1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Dear Senator Padilla, Senator Butler, and Representative LaMalfa, I’m writing to you not just as a voter, but as someone who is deeply frustrated by the lack of urgency around congressional stock trading reform. Trust in our elected officials erodes every time members of Congress are allowed to trade individual stocks with a 45-day reporting window—an amount of time that is unacceptable in a digital age where insider trading can occur in seconds. As a self-employed citizen who must abide by far stricter financial reporting rules in my own field, I find it infuriating that members of Congress are not held to even the basic standards applied to CEOs and corporate insiders, who must file trades within 2 business days. This delay not only undermines trust, it fosters the perception—and possibly the reality—of unethical behavior. When lawmakers profit from legislation they are privy to or actively shaping, the public loses faith in the integrity of the entire system. I’m asking you to take clear action: 1. Support and co-sponsor legislation requiring members of Congress and their immediate family to report trades within 24–48 hours. 2. Ban individual stock trading for sitting members of Congress and their spouses—support index funds or blind trusts instead. 3. Impose real consequences for late disclosures—not symbolic $200 fines, but meaningful penalties that enforce accountability. If public servants are truly serving the public, this shouldn’t be controversial. It should be automatic. Thank you for your time. I expect you to take a position—and action—on this issue.