Oct 6, 2026 · 23 min · 8 segments
New Mexico Congressman Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) led a press conference with colleagues to push for a comprehensive federal stock trading ban that would cover Congress and the executive. Order a transcript…
Well, good afternoon and thank you for being all here today.
I know it's hot.
But today we're bringing the heat and we're putting the pressure on Republican leadership and this White House to listen to the American people and stop the growing corruption in our nation's capital.
As the House comes back into session, I stand here today with my colleagues to make it abundantly clear to Speaker Johnson, to President Trump and the entire country that the battle to crack down on corruption in Washington and truly ban insider trading is far from over.
Back in early August, under Representative Magaziner's leadership, we worked with a group of 35 House Democrats to make a simple demand of the Speaker.
We asked him to bring the strongest possible stock trading ban bill to the House floor, the Restored Trust in Government Act.
This is a bill that would actually crack down on corruption in Washington and Congress.
And most importantly, it is a bill that does not exclude the president or the vice president from using their positions of power to enrich themselves and rip off the American public.
Of course, Speaker Johnson refused.
Instead, he brought a watered-down bill to the floor, riddled with loopholes and end-arounds, and most importantly, a bill that still allows the president, the vice president, and their associates to continue their corrupt ways.
And in true MAGA fashion, the speaker tacked on parts of a voter suppression bill that had absolutely nothing to do with banning insider stock training.
Why did he do this? Well, we all know the truth.
to fool the American people and run disingenuous political ads against Democrats.
Politics as usual.
So today we're here to ask again.
Mr.
Speaker, listen to what the American people are saying.
Restore integrity in Washington and bring the Restore Trust in Government Act to the House floor.
The American people are sick of the self-enrichment, the wheeling and dealing, and the billions of dollars being harvested in this administration as members of Congress and others abuse their power to make themselves wealthier.
They're sick of their representatives telling them they're going to clean up corruption in D.C. And then they go and give it a half-hearted effort, retreat back to their life of wealth and comfort, and continue to trade stocks using their privileged positions and privileged information.
Yet the hardworking men and women of this country still wake up every single day, make it to their job on time, and do an honest day's work, often juggling two jobs just to get by in this rigged economy.
They scrape by only to get sick, injured, or fall behind on a car or a mortgage payment before they're underwater.
And they're making choices that no American should have to make, like rationing their medicine, going without health care, buying less food, and going bankrupt.
The people have had enough.
If you serve this body or this administration, you should make a choice to use your privilege, your trust, and your power to make Americans' lives better, not make yourself wealthier.
Well, good afternoon and thank you for being all here today.
I know it's hot.
But today we're bringing the heat and we're putting the pressure on Republican leadership and this White House to listen to the American people and stop the growing corruption in our nation's capital.
As the House comes back into session, I stand here today with my colleagues to make it abundantly clear to Speaker Johnson, to President Trump and the entire country that the battle to crack down on corruption in Washington and truly ban insider trading is far from over.
Back in early August, under Representative Magaziner's leadership, we worked with a group of 35 House Democrats to make a simple demand of the Speaker.
We asked him to bring the strongest possible stock trading ban bill to the House floor, the Restored Trust in Government Act.
This is a bill that would actually crack down on corruption in Washington and Congress.
And most importantly, it is a bill that does not exclude the president or the vice president from using their positions of power to enrich themselves and rip off the American public.
Of course, Speaker Johnson refused.
Instead, he brought a watered-down bill to the floor, riddled with loopholes and end-arounds, and most importantly, a bill that still allows the president, the vice president, and their associates to continue their corrupt ways.
And in true MAGA fashion, the speaker tacked on parts of a voter suppression bill that had absolutely nothing to do with banning insider stock training.
Why did he do this? Well, we all know the truth.
to fool the American people and run disingenuous political ads against Democrats.
Politics as usual.
So today we're here to ask again.
Mr.
Speaker, listen to what the American people are saying.
Restore integrity in Washington and bring the Restore Trust in Government Act to the House floor.
The American people are sick of the self-enrichment, the wheeling and dealing, and the billions of dollars being harvested in this administration as members of Congress and others abuse their power to make themselves wealthier.
They're sick of their representatives telling them they're going to clean up corruption in D.C. And then they go and give it a half-hearted effort, retreat back to their life of wealth and comfort, and continue to trade stocks using their privileged positions and privileged information.
Yet the hardworking men and women of this country still wake up every single day, make it to their job on time, and do an honest day's work, often juggling two jobs just to get by in this rigged economy.
They scrape by only to get sick, injured, or fall behind on a car or a mortgage payment before they're underwater.
And they're making choices that no American should have to make, like rationing their medicine, going without health care, buying less food, and going bankrupt.
The people have had enough.
If you serve this body or this administration, you should make a choice to use your privilege, your trust, and your power to make Americans' lives better, not make yourself wealthier.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.