Lawmaker Sells Medicaid Stock Before Budget Vote

Republican Congressman Robert Bresnahan of Pennsylvania is under fire for selling shares in Centene Corporation, a major Medicaid-focused healthcare provider, shortly before voting for a budget bill that enacts over $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and CHIP over the next decade. The sale occurred just before Centene's stock dropped by 40-43%, leading to accusations of insider trading and conflict of interest since Bresnahan has not established a qualified blind trust. Prominent Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Maxwell Frost, condemned his actions as unethical and warned the bill could strip healthcare from up to 17 million Americans. Quiver Quantitative, which tracks political stock trades, publicized the timing of the sale as part of a broader pattern of lawmakers leveraging insider knowledge. The controversy has intensified calls to ban congressional stock trading, with critics highlighting it as symptomatic of corruption in Washington. Trump's budget, praised by some Republicans, narrowly passed the House and continues to face criticism for its deep healthcare cuts.