Offshore Tech Hubs Near 2030 Milestone in FY26

Friday, 8 May 2026

Indices

Gold Price Today, May 09: Gold (XAUUSD) at $4,720 Faces Correction Risk After 250% Rally as Oil Leads Markets

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Indices

Tata Gold ETF Rides XAUUSD Breakout as Middle East Developments Shake Markets

Thursday, 7 May 2026

Indices

Gold Price Today, May 08: XAUUSD Surge to $4,753 on Easing Oil and Inflation Signals

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

Indices

Crypto Market News Today: Dogecoin DOGEUSD Surges Past $0.115 as Meme Coin Momentum Builds in 2026

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

Indices

Gold Price Today, May 07: XAU/USD Soars 2.73% to Record $4,685 Amid Market Rally

See all news