(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A recent analyst downgrade that sent stock Stratasys tumbling did not deter Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., from buying the dip on the Israeli 3-D printing manufacturer.
Given the Florida lawmaker’s role as ranking member of the military construction subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, that left some stock watchers, such as X’s Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker, wondering if a major defense contract might not be in the works.
New Notable Trade Alert ✍️
Debbie Schultz (D) filed a new buy Stratasys $SSYS
Stratasys specializes in 3D printing manufacturing
Why is this notable?
1. Debbie Schultz has a history of picking winners
2. $SSYS has a market cap of only $800M
3. $SSYS has a history of working… pic.twitter.com/UitqdVgl4Y— Nancy Pelosi Stock Tracker ♟ (@PelosiTracker_) August 19, 2025
Wasserman Schultz—the former Democratic National Committee chair who was forced to resign in disgrace following a 2016 leak of emails showed the DNC stacking the deck for Hillary Clinton—may not yet be as notorious as “Speaker Emerita” Nancy Pelosi when it comes to insider trading, but she is fast gaining ground.
Her February purchase of New Gold Inc., which netted her a 313% return in five months, was the latest example of her shrewd investing strategy, far outperforming the S&P 500’s 22% return rate during the same span.
She likewise has seen strong yields on some of last year’s purchases, including Hecla Mining and Patterson-UTI Energy.
In fact, many of Wasserman Schultz’s trades relate to mining and energy—sectors for which she also has a hand in regulation and policymaking while sitting on committees like the House Natural Resources Committee.
In 2021, under the Biden administration, Stratasys was awarded a $20 million contract to supply the U.S. Navy with up to 25 F900 3D printers.
The emerging technology promised to help the Navy shorten supply chains and improve repair capabilities, “cost-effectively extending the life of strategic and tactical assets like aircraft while ensuring sustainment activities can happen quickly and from virtually anywhere,” said Mark Menninger, director of Stratasys’s U.S. Government Business division.
“This contract, the largest government project for Stratasys to-date, continues to expand the presence of industrial 3D printing from Stratasys across the U.S. government,” Menninger added.
However, a lackluster earnings report compelled several stock evaluators to downgrade their bullish attitudes toward the company in August.
With its stock valuation falling below $10 a share, Wasserman Schultz quickly swooped in to snatch it up.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been slammed for their suspicious stock trades and above-average returns. The only House member to outperform Wasserman Schultz in 2024 was Rep. David Rouzer, R-NC.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., led the charge on Congress’s most recent effort to ban insider trading with a July bill, the PELOSI Act, that also covers future presidential administrations, drawing criticism from current President Donald Trump.
While Trump tentatively expressed support in principle for a ban on insider trading, the fate of Hawley’s bill remains uncertain as it awaits clearance by the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Even fiscal hawk Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., noted that it was “poorly written” and could disincentivize successful business leaders from running for office.
“I think it’s a sort of heavy-handed, not very thoughtful approach,” Paul said, according to Fox Business.
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
