DCCC Targets Bresnahan Over Stock Trading: ‘Only Cares About His Bottom Line

Freshman Representative Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) is under growing scrutiny from Democrats for his ongoing stock trading activity, reigniting the larger debate over whether members of Congress should be allowed to invest in individual stocks.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has taken aim at Bresnahan after he recently dismissed the idea of asking his financial advisors to pause trading. Speaking with WVIA News, Bresnahan questioned, “And then do what with it? Just leave it all in the accounts and just leave it there and lose money and go broke?”

The comment drew immediate backlash. DCCC spokesperson Eli Cousin responded harshly, accusing Bresnahan of hypocrisy. “Multi-millionaire Rob Bresnahan is full of s***,” Cousin said. “He campaigned on a promise to ban congressional stock trading, but is now saying that he must continue his prolific trading in order to prevent himself from going broke. He doesn’t care about his constituents – he only cares about his bottom line.”

Although Bresnahan has co-sponsored legislation aimed at banning stock trading by lawmakers, his continued investment activity has raised questions. Since assuming office earlier this year, he has faced steady criticism for his financial dealings. In the week spanning April 2 to April 8, during the onset and pause of former President Trump’s proposed “reciprocal” tariffs, Bresnahan’s portfolio saw at least 180 trades, according to data from InsiderFinance. Over the past six months, Capitol Trades reports more than 500 trades linked to the Pennsylvania congressman.

Despite the mounting scrutiny, Bresnahan maintains that he is not personally involved in managing his investments. “He does not trade his own stocks and is unaware of what is traded or when,” said Hannah Pope, his communications director. She added that Bresnahan, a former small business owner, has no intention of making a lifelong career in Congress and emphasized his commitment to restoring trust through his legislative efforts.

“Rep. Bresnahan believes Members of Congress should not be allowed to profit off the information they are entrusted with,” Pope noted, pointing to the bill he introduced that would prohibit congressional stock trading.

Though Bresnahan had considered placing his holdings into a blind trust, he says the process has proven complex due to ethics rules. He also claims that such an arrangement would prevent him from giving clear instructions to avoid investments in controversial areas, such as foreign companies.

Instead, Bresnahan recently notified the House Ethics Committee of two specific restrictions he has placed on his financial advisors. These include a ban on investing in companies based in or owned by adversarial foreign nations, as well as a prohibition on using any funds, like mutual or exchange-traded funds, that carry significant foreign exposure. Additionally, his new guidelines forbid any trades that involve short-selling or betting against U.S. companies.

Calls for a wider ban on congressional stock trading continue to intensify. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has stated her intention to introduce a discharge petition to force a House vote on the issue, signaling that the debate is far from over.