TOP 40 RICHEST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WORTH $1.54 BILLION

By Howard Nema

Now that another mid term election is behind us and the Republicans have seized both the House and Senate, lets take a look at the wealth of our representatives, history and the widening gap between the have and have nots and determine if our elected officials are really doing the work of We the People, or if they are simply padding their own pockets at the detriment of America.

History proves that for the last 50 years both political parties have contributed to the socio-economic conditions America faces today.

The “Great Society” social welfare programs, the government take over of education, NAFTA, GATT, trade imbalances, outsourcing of jobs overseas, corporate welfare have all been courtesy of Congress and every president since Lyndon Johnson.    

To put all of this into perspective, the combined net worth of the United  States Congress is a whopping $1.54 billion.

And you wonder what is wrong with Our country.

(Courtesy of Roll Call)

* Indicates a freshman Member of Congress. Roll Call did not calculate percent change from forms filed as candidates.

** Member has not yet filed a disclosure form this year. The number here is based on the last available data, a disclosure form filed last year when he was a candidate for Congress. This information will be updated.

*** Roll Call added Sensenbrenner to this list after initial publication based on more detailed information about his wealth provided by his office. Sensenbrenner used to file a personal wealth statement — detailing not only his stock investments and bank accounts, but his travelers checks and stamp collection — along with the standard disclosure form. He did not attach a similar accounting with his 2010 financial report filed this spring, which showed a net worth of at least $5.19 million. But during Roll Call’s review of the details of Sensenbrenner’s nearly 700-page report, his office pointed to a separate financial statement he submitted to the Congressional Record in May, which indicates the Wisconsin lawmaker has a net worth of $10.14 million dollars, including several items that he does not have to report on the disclosure form. With Sensenbrenner’s addition, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) drops from our list.   (COURTESY OF ROLL CALL)