Rep. Anna Paulina Luna announced that the House will finally mull over banning lawmakers from stock trading—right after the government flips the lights back on. But hold onto your portfolios: this “big win” comes with a committee pit stop that leaves everyone guessing if it’ll ever hit the fast lane.
Luna, the Florida firebrand leading the charge, couldn’t hide her glee in a recent post. “Speaker Johnson has notified me that as soon as we return and the government is reopened, the bill to ban insider trading is going to be marked up in committee,” she declared, sounding like a coach calling a timeout instead of a touchdown.
Flash back to September, when Luna was all thunder and no rain. She slapped down an end-of-month deadline, threatening a discharge petition to ram the vote straight to the House floor, bypassing the suits in leadership like a rebel skipping the velvet rope.
Now? Crickets on timelines from her camp. A spokesperson dodged questions Tuesday faster than a day trader dodging taxes, leaving whispers that the petition might dust off its boots if the committee turns into a snooze fest.
Public fury, meanwhile, simmers like a forgotten kettle. A University of Maryland poll this summer clocked 86% of Americans cheering for the ban, a number so lopsided it makes bipartisan gridlock look like a square dance.
And oh, the scandals fueling the fire—tariff tremors from President Trump’s April “Liberation Day” bombshell sent markets into a nosedive. Lawmakers and their kin? They dove into hundreds of trades, emerging with rebounds that would make a phoenix jealous.
Enter the bipartisan bromance: the Restore Trust in Congress Act, helmed by Republican Chip Roy of Texas and Democrat Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island. Unveiled in September, it bars Congress critters, spouses, kids, and trustees from juggling stocks, securities, commodities, or futures—like forcing vampires to swear off midnight snacks.
Picture the presser: Luna flanked by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Tim Burchett of Tennessee, foes on most fronts who locked eyes, grinned, and delivered a fist bump so genuine it could melt cable news cynicism. Who knew saving democracy started with knuckles?
Even the bigwigs are nibbling at the edges. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threw his weight behind the ban, while Speaker Mike Johnson plays the diplomat: he “personally supports” it but won’t shove it to the agenda’s front row, respecting the “tough issue” chorus from portfolio protectors.
Lawmakers remain a house divided, some clutching trades like security blankets. Yet with polls hardening and reports piling up like unsolicited stock tips, the pressure cooker hisses louder than a broker’s cold call.
Luna’s crew paints this as “a big win for America,” but skeptics smirk at the downgrade from showdown to sidebar. Will the committee markup morph into markup madness, or fizzle into footnote fodder?
As the shutdown’s shadow lifts, eyes lock on that hearing date—still a ghost in the machine. One thing’s clear: in Congress, even ethics reforms arrive fashionably late, with enough detours to make a cabbie blush.
The coalition swells, odd bedfellows bumping elbows for a cleaner Capitol. Roy and Magaziner’s bill isn’t just paper; it’s a mirror reflecting trades timed too neatly for coincidence.
Bessent’s nod adds gravitas, a Treasury seal on the stock-free dream. Johnson’s fence-sitting? It’s the congressional two-step: one foot in reform, the other hedging bets.
Polls don’t lie—86% isn’t a suggestion; it’s a siren. From tariff trades to family fortunes, the headlines write themselves, begging for a ban to blunt the next boom-or-bust bonanza.
Luna’s post pulses with optimism, but the silence on discharge details dangles like a cliffhanger. If committees dawdle, will she revive the petition, turning whispers into a roar?
Burchett and AOC’s fist bump lingers in lore, a rare unity snap in a Snapchat era. It hints at momentum, the kind that could sweep skeptics into the stockpile.
Johnson’s “respect” for dissenters feels like a polite punt. Tough issue? Try tougher than herding cats with insider tips.
As reopen looms, the House hums with half-promises. Will the ban bloom or wither in committee weeds? America watches, wallets wary, waiting for the vote that could finally level the trading floor.
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