1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

The integrity of our democratic institutions is at stake, and we must act now to prevent potential conflicts of interest among our elected officials. I am writing to urge you to support and strengthen legislation that bans members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning and trading individual stocks while in office. Currently, two critical bills are addressing this issue: H.R. 5106, the Restore Trust in Congress Act in the House, and S. 1498, the HONEST Act in the Senate. These bipartisan efforts recognize the serious concerns raised by watchdog groups and the public about the personal trading activities of our representatives. As an elected official, you have privileged access to information that could lead to insider trading and corruption. This creates an unacceptable risk of officials prioritizing personal financial gain over the public interest. The HONEST Act, which passed the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs committee, takes a comprehensive approach by including the President and Vice President in its trading ban. I strongly believe that these bills should be passed with additional amendments to close any potential loopholes. Specifically, the ban should extend to all immediate family members, not just spouses and dependent children. Furthermore, it should cover senior congressional staff who may also have access to market-moving information. The American people deserve representatives wholly focused on serving the public good, not on managing personal stock portfolios. Passing this legislation would be a significant step towards restoring trust in our government institutions and demonstrating your commitment to ethical leadership. I urge you to vocally support these bills, push for their passage, and advocate for the suggested amendments to strengthen their effectiveness. Your constituents, including myself, are watching closely and expect action on this critical issue of government ethics and accountability.