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This Week's Featured News Members of Congress Bought These 5 Stocks—Should You?Author: Chris Markoch. Article Published: 3/18/2026. 
Key Points - Congressional disclosures highlighted five stocks recently traded by lawmakers, including BigBear.ai, Eli Lilly, and Broadcom.
- AI, defense, semiconductors, and GLP-1 healthcare trends appear across several trades, pointing to sectors with strong growth narratives.
- While disclosures lag by up to 45 days, tracking congressional trades can provide useful watchlist ideas for individual investors.
- Special Report: Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have recently proposed banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks while in office. That push dates back to the STOCK Act of 2012, which was intended to address the issue by requiring politicians to publicly disclose trades within 45 days of a transaction. Critics say that law doesn't go far enough. More recent proposals, including the ETHICS Act and the TRUST in Congress Act, would go further and prohibit active stock trading by members altogether. Congress moves slowly, so until — and unless — those bills become law, the 45-day disclosure window remains one of the few tools everyday investors have to see where elected officials are putting their own money. A scan of the most recent 90 days of filings turned up five stocks worth watching, from a small-cap AI defense play to a large-cap semiconductor giant at the center of the AI infrastructure boom. BigBear.ai: A Small-Cap AI Defense Play Getting Repeat Attention Representative Lisa McClain of Michigan made two separate purchases of BigBear.ai (NYSE: BBAI) in February — first on the 4th and again on the 6th. Combined, the purchases were valued between $16,000 and $65,000. BigBear.ai is a small-cap decision-intelligence company that derives a significant portion of its revenue from U.S. government contracts in defense and national security. McClain is not a first-time buyer. In August 2024 she reportedly became the first politician to disclose owning BBAI; her repeat purchases suggest this is more than a one-off. Her seat on the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security is worth noting as context. Cracker Barrel: A Quick Trade From a Top Congressional Performer Representative Tim Moore of North Carolina was named the top-performing member of Congress for stock trades in 2025, with a reported 52% gain. Notably, he was active in Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ: CBRL) around the turn of the year. Moore purchased CBRL on Dec. 31, then sold a larger position just days later on Jan. 5, appearing to lock in a quick profit on a beaten-down restaurant stock. The buy was in the $15,000–$50,000 range; the sale was $50,000–$100,000. It looks more like a tactical short-term trade than a conviction hold, but when a member who significantly outperformed the S&P 500 makes a move, even a brief one, it tends to draw attention. Simply Good Foods: A Double Buy on a Beaten-Down Nutrition Stock Simply Good Foods (NASDAQ: SMPL) is a more intriguing purchase by Moore. He made two buys in February — on the 3rd and again on the 11th — each valued between $15,000 and $50,000. According to Quiver Quantitative data, Moore is reportedly the first member of Congress to buy SMPL stock in recent years. Simply Good Foods, the company behind Atkins and Quest nutrition products, has seen its stock fall roughly 53% over the past year. Moore appears to be buying into weakness with a double purchase in a brand-new position. There is also a potential macro tailwind: as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs push more consumers toward high-protein, low-carb nutrition, consumer staples names like Simply Good Foods could benefit from that behavioral shift. Eli Lilly: GLP-1 Momentum and an Upcoming Obesity Drug Catalyst Representative David Taylor of Ohio purchased Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) on Feb. 26. The trade wasn't disclosed until March 6. That timing coincided with Lilly's CFO publicly confirming the company is on track to launch its oral obesity drug, orforglipron, in the second quarter of 2025, pending FDA approval. To be fair, orforglipron has been in the public conversation for months, and the disclosure timeline is standard under the STOCK Act. Still, the sequence of events is the sort of thing that draws attention. The fundamental case for LLY is substantial: it holds roughly 60% of the U.S. GLP-1 market and reportedly has $1.5 billion in pre-launch inventory ready to ship within a week of FDA approval. Additionally, Medicare coverage of the oral pill could begin as early as April at about $50 per month for eligible patients. Broadcom: Multiple Congressional Buys in a Leading AI Chip Stock Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) stands out because the buying wasn't concentrated in a single member — three separate members of Congress purchased AVGO in the past 90 days. Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. made purchases in October, November and December. Senator Shelley Moore Capito bought shares in early February. And David Taylor, the same Ohio congressman who bought Eli Lilly, added Broadcom on Jan. 29. Broadcom reported AI revenue of $12 billion for fiscal year 2025, a 74% year-over-year increase, and guided for $10.7 billion in AI revenue in Q1 2026 alone. The company is also a significant federal government contractor, which means congressional members may have more than just Wall Street research informing their view of its prospects. Congressional Trades Are a Clue, Not a Trading Signal Investors should remember that congressional trade disclosures are a data point, not a trading signal. By the time a disclosure is public, the trade is already up to 45 days old and the thesis may already be priced in. Correlation between a congressional role and a stock purchase does not imply anything improper. That said, watching where informed, well-connected investors put their own money — especially when multiple members converge on the same name — can be a reasonable part of any investor's research process. These five stocks may be worth adding to a watchlist, but independent research should be completed before taking any action. | 
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