Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is pulling back the curtain on what she says is a full-blown panic inside congressional leadership as her push to ban stock trading by members of Congress gains serious momentum.
In a blunt statement posted to X, the Florida Republican warned that House leadership may be preparing an extraordinary move to shut down House operations altogether — not over budget disputes or national security, but to stop lawmakers from signing onto her discharge petition aimed squarely at banning insider stock trading on Capitol Hill.
According to Luna, both Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are alarmed by how much support her proposal is attracting. So alarmed, she says, that leadership is floating the idea of sending members home to physically prevent additional signatures from landing on the petition.
“Let’s put it this way,” Luna said in an interview. “My legislation to ban insider trading is being taken so seriously that I’m hearing leadership is considering sending members home because they don’t want more people signing on.”
If true, the allegation paints a damning picture of a political class more interested in protecting its financial privileges than allowing a transparent vote on an issue overwhelmingly supported by voters. Poll after poll shows Americans across party lines believe members of Congress should not be allowed to trade individual stocks while writing laws that directly impact the market.
Luna acknowledged the pressure-cooker environment of Washington but made it clear she isn’t backing down — even as leadership resistance grows louder.
“We’re not going to stop fighting,” she said. “I’m here to deliver wins. And I think we’re going to get one. At minimum, we’re forcing negotiations.”
At the center of the controversy is a familiar name: Nancy Pelosi. The former House Speaker has become a symbol of everything Americans distrust about Washington’s cozy relationship with Wall Street. According to public disclosures cited by the New York Post, Pelosi and her husband turned a relatively modest stock portfolio into an eye-popping fortune during her decades in office.
When Pelosi entered Congress in 1987, the couple reported stock holdings between $610,000 and $785,000. That figure has since ballooned to roughly $133.7 million — a staggering return that dwarfs market averages. Analysts estimate their portfolio produced annual returns far exceeding the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Jones over the same period.
Even more eyebrow-raising, the Pelosis reportedly posted a 54% return in 2024 alone, fueling renewed suspicion that access to non-public, market-moving information may have played a role. While Pelosi has long denied any wrongdoing, critics argue that the appearance of impropriety alone is enough to justify reform.
Notably, Pelosi recently announced her retirement just as the movement to ban congressional stock trading began picking up steam — a timing many conservatives find more than a little convenient.
Luna’s effort strikes at a raw nerve in Washington. A ban on stock trading would end one of the quiet perks of power enjoyed by both parties for decades. It would also force lawmakers to finally live under the same rules as ordinary Americans who don’t get classified briefings or early access to regulatory decisions.
Whether House leadership actually moves to shut down the chamber remains to be seen. But Luna’s warning has already ignited outrage among voters who see the alleged maneuver for what it would be: an attempt to protect political elites at the expense of transparency and trust.
One thing is clear — if congressional leaders think they can quietly kill this effort without backlash, they may be badly miscalculating.
