Latest news with #SenateHomelandSecurityandGovernmentAffairsCommittee
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump says he would ‘absolutely' sign ban on congressional stock trading
President Trump said in an interview published Friday he would 'absolutely' sign legislation to ban congressional stock trading if it reached his desk. 'Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,' Trump told Time magazine in an interview about his first 100 days in office. Asked if he would sign such a bill, Trump replied, 'Absolutely.' Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dropped her opposition to legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks in 2022. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, is an investor who has made significant money off of stock trades. Republicans have also come under scrutiny in recent weeks for their stock trading habits, prompting allegations from Democrats that the president has manipulated the market to benefit his allies. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump ally, purchased tens of thousands of dollars' worth of stock the day before the president announced he was pausing sweeping tariffs for 90 days, a move that caused the market to surge. Greene has previously said she relies on a financial adviser to make trades on her behalf. A ban on congressional stock trading has garnered bipartisan support over the years, though never enough to pass both chambers of Congress. The biggest action on the issue came last year when the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks Act, which would ban members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading stocks. It did not pass the full Senate, which has since flipped from Democratic to Republican control. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump says he would ‘absolutely' sign ban on congressional stock trading
President Trump said in an interview published Friday that he would 'absolutely' sign legislation to ban congressional stock trading if it reached his desk. 'Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,' Trump told Time Magazine in an interview conducted Tuesday around his first 100 days in office. Asked if he would sign such a bill, Trump replied, 'Absolutely.' Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dropped her opposition to legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks in 2022. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, is an investor who has made significant money off of stock trades. Republicans have also come under scrutiny in recent weeks for their stock trading habits, prompting allegations from Democrats that the president has manipulated the market to benefit his allies. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump ally, purchased tens of thousands of dollars' worth of stock the day before the president announced he was pausing sweeping tariffs for 90 days, a move that caused the market to surge. Greene has previously said she relies on a financial adviser to make trades on her behalf. A ban on congressional stock trading has garnered bipartisan support over the years, though never enough to pass both chambers of Congress. The biggest action on the issue came last year when the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, which would ban members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading stocks. It did not pass the full Senate, which has since flipped from Democratic to Republican control.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rand Paul Seeks Information on U.K. Requests for Americans' Private Data
Last month, the United Kingdom Home Secretary reportedly demanded access to user data of any Apple customer on the planet. Apple chose to degrade U.K. users' data protection instead of complying with the order. In a letter to the U.S. attorney general this week, Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) expressed concern about the order and requested information on any other recent orders. "Recent reports suggest that authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) have issued an order to a U.S. company requiring access to all end-to-end encrypted materials of UK users," wrote Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi. "This action raises significant questions about the integrity of U.S. user data in the context of the Cloud Act and UK statutes." The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act, passed in 2018 as part of a 2,000-plus page omnibus spending bill, requires tech companies to provide information about customers to the government when asked, even if that information is stored outside the United States. The Department of Justice later entered into a data sharing agreement with the U.K. under the CLOUD Act. When the bill came up for a vote, Paul tweeted an article in which American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legislative counsel Neema Singh Guliani wrote that "Congress should reject the CLOUD Act because it fails to protect human rights or Americans' privacy…gives up their constitutional role, and gives far too much power to the attorney general, the secretary of state, the president and foreign governments." In his letter to Bondi, Paul relayed that the U.K.'s demand was "the latest concerning attempt by law enforcement entities to obtaining 'backdoor' access to private user context under the pretext of national security." To that end, he asked for unredacted copies of any requests from the U.K. government for information about U.S.-based companies—known as a "technical capability notice"—received since August 2024. Paul also asked for "records related to any confidentiality agreements or nondisclosure requirements applicable to a U.S. company as it relates to actions authorized pursuant to the US–UK Cloud Act Agreement." Under the U.K.'s Investigatory Powers Act—nicknamed the Snooper's Charter—Britain can request information about a company's users and forbid the company from disclosing the order's existence. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal hears complaints about U.K. government surveillance; in a letter last week, five U.S. lawmakers, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.), asked the tribunal to "remove the cloak of secrecy related to notices given to American technology companies by the United Kingdom." In fact, the U.K.'s actions are already chilling American speech. "Apple has informed Congress that had it received a technical capabilities notice, it would be barred by U.K. law from telling Congress whether or not it received such a notice from the U.K., as the press has reported," the letter noted. "Google also recently told Senator Wyden's office that, if it had received a technical capabilities notice, it would be prohibited from disclosing that fact." The post Rand Paul Seeks Information on U.K. Requests for Americans' Private Data appeared first on
The Hill
19-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Hawley calls for new inspector general to investigate Ukraine spending
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pledged to introduce legislation to track U.S. dollars designated for Ukraine in its war against Russia, after citing the possibility of corrupt spending under the Biden administration. 'It's time for a special inspector general dedicated to auditing EVERY PENNY spent on Ukraine,' Hawley, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, wrote in a Tuesday post on social platform X. An hour later the Missouri Republican promised to act on his proposal. 'I will again introduce on the floor of the Senate legislation to create a watchdog whose *sole responsibility* is auditing every dollar spent on Ukraine – and reporting back to the American people,' he wrote. In previous remarks, Hawley suggested that a probe of the federal government's financial support of the Eastern European nation could uncover frivolous spending. 'You know, what else needs to happen is, we need an accounting of every single tax dollar that's been spent over there. Because remember, right now we have zero because Congress never would vote for an audit of the money and the White House, the Biden White House never would do one,' Hawley said during an appearance on Fox News's 'The Ingraham Angle' last week. 'We need to know exactly how this money has been spent all these years. And if you think [the U.S. Agency for International Development] is a corrupt thing, just wait till we see how our money has been spent,' he continued at the time. 'We need to know it. And I'm glad the president is going to bring this to a close.' The comment comes as President Trump and his Department of Government Agency has seemingly launched efforts to dismantle USAID, attempting to put thousands on federal leave and naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting leader. The move has sparked backlash, as did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments last week, when he effectively ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance. The Pentagon leader later walked back the claim, clarifying that the president would oversee negotiations where 'everything is on the table.' On Tuesday, Rubio and other Trump officials met with key Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia to discuss an end to the war and revitalizing the relationship between Washington and Moscow — raising concerns across Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials from Kyiv were notably not in attendance and have denounced any moves without their cooperation. Nearly three years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine and bloody battles have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands. Trump promised to end the conflict while on the campaign trail and has outlined a six-month timeline for peace after returning to the Oval Office. Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon in Saudi Arabia.
