The House voted quietly Thursday to include in its defense authorization bill tighter restrictions on top Defense Department officials owning stocks in major defense contractors.
The proposal to address potential conflicts of interest among Pentagon leaders comes despite the fact that Congress has yet to set statutory limits on its own stock ownership or that of the Supreme Court — changes that many on Capitol Hill and beyond say are past due.
At the Pentagon, current law bars Senate-confirmed officials or those serving in certain top defense acquisition posts from owning publicly traded stock in companies that were among the top 10 Pentagon contractors by revenue in any of the five previous fiscal years.
