John,
Members of Congress should not be buying and trading stocks while in office. Period.
Members of Congress who use their position to advance their own financial interests violate the spirit of what public service is supposed to be about, and Americans are understandably questioning whether their representatives are working on their behalf.
It's well past time to end congressional stock trading and stock ownership so we don't have to worry about whether their decisions are influenced by their own bottom line.
That’s why we are writing a letter to the Senate, demanding they pass the ETHICS Act – legislation that would ban members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks, bonds or other similar financial investments.
We know this is a bipartisan issue that the majority of Americans support, but we want to prove it with this letter.
I'm hoping we can reach 1,000 co-signers to our letter today. If you sign your name today, you’ll be the first signer from Washington! →
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We write to urge you to prioritize advancing the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, legislation that would ban members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks, bonds or other similar financial investments.
The ETHICS Act is the result of years of policy development and cooperation between numerous senators, members of Congress, and civil society groups and experts, and its policies are overwhelmingly popular across partisan lines. The public is demanding action to ensure that members of Congress act in the interest of the people they serve, rather than their own financial interest. It is time to listen to the public’s collective voice and pass the ETHICS Act.
The American people deserve to know that the needs of the public, not members of Congress’s stock portfolios, come first. And they deserve to have their voices heard and their values represented in their government. They are overwhelmingly calling for a ban on members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from owning or trading stocks. For that reason we strongly urge you to expeditiously advance the ETHICS Act and finally bring a ban on members and their spouses owning and trading stocks to the floor.
Kind regards,
YOUR NAME HERE
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Congress has tried to address this problem in the past. The STOCK Act was passed in 2012 in order to combat insider trading by members of Congress and congressional staffers, and it requires that members disclose trades and other transactions of stocks, bonds and similar securities within 45 days.
Yet dozens of members of Congress have made headlines for not reporting in time. The current law clearly isn’t working.
Members of Congress can still actively trade stocks, which raises conflict of interest issues, and many of them are not even complying with the most basic transparency laws.
In order to avoid questions about stock trading and potential conflicts, disclosure is not enough: members of Congress should not be buying and trading stocks while in office at all, nor should they own individual stocks, which could affect their decision-making. And the public overwhelmingly agrees.
Let’s put the pressure on Congress to pass this bill and restore faith in government. Add your name to co-sign our letter demanding Congress passes the ETHICS Act →
Thanks for signing,
Noah Bookbinder
President
CREW
P.S.: We want to get as many signatures as possible to show that this bill has support nationwide! Forward this email to your family, friends, and coworkers, and ask them to sign on too!
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