**House Passes Stock-Trading Limits and Record Defense Bill; Omar Among Opponents**
WASHINGTON — The House approved two major pieces of legislation Wednesday that Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar opposed, advancing restrictions on congressional stock trading and a record Pentagon spending measure.
The Stop Insider Trading Act passed 232-198, with 13 Democrats joining Republicans in support. The bill would allow members of Congress and their immediate family members to keep individual stocks they already own and sell them over time. It would require lawmakers to publicly disclose plans to sell holdings between seven and 14 days before completing a transaction and establish penalties of $2,000 or 10% of the transaction value, whichever is greater, for disclosure and trading violations.
House Republicans attached the measure to provisions requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls, a priority for President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections. The combined package is widely expected to stall in the Senate, where Republican leaders have shown little interest in advancing the stock-trading restrictions.
Some lawmakers in both chambers have argued the legislation does not go far enough to address potential conflicts of interest between members’ official duties and their personal financial holdings. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has worked on congressional stock-trading bans for years, said he would have preferred a standalone vote on the trading provisions but still supported the bill. “This is a giant step forward,” Roy said on the House floor. “I wish my colleagues on this side of the aisle and my colleagues on this side of the aisle would recognize that and praise it.”
Separately, the House narrowly approved its version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act by a 216-212 vote, with three members not voting. A total of 209 Republicans supported the measure while 205 Democrats opposed it; seven Republicans and six Democrats broke with their parties. Omar was among the opponents.
The bill authorizes a record $1.15 trillion for the Pentagon, up from the $900.6 billion approved last year, amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the conflict with Iran. Critics argued Congress should not continue allocating substantial funding for the Iran-related efforts while the national debt grows.
Among its provisions, the legislation would officially rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. It also includes a 5% to 7% pay raise for service members, expands the active-duty force, and requires nine Southern military bases to revert to names that replace those adopted in 2023 after installations were renamed to remove Confederate references.
During floor debate, lawmakers from both parties traded blame for the nation’s security challenges. House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, accused Democrats of obstruction. “The Democrats have gone on time and time again with this unprecedented obstruction,” Arrington said. “Recently, they blocked the National Defense Authorization Act to protest President Trump and our troops’ efforts to stop this radical terrorist regime from having nuclear weapons,” he added, referring to Senate Democrats’ blockage of that chamber’s version of the 2027 NDAA last week.
Supporters emphasized the need to strengthen national defense at home and abroad. The two measures now head to the Senate, where their prospects remain uncertain.
