While Americans grapple with inflation and healthcare costs, a select group in Washington is quietly amassing significant personal wealth through the stock market, leveraging information and influence unavailable to the public. A damning new study and public disclosures reveal that numerous members of Congress are achieving investment returns that dwarf major market indices and even the legendary Warren Buffett.
Outsized Profits and Questionable Ethics
The data for 2025 paints a stark picture of potential conflicts of interest. Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.) led the pack with a 52% return on his stock portfolio. New York Democrat Tom Suozzi, representing parts of Queens and Long Island, secured a 35% gain. Even controversial figure Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene closed out her congressional tenure with a 33% stock profit for the year.
This isn't a display of financial genius, argues commentator Betsy McCaughey, but rather systemic "sleaze." Lawmakers possess non-public information on upcoming votes and regulations and hold the clout to potentially influence their timing for personal benefit. This common-sense observation is now backed by a 20-year study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which confirms that members with seniority and leadership roles typically outperform their rank-and-file colleagues.
The Mechanics of the Scandal and Failed Reforms
The problem is pervasive and brazen. Websites like Quiver Quantitative have sprung up solely to track lawmakers' daily trades, turning congressional portfolio moves into a public spectacle. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) set a dubious record in 2025 for trading volume at $79.83 million across 406 trades—more than two trades per day Congress was in session.
Despite the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, which bars using non-public information for gain, enforcement is a joke. Reporting requirements are frequently ignored, and the penalty for violations is a mere $200 fine—inconsequential for someone making millions. No member has ever been prosecuted for insider trading under the act.
Examples of questionable timing abound. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) faced criticism for selling stock in Medicaid-managing companies just a week before voting to slash Medicaid funding.
Bipartisan Push for a Total Ban Gains Momentum
Public disgust has reached a boiling point. A 2023 University of Maryland poll found that 86% of Americans support a total ban on stock trading by members of Congress, with overwhelming majorities across party lines. The public rightly worries that votes may be cast for portfolio gain rather than the national good.
Momentum is building for serious legislation with teeth. A proposed ban would apply to members and their immediate families, requiring violators to disgorge all profits to the U.S. Treasury and face fines up to 10% of the prohibited investments. The push has created unlikely alliances, pairing progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas).
Even House Republican leader Steve Scalise indicated a desire to "get that done" before the Christmas adjournment. Notably, top trader Tom Suozzi, who ended 2025 with a $9.5-million portfolio, now claims through a spokesperson to support the ban—though he has a history of brushing off STOCK Act reporting "formalities."
As McCaughey concludes, half of Congress already avoids stock trading. A law, while necessary to compel the unscrupulous, shouldn't be required for ethical behavior. It ultimately comes down to a choice: serve the public interest or a personal portfolio. For an institution struggling with public trust, the path forward seems clear.
