Senate Panel Advances Stock-Trading Ban as Trump Lambasts Sponsor Hawley

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee narrowly advanced the HONEST Act on 30 July, voting 8–7 to send the measure to the floor. The bill would bar members of Congress and their spouses from buying, selling or holding individual stocks, a restriction lawmakers in both parties say is needed to rebuild public confidence in Washington. A last-minute amendment broadens the ban to cover future presidents and vice presidents, though it would not apply to President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance. Sponsoring senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican who says he divested his own portfolio after entering office, joined Democrats to push the bill out of committee. His move drew an immediate rebuke from Trump, who branded Hawley a “second-tier” senator and a “pawn” for Democrats in a social-media post. The president later told reporters he supports a trading ban "conceptually," underscoring divisions inside the Republican Party over how far a crackdown on potential conflicts of interest should go. Opposition surfaced during the committee debate, with Florida Republican Rick Scott arguing the proposal unfairly targets lawmakers who built personal wealth before entering public service. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has not indicated whether he will bring the measure to the floor, leaving its prospects uncertain. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed general support for limiting stock trading, and Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna says she intends to force a vote when lawmakers return from the August recess.