There’s a growing push in Congress to limit lawmakers’ ability to

Congress often talks tough about reining in Wall Street. But now there’s growing pressure on Capitol Hill to curb lawmakers’ own trading. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who has emerged as a leading voice on the issue, plans to introduce legislation by the end of the week that would require members of Congress – along with their spouses and dependents – to put their assets in a blind trust. But he’s not alone. There’s some bipartisan support in Congress for limiting members’ trading activity.

The push comes after several lawmakers generated controversy over financial transactions conducted as Covid-19 was sweeping the country, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether stock sales made by GOP Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina just before the lockdowns began in 2020 amounted to insider trading. The Justice Department dropped its probes into Burr, Feinstein and Inhofe.

According to Capitol Trades, which tracks lawmakers’ disclosures, members of Congress and their immediate family bought and sold $515 million in stocks and other assets over the past year. Analysis by Capitol Trades showed the most active sectors were tech, energy, telecom and media. Lawmakers with the most activity included Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Scott Franklin, R-Fla.

Many of Gottheimer’s holdings were listed as joint assets. He told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday that lawmakers shouldn’t ben directly involved in trading stocks. A spokeswoman for Khanna said the stocks belong to his wife, and he does not own or trade individual assets. Franklin’s trades also include some joint transactions.

Ossoff’s bill would carry penalties for lawmakers who don’t comply with the rules. A person familiar with the proposal said Ossoff is seeking a GOP senator to co-sponsor the bill.

“I’m an advocate for banning stock trading by members of Congress who make policy, who have access to information and economic forecasting,” Ossoff said Tuesday during a Senate hearing. 

Ossoff, who formerly ran a documentary film studio, has estimated his net worth to be several million dollars. In March, he put his own assets into a blind trust, fulfilling a 2020 campaign promise made amid accusations that Georgia’s then-senators, Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, profiteered from the pandemic. Ossoff defeated Perdue in their election, while fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock unseated Loeffler, whose husband is chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. Perdue and Loeffler denied wrongdoing, and the DOJ dropped a probe of Loeffler’s activity.

Democratic…