Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Members of Congress should not be allowed to own individual stock’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted Friday that members of Congress should not be allowed to own individual stock following reports that multiple senators had sold off hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stocks before Wall Street collapsed amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

“We are here to serve the public, not to profiteer. It’s shocking that it’s even been allowed up to this point,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Members of Congress should not be allowed to own individual stock.

We are here to serve the public, not to profiteer. It’s shocking that it’s even been allowed up to this point.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 20, 2020

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) reportedly offloaded more than $1.5 million worth of stock after a Senate briefing on the potential economic impact of the virus. After multiple calls for an investigation into his actions, he called for one himself Friday. 

According to financial disclosures, Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in stocks within days of the Senate holding a classified briefing on Jan. 24 with administration officials on the coronavirus outbreak.

Inhofe and Feinstein later said that they were not present at the briefing. Loeffler defended her actions, saying that her investment decisions are made by third-party advisers.