Key facts
- The US Senate blocked legislation restricting stock trading by members of Congress and their families.
- Democrats did not provide sufficient votes to advance the bill.
- The House of Representatives previously passed a similar bill.
The US Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation that would have placed new restrictions on stock trading by members of Congress and their families. Democrats did not provide enough votes to advance the measure toward passage. The bill had previously passed the House of Representatives earlier in the year with a 232-198 vote. Most House Democrats opposed that bill, viewing included voter ID language as a 'poison pill' and noting it would not require members to sell stocks they already own. Senate Republicans had planned to bring the bill to a procedural vote on Wednesday, seeing it as a potentially helpful issue ahead of the midterm elections.