Spanberger survey finds Virginians oppose stock trading by lawmakers’ spouses

Abigail Spanberger today announced the initial results of her survey asking Virginians if they believe that a ban on individual stock trading by members of Congress must also apply to their spouses.

The Fourth District congresswoman’s office has received more than 2,800 responses. Of those submissions, 93 percent support the inclusion of spouses in a ban on individual stock trading by U.S. senators and U.S. representatives.

“The American people deserve to know that their lawmakers are keeping them top-of-mind when receiving briefings, shaping legislation, and casting votes. We can remove the possibility, and even the mere perception, that members of Congress are putting our own financial interests first by prohibiting lawmakers from buying, selling, or trading individual stocks while serving in Congress,” Spanberger said.

“But that does not go far enough — and it is clear that thousands of Virginians agree. In working to rid the halls of the U.S. Capitol of impropriety and show the public that we are deserving of their trust, I am determined to pass legislation that is not ridden with loopholes and work-arounds. My TRUST in Congress Act extends a ban on individual stock trading to cover Members, their spouses, and their dependent children to show the American people that our priorities are in order.”

Earlier this year, Spanberger launched a similar survey asking Virginians if they believe members of Congress should be allowed to personally buy, trade, or sell individual stocks while serving in Congress.

Of the more than 3,400 responses received from Virginians, 93 percent opposed allowing lawmakers to trade individual stocks while serving in the U.S. Congress.

Spanberger, in January 2021, reintroduced her Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust (TRUST) in Congress Act, bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and reduce opportunities for insider trading by requiring that members of Congress — as well as their spouses and dependent children — put certain investment assets into a qualified blind trust during their entire tenure in Congress.

The bill now has more than 50 cosponsors — the most of any effort to ban individual stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses. A companion bill was introduced by U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) last month.