Lawmakers expect to vote next week on a proposal to curb stock-trading by members of Congress, an effort months in the making that many Republicans are hoping to point to as they return home to their districts in August.
Democrats are lining up in opposition as they try to shore up their own campaign talking points, arguing the proposal should go further and also rein in stock-trading by the president.
“It’s so filled with holes it would make Swiss cheese blush,” said House Administration ranking member Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y.
Upping the ante, GOP leaders also have plans to fold in language that would require voters to produce photo ID at the polls, a signature issue for President Donald Trump — further narrowing the chances of earning Democrats’ support.
The bill, dubbed the Stop Insider Trading Act and led by House Administration Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from buying new stocks. It would allow them to keep the ones they already own, as well as buy and sell diversified investment funds.
