Senate unanimously bans members and staff from trading on Kalshi and Polymarket
The US Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution on Thursday, April 30, prohibiting incumbent senators, congressional staff, and officers from trading on prediction markets. The ban specifically covers CFTC-regulated platforms including Kalshi and Polymarket, and restricts participation entirely rather than limiting it to contracts related to official duties. The measure, introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), passed without dissent and was not previously publicized, according to multiple reports. The resolution reflects Capitol Hill concern that lawmakers with access to non-public information could gain unfair trading advantages on event contracts tied to political, economic, and other outcomes. A parallel resolution is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives.
Kalshi and Polymarket must now decide whether to voluntarily build congressional-account exclusion systems before the House votes, or risk facing platform-level enforcement if bipartisan momentum produces binding legislation with KYC mandates.
Becomes the fourth major congressional action this month restricting lawmakers' access to prediction markets, alongside the PREDICT Act, the Prediction Market Act, and Hinson's proposed House rules ban, as both chambers race to formalize insider-trading guardrails before November trading volume spikes.