Congresswoman Young Kim says she introduced a resolution last week that would bar members of Congress from directing federal earmarks to projects that increase their personal net worth, including through indirect financial benefits.
Under current House rules, members requesting Community Project Funding, or earmarks, must certify they have no direct financial conflicts, Kim writes. She says her resolution would also cover indirect benefits, citing hypothetical cases such as funding a nonprofit where a spouse sits on the board or a park near a property the member owns.
Kim says the Stop Insider Trading Act passed the House in July. She also supports the Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would ban members from trading individual stocks, and says she has cosponsored two bills aimed at stripping taxpayer-funded pensions from politicians who violate public trust.
