Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), once a top leader of the Democratic National Committee and now a less prominent member of the House, has drawn attention for a significant stock purchase disclosed in 2024.
The Florida lawmaker reported acquiring shares in New Gold, a Canadian mining firm with operations in British Columbia and Ontario, according to data compiled by Quiver Quantitative, a financial news source tracking congressional trades.
Quiver Quantitative highlighted the move on social media, noting, “Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz JUST filed a 2024 purchase of New Gold stock, $NGD. She is the only member of Congress who we have ever seen buy this stock. It has risen 313% since her trade.”
The rare purchase and substantial increase in stock value have prompted discussions about lawmakers’ involvement in markets where they may hold an advantage.
The STOCK Act, enacted in 2012, requires members of Congress to disclose stock trades within 45 days to increase transparency and reduce conflicts of interest.
However, enforcement appears limited, according to Trending Politics.
The Campaign Legal Center points out that violations of the law typically result in fines as low as $200, an insufficient deterrent against questionable stock transactions.
Despite no members of Congress having been prosecuted for insider trading under the STOCK Act, critics argue the law fails to prevent potential conflicts where elected officials profit from information not available to the public.
Ethics watchdogs have repeatedly called for stronger measures to restrict stock trading among legislators.
A recent survey indicates that only 5 percent of sitting members of Congress abstain from owning stocks, with a majority of 2025’s incoming freshman class reporting stock holdings.
Public sentiment strongly opposes such activity, with 86 percent of Americans supporting a ban on stock trading by lawmakers.
In response to these concerns, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) introduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act earlier this year.
The proposed legislation seeks to prohibit members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks during their terms in office.
“Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve—not day trading at the expense of their constituents,” Hawley said in a statement to Fox News in April.
He argued that Americans are losing trust in elected officials who appear to benefit financially from their positions of power.
President Donald Trump has backed the idea of banning lawmakers from trading stocks.
“I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it,” he said in a Time Magazine interview earlier in the year, according to TP. “If they send that to me, I would do it.”
Wasserman Schultz’s trade in New Gold has renewed focus on the apparent gap between congressional financial activity and the laws meant to regulate it.
While the STOCK Act was intended to promote transparency, critics say it lacks teeth and does little to prevent misconduct.
As momentum grows behind the PELOSI Act and other reform proposals, the congresswoman’s investment is serving as a fresh example of the tension between public service and private profit.
With the stock’s triple-digit gain and limited oversight, calls for a complete ban on individual stock trading in Congress are once again gaining traction.
