{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-gabe-vasquez-statement-against-insider-trading-loopholes-members-congress", "Rep. Gabe Vasquez Statement Against Insider Trading Loopholes for Members of Congress and the Republican Attack on American Citizens\u2019 Right to Vote", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Gabe Vasquez", "V000136", "vasquez.house.gov", "vasquez", "https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 On July 22, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) released the following statement on H.R. 7008, a MAGA-led bill that would allow members of Congress to keep the stocks they own and continue to profit off of their positions of power. The bill \u2014 which received bipartisan opposition \u2014 aims to impose excessive and unworkable voter identification requirements just weeks before the 2026 general election, sowing chaos and exposing voters to privacy risks by requiring them to mail photocopies of their personally identifiable information (such as a driver\u2019s license or Social Security information) if they wish to exercise their right to vote by mail.\n\n\u201cI support banning members of Congress from trading all stocks and profiting off their positions of power, and I support commonsense voter ID requirements to keep our elections secure. Unfortunately, this MAGA-led bill, H.R. 7008, does neither,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cUnder this bill, rich members of Congress are permitted to keep their existing stocks, buy new ones, and continue using their power to get richer through insider trading. I support the Restore Trust in Congress Act and the TRUST in Congress Act, comprehensive bills that truly tackle the corruption problem in D.C. rather than this partisan show-vote that does nothing to actually hold politicians accountable. \u201d\n\nThe loopholes baked into H.R. 7008 allow members of Congress to continue to use their power to amass wealth. Under the bill:\n\nMembers would be able to keep stocks they currently own.\n\nMembers would be permitted to buy new privately traded stocks.\n\nMembers could continue to profit off of financial vehicles like cryptocurrency.\n\nIt also does not impose any anti-corruption restrictions on the executive branch.\n\nNew voting requirements and concerns under H.R. 7008 include:\n\nA new photo ID requirement for individuals voting in-person in federal elections, eroding voting rights for American citizens who do not have driver\u2019s licenses or passports, as well as those who rely on Tribal IDs that lack expiration dates and photos\n\nNew privacy concerns, as Americans who want to exercise their right to vote by mail must now comply with one of three options: 1) mailing a photocopy of their driver\u2019s license or passport alongside their ballot, 2) mailing their Social Security information and a signed affidavit alongside their ballot, or 3) mailing a notarized attestation alongside their ballot \u2014 all of which impose new red tape and put personally-identifiable information at risk\n\n\u201cThe Native American Rights Fund opposes imposing new voting requirements shortly before an election, especially while Native Americans nationwide still lack equal voter services. This bill is flawed in several ways, including its arbitrary requirement that Tribal IDs include expiration dates,\u201d said the Native American Rights Fund. \u201cObviously, Native American Tribal membership does not expire, so Tribal IDs often do not include expiration dates. Instead of creating new barriers for Native voters, we urge Congress to address the urgent need for basic voting services in Indian Country.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongress should pass a clean bill to ban insider trading\u2014not use it as a vehicle to add a national voter ID mandate. These are separate issues that deserve separate votes. Tell your Representative to vote NO on this package and demand a clean insider trading bill,\u201d said Keaton Sunchild, Federal Director of Government and Political Relations of Western Native Voice.\n\nRep. Vasquez supports reasonable, nationwide standards for voter ID that don\u2019t sacrifice American rights and privacy, such as the Freedom to Vote Act. He is a cosponsor of the Restore Trust in Congress Act and the TRUST in Congress Act \u2014 two comprehensive, bipartisan bills to crack down on corruption and insider trading by D.C. politicians.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-gabe-vasquez-statement-against-insider-trading-loopholes-members-congress"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6416460275650024, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}