Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil told viewers on Newsmax’s National Report that members of Congress “shouldn’t be getting rich off inside info,” and he urged concrete reforms to stop insider trading on Capitol Hill. His comments came as the House Administration Committee — which he chairs — faces pressure to tighten rules after a wave of scrutiny over lawmakers’ stock trades.
Steil has pushed to examine whether the 2012 STOCK Act adequately stops conflicted trading, and the committee has heard testimony arguing the law’s disclosure rules and penalties are toothless. Across the aisle, lawmakers have been introducing a raft of bills this year, including proposals to ban members and close relatives from trading individual stocks, as momentum builds for a meaningful fix.
Conservatives should welcome a real crackdown on insiders who use public office as a private ATM; honest government means public servants serve, not speculate. The evidence presented to the committee showed late or incomplete disclosures, tiny penalties and virtually no enforcement, which fuel the justified anger of everyday Americans who play by the rules. Washington’s double standard is corrosive, and steely rhetoric without teeth will only make the public more cynical.
This fight is political, too, and mustn’t be turned into a partisan cudgel that only targets one side; Speaker Mike Johnson has said he’s sympathetic but wary of unintended consequences for who can serve, and members on both sides — from Brian Fitzpatrick to Chip Roy to Seth Magaziner — have pushed for a unified bill. Republicans need to stop reflexively defending insider advantage when it exists, and instead lead a reform that protects service and reputation while being fair and practical.
If conservatives truly care about restoring faith in institutions, we should back a solution that bans conflicted trading, enforces prompt reporting, and imposes real penalties for violations — not theatrical hearings that leave paydays untouched. Americans are watching, and the party that champions accountability should demand that lawmakers be held to the standards we expect of every citizen. It’s time to protect the public trust and make sure Washington isn’t a playground for the well-connected.
