Political Report Cards Big Money $$ Influence Evidence & Facts BIG MONEY $$ & LOBBYISTS INFLUENCE POLITICIANS The average senator has to pull in more than $14,000 dollars every single day, just to stay in office. One of the easiest ways to raise that kind of cash is to turn to lobbyists, who make big… Continue reading 3. BIG MONEY $$ INFLUENCE – Big Money & Lobbyists Influence Politicians
Political Report Cards Big Money $$ Influence Evidence & Facts LOBBYISTS & TOTAL SPENDING $$ Companies, labor unions, trade associations and other influential organizations spend billions of dollars each year to lobby Congress and federal agencies. Some special interests retain lobbying firms, many of them located along Washington’s legendary K Street, others have lobbyists working… Continue reading Lobbying Spend
Political Report Cards Big Money $$ Influence Evidence & Facts TOP 10 INDUSTRIES SPEND $$ & LOBBYING FIRMS $$ The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing members of the pharmaceutical industry, was the largest individual lobbying spender in the industry. The top 10 lobbying firms raked in more than 9% of… Continue reading Top 10 Industries & Lobbying Firms
Political Report Cards Big Money $$ Influence Evidence & Facts TOP 10 RICHEST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS About 1 percent of all Americans are millionaires. In Congress, that number regularly hovers between 40 percent and 50 percent, meaning elected leaders generally need not worry about the economic pressures many Americans face such as securing gainful employment… Continue reading Top 10 Richest Members Of Congress
Political Report Cards Big Money $$ Influence Evidence & Facts TOP BUSINESSES FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS Business interests outspent organized labor 14-to-1 . Business PACs made $341.3 million in federal contributions, five times the total contributions labor PACs reported through post-general reports filed with the FEC. “Business PACs” include not only PACs associated with for-profit corporations, but also cooperative… Continue reading Top Businesses Federal Contributions
Political Report Cards Congress Structure Evidence & Facts U.S. CONGRESS CONSISTS OF SENATE & HOUSE The United States Congress has two chambers, one called the Senate and the other called the House of Representatives (or “House” for short) which share the responsibilities of the legislative process to create federal statutory law. They occupy opposite ends… Continue reading 4. CONGRESS STRUCTURE – U.S Congress Consists Of Senate & House
Political Report Cards Congress Structure Evidence & Facts CONGRESS BY PARTY The United States Congress has two chambers, one called the Senate and the other called the House of Representatives (or “House” for short) which share the responsibilities of the legislative process to create federal statutory law. United States comprised of 50 states each elect two… Continue reading Congress By Party
Political Report Cards Congress Structure Evidence & Facts TENURE OF CONGRESS The tables show a breakdown of how many years the senators have been serving in office. 49% of senators are men over the age of 59, while only 6% of senators are women 59 years old or younger. The table below shows a… Continue reading Tenure Of Congress
Political Report Cards Congress Structure Evidence & Facts WOMEN IN CONGRESS Graph of Women in Senate shows the number of women who will serve in the next Congress. Graph of Women in House shows the number of women who will serve in the next Congress. WOMEN IN THE SENATE WOMEN IN THE HOUSE
Political Report Cards Congress Structure Evidence & Facts BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS The compensation for most Senators and Representatives is $174,000 per year. This excludes the Speaker of the House salary of $223,500 and the Senate Majority and Minority leaders who bring home $193,400 annually. Benefits for the Members are very robust. 1. Members of… Continue reading Salaries & Benefits Of Congress
