Personal assets & stock trades
Look up member financial disclosures and reportable transactions.
House disclosures ↗Senate disclosures ↗Congress & Accountability
Congressional Ethics & Money
What lawmakers earn, what they can invest in, who pays for campaigns, and where you can check the records yourself.
What are members of Congress paid?
The base annual salary for most representatives and senators is $174,000 (unchanged since 2009). Some congressional leadership positions have higher salaries. Members also receive office operating allowances, but those are for official expenses—not extra personal pay.
Outside earned income is restricted by federal law and chamber rules, and certain compensated professional activities are prohibited. Investment income and a spouse's income are different from congressional salary; financial disclosures can report them in ranges. Senate salary history · House ethics guidance.
Can members of Congress trade stocks?
Generally, yes under existing federal law, subject to insider-trading prohibitions, conflicts rules, and financial reporting requirements. The STOCK Act of 2012 made clear that members and staff are not exempt from insider-trading law and strengthened transaction disclosure.
Covered filers generally report certain purchases, sales, or exchanges over $1,000 in periodic transaction reports within 30 days after learning of a transaction, but no later than 45 days after the transaction. Filing obligations and exceptions depend on the asset and transaction. A disclosed trade is not itself proof of insider trading or misconduct.
What can the public see?
Annual financial disclosures can list assets, income, liabilities, positions and other reportable interests. Values often appear as ranges, not precise balances. Qualified blind trusts require formal approvals; a trust is not automatically “blind” just because someone calls it that.
Campaign money is not a lawmaker's personal paycheck
Campaign committees raise and spend money to influence elections and must report receipts and disbursements. Campaign funds cannot simply be converted to personal use. Contribution limits, source restrictions, and reporting obligations vary by donor and committee type.
| Type | Can give directly to a federal candidate? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Individual contributions | Yes, within limits | FEC limits and reporting rules apply. |
| Traditional PAC | Generally yes, within applicable limits | May make regulated contributions and expenditures. |
| Super PAC | No | May accept unlimited funds from permitted sources for independent spending, but cannot accept funds from foreign nationals, federal contractors, national banks or federally chartered corporations. Coordination with candidates is restricted. |
| Coordinated campaign spending | Treated as an in-kind contribution when FEC coordination rules apply | Unlike genuinely independent spending, coordinated communications can be subject to contribution limits and source restrictions. |
Key distinction: A direct contribution goes to a candidate or campaign. An independent expenditure pays for advocacy without prohibited coordination. Spending that meets the FEC coordination test can count as an in-kind contribution instead.
Explore Campaign Finance & Money in Politics · Search FEC records
Landmark Supreme Court case · 2010
Citizens United v. FEC: what actually changed?
In a 5–4 decision on January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government generally cannot ban corporations and unions from paying for independent political communications because of their organizational identity. It also upheld certain disclosure and disclaimer requirements.
What the ruling allowed
Corporations and unions can fund independent expenditures advocating for or against federal candidates, subject to applicable rules and reporting.
What it did not allow
It did not remove the federal prohibition on direct corporate contributions to candidates, nor did it authorize coordination disguised as independent spending.
Why do people associate it with Super PACs?
Later in 2010, the federal appeals court decision SpeechNow.org v. FEC held that contribution limits could not be applied to donations to groups making only independent expenditures. Together with subsequent FEC guidance, these decisions helped establish the modern Super PAC system.
Why is the case debated?
Supporters emphasize First Amendment protections for independent political advocacy, including speech by associations. Critics argue that allowing unlimited independent spending gives wealthy donors and organizations disproportionate political influence and makes anti-corruption safeguards less effective. The legal distinction between contributions and independent expenditures is central to the disagreement.
Original records: FEC case summary · SpeechNow decision · Super PAC funding rules · FEC: independent vs. coordinated spending
Lobbying, gifts and sponsored travel
Lobbyists and their clients may advocate for laws or government decisions. Federal lobbying disclosures identify registrants, clients, issues, and reported income or expenses. A lobbying report does not establish that a lawmaker took an improper action.
House and Senate rules limit gifts, meals, travel and other benefits, with specific exceptions, approvals, and reporting rules. Not every privately sponsored trip is prohibited, and not every permissible gift is free of public scrutiny. Always check the chamber's rules and the facts of a particular event.
Search lobbying reports · House gift rules · House travel guidance
What happens when a member breaks the rules?
- Allegation or referral: A complaint, disclosure, press report, or other evidence can prompt review.
- Investigation: The House Committee on Ethics and Senate Select Committee on Ethics have separate processes. The House's independent, nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics, can review allegations and refer matters to the House committee.
- Outcome: Possible outcomes vary—from no finding of wrongdoing to corrective actions, committee sanctions, House or Senate discipline, or referrals to law enforcement when appropriate.
The OCC does not itself decide whether a violation occurred or impose sanctions. A referral is not a finding of guilt. Criminal prosecution is separate from congressional discipline.
What reforms are being proposed?
Proposals have included restricting members' ownership or trading of individual stocks, expanding disclosure rules, strengthening enforcement, and changing rules around campaign finance and lobbying. A bill's introduction or passage in one chamber does not mean it is law. For a proposal's current status, check Congress.gov.
Follow the money: check the original records
These public databases answer different questions. Start with the one that matches the claim you're checking.
- Find the lawmaker or committee in the relevant official database.
- Match the report type and date to the claim; disclosures may lag the underlying activity.
- Check amounts, reporting ranges, amended filings and the original PDF before drawing conclusions.
Campaign donors & spending
Find contributions, expenditures, committees, and independent spending.
FEC campaign finance data ↗Independent spending rules ↗Lobbying clients & expenses
Find federal lobbying registrations and periodic reports.
Lobbying disclosure search ↗Ethics investigations & rules
Review official ethics guidance and published House oversight reports.
Office of Congressional Conduct ↗Senate Ethics ↗Read reports with care: disclosures may use ranges, be filed after transactions, or omit information outside reporting requirements. A donation, trade, or lobbying contact alone does not establish an ethics violation. Rules and limits can change.