Luna says she'll force House vote on member stock trading ban
The House Ethics Committee concluded last week that Rep. Mike Kelly's wife bought shares in the steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs after Kelly's office learned the Commerce Department was launching an investigation that could result in tariffs benefiting the company — before notice of the investigation was made public. Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.
House Republicans also have privately raised concerns about Rep. Rob Bresnahan, another Pennsylvania Republican who has been a prolific stock trader after promising on the campaign trail to push a trading ban in Congress. Bresnahan has since introduced his own legislation and argues someone else manages the portfolio.
A discharge petition allows a majority of the House to sidestep the majority party leadership's control of the floor agenda. Forcing a vote requires gathering signatures from 218 House members, but successful discharges are rare because it is considered a serious breach of party loyalty for majority members to sign them.
The uproar adds to the politically explosive challenges Johnson will face when lawmakers return from their recess. He's already facing the threat of a separate discharge petition from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would force a vote on a bipartisan bill to release Jeffrey Epstein-related documents.
On stock trading, a bipartisan group of House members — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — have been trying to chart a way forward on a ban for months without a resolution, according to five people granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations. They have been unable to settle on a compromise between several competing bills, including Burchett's legislation and a separate, more comprehensive bipartisan bill from Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.).
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