From Capitol Hill to Cash Hill: Gilbert Cisneros’s Defense Stock Bets Spark Controversy
Is Congressman Cisneros Cashing In on Defense Stocks or Just Playing the Market?

When a politician’s stock picks start mirroring a Pentagon procurement list, heads turn. U.S. Representative Gilbert Cisneros (D-CA31), a House Armed Services Committee member, has tongues wagging with defense stock trades disclosed on June 6, 2025. His savvy buys of Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX), and Boeing (NYSE: BA), paired with a Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) sell-off, have some whispering “insider trading” while others see a congressman riding the defense sector’s hot streak. Let’s unpack this with hard facts, a sprinkle of sass, and no tinfoil hats—yet.
The Trades: A Defense Sector Blitz
Financial disclosures from Quiver Quantitative reveal Cisneros went shopping on May 30, 2025, snapping up shares in Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, and Boeing, each trade valued between $1,001 and $15,000. On the same day, he dumped his Lockheed Martin holdings. Reported on June 6, 2025, these moves meet the STOCK Act’s 45-day disclosure rule, but their focus on defense—where Cisneros’s committee wields influence—has raised eyebrows.
Why the fuss? Defense stocks are sizzling, thanks to a $923.3 billion defense budget in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and global tensions like the Russia-Ukraine war. With Cisneros helping shape Pentagon policy, his trades look like a chef betting on their own recipe.
