Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a Republican bill that would have banned members of Congress from trading stocks using insider knowledge while also requiring voter identification nationwide, combining two issues that poll highly with the public but have repeatedly failed on their own in Congress.
The measure, called the Stop Insider Trading Act, had passed the House earlier this month with a majority of House Democrats voting against it. Democrats in both chambers argued the stock-trading provisions were too weak while the voter ID requirement went too far.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of deliberately pairing the two measures to sink the bill while appearing to support a popular cause.
“They don’t want this bill to become law,” Schumer said. “So they put a poison pill in that they knew would tank it. It’s really trickery. Skullduggery. If Republican senators really cared about stopping stock trading by members, they wouldn’t have loaded it up with a poison pill voter ID bill, which Senate Democrats have defeated already twice.”
Senate Democrats have blocked voter ID measures, including the GOP’s SAVE America Act and its various versions, multiple times this year. Efforts to ban congressional stock trading have separately stalled amid disagreements within both parties.
Public support for both ideas individually is strong. A 2023 University of Maryland poll found 86% of Americans across the political spectrum favor banning lawmakers from trading stocks. A 2025 Pew Research Center poll found 83% of Americans support requiring government-issued photo ID to vote.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., who faces a tightening re-election race this cycle.
A Second Bill on Data Centers and Electricity Costs
Republicans planned to bring a second bill to the floor the same day addressing standards for AI companies and data centers, requiring them to bear more of the electricity costs associated with their operations — an issue that has become prominent in several battleground states as candidates respond to concerns about the facilities.
That bill was pushed by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who is running in one of this cycle’s most competitive Senate races. Democrats have characterized the effort as a political boost for Husted’s campaign rather than a genuine policy fix.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., defended both bills as addressing concerns central to voters.
“Both pieces of legislation strike at the very heart of issues that the American people care deeply about, passionately about,” Thune said. “And we’ll see if the Democrats are willing to take yes for an answer.”
The votes come as lawmakers in both parties look toward the November midterms, with President Trump’s involvement in the conflict with Iran and its economic effects seen as potential factors in control of both chambers of Congress.
