In order for our government to function, voters need to trust that lawmakers have their best interests at heart. These days, we all know the trust just isn’t there. One major reason is that we continue to let members of Congress trade stocks while in office – with little oversight and accountability.
Passing legislation to address this serious conflict of interest is exactly what we need to restore confidence in our government. The good news is we now have an opportunity to get this done. The Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from trading stocks. It’s time to make it law.
An overwhelming majority of Americans support a ban on congressional stock trading. Recent polling shows 86% of voters support such a law, including 88% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans. Passing it is a no-brainer and would be a first step toward restoring trust in government. That’s why voters across the political spectrum are rallying behind the push for a congressional stock trading ban.
Let’s end these conflicts of interest once and for all. Republican and Democrat senators and representatives should support legislation banning congressional stock trading. And so should any honest and accountable news organization that considers themselves to have ethical standards and a duty to the public at large.
Please support this act publicly in your paper or in your columns. At the very least do a story about this new act and how the demands and desires of American voters are not being heard or met.
This is your duty as a journalistic outlet.
Matt Schmidt, Salt Lake City
