ICYMI: Rep. George Whitesides: “Stock Trading Ban Needed in Congress”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27) penned an op-ed in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal highlighting why Congress must put an end to stock trading by its members. Rep. Whitesides made clear that public office should be about service, not self-enrichment, and underscored his own decision to divest from all his company-specific, publicly-traded stocks after being sworn in earlier this year.

In the piece, he highlighted new legislation – the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act – which would ban members of Congress and their families from trading or owning individual stocks.

Some highlights from the op-ed include:

• When our founders designed our system of government, they intended for public office to be about service, not self-enrichment.
• That is why, after being sworn in to my first term earlier this year, I divested from all of my own company-specific, publicly traded stock holdings. I did so because I wanted my constituents to know, without question, that when I cast a vote or consider a bill, I am thinking only about what is best for them — not about how it might affect my stock portfolio.
• Last week, I helped lead the Restore Trust in Congress Act, a bipartisan effort to ban members of Congress, along with their spouses and dependents, from owning or trading individual stocks. This is not a Democratic idea or a Republican idea. It is a good-government idea, one that nearly 90% of Americans say they support, regardless of party.
• In an era when political polarization seems to touch everything, this is one issue where conservatives, independents and progressives can stand together. We all benefit from a Congress that earns the trust of its citizens. We all benefit from a government that is transparent, accountable and worthy of respect. The Restore Trust in Congress Act is not about partisanship. It is about doing what is right, what is common-sense, for the people we are elected to represent.
• That’s why I took action to divest my publicly traded, company-specific stock holdings, and why I’m calling on all my colleagues – across the political spectrum – to do the same.

You can read the full op-ed here.

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