If We Want People To Trust Us Again, We Have To Clean Up Our Own Act
Colin Allred
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years talking to working people – in Dallas, across Texas, and all over this country. And whether I’m in a church, a union hall, or a small business, I hear some version of the same thing over and over again: The system feels rigged. People don’t believe Washington is working for them. They believe it’s working for people with power, access, and inside connections. And frankly, on this issue, they’re not wrong. One of the clearest examples is stock trading in Congress. Members of Congress get access to information most Americans don’t. They sit in classified briefings. They serve on committees that oversee entire industries. They hear rumors, policy changes, and market-moving warnings before the public ever does. And then – far too often – some members turn around and actively trade stocks. That’s not just bad optics. It’s wrong. I don’t care whether it’s technically legal under some outdated rulebook. When you take an oath to serve the American people, that oath should mean you put the public interest entrusted to you ahead of your own financial interests. You should not be using inside information – whether it comes from a committee hearing or hallway gossip – to pad your personal portfolio. Period. Working people don’t get to trade on insider knowledge. They don’t get advance notice when prices are about to spike or crash. They’re just trying to stretch a paycheck, save for retirement, and keep up with rising costs. And every time a member of Congress makes a well-timed trade – including in companies driving up the cost of living – it reinforces the belief that there are two sets of rules in this country: one for people in power and one for everyone else. When I served in Congress, I never traded a single stock. Not once. Not because someone forced me to – but because I believed it would be unethical to do so. That shouldn’t be remarkable. That should be the baseline. Here’s the part Democrats need to hear clearly: If we want to win back trust, we can’t just point at Trump and the Republicans and say, “Look how corrupt they are.” Voters already know that. What they want to know is whether we are willing to hold ourselves to a higher standard. I believe we have to be. That’s why I support a full ban on stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependents – without loopholes, without games, and without excuses. Not half-measures. A real ban, with real enforcement and real consequences. Public service should mean serving the public – not playing the market on the side. And yes, that means accountability. If someone breaks the rules, there should be penalties with teeth. Ethics laws that don’t get enforced are just press releases. If we’re serious about restoring trust, then no one – Democrat or Republican, from the President to Congress – should be above the law. I know this conversation makes some people in Washington uncomfortable. That tells you everything you need to know about why it matters. Because the truth is simple: We cannot ask working people to believe in democracy if they think democracy is being used against them. We cannot say we’re fighting corruption while tolerating it in our own ranks. And we cannot rebuild faith in government unless we’re willing to clean up our own act first. This isn’t about politics. It’s about basic fairness. And if we want to earn people’s trust again, we need to start acting like it. Paid for by Allred for Texas
© 2025 Colin Allred
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