These 4 senators brought 'AI-related stock' — while 'considering' industry regulation
U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) leaves the Senate floor as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
In May, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate examined the future of artificial intelligence (AI) regulation in the United States. And according to Citizens United for Ethics in Washington (CREW), four of them or members of their family purchased stock "in major AI-related companies: Google, Nvidia, Meta and Amazon" during that period.
The senators, CREW's Linnaea Honl-Stuenkel reports in an article published on July 8, were Shelly Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas) and John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).
Three of them, Honl-Stuenkel notes, are members of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
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"Senators Capito, Moran, Fetterman and Boozman all reported purchases, either personally or by their spouse or dependent child, of Google stock in May," according to the CREW reporter. "Boozman also reported purchasing Nvidia, Meta and Amazon stock."
Honl-Stuenkel adds, "During that time, the Senate was considering the future of AI regulation across the country, including passing a 10-year moratorium on AI regulations that would ban any state laws on the technology. Big Tech companies with AI ventures, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta, reportedly lobbied for the moratorium."
Although the senators' purchases "were not huge," according to Honl-Stuenkel, the "timing raises questions, especially for those senators who purchased stock the same day their committee heard from industry leaders."
"Only a comprehensive ban on congressional stock trading could fully put these types of concerns to rest," Honl-Stuenkel observes.
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Read the full CREW report at this link.
