Senator Sessions’ confirmation hearing today to be President-elect Trump’s Attorney General only strengthened the doubts I have about his nomination. As our nation’s top law enforcement officer, Mr. Sessions would be responsible for protecting the rights of all Americans, including women and minorities. If past is prologue, his voting record suggests he would not live up to this responsibility. Not only has Senator Sessions consistently opposed women’s reproductive rights, he... also voted against the Violence Against Women Act three times. I’m proud to be an original author of this landmark legislation, which has reduced the rate of domestic violence by 67% since 1994. It is unconscionable to me that any member of Congress would vote against protecting sexual assault survivors once, let alone three times. I’m also especially disappointed that in the hearing today, Senator Sessions refused to say whether he would hire a special prosecutor if the President-elect or his family violates insider trading laws like the STOCK Act, a law I also wrote to hold federal officials accountable. As a member of the House of Representatives, I don’t vote on cabinet nominations but I feel strongly that we should #StopSessions!

I wrote the STOCK Act, one of the most important ethics bills in a generation, to ban insider trading by federal officials after reports surfaced that individuals in congressional offices had abused the public trust. It is because of the disclosure requirements in this law that questionable stock trades by President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Congressman Tom Price, have recently come to light. Reports have indicated that Congres...sman Price made hundreds of stock trades since the STOCK Act was enacted, including stocks of 40 different companies in the health care sector. This is especially concerning since Congressman Price was privy to information not available to the public in his role as chairman of House Budget Committee and a member of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health. Today, I am asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an investigation and resolve this matter as quickly as possible. I don’t take this step lightly, especially since this involves a fellow member of the House of Representatives. But we must ensure that all federal officials uphold our sacred trust with the people we represent.