'Sick of messing around': 'Schism' erupts as MAGA lawmaker targets colleagues

U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna

Axios reports "a schism is emerging between members of Congress who want to ban their colleagues from trading stocks over how best to accomplish their shared goal."

Congressional stock trading is the topic that Congress has long stalled as representatives grow wealthy from what looks to critics like insider trading.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) admitted in April that she purchased between $21,000 and $315,000 in stocks the day President Donald Trump sent stocks soaring by pausing his sweeping tariffs. Numbers also showed she dumped between $50,000 and $100,0000 in Treasury bills the day the bond market selloff badly rattled investors.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Penn.), meanwhile, sold up to $50,000 in Alibaba stock on March 4, the same day Trump doubled the tariff on Chinese imports. In fact, there are trading companies that buy and sell based upon the reliability of U.S. politicians’ market transactions.

Axios reports House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have expressed support for a ban, but talk appeared to stall until Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced last month that she plans to introduce a discharge petition on a bill to ban lawmakers, spouses and dependents from trading or owning stocks.

“Luna's going to force it, and I think we need to do that, because I'm sick of messing around," Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Axios, adding that he was certain "some" Democrats would sign on to a discharge petition that bypasses House leadership and forces a floor vote.

Axios reports Burchett is part of a bipartisan group that includes Reps. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).

Luna tells Axios she is suspicious of the bipartisan group, however, claiming members don’t actually want to bring forward a bill because they don't "want to hurt their friends.”

A senior House Democrat told Axios the bill “is causing problems and being sorted."

Read the full Axios report at this link.