Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a bill sponsored by vulnerable GOP incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts (Neb.) to restrict members of Congress from buying new stocks of publicly traded companies, arguing the legislation didn’t go far enough to crack down on possible corruption. The Stop Insider Trading Act failed by a vote of 53-47.
Page F4From§Eachthe matinee edition — 30 September 2026
Bill titled "Stop Insider Trading Act" dies over a voter ID amendment, not insider trading.
As it ran on the front
Ruth here. I want to close one ledger before I open another, because they're the same ledger, it turns out.
Start with the timeline you already have on file. On August 27th, fiscal hawks in Treasury Secretary Bessent's own party called his claim that the country could grow past $40 trillion in debt skeptical math. By September 4th the bond market was setting mortgage rates faster than Congress could set policy, and on the 9th his own fix for rising yields backfired: yields rose anyway, stocks fell. On the 15th he was answering to Congress about it, and by the 20th Treasury was checking whether it could send $5,000 checks to voters without asking Congress for the money at all. I ran that column. I stand by it. I told you to watch the word "dividend." Today, watch the word "stop."…
…(cont) The bill on the floor Wednesday was named the Stop Insider Trading Act. The New York Post filed it as prohibiting members of Congress, spouses and dependent children from buying stock in publicly traded companies. The New York Times, filing on the same vote, called it a measure to limit, but not bar, that trading. Those two descriptions of one bill do not reconcile, hon. Nobody amended the text between editions; two newsrooms just read the same page differently, and the bill died at 53 to 47 before anybody had to settle which reading was right.
It died because Republicans attached a voter ID requirement, borrowed from the SAVE Act, to the trading ban. Fox News quoted Senator Schumer calling the pairing "trickery" and "skullduggery." The Washington Examiner and the Hill both file the mechanics the same way: the rider went on, the filibuster went up, and the trading language never got a vote of its own.
It accuses Representative Tom Suozzi of voting against a congressional trading ban after making, the ad says, over ten million dollars trading stocks in Washington. That ledger predates Wednesday's bill entirely.
Two days before that, on September 15th, Common Dreams reported Senate Democrats were within seven votes of advancing the Clarity Act, a crypto bill it says could enrich the president personally, after a hundred and ninety million dollars in industry lobbying.
So here is where the books stand. Congress cannot agree what "stop" means when the trading is its own, and it moved faster, in the same month, on a bill that touches the president's own portfolio. The name on the bill said stop. The vote said not yet.
“They call it the Stop Insider Trading Act, then kill it with a voter ID rider that's got nothing to do with stock trades — that's the con, wrap the thing you don't want in the thing your base does want, then blame the other side for saying no. Same month, seven Democrats were reportedly one vote from handing the crypto industry a bill that could line the president's own pocket, after $190 million in lobbying. Your guy in Congress keeps trading on what he knows; you don't get to.”
“Look, this was a clean bill, prohibiting the trading, and Democrats killed it over an ID requirement most Americans already have to show anyway — did I say prohibit? The Times says it was a limit, not a ban, so I don't know, take it up with them. Either way Schumer's the one playing politics, not the party that put a voter ID rider on a corruption bill three weeks before an election — okay, hearing it back, that one's on us.”
Earlier in this story
- Thune calls Trump's taxpayer-funded ads wrong, lets them keep running anyway. By Ruth · the sunrise edition, 29 September 2026
- A judge stopped one funding freeze by order; Congress still hasn't voted on the other's $810 million. By Ruth · the milkman edition, 29 September 2026
- Trump's second pocket rescission in 50 years lands the same week two courts police two other freezes. By Ruth · the midnight edition, 29 September 2026
- Trump demands Supreme Court award Missouri the Election Victory it just lost for a third time By The Wrecking Crew · the wee small hours edition, 28 September 2026
- National Review says only one holdout juror deserves respect; the docket says he's not it. By Mitch · the wee small hours edition, 28 September 2026
- The four-day clock reposts CNN's Dominion suit and New Left Review's dead historian's letters, unconcerned who's publishing. By Sal · the wee small hours edition, 28 September 2026
The receipts
A Republican measure to limit, but not bar, congressional stock trading faltered in the Senate as Democrats thwarted a G.O.P. bid to show progress on an issue that has rankled voters.
Senate Democrats blocked a GOP bill combining a stock trading ban with voter ID requirements, with Chuck Schumer calling it "trickery" and "skullduggery."
All Senate Democrats lined up against a bill restricting members of Congress from buying and selling stocks, utilizing the 60-vote filibuster to block the measure from becoming law. In a 53-47 vote, Democrats rejected the bill as a partisan piece of legislation due to the addition of a voter ID requirement borrowed from the SAVE […]
The "Stop Insider Trading Act" would prohibit members of Congress, spouses and dependent children from buying stocks of publicly-traded companies.
· Trump-affiliated ‘No Going Back PAC’ makes first ad buy in NY-03 bashing Suozzi over stock trading from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Will 7 Senate Democrats Join GOP to Advance Trump's Crypto Grift Legislation? from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Bessent Defends Faltering Bond Market Intervention from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Bessent says Treasury is ‘examining’ ability to cut $5,000 checks without Congress from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Bessent’s move to tamp down rising rates backfires as bond yields jump, stocks tumble from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· The bond market is revolting — and your mortgage is the first casualty from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Fiscal hawks skeptical of Bessent’s claim that US can ‘grow our way out’ of $40 trillion debt from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Bessent blasts Warren’s ‘sciolistic’ letter about yen policy from the morgue, 29 Aug 2026
· Soros-funded Philadelphia district attorney insinuates Trump is a ‘35-time felon,’ calling $5,000 dividend a bribe from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Soros-funded Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Thursday from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Voters have a blunt message for Trump about his idea to dole out $5,000 checks from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Why Donald Trump has a Joe Biden problem from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Does Trump have a 'Biden problem' on the economy? from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Trump’s $5,000 dividend falls flat with GOP senators from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Trump sees backlash over $5K dividend pledge from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump plan to raise debt limit on shaky ground from the morgue, 26 Aug 2026
· 5 things to know about Trump's $5K dividend pledge from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Vance strikes back at concern $5,000 Trump dividend will stoke debt: ‘Wealth will go back to the people’ from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Marshall backtracks on support for $5,000 Trump dividend in Kansas Senate debate from the morgue, 12 Sep 2026
· Vance and MAGA Inc. work to defend Roger Marshall in redder Kansas from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Roger Marshall Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator. from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Conservatives would scream ‘bloody murder’ if Democratic president offered dividend to maintain power: Guy Benson from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Will Trump's payout promises boost Republican appeal to white women? from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Republicans need a Reagan-style vision to win the battle over America's future from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Trump’s promised $5,000 ‘dividend’ checks: What to know from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump’s Reckless $5,000 ‘Dividend’ from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Republicans bet the House on Trump from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Axelrod dismisses the idea of the proposed $5000 ‘Trump dividend’ from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump pledges $5K 'Trump dividend' if Republicans hold onto Congress from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump says $5K dividend checks to Americans will 'happen 100 percent' from the morgue, 14 Sep 2026
· Lawler deflects on supporting Trump's $5K dividend pledge: 'How do you pay for it?' from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026
· GOP rep says priority 'needs to be the military,' not $5K checks from the morgue, 13 Sep 2026
· Susan Collins calls Trump’s $5,000 dividend proposal with no cap ‘extraordinarily costly’ from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Bret Baier presses Paxton on Trump $5K dividend payment support from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Gavin Newsom calls Trump’s $5K voter payout ‘bulls—’ and a ‘desperate’ power grab from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Trump pitches $5,000 checks, but only if GOP wins House and Senate from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump's $5,000 payments would reignite inflation, economists say from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Why Trump's promised $5,000 payments to Americans are unlikely to happen from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Bond yields rise modestly after Trump's dividend pledge from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· GOP leaders blindsided by Trump’s promise of $5K checks from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump promises Obamacare rebates to people in swing states from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Steve Scalise says details of $5,000 dividends would "obviously have to be worked out by Congress" from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump’s $5,000 dividend pledge divides Republicans over spending from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Many Republicans skeptical about Trump plan to tie $5,000 dividends to GOP wins from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Anger Grows Over 'Pathological Liar-in-Chief' Donald Trump's $5,000 Midterm Bribes from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Spiking Bond Yields Pay the Rich and Squeeze Everyone Else from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump-aligned group releases first midterm ads — and they’re all about him from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· The Memo: Bond market turmoil heightens midterm risks for Trump and GOP from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Trump’s Plan To Cut $5,000 Checks For Americans Not Landing With Many Midterm Convention Attendees from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Texas Democrat Gina Hinojosa backs Trump’s $5,000 dividend but rejects conditional payout from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Voters may accept Trump’s bribes, but the bond markets aren’t biting from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· In Trump's Second Term, Average US Family Forced to Spend $3,800 More on Essentials from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Why not to bank on Trump's $5,000 dividend checks happening from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump shares details on $5,000 dividend with CBS News Texas from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Some Republicans Balk at Trump’s $5,000 ‘Dividend’ Offer from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· The political risk behind Trump’s $5,000 pledge: From the Politics Desk from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Bob Cusack raises concerns over Trump’s $5,000 check proposal: ‘Deficits matter, debt matters’ from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Global sell-off in government bonds intensifies from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Trump vs. the Bond Market from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· The United States House of Representatives passes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 by 227 votes to 203. After being sent to the United States Senate for a vote, the Senate's parliamentarian found tha from the morgue, 19 Dec 2017
· The attorney general of New York announces she is suing the Donald J. Trump Foundation and its directors, President Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump. (CNBC) from the morgue, 14 Jun 2018
· Trump gambles big on midterm elections with convention spotlight from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Vulnerable Republicans divided over wisdom of Trump’s midterm convention from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Republican strategist knocks Trump for not spending more on GOP candidates from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Republicans ready for 'very hasty' 'Trump-a-palooza' convention in Texas from the morgue, 30 Aug 2026
· Some Republicans are planning to skip Trump’s GOP convention from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Trump promises $5,000 ‘dividend’ for adult Americans if Republicans win midterms from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump claims $5,000 midterm dividends wouldn't need congressional approval from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump's $5,000 dividend checks would come with a major catch under GOP senator's plan from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump faces reckoning as GOP figures label $5K promise a 'socialist vote-buying scheme' from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump’s proposed $5,000 dividend blindsides Congress, angers fiscal conservatives: ‘A dangerous arms race’ from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump Wants to Give Out $5,000 Checks. It Would Cost More Than $1 Trillion. from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump Promises Americans $5K Checks If GOP Wins Midterms, Raising Legal Questions from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Fox News’s Baier presses Vance on Trump’s $5K dividend promise from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Ansarallah advances on Bab al-Mandab; Trump offers to pay Americans $5,000 for midterm votes; U.S. kills 3 in Caribbean boat strike from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump's Republican midterm convention included $5,000 pitch and Iran war expectations from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Treasury boosts debt buyback cap to $6 billion from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Treasury Plans $6 Billion in Debt Repurchases to Battle Rising Yields from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Lowest-Paying US Corporations Have Poured Over $700 Billion Into Buybacks Since 2019 from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Feds to buy up to $6 billion in Treasury bonds. Here's why. from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Treasury reveals $6B in debt buybacks, triple the normal level – but markets slump from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yields hit multiyear high after buyback increase from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.