Nancy Pelosi – the poster child for congressional insider trading – just got turned into a cautionary tale. Her name now anchors a bill banning lawmakers like herself from buying or selling stocks while in office. The PELOSI Act (acronym intentional) passed a Senate committee this week, but only after Republicans – except for Sen. Josh Hawley – shouted “Enough!”
Hawley’s latest scheme has landed him in hot water with President Trump and GOP colleagues. His “Honest Act” lets spouses, current presidents, and VPs dodge the stock ban. Trump called him out on Truth Social while other Republicans blasted the bill as weak. “Why not ban all stock trading for everyone?” critics fumed.
Pelosi herself backed the bill – a brazen move for someone whose family stock trades became national headlines. “She’s just trying to whitewash her legacy,” said one GOP insider. The bill gives lawmakers 180 days to sell their stocks and report every transaction to ethics committees.
Opposition from Senate Republicans like Ron Johnson and James Lankford xposited why this bill stinks. “We already have insider trading laws!” Johnson argued. “This just makes life harder for good people who want to serve.” Lankford warned the ethics committee already handles this – no more top-down rules needed.
The legislation still needs a full Senate vote, but Majority Leader John Thune says it’s DOA. “One Republican isn’t enough,” he told reporters. Hawley’s own party rejected his plan, calling it a “Career Politician Protection Act” that punishes honest workers.
Conservatives aren’t buying the spin. “If Pelosi’s the poster child, why isn’t she facing prosecution?” asked Sen. Scott. “The left wants rules for everyone else but speeds through loopholes for elites.” The bill’s defender claim it’s about “trust” – but trust requires transparency, not new restrictions.
This bill proves Democrats and Hawley-style Republicans want to control every facet of our lives. Real action starts with enforcing existing laws – not creating new ones to boss people around. Let’s tell our leaders to stop navel-gazing and start draining the swamp.
