Members of Congress traded heavily in April as President Trump’s tariff rollout hit the stock market — and some of the most active traders had been vocal proponents of stock-trading bans, according to public filings.
More than a dozen House lawmakers and their family members made over 700 stock trades from April 2 to April 8 as Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs spooked investors and caused sharp market swings, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of disclosure filings released Tuesday.
US Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who has previously called for trading bans, led the pack with sales of more than 200 shares and options and the purchase of more than 110 securities, the analysis found.
The Silicon Valley congressman said the trades were made by outside advisers who manage trusts for his wife and children. Those trusts’ securities have actually dropped in value since April 2, according to his office.
Khanna — who recently called on the left to reconsider Elon Musk and has spurred murmurs of a potential White House campaign – told the Journal he is likely to support stock-trading restrictions proposed by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers.
Asked about a potential White House campaign, a spokesperson for Khanna told The Post he is “focused on winning back the House.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who has said she does not trade individual stock, and several other Congress members are working on a bill to further restrict stock-trading by lawmakers.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has faced criticism for her stock trading activity — racking up a 65% return on her portfolio in 2023 while her venture capitalist husband made $38 million worth of stock trades in the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration.
There’s an account on X with 1.1 million followers wholly dedicate to tracking her investments.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R – Ga.) has recently taken heat for purchasing at least $28,000 worth of stocks in firms like FedEx, Amazon, Lululemon and Palantir in April after Trump unveiled steep tariffs.
She was the sixth most active trader in the House during the week of Trump’s tariffs, according to the Journal’s analysis.
Greene made one sale transaction during the same period, unloading at least $50,000 in US Treasury bills before Trump announced the tariffs pause, according to the Journal.
All of the congresswoman’s investments are “reported with full transparency” and controlled by an outside financial adviser, Greene told The Post in a statement.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R – Pa.) trailed Khanna as the second most active trader during that week with sales of more than 100 shares and options and the purchase of fewer than 100 securities, according to the Journal’s analysis.
A spokesperson for Bresnahan told the Journal his trades were made by an outside financial adviser and executed without his knowledge. Bresnahan did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Rep. Julie Johnson (D – Texas) took the fourth spot, making 56 stock sales two days before Trump paused the tariffs – so she missed out on the market rally, the Journal’s analysis found. Some 53 of those stocks later rose.
A spokesperson for Johnson told The Post she is in the process of divesting her stocks, which are managed by an independent financial adviser, into ETFs and mutual funds.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D – Fla.) – who has signed a bill that would restrict trading – made 23 stock purchases of at least $1,000 each in companies like Amazon, Nvidia and Visa during the market slump. At least 20 of those stocks have risen since then, according to the Journal.
He made two sales of at least $1,000 during the same period.
The trades were made by a financial manager who does not involve Moskowitz, a spokesperson told The Post.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D – NJ) tapped a call options trade tied to Microsoft – a much riskier trade – during the same tumultuous period.
A spokesperson for Gottheimer told The Post he turned over management of his investments to an outside adviser before taking office.
He is in the process of setting up a blind trust, which he believes should be required for all lawmakers, the spokesperson added.
