WASHINGTON, D.C.(Press Release) – This week, U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Abigial Spanberger (D-VA), and Chip Roy (R-TX) re-introduced the bipartisan TRUST in Congress Act to require Members of Congress and their families place their investments, like individual stocks, in a blind trust during their tenure in Congress. The legislation effectively bans Members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
“Members of Congress should be held to a high ethical standard,” said Johnson. “Using any kind of confidential information to ‘game the system’ for personal gain is unacceptable. Public trust in our institutions is declining, and we should take steps to protect the integrity of our government and its officials. Passing this bill will inch us closer to that goal – I’m grateful for the bipartisan leadership on this effort.”
The TRUST in Congress Act requires a Member of Congress, their spouse, and dependent children to place stock investments into a qualified blind trust until 180 days after the end of their tenure in Congress. A covered investment under this bill is defined as investment in a security, a commodity, or a future, or any comparable economic interest acquired through synthetic means such as the use of a derivative.
Johnson cosponsored the Trust in Congress Act in 2021, and it was one of the first bills Johnson signed onto in the 118th Congress.