Received this e-mail from U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s (D. OR) re-election campaign:
It’s just outrageous.
Early this year, before the public really understood the threat of the coronavirus, Members of Congress started receiving red-alert briefings about the potential pandemic.
In response, several Senators sold millions of dollars of threatened stocks—all while publicly downplaying the coronavirus threat.
Here’s my bottom line: members of Congress and their staff should be working for the American people, not abusing their public office to get rich.
Members of Congress should never be put in a position where their influence, access to information, and decision-making impacts their stock portfolio.We need a law to bar members of Congress from buying or selling stocks, or serving on corporate boards, while they’re in office.