EXCLUSIVE: Congress Trading Ban Sees Huge Support In Reader Poll, Here's The Percent That Say Let Them Keep Trading Stocks

A bill to ban members of Congress from buying and selling stocks and options has been proposed once again and saw support from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump.

Here's what Benzinga readers had to say about Congress trading and whether a ban should be put in place.

What Happened: Members of Congress are currently able to buy and sell stocks, options, ETFs and mutual funds as long as they disclose their transactions within 45 days.

The practice has drawn increased scrutiny from the public, retail investors and in some cases from members of Congress.

A 2024 report found that many of the most active stock traders in Congress beat the performance of the S&P 500. Conflicts of interest of buying and selling stocks related to committee assignments or based on the timing of government contracts and news flow has increased the attention placed on Congressional trading activity.

Benzinga recently polled readers to see where they stand on a potential ban of Congress trading.

"Should members of Congress be allowed to buy and sell stocks, options and ETFs?" Benzinga asked.

These were the results:

• They should not be allowed to trade stocks, options or ETFs: 43%
• They should be allowed to trade as long as they report within 24 hours: 24%
• They should only be allowed to trade ETFs and mutual funds: 14%
• They should be allowed to trade as long as they report in 45 days: 11%
• They should only be allowed to trade stocks: 8%

The poll found that 43% of readers support an outright ban of members of Congress being able to trade stocks, options or ETFs. Eleven percent voted that the current rules should be left alone with a 45-day disclosure window.

The poll found that 24% support Congress trading if they report their trades within 24 hours, an opinion that could be popular with traders who like to copy trade Congressional trading activity, but the 45-day window makes it tough to do so.

Fourteen percent of readers said Congress members shouldn't be able to trade stocks and should be forced to stick to trading ETFs and mutual funds, likely limiting the exposure to individual stocks.

Read Also: Top 10 Stock Traders In Congress For 2024: How Nancy Pelosi, Pete Sessions, Susan Collins, Marjorie Taylor Greene Rank

Why It's Important: Large options trades disclosed by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have drawn huge attention given past trading activity and returns with trades done by her husband, venture capitalist Paul Pelosi.

Trading activity by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has also seen increased attention due to her committee assignments and close friendship with President Donald Trump.

Greene has made several trades this year that may have been conflicts of interest, but she stands behind the process and said her portfolio manager handles all of her trades.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has reintroduced legislation that would ban members of Congress from trading or holding individual stocks.

The bill is known as the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments Act, or PELOSI Act based on the first letter of each of the main words. The name takes aim at Pelosi.

“Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve — not day trading at the expense of their constituents,” Hawley said. “Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public.”

Hawley said the bill will help “restore Americans’ trust in our nation’s legislative body.”

Hawley’s bill is being reintroduced as President Donald Trump said he would support such a ban.

“Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send it to me, I would do it,” Trump told TIME.

Trump said he would sign the ban if the bill passes Congress.

While Pelosi makes headlines for her trades, it’s important to remember that it is both Republican and Democratic members of Congress who are profiting from buying and selling stocks and options while in office, with some trades coming with questionable timing or having a connection to committees they serve on.

In 2024, a list of the top-performing traders in Congress included six Republicans and four Democrats.

As for whether Congress members should be able to buy and sell cryptocurrency while in office, stay tuned for the next Benzinga poll results.

Did You Know?

• Congress Is Making Huge Investments. Get Tips On What They Bought And Sold With Our Easy-to-Use Tool

The study was conducted by Benzinga from May 16, 2025, through May 20, 2025. It included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 175 adults.

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