# The TRUST in Congress Act: What It Actually Does

This bill requires members of Congress and their immediate families to put most of their investments into blind trusts. A blind trust is a legal arrangement where an independent trustee manages your investments without telling you what they're buying or selling. The idea is that if lawmakers don't know what stocks or other investments they own, they can't make decisions in Congress that would personally benefit them.

The rule would apply to current members of Congress within 90 days of the law passing, and to any new members within 90 days of taking office. It also covers their spouses and dependent children. The types of investments covered include stocks, commodities, and complex financial instruments like derivatives—basically anything that could create a conflict of interest. However, the rule has some exceptions: Treasury bonds are excluded, widely held mutual funds are excluded, and if a spouse or child actually works in a company and gets paid through stock ownership, they don't have to put that in a blind trust.

Once a member leaves Congress, they have to keep their investments locked in the blind trust for another 180 days before they can access them again. Members would have to certify to their chamber (the House Clerk or Senate Secretary) that they've either set up a blind trust with their investments or that they don't own any covered investments. These certifications would be made public on the House and Senate websites so voters can see who complied.

The practical effect is that this bill aims to reduce the appearance and reality of lawmakers trading on inside information or voting based on their personal financial interests. Critics might argue it's burdensome for members and their families, while supporters see it as a necessary step to restore public trust in Congress.

TRUST in Congress Act

Spanberger, Abigail Davis

Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust in Congress Act or the TRUST in Congress Act This bill requires a Member of Congress, as well as any spouse or dependent child of a Member, to place specified investments into a qualified blind trust (i.e., an arrangement in which certain financial holdings are placed in someone else's control to avoid a possible conflict of interest) until 180 days after the end of their tenure as a Member of Congress.