FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2024
Contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us
Florence, MA - Grassroots anti-corruption organization RepresentUs and popular online trading community Unusual Whales are partnering on a campaign to end Congressional stock trading. The two groups are demanding Congress pass the ETHICS Act, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning or trading securities, commodities, or futures.
RepresentUs and Unusual Whales are asking their fellow Americans to join the effort at represent.us/unusual-whales, a site where they can contact their elected officials about the ETHICS Act. The two groups are also rolling out a social media campaign to educate Americans about Congressional stock trading and rally them behind the movement to end it once and for all.
“It’s outrageous that members of Congress are gaming the stock market while millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet. I'd call it gangster behavior, but that would imply it's illegal and, sadly, it is not,” says RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn. “The overwhelming majority of Americans want this to stop. So let's make it stop."
A 2012 law known as the STOCK Act prohibits members of Congress from trading stocks on secret information, but its provisions are difficult to enforce. Furthermore, conflicts of interest still exist because members of Congress make decisions regarding subsidies, tax breaks, military interventions, environmental regulations, and countless others issues that can affect the value of their stocks. These are among the reasons why, according to recent polling, 86% of Americans support a ban on individual stock trading by members of Congress.
“Unusual Whales was started to fight for market transparency and provide affordable market tools for all. Since then, we’ve grown to fight against political corruption,” says the founder and CEO of Unusual Whales, who runs the platform anonymously. “We’re excited to join forces with RepresentUs to push for a ban on Congressional stock trading. The louder we get, the more likely it is that we’ll see progress on bipartisan issues like reining in lobbying, congressional stock trading, and money's influence on our legislative bodies. Onward we fight!”
Since 2020, Unusual Whales has published an annual report tracking Congress’ stock trading habits. According to the 2023 report, members of Congress disclosed more than $1 billion in financial transactions last year, with the four most successful traders beat the S&P 500 index by more than 100% (238.9% in the case of Congress’ most successful trader, Rep. Brian Higgins). The report also found that Congressional stock trading is a truly bipartisan affair, with Democrats and Republicans each accounting for 5 of the 10 most profitable portfolios in 2023.
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RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 180 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 11 years ago. Each win brings us one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.
Unusual Whales is a stock, options, market-moving news service that provides the most affordable financial tools and services to traders. We focus on market transparency, financial corruption, and most of all, highlighting unusual trades in the stock market.
For more information, contact: Sam D’Arcangelo, RepresentUs, sdarcangelo@represent.us