John, congressional stock trading needs to be banned.

Let me tell you a story that illustrates why:

In January, amid safety issues like the Alaska Airlines flight where the airplane’s door flew off, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it was auditing Boeing’s 737 Max production.

On February 8th, Massachusetts Representative Bill Keating sold a Boeing corporate note valued at between $15,001 and $50,000, and on February 28th, he sold Boeing stock shares valued at between $1,001 and $15,000.

Then, on February 29th, the Department of Justice announced that it was criminally investigating Boeing.

Keating sold off his Boeing stock the DAY before it was reported that the DOJ was investigating Boeing.

Enough is enough — we need to ban members of Congress from owning or trading stocks.

Keating’s spokesperson said that Keating “relies on his financial adviser to make independent decisions.” But we can’t just take his word for it.

Americans shouldn’t have to be concerned about members of Congress being more focused on their stock portfolio than on the country’s problems and their constituents’ best interests. We need to know that public servants are putting the public first.

Without comprehensive reform banning this practice, these transactions and the conflicts that arise from them will continue to erode public confidence in Congress and our democracy.

That’s why CREW is urging Congress to act on a congressional stock trading ban, and we want you to help us show them that there is nationwide support for this ban.

Thanks for your support,

Robert Maguire
Research Director
CREW