Rep. Dan Meuser and Rep. Gil Cisneros or their family members reported buying SpaceX shares soon after the company’s record IPO, prompting scrutiny over disclosure transparency and potential conflicts tied to their committee roles.
Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., appear to be the first known members of Congress to disclose that they or their family members bought SpaceX stock after the company’s June 12 initial public offering. House financial filings show Meuser disclosed that his dependent child purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 of SpaceX stock on June 15, while Cisneros disclosed a June 18 purchase of between $1,001 and $15,000. The purchases have drawn attention because Meuser serves on the House Financial Services Committee, which handles securities and exchanges, and Cisneros serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Defense Department, a major SpaceX customer. There is no evidence either lawmaker traded on nonpublic information or violated the law, but the disclosures have revived broader concerns about whether existing reporting rules give voters enough transparency into potential conflicts of interest when lawmakers own or trade individual stocks. Cisneros told CNBC that he does not personally manage his portfolio and that he and his wife use outside financial advisors with a fiduciary responsibility to maintain a diverse portfolio. The STOCK Act requires lawmakers to disclose transactions by themselves, spouses and dependent children. The filings may be an early sign that more congressional SpaceX trades will surface in coming weeks.