Which Stock Congress’ Most Active Traders Are Buying Now
Just a few weeks into 2026, major stock market indices continue to experience volatility. But despite the ongoing uncertainty, one group of investors continues to draw criticism for its ability to outperform the S&P 500.
Members of Congress are facing renewed scrutiny for their involvement in the markets, often investing in and investing in companies directly affected by policies set by the committees they serve on.
Repeated efforts to curb congressional stock trading have stalled, despite strong bipartisan support. In a 2023 survey by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, Americans who talk about politics say they support the cause. More than 80% of Republicans, Democrats and independents say they favor a comprehensive ban on dealing with members of the House and Senate, as well as the president, vice president and Supreme Court justices.
At least a dozen bills aimed at preventing lawmakers from trading have been introduced by the current 119th Congress. All of them failed to get enough support to improve. Meanwhile, members of Congress continue to buy and sell millions of dollars in stocks.
Who are the most active sellers of Congress?
Stock ownership in Congress is very common. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog that supports stricter enforcement of US campaign finance laws, found that only 5% of senators and representatives did. not own any stocks or funds in 2024.
Another 95% – to varying degrees – instead work in markets, according to Quiver Quantitative, a fintech companyit aggregates data and tracks government contracts, corporate lobbying and stock trading, among other topics.
The data shows that by 2025, the five most active vendors by volume in Congress were:
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, which had 1,008 sales and $57,709,500 volume
- Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., with 4,107 trades and a volume of $53,377,500
- Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with 19 businesses and a volume of $51,700,000
- Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., with 556 trades and $29,327,000 in volume
- Sen. Cleo Fields, D-La., with 210 trades and a volume of $21,175,500
The other end of the spectrum offers greater contrast. Of the 535 members of Congress, only a few are mostly or completely inactive in the market. Sen. John Kennedy, R.-La., for example, had only one job in 2025 that reached $8,000, while Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., had no stock at all.
But for U.S. lawmakers working in the markets, who buy and sell it, the start of the year can provide a clue to what congressional traders expect in the coming year.
The stock lawmakers bought and sold to begin 2026
Since the passage of the 2012 Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, members of Congress have been required to file investment disclosures within 45 days for transactions over $1,000. Although the STOCK Act stops short of prohibiting state legislatures from participating in the market, it provides retail investors with information about potential opportunities in individual stocks.
For example, on December 9, McCaul filed 46 transactions including the sale of American pawnshop company FirstCash Holdings; ASML Holdings, the world’s only supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment; and the company that owns designer brand Tapestry with profits of 12%, 31% and 48%, respectively.
Among the many fillings that day, the representative also bought shares of the automotive services company Valvoline, safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety equipment manufacturer and Louisiana-Pacific Corporation. Since that purchase, those three stocks have gained 18%, 20% and 26%, respectively. So far this year, the S&P 500 has gained just 1.22%.
McCaul, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Semiconductor Caucus, a member of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus and a member of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, did not disclose any semiconductor, AI, or cybersecurity purchases in his last disclosure.
Khanna, whose 4,081 transactions in 2025 were the most of any Congress member, posted 360 jobs on 8 Dec. 7,137% – was most active in selling semiconductor and microchip stocks, including ASML Holdings, Micron Technologies and Ultra Clean Holdings with gains of 37%, 79% and 154% respectively.
The conference’s top buys included Marriott International, Old Dominion Freight and Deckers Outdoor, which gained 35%, 41% and 41% respectively. Khanna has served on the Artificial Intelligence Caucus, the Congressional Antitrust Caucus and the High Tech Caucus among many others.
Pelosi, whose technology-focused portfolio has received a lot of media attention, closed out 2025 by selling Disney and PayPal shares on Dec. 30 and adds phone options from Alphabet, Amazon and Nvidia. Since Dec. 30, PayPal shares – the sale of which Pelosi disclosed Jan. 23 – down more than 30%.
On Jan. 2, the congressman acquired shares of Versant Media Group as a result of its exit from Comcast before buying shares of Vistra Corp., an integrated electronics company, in addition to Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia and global assets management company AllianceBernstein Holding in Jan. 16.
The former speaker of the House is serving his last term in Congress and is not holding any standing committee assignments. Pelosi’s net worth is estimated at $272.7 million, making her the fifth richest member of Congress. (At $664.39 million, Sen. James C. Justice, RW.V., is No. 1.)
After his first year in Congress, Shreve prepared for 2026 by buying several three- and five-year corporate bonds in addition to two variable annuities. In the second half of 2025, the congress closed positions in Advanced Micro Devices, Caterpillar and Albemarle to get 81%, 97% and 151%, respectively. The representative from Indiana has an estimated net worth of $599.17 million, making him the second richest member of Congress.
Meanwhile, as the market continues to spiral out of tech earlier this year, Fields is completely in. On Jan. 8, the congressman bought shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which have risen 14% since then, and added Alphabet on Jan. 12, down 4%. On Jan. 20, Fields adds more Alphabet and Meta Platforms, Netflix and bitcoin miner-turned-AI cloud service provider IREN Limited.
Fields sits on the House Financial Services Committee, which includes the Subcommittee on Financial Markets, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Financial Policy and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the latter of which oversees antitrust law and competition policy.
A new bipartisan bill is trying (again) to block Congressional stock trading
On Jan. 15, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., launched a new bipartisan effort to prevent members of Congress from becoming active market participants.
The Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would restrict stock ownership and trading by members of Congress and their immediate family members, serves as a companion piece to a bill introduced in September by Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., with 126 sponsors in total.
The legislation introduced by Gillibrand and Moody would include assets held in qualified blind trusts, while providing exceptions for “highly-held, diversified investment funds such as mutual funds and ETFs, as well as US Treasuries, state and municipal bonds,” according to a news release.
“It is important to our Republic that members of Congress focus on our nation and the well-being of its citizens, not how they can financially benefit from their positions,” Gillibrand and Moody said.
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