Sen. Hawley Pushes PELOSI Act Amid Calls for Great Accountability & Transparency in Washington
President Donald Trump has reignited calls for an investigation into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading activities, citing her exceptionally high stock returns, which rank among the highest in the country, surpassed only by a few. The call comes as Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act, a bill aimed at banning members of Congress and their spouses from trading or holding individual stocks to prevent potential insider trading.
The controversy stems from allegations surrounding Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who has made significant profits through stock trades, notably in tech sectors. A prominent example includes a 2022 transaction where Paul Pelosi traded between $1 million and $5 million in semiconductor stocks just before Congress allocated $52 million to the industry. More recently, in July 2024, he sold between $500,000 and $1 million in Visa stock shortly before a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against the company, raising suspicions of insider trading. Pelosi’s spokesperson has denied her involvement, stating she does not own individual stocks and is not privy to her husband’s investment decisions. No formal investigation or charges have been announced as of 2025.
Senator Hawley’s PELOSI Act, first introduced in 2023, seeks to curb such activities by requiring lawmakers and their spouses to divest holdings or place them in a blind trust within 180 days of taking office. The bill also mandates that any profits from prohibited transactions be returned to the U.S. Treasury, with potential fines imposed by congressional ethics committees. Trump has publicly endorsed the measure, stating in a Time Magazine interview, “I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be OK with it. If they send that to me, I would absolutely do it.” The bipartisan push for the bill reflects growing public concern over lawmakers leveraging nonpublic information for financial gain, a practice already illegal under the 2012 STOCK Act but perceived as inadequately enforced.
The renewed scrutiny of Pelosi’s finances, coupled with Hawley’s legislative efforts, underscores a need for transparency and accountability in Congress. Critics argue that the PELOSI Act could restore public trust by eliminating conflicts of interest, while opponents caution that it may overly restrict lawmakers’ financial freedoms. As the bill gains traction, its passage could mark a significant shift in congressional ethics regulations.
