Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, has purchased several Treasury notes, according to her recent financial disclosures this year.
While members of Congress have frequently made investments in the stock market, buying Treasury notes is a different way to make investments and could reflect reduced confidence in the stock market, according to experts.
Why It Matters
Congressional stock trading has often been scrutinized and drawn backlash from Americans and lawmakers alike, with former President Joe Biden calling for an outright ban of the practice.
“I think we should be changing the law…at the federal level [so] that nobody in the Congress should be able to make money in the stock market while they’re in the Congress,” Biden said in December.
What To Know
Greene, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump who has often focuses on gun rights and abortion restrictions, among other conservative priorities, purchased a number of Treasury notes in the last year.
A recent transaction was disclosed for between $100,001 to $250,000 in January. Greene also purchased between $50,000 to $100,000 in a different Treasury bill a few weeks later.
In 2024, Greene also prioritized Treasury bill investments, buying between $250,000 and $500,000 in the Treasury in April.
Newsweek reached out to Greene for comment via email.
Compared to the stock market, Treasury bills offer low risk and steady returns. Greene is adding on these types of investments to her larger stock portfolio, which include holdings in companies like Tesla and Amazon.
Bond yields tell “a story of serious economic uncertainty,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com told Newsweek.
“Investors are basically putting their money in Treasuries like they’re buying economic insurance,” he added.”
The stock market experienced what some called a ‘Trump bump,’ between Election Day 2024 and the president’s inauguration Inauguration Day with the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing more than 1,800 points in that time and the S&P 500 Index gaining more than 250 points in that time. However, the stock market today is showing signs of turbulence, with top stocks like Tesla declining by roughly $415 to $277 per share since Trump took office.
While members of Congress are required to disclose their financial transactions, around half are estimated to be millionaires. Some of their portfolios are currently outperforming the stock market, causing controversy and leading to several lawmakers proposing legislation that would ban Congress members, their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading stocks.
In July 2024, Senators Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican; Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat; Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, and Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat; passed bipartisan legislation out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) to ban stock ownership and trading for sitting members of Congress, but it has yet to advance further.
What People Are Saying
Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: “”Trump bump? More like a Trump slump, right? The Treasury market is basically sending up red flags. Wall Street’s looking nervous, and those bond yields are telling a story of serious economic uncertainty.”
“Investors are basically putting their money in Treasuries like they’re buying economic insurance. It’s less about making bank and more about protecting themselves from potential financial turbulence. The stock market’s initial excitement? Poof. Gone faster than free samples at Costco. So yeah, that ‘bump’ people were hoping for? Looks like it might just be a speed bump instead.”
Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group, told Newsweek: “People traditionally buy Treasury bills and notes because they’re looking for a safe haven or something that can reduce or even remove the risk of loss. That usually means they’re pulling money from riskier assets like stocks and reallocating it to something more stable.”
“I don’t think it signals much, however, as we all know, these politicians have inside knowledge to the goings on within legislation and could possibly front run certain aspects. Although the Stock Act was issued to reduce and make financial disclosures, they definitely still have the upper hand in regard to information and disclosure.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Typically, individual investors who lean more into Treasury notes as an investment vehicle are doing so out of uncertainty with the broader market and choosing them as a safer option. Members of Congress favoring this less risky investment could signal there are representatives who have genuine concerns that the economic policies of this administration are going to produce more growth for publicly traded businesses. Whether or not it’s a short-term concern or a long-term one, though, remains to be seen. It’s too early to say if the ‘Trump bump’ is completely dissipating or just taking a breather.”
What Happens Next
Insider trading and conflicts of interest concerns have lingered for years around the high number of Congress members involved in stock purchases. Whether additional legislation to address these concerns is passed remains to be seen, despite the issue seeming to have bipartisan support.
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