More Republican Senators Trade in the Stock Market Than Democrats, Records Show

During a Wednesday press briefing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she opposes placing a ban on congressional lawmakers and their spouses from trading stock, saying "We're a free market economy," and that they "should be able to participate in that."

The issue of members of Congress trading in stock has been a point of contention in recent months, as a December 14 report by Insider identified that 49 members of Congress had failed to adequately report their financial transactions as dictated under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, known as the STOCK Act.

Given that lawmakers are privy to certain information by virtue of their positions, questions have been raised over whether their ability to trade creates potential conflicts of interest. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts appears to think so, calling out the "brazenness" of such actions in an interview with Insider.