The figures are impossible to overlook.

A House Representative, who plays a pivotal role in the nation’s semiconductor policy caucus, has engaged in trades exceeding a million dollars in chip stocks. Meanwhile, another lawmaker made a significant investment in a major US oil company mere weeks before US military actions in Iran caused energy stocks to surge.

In another instance, a Senator responsible for antitrust oversight possesses up to $5 million in shares of the world’s most valuable company. These types of transactions are not isolated incidents but rather a common occurrence, according to experts focused on financial transparency who monitor the trading activities of America’s most influential politicians.

While these trades raise suspicions of unethical behavior, it’s crucial to note that they remain within the bounds of legality.

These glaring transactions are not exceptions; they are the rule, say financial transparency experts who track the trades of the US’s most powerful lawmakers. 

But, besides the scent of foul play, these trades are perfectly legal. 

‘Congress had an opportunity to prove it could trade individual stocks without betraying public trust,’ Matt Saincome, CEO of financial transparency platform Unusual Whales, told the Daily Mail. ‘It failed. It’s time to ban all congressional stock trading.’ 

But Americans are demanding that Congress change its tune and outlaw the practice. 

A Democratic member of Congress traded Exxon stock for the first time since being in office just weeks before the Iran war began, sending oil stocks soaring. He also happens to sit on the House Intelligence Committee, which gets regularly briefed by the CIA, FBI and Pentagon 

A Republican lawmaker who oversees AI and semiconductor initiatives on Capitol Hill has traded up to $1.1 million in NVIDIA stock, according to an Unusual Whales analysis

A Democratic Senator sitting on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees national nutrition standards and gran subsidies, traded up to $500,000 in General Mills stock, according to Unusual Whales

The latest Daily Mail/JL Partners poll of 1,000 US voters found that 61 percent of respondents support a ban on insider trading in Congress, including the use of prediction markets.

Even more egregious, many of the most profitable traders on Capitol Hill invest in sectors they directly regulate. 

‘I find it particularly offensive that members of Congress are more likely to trade stocks in industries and companies they directly regulate through committee work,’ Saincome continued. ‘These committees are regularly presented with information before it becomes public, giving lawmakers an easy opportunity to reposition their portfolios — and then face only a small fine.’

That fine: a measly $200, under the 2012 STOCK Act. 

Christopher Kardatzke, Co-Founder of Quiver Quantitative, a congressional and DC insider stock tracker, pointed to one recent trade that he said should raise eyebrows. 

‘I think the most interesting recent trade might be Josh Gottheimer’s Exxon purchase,’ Kardatzke told the Daily Mail. ‘It was the first time we had seen him buy the stock, and it is now up over 23 percent since he bought in.’ 

Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, a panel that gets briefed by the CIA, DNI and other top intel officials, purchased stock in Exxon for the first time since being in office on February 4, 2026. 

The trade, worth between $1,001 and $15,000, was not disclosed until March 16, well within the 45-day mandated timeline for lawmakers to file their transactions. 

New Jersey Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Exxon stock weeks before the Iran war

Senator Tina Smith purchased up to half a million dollars in General Mills stock while on the Senate Agricultural Committee

Republican Senator Dave McCormick, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, purchased up to $5 million in Goldman Sachs stock

Though the Democrat did not violate any rules with his transaction, the timing is curious, Kardatzke said. 

Exxon shares have largely outperformed the broader stock market since the Strait of Hormuz has been largely restricted by Iran’s military amid the ongoing war. 

Republican Representative Michael McCaul, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Semiconductor Caucus and the Congressional AI Caucus, is deeply invested in NVIDIA – the world’s largest company – that focuses on chip manufacturing and AI.

McCaul has disclosed up to $1.1 million in the company that epitomizes America’s AI and chip dominance, according to an Unusual Whales analysis. 

Also invested in the behemoth company is Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee that is tasked with antitrust enforcement and Big Tech scrutiny.

He held up to $5 million of NVIDIA stock as of 2024, though he sold around $250,000 in shares in 2025 and even more in 2026, according to Unusual Whales. 

Meanwhile, Whitehouse’s Republican colleague, Senator Dave McCormick, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, executed one of the largest individual sector moves in 2025 when he sold up to $5 million worth of stock in Goldman Sachs. 

Further, Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota and member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, disclosed a sale of up to $500,000 in General Mills, according to Unusual Whales.

The trade raised concerns for Saincome given the Agriculture Committee’s power over national nutrition standards and grain subsidies. 

Though there is no alleged wrongdoing in any of the aforementioned instances, the peculiar trades underscore how members of Congress can trade stocks in companies they have a hand in regulating. 

And members have fought to retain this power for years. 

Since the STOCK Act was passed in 2012, there have been countless proposals from members to limit or outright ban trading among lawmakers. 

Last year, there were at least two dozen proposals to limit the practice. 

This year, there have already been at least four bills introduced to limit members’ ability to trade. 

But given the historical precedent and the profits, don’t expect anything to change any time soon.