Retail investors love to watch what members of Congress are buying and selling. It's a bit like peeking at someone else's shopping cart, except the shopper sits on committees that can move markets. One member worth a look right now: Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), whose recent trades include bets tied to Elon Musk and Warren Buffett.

Congresswoman Bets on Musk & Buffett

Salazar recently disclosed multiple stock transactions from August, as reported by the MarketDash Government Trades page. The trades included multiple sales of stocks like IBM and Qualcomm, plus several buys.

Salazar disclosed buying $1,000 to $15,000 in Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ: SPCX) on two different occasions on Aug. 12.

Unlike some members of Congress who bought SpaceX stock around the time of the IPO, Salazar may have timed her trades better. Shares of the space company traded between $134.01 and $149.60 on Aug. 12 and are trading at $148.18 now. The purchase could show a belief in CEO Musk and his future space visions for the Moon and Mars.

Along with betting on Musk, Salazar is also betting on the success of stocks picked by Buffett. She disclosed buying Berkshire Hathaway B (NYSE: BRK) shares on Aug. 7, a purchase of $1,000 to $15,000. That follows her July buys of Berkshire stock in increments of $1,000 to $15,000 and $15,000 to $50,000.

While Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, many of the top holdings, and even recent bets on Alphabet, are picks made by Buffett himself. The congresswoman could be betting on the continued success of Buffett's old picks and/or the new picks of new CEO Greg Abel.

Outside of betting on Musk and Abel, the other trades that stand out are buying shares of Merck & Co. Inc (NYSE: MRK) and Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA).

Shares of Merck and Moderna were both purchased on Aug. 19, the day Moderna shared news of the successful Phase 3 melanoma cancer vaccine that uses Merck's Keytruda. Moderna stock was highly volatile that day, trading in a range of $114.46 to $176.66.

Salazar bought Moderna stock on Aug. 19 and also sold shares on the same day, according to the disclosure. The Merck shares have not been sold.

Salazar's Trading History

The congresswoman has made over 120 trades since 2022, totaling $8.67 million, according to data from Quiver Quantitative.

Salazar made zero transactions in 2025, according to Quiver Quantitative, which came after trading more than $2.3 million in 2024. She is already over $1.55 million in trades for 2026, with $1.33 million in purchases and $218,000 in sales.

Salazar currently sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Financial Services Committee. She also serves on subcommittees for housing, capital markets and national security. Those committee assignments could put her stock purchases, like some made previously, under more attention from retail investors.