https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains Capitol Gains: How Congress Gets Rich en-US Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:30:03 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/pennsylvania-organizers-insider-trading-initiative Dave Levinthal The effort is in part inspired by NOTUS’ Capitol Gains reporting on the personal finances of members of Congress. Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:30:03 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/pennsylvania-organizers-insider-trading-initiative A left-leaning Pennsylvania nonprofit is launching a ballot initiative effort aimed at curbing conflicts of interest for local officials in two counties accustomed to political scandals.

Action Together NEPA says it will begin collecting voter signatures in Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna and Luzerne counties on Tuesday with the goal of securing enough to force a November vote on whether to amend the counties’ charters to expressly ban local officials from insider trading and require elected officials to disclose more details about their personal finances. It also aims to compel the counties’ governments to produce an annual ethics report to “encourage transparency” for elected county officials.

The effort does not seek to outrightly ban stock trading by local officials, with signature drive organizers concluding such a prohibition would require state law changes.

Organizers said the initiative is in part inspired by NOTUS’ Capitol Gains reporting project, which detailed the personal financial habits of the two counties’ congressional representatives, including Sens. John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R), and Republican Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Dan Meuser.

County residents are “far too familiar with corruption in general, and we know corruption inside and out,” Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, executive director of Action Together NEPA, told NOTUS. “This raises the bar locally … we’re optimistic we are going to find people overwhelmingly support this measure.”

J.J. Abbott, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Accountability Fund, which is helping fund the ballot initiative effort, added that the effort is “about sending a message to elected officials at every level that people are pissed about this and want action, including improving disclosure and prohibitions at other levels of government.”

Abbott estimates that the group will need to collect about 11,650 signatures in Luzerne County and about 8,900 signatures in Lackawanna County to secure a vote in November.

At the federal level, NOTUS has revealed that Fetterman and Meuser have in recent months violated the federal Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act’s disclosure provisions by failing to properly report personal stock trades.

Bresnahan — who kept his ownership of a private helicopter quiet and was one of Congress’ most active stock traders during 2025 — has stopped trading stocks following public scrutiny. McCormick is one of Congress’ wealthiest members and a frequent stock trader.

Polling over the last few years has shown overwhelming public support — among conservatives, moderates and liberals — for banning members of Congress and other federal officials from trading individual stocks, citing insider trading, conflict of interest and public transparency concerns.

And while both the House and Senate have passed congressional stock-ban bills out of committee during the past year, neither chamber has scheduled a full vote on their respective measures.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/vermont-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debt Torrie Herrington, Taylor Giorno Sens. Peter Welch, Bernie Sanders and Rep. Becca Balint have found other ways to make money. Fri, 08 May 2026 09:07:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/vermont-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debt Vermont is home to several rare species.

The Canada lynx.

The American marten.

And now, wealthy federal lawmakers who don’t trade individual stocks.

Sens. Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders, along with Rep. Becca Balint, did not report owning any individual stocks on their most recent personal financial disclosures to Congress.

Despite not trading stocks, the Vermont delegation is significantly wealthier than the average Vermonter. Welch and Balint both have median net worths of over $1 million, and Sanders’ is on the cusp.

Welch, a Democrat, has a median net worth of more than $12.8 million, according to his latest financial disclosure, which covers 2025. The surge in his net worth from nearly $9.1 million in 2024 is driven by an increase in the value of an existing money market account and several mutual and exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

Welch’s largest asset is that money market account, which is worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to his latest disclosure. On his 2024 disclosure, Welch valued the account between $500,001 and $1 million. Welch and his wife, Margaret Cheney, also have dozens of mutual funds and ETFs that contribute to his net worth.

Welch once traded individual stocks. But in 2021, Business Insider revealed the then-congressman failed to properly disclose that his wife sold $6,238 worth of ExxonMobil stock around the time Welch was grilling the oil company’s CEO at a House committee oversight hearing. Welch sold off his individual stocks after the report and pledged that he — and his wife — had decided to no longer trade individual stocks.

Welch told the nonprofit newsroom VTDigger in 2020 that he was giving up stock trading: “The clearest way to avoid even the appearance of a conflict is to simply stop making purchases,” even though an adviser. While he backtracked on that pledge a few months later, neither he nor his wife has disclosed owning or trading individual stocks since the ExxonMobil incident, according to a NOTUS analysis of his financial disclosures.

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Balint’s median net worth is more than $1.6 million, according to her 2024 financial report, which shows Balint has several joint right of survivorship accounts with her wife, Elizabeth Wohl. They also own several individual retirement accounts, and Balint includes many D.C. education trusts in her assets.

Balint, a Democrat, said in a statement to NOTUS that she does not trade “any individual stocks because I don’t ever want Vermonters to question the integrity of my decisions or my vote.”

Balint sold the few stocks she owned before taking office in January 2023. She disclosed owning stocks including Adobe, Intuit and Netflix valued at “none” in 2022. The stocks were gone when she filed her 2023 financial disclosure report, which covered her first year in office.

“They appear on that report only because there was income generated from their sale. Because she did not hold these stocks at any point in 2023, they do not appear on her 2023 disclosure,” said Catherine White, a spokesperson for Balint.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist and the delegation’s longest-serving member, has a median net worth of $979,015.

Sanders’ wealth has changed over the years. In 2011, the first year for which his disclosures are available online, he had a median net worth of $308,005. He once reached millionaire status, according to Politico, and in 2016, he spent nearly $600,000 on a lakefront summer home.

Sanders has been a tough critic of those in the millionaire and billionaire class, despite having been a millionaire himself. Of late, Sanders’ economic messaging has shifted to focus on billionaires, and he even recently introduced legislation with Rep. Ro Khanna to tax billionaires at a higher rate.

“At a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, this legislation demands that the billionaire class in America finally pay their fair share of taxes so that we can create an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%,” Sanders said in a press release from March. “We can no longer tolerate a corrupt tax code that enables billionaires to pay a lower tax rate than the average worker.”

According to Sanders’ 2024 annual financial disclosure, his spouse, Jane Sanders, owns over 20 mutual funds that contribute to his assets. They also reported owning a few joint bank accounts. The only debt they report is a mortgage valued between $100,000 and $250,000.

Sanders disclosed that his wife owned IBM corporate securities stock in 2013 with a year-end value of “none” that generated capital gains income. He has not since reported owning any individual corporate stocks or securities, according to a NOTUS analysis of his personal financial disclosures. He now notes that his wife’s retirement accounts, which are broken out into underlying mutual funds, “are not individually held stocks.”

Sanders made $148,750 in royalties from Penguin Random House in 2024 for his book, “It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.” While lawmakers are typically prohibited from holding jobs outside of the Capitol, book writing is one loophole that numerous members of Congress, including Sanders, used to make extra money in 2024 beyond their congressional salary of $174,000, NOTUS previously reported.
Bernie Sanders AP-23286366622018 (5828x3885, AR: 1.50)Federal lawmakers are required to disclose the value of certain assets — including but not limited to stocks, cryptocurrencies and properties that generate income — in ever-broader ranges on their financial disclosures to Congress each year. They also have to report liabilities such as credit card debt, student loans and mortgages on personal residences, which they do not have to disclose the value of as an asset.

To best estimate lawmakers’ net worth, NOTUS analyzed the assets and liabilities listed on lawmakers’ annual financial disclosures and calculated the median of their minimum net worth — minimum total assets minus maximum liabilities — and maximum net worth — maximum total assets minus minimum liabilities.

In addition to abstaining from stock trading themselves, Vermont’s congressional delegation wants to ban all members of Congress from trading stocks to avoid even the appearance that they may be profiting off their position, which often provides them access to information before the rest of the public.

Balint has co-sponsored the Restore Trust in Congress Act, a bipartisan stock-ban bill introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy in 2025. Most notably, the bill would ban members of Congress and their immediate family members from owning or selling stocks. The bill has yet to advance out of committee to the full House, unlike the Stop Insider Trading Act — a Republican leadership-backed stock-ban bill with fewer restrictions — that awaits a vote before the full House.

“No one should be getting rich because of their position in public office, which is why I support a full ban on stock trading for lawmakers and their immediate families. It is long past due that we turn guardrails like this into law — even the possibility of profiting from insider information erodes trust in our government and our democracy,” Balint said in a statement to NOTUS.When asked about where Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, stands on a congressional stock-trade ban, his office pointed out that Sanders is a co-sponsor of the Ending Trading and Holdings In Congressional Stocks Act. The bill, introduced by Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon in 2023, would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and their dependents from purchasing or selling individual stocks.

Aaron White, a spokesperson for Welch, also pointed to the ETHICS Act.

“Senator Welch is a proud original cosponsor of the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, which would ban Members, spouses, and dependents from owning or trading stocks,” White said in a statement to NOTUS. “He’ll continue to fight to improve accountability and transparency in Congress and across the government.”

The ETHICS Act has not been reintroduced in the Senate in the 119th Congress, but the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed a bill “closely resembling” the legislation, according to the nonprofit Issue One. The bill, which would ban the president and vice president in addition to lawmakers and their families from owning individual stocks, has not come to the Senate floor for a vote.

A House committee voted in January to advance the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would prohibit lawmakers from buying new individual stocks but not require them to divest their current holdings. They would have to give seven days’ notice before selling existing holdings.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/wisconsin-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debts Jade Lozada, Taylor Giorno Most lawmakers representing Wisconsin have seen a marked increase in median net worth since coming to Capitol Hill. Wed, 06 May 2026 09:27:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/wisconsin-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debts It’s boom times for Wisconsin’s congressional delegation: Most members have seen their personal wealth substantially rise since arriving on Capitol Hill, according to a NOTUS analysis of congressional financial disclosures.

That surge in their financial portfolios is primarily driven by real estate, retirement accounts and, in one case, a well-placed billboard, NOTUS’ analysis indicates. In all, five of Wisconsin’s 10 delegation members reported median net worths of more than $1 million in 2024, the most recent year covered by federal disclosures.

Overall, the Wisconsin delegation is much wealthier than the average Wisconsinite, who has a median net worth of about $76,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson’s median net worth nearly tripled in recent years, from $24 million in 2010, when he was first elected to the Senate, to $64.9 million in 2024.

One of the assets driving the uptick in Johnson’s median net worth is an industrial building he and his wife own in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The property was worth between $1 million and $5 million in 2010. In 2024, Johnson valued it at between $5 million and $25 million, according to his latest financial disclosure.

In a decidedly political twist, part of Johnson’s wealth is tied up with his own reelection campaign committee. Federal Election Commission records indicate Johnson’s campaign owes Johnson more than $8 million from personal loans he’s made to the committee. In his 2024 personal financial disclosure, Johnson lists these loans as assets, valuing them between $5 million and $25 million.

Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Therein lies a major challenge in pinpointing lawmakers’ net worths: They are only required to publicly disclose the value of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges. Lawmakers also aren’t required to disclose the value of several assets including personal property, vehicles or their personal residence, although they do have to declare the value of their mortgage as a liability along with other debts including credit card balances and student loans.

To best estimate lawmakers’ wealth, NOTUS calculated the median of their minimum net worth — minimum total assets minus maximum liabilities — and maximum net worth — maximum total assets minus minimum liabilities.

Johnson is hardly alone among Wisconsin lawmakers whose personal wealth has grown substantially while they earn a $174,000 annual salary.

Among the others: Republican Reps. Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil, Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany, as well as Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan.

Steil, elected to Congress in 2018, and Grothman, elected in 2014, have both become millionaires since they entered Congress.

Grothman’s median net worth has more than doubled, from $885,000 in 2014 to more than $2.2 million in 2024. Several accounts Grothman disclosed owning in 2014, including state retirement accounts and two individual retirement accounts, steadily increased in value. And the value of a condominium he owns in West Bend, Wisconsin, greatly increased, from a reported minimum value of $15,001 in 2014 to $100,001 in 2024, according to his financial disclosures. The condominium could be worth as much as $250,000, according to Grothman’s latest disclosure.
GlennGrothman (8097x5398, AR: 1.50)Grothman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Steil’s median net worth more than doubled from 2018 to 2024, from $812,000 in 2018 to nearly $1.9 million in 2024, according to his financial disclosures. Several of Steil’s brokerage and retirement accounts jumped in value, including Vanguard Target Retirement, Mid Cap Growth Index Fund and Strategic Equity Investor accounts. He also added a Vanguard U.S. Growth Fund account worth between $250,001 and $500,000 that’s now among his largest assets.

Steil’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
BryanSteil (6823x4620, AR: 1.48)Fitzgerald’s median net worth increased from $3.5 million in 2021, his first year in the House, to $6.3 million in 2024. His financial disclosure report from 2020, the year he was elected, is blank and has not been amended.

A spokesperson for Fitzgerald did not return a request for comment.

Fitzgerald’s wealth spike is primarily driven by real estate investments. The minimum disclosed value of his Wisconsin farm increased from $500,001 to $1 million over those three years, and he disclosed a property in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 2024 that’s worth at least $250,001. He also disclosed a Big Horn, Montana, property worth between $1 million and $5 million, although the property’s value range did not change between 2021 and 2024.

Tiffany’s median net worth ticked up slightly from $230,000 in 2020 to $296,000 in 2024, according to his latest disclosure.

Some of his income comes from on high: He owns a billboard in Oneida, Wisconsin, worth between $1,001 and $15,000 that consistently generates between $5,000 and $15,000 each year, according to his disclosures.

Tiffany’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Pocan’s median net worth has also risen from $541,000 in 2012 to $778,000 in 2024.

Most of his net worth comes from Budget Signs & Specialties, a printing company Pocan fully owns. It sells custom signs, awards and apparel, as well as campaign materials to Wisconsin Democratic candidates, and is valued between $500,001 and $1 million. It was valued between $250,001 and $500,000 in 2012.

Political candidates and committees have paid Pocan’s Budget Signs & Specialties more than $1.2 million since 2004, according to FEC data. That includes about $12,700 so far during the 2026 election cycle, with $7,600 collectively coming from Pocan’s own congressional campaign committee and the committee of Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Tammy Baldwin AP-22340850346407 (5642x3761, AR: 1.50)Baldwin’s campaign committees and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin are among Pocan’s biggest political customers over the last 22 years, FEC filings indicate.

The state Democratic Party has paid Pocan’s company more than $500,000 for materials such as yard signs and T-shirts since 2008. Committees for Baldwin’s House and Senate campaigns have collectively spent $171,000 since 2004.

In addition, Pocan’s campaign committee has paid his business more than $91,000 for printing and copying services and signs since 2018, according to FEC filings.

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Pocan’s office declined to comment on the congressman’s net worth increase and business.

Baldwin’s median net worth has dipped slightly from $623,000 in 2012 to $588,000 in 2024, according to her financial disclosures.

Baldwin’s office said in a statement that the Wisconsin Democrat has “no knowledge of where her assets are invested or the composition of her portfolio” and communicates with her trustee through the Senate Ethics Committee.

One of the delegation’s wealthiest members is also its newest.

Republican Rep. Tony Wied, whose median net worth is nearly $10.1 million, arrived in Washington in 2024 after selling his chain of dinosaur-themed gas stations and convenience stores.

Wied holds between $50,000 and $100,000 in Black Hills Corporation, an electric and gas utility in the West, and at least $250,000 in companies that produce tractors, trucks and automotive parts, including an investment in the Canadian National Railway.

That’s notable because Wied sits on the House Agriculture Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he serves on the subcommittee for rural development, energy and supply chains. These committees have oversight jurisdiction for the industries in which Wied personally invests.

Wied reports his stock trades each month to the House Ethics Committee in compliance with current law and guidelines, spokesperson Aidan Strongreen said.

“Congressman Wied’s investments are managed solely through an independent financial advisor, and he has no role in any of their decisions,” Strongreen said.

Only two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation have net worths below the Wisconsin household median, according to a NOTUS analysis of their annual financial disclosures: Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore.
GwenMoore (7568x5045, AR: 1.50)Van Orden’s median net worth is -$88,000, while Moore’s is also in the red, at -$75,000, according to their most recent financial disclosures.

On her most recent disclosure, Moore reported no assets. She disclosed a mortgage balance on her home in the range of $50,000 to $100,000. Lawmakers are not required to publicly disclose the value of their personal residence, and most do not.

Moore’s net worth has dropped almost $100,000 from $24,000 in 2008, according to her disclosure.

Van Orden does have some assets, primarily a Navy Mutual Whole Life policy valued between $50,001 and $100,000, his disclosure shows. But his overall net worth is pulled down by a mortgage and a “revolving charge account,” a category which includes credit cards and home equity and personal credit lines.

Editor's Note: Due to a coding error in the production of this story, a previous version of the graphic in this article included incorrect data. The graphic has been updated.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/ohio-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debt-money Tyler Spence, Christa Dutton At least three of the four first-term lawmakers in Ohio’s delegation entered Congress as millionaires. Fri, 01 May 2026 09:11:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/ohio-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debt-money When it comes to the wealth of Ohio’s congressional delegation, freshman rule: At least three of Ohio’s four newest federal lawmakers came to Congress as millionaires, financial disclosures show.

They’re led by Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, by far the delegation’s richest member, who arrived in Congress in 2025 with a median net worth of about $131.9 million.

The median Ohio household makes a little over $71,000 a year.

Moreno built his fortune through a network of luxury automotive dealerships across greater Cleveland, a business he began assembling in the mid-2000s and wound down before taking office.

By the time he filed his 2024 financial disclosure, most of those dealership entities were sold. For Moreno, what remained was at least two dozen limited liability companies holding commercial and residential real estate in several states, stakes in Israeli venture capital funds and other private equity and venture capital funds.

His largest disclosed asset is a home in Ocean Reef, Florida, valued at between $5 million and $25 million, of which he owns 43%. He also reported owning a partial stake in unimproved land in Sunbury, Ohio, valued in the same range.

Some of Moreno's investments are not fully visible in his public filing. A note at the bottom of his disclosure states that an "alternative disclosure letter" is on file with the Senate Ethics Committee, "due to investment confidentiality provisions," and that Moreno and his spouse have "no power or authority to direct the investments" of those arrangements. The Senate allows such alternative disclosures for certain complex or confidential investment structures, but the underlying assets remain private.

“Senator Moreno is steadfastly opposed to career politicians like Nancy Pelosi who have made millions insider trading in Congress and has been clear that members of Congress should be banned from trading stocks, period. He does not own or trade any individual stocks and sold all of his assets before running for office to prevent any and all conflicts of interest,” Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Moreno, told NOTUS in a statement.

Moreno also reported having a previous financial position in DonaldDaters LLC, the now-defunct conservative dating app founded by his daughter Emily Moreno that experienced an embarrassing data breach upon its launch in 2018.

Moreno is a member of several Senate committees: Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Senate Budget Committee. Together, they have jurisdiction over some of the industries in which Moreno has personally invested.

Ohio’s other senator, Republican freshman Jon Husted, is not nearly as wealthy as Moreno, his counterpart.
JonHusted (4476x2984, AR: 1.50)But he’s still quite wealthy: Husted's 2025 financial disclosure reveals a net worth median estimate of about $2 million, although it’s possible he’s not a millionaire since lawmakers generally disclose the value of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges. Husted's portfolio is concentrated largely in mutual funds held through his wife's retirement accounts, along with a joint Heartland Bank checking and savings account worth between $100,001 and $250,000 — the same institution where Husted served as a board director until January 2025 and from which he received $27,575 in board compensation that year. Husted’s office did not answer NOTUS’ questions about whether he supports a ban on congressional stock trading.

Republican Rep. Michael Rulli, another millionaire freshman, likewise owns commercial and residential property, including farmland and commercial properties in northeast Ohio. He boasts a median net worth of $26.5 million. Rulli’s office did not answer NOTUS’ questions regarding his net worth or if he believes members of Congress should own stocks.

Republican Rep. Dave Taylor entered Congress in 2025 with a median net worth of $18.2 million. A large contributor to his wealth is his family's concrete business, which he valued at between $5 and $25 million.

“The Congressman and the brokerage firm abide by all rules and regulations related to Congressional trading, including reporting transactions made on his behalf. The Congressman does not advise on or otherwise actively trade in stocks, and is only made aware of such trades after they are executed,” a spokesperson for Taylor told NOTUS in a statement.

Taylor holds all of his disclosed assets through a family trust, a structure also used by Rep. Max Miller, who has an estimated net worth of $9.7 million.

Miller, a second-term Republican who represents a suburban Cleveland district, holds assets across four separate trusts, some established as far back as 1989. His largest single disclosed position is an exchange-traded fund valued from $1 million to $5 million. He also disclosed a promissory note showing he borrowed from $250,000 to $500,000 from one of his own family trusts. Miller did not answer NOTUS’ questions about his investments or whether he supports a bill to ban members from trading stock.

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Taken on the whole, Ohio's 17-member congressional delegation — including its two senators — spans nearly the full American wealth spectrum, the NOTUS analysis found.

Three members reported liabilities exceeding their disclosed assets, leaving them with negative net worth on paper. Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes carries an estimated net worth of about -$289,000, driven largely by student loan debt she has held since the mid-2000s.

Within those ranges is a delegation that looks less like Ohio and more like Congress: predominantly wealthy, heavily invested in real estate and financial markets and largely insulated from the economic pressures facing their constituents.

When lawmakers file their annual financial disclosures, they report the value of assets and liabilities in ranges rather than exact figures. To estimate each member's net worth, NOTUS calculated the minimum and maximum possible values of their total reported assets and liabilities, then subtracted liabilities from assets at both ends of the range. The midpoint between those two figures is what we're reporting as each member's estimated median net worth.

Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, disclosed essentially no invested wealth. His assets consist of two Ohio public pensions — one for himself from his time as a state employee from 1987 to 2006, one for his spouse from her career as a teacher, a savings account and a checking account at Park National Bank in Ohio, and a book.
Jim Jordan AP-24072552221897 (4000x2667, AR: 1.50) His estimated median net worth is roughly $282,000, nearly all of it attributable to pension value. He holds no stocks, no real estate and no investment accounts. Jordan has served in Congress since 2007 and has been a central figure in the House, and was a candidate for speaker in 2023.

Earlier this year, Jordan violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act when he was about a month late disclosing up to $100,000 worth of stock in a bank holding company. Jordan’s office did not respond to NOTUS’ questions.

Financial disclosures also reveal that several Ohio members hold assets in industries directly affected by the committees on which they serve.

Republican Rep. Mike Turner, who served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee through 2024 and sits on the Armed Services Committee, holds two aerospace and defense exchange-traded funds in an individual retirement account: the Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF and the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF.

Both funds hold stakes in major Pentagon contractors, including Lockheed Martin, RTX and Northrop Grumman — companies whose federal contracts are shaped in part by the committees on which Turner sits. Despite these holdings, Turner is one of three Ohio representatives with a negative net worth.

Turner’s liabilities, including a Bank of America mortgage on a Washington-area residence and a personal loan from Congressional Federal Credit Union taken out in April 2024, push his estimated median net worth to about -$54,000. Turner’s office did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.

Republican Rep. Dave Joyce, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, holds stock in Boeing through a retirement account. Boeing is among the largest recipients of federal defense contracts, funding that appropriators help determine. Like Turner's ETF holdings, Joyce's Boeing position is legal and disclosed.

Joyce has reportedly violated the STOCK Act’s disclosure provisions in the past by failing to properly disclose his finances. Joyce’s office did not answer NOTUS’ questions on how he avoids conflicts of interest or if he makes his own trades.

Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a member on the appropriations subcommittee that funds agriculture programs, holds stock in Nutrien Ltd., a major fertilizer producer, worth between $50,000 and $100,000. She disclosed that the stock was inherited from a deceased family member and that no transactions are expected.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur AP-24256557435160 (7022x4681, AR: 1.50)In 2023, Kaptur violated the STOCK Act when she was several months late in disclosing the sale of stock in an agricultural supply company that she had inherited. Kaptur’s office said she supports a ban on congressional stock trading, and sold one of the inherited stocks at a loss to avoid any conflict of interest.

Members of Congress have debated for years whether to ban individual stock ownership outright. The Republican leadership-backed Stop Insider Trading Act advanced out of committee to the full House in January, but it has yet to receive a vote.

Other stock-ban measures, including the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act and Democrat-backed Restore Trust in Government Act, have not advanced.

Rep. Greg Landsman, who has a median net worth of more than $2.1 million, noted in his 2024 disclosure that he would liquidate his individual stock holdings in 2025 and would now comply with the bill's requirements on his own. Landsman, a Democrat, previously failed to properly disclose dozens of stock trades after entering Congress in 2023.
Greg Landsman AP-24325066200027 (4000x2667, AR: 1.50)“Members of Congress should sell their stocks, like I did,” Landsman said in a statement to NOTUS. “Move everything to mutual funds. They shouldn’t wait for a law to pass to do what’s right. And no member should be betting in predictive markets.”

Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown, who represents a district anchored by Cleveland's eastern suburbs, reported total disclosed assets of between $4,004 and $60,000 — a Fidelity IRA with four small mutual fund positions and an Ohio public pension. Against those assets, she carries a mortgage of between $50,000 and $100,000. Her estimated median net worth is -$43,000. Brown did not answer questions from NOTUS regarding whether she supports a ban on congressional stock trading.

Sykes, who represents Ohio's 13th District, still carries between $100,000 and $250,000 in federal student loan debt from her law degree, debt she took on starting in 2005.
Emilia Sykes AP-25324578373408 (7315x4877, AR: 1.50)She also carries from $35,000 to $80,000 in credit card debt in her spouse's name, and refinanced her mortgage in September 2024 for between $250,000 and $500,000. Her total disclosed liabilities could reach $830,000, while her assets, at their maximum, top out around $755,000.

Sykes told NOTUS that she does not make investments and highlighted that she supported a discharge petition — to date, unsuccessful — to conduct a House vote on the Restore Trust in Government Act.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/pennsylvania-congressional-delegation-wealth-money-assets-debt Avani Kalra, Shifra Dayak, Amelia Benavides-Colón Thirteen of the 19 lawmakers representing Pennsylvania in Congress have a median net worth of over $1 million. Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:40:01 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/pennsylvania-congressional-delegation-wealth-money-assets-debt The median net worth of Pennsylvania residents sits around $200,000, according to a recent report by the financial company SmartAsset. The people who represent them in Congress have far, far more wealth.

Thirteen of the state’s U.S. lawmakers, including both senators, have median net worths in the millions. Yet another two have median net worths that sit above $900,000. The majority of members have built their wealth through stock holdings, cryptocurrency or real estate — or a combination of all of those.

Sen. Dave McCormick is the richest in the delegation. The former chief executive of one of the world’s largest hedge funds, Bridgewater Associates, entered Congress last year with a median net worth of more than $191 million, according to a NOTUS analysis of his personal financial disclosure. McCormick, whose campaign was dogged with allegations that he lived in Connecticut (he has a home in Pittsburgh), put nearly $6 million toward winning the seat in the last cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

“Senator McCormick’s financial disclosure is completely transparent and in line with Senate ethics rules, including the fact that he and his wife maintain their primary residence in Pittsburgh,” a spokesperson for McCormick said in a statement to NOTUS. “He has and will continue to hold himself to the highest standard in reporting and disclosing his financial information as required of all U.S. Senators.”

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Pennsylvania lawmakers are at the center of national debates around affordability, home ownership versus renting, and more in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms. Their stock trading habits have invited particular scrutiny.

Rep. Rob Bresnahan, whose median net worth amounts to more than $37 million, reported owning more than 500 individual stocks in his 2024 financial disclosure. Bresnahan continued to trade individual stocks throughout 2025, but seems to have abruptly stopped in recent months, according to congressional financial disclosures.

The Republican is also among several Pennsylvania lawmakers who have pushed to ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks.

Bresnahan’s assets include stock in some of the government’s biggest contractors, such as Lockheed Martin, aerospace company and defense conglomerate RTX and airline company Boeing, which is a contractor of U.S. military aircraft and satellite systems. Bresnahan himself owns a 2024 Robinson R66 helicopter, which he personally pilots.

Bresnahan also drew criticism for selling more than $100,000 worth of stock in companies that manage Medicaid enrollees shortly before voting for Republicans’ sweeping tax bill that cut funds from the program in May.

The lawmaker has also reported multiple stock holdings in energy companies, including a holding in the solar panel manufacturer First Solar valued between $1,001 and $15,000. Bresnahan sold that stock holding in February 2025, according to a transaction report he filed last year. Environmental advocacy groups criticized the congressman for selling off several clean energy stocks, including in a round of sales in May before he voted to roll back clean energy tax credits as part of President Donald Trump’s signature tax legislation.

The first-term lawmaker, who flipped a swing district in 2024, is facing a strong Democratic challenger in Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who is centering Bresnahan’s stock trading in her campaign to oust him. Bresnahan’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NOTUS.

Bresnahan isn’t the only Pennsylvania lawmaker with holdings in companies that contract with the federal government.

Rep. Dan Meuser, who is the richest House member in the Pennsylvania delegation with a net worth of $68 million, owns stock in Lockheed Martin, as well as other government contractors such as Nvidia, Honeywell International and Pfizer.
Dan Meuser AP - 23284547029665 (3000x2000, AR: 1.50)Much of Meuser’s personal wealth comes from his involvement in Pride Mobility Products, a family-owned health care company. Meuser was formerly the president of the company and left in 2008, the same year he launched his first unsuccessful run for Congress. Meuser’s brother, Scott Meuser, is currently the chair and CEO of the company, according to his LinkedIn profile.

In 2024, Meuser reported ownership interest in the company valued at a minimum of about $31 million. He also reported owning between $500,001 and $1 million in stock in the company, and between $250,001 and $500,000 from a cash account related to the company.

Meuser, a Republican, reported significant wealth — more than $100,000 — from royalties and partnership income his spouse earned from oil, gas and minerals companies across the country.

In August, NOTUS revealed that Meuser violated the STOCK Act when he was almost a year late publicly reporting the sale of $750,000 to $1.5 million worth of his wife’s stock in Nvidia Corp. Meuser’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NOTUS.

Meuser and other Pennsylvania lawmakers are among a sizable share of Congress members who were or still are business owners.

Some of Republican Rep. Mike Kelly’s wealth is tied up in a Pennsylvania auto dealership business. Kelly is the president of the company Mike Kelly Automotive, according to his financial disclosure. Together, Kelly and his spouse made between $30,002 and $100,000 — a mix of business income and money from interest — from the auto dealership business in 2024. Kelly and his spouse’s assets from the dealership are valued between $50,000 and $500,000, his filing said.
Mike Kelly AP-23292597333793 (8640x5760, AR: 1.50)Kelly is also president of a Hyundai dealership and a Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership in the state, according to his financial disclosure. His salary from the Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership in 2024 was $29,613, and he did not report any money from the Hyundai dealership.

The Kellys’ stock trading became the subject of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. While Kelly avoided strict punishment, the committee in 2025 ordered him and his wife to divest of investments in steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs and publicly scolded Kelly for violating the House’s Code of Conduct by having “not demonstrated sufficient appreciation for the harm to the institution caused by the appearance of impropriety.” Kelly’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Republican Rep. John Joyce, a dermatologist, founded Altoona Dermatology Associates, a medical practice in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He worked there alongside his wife, who is also a dermatologist, before leaving to run for Congress in 2018. Joyce no longer receives a salary or other income directly from the practice, according to his financial disclosure filings.

But some of his wealth is still tied up there: Joyce reported owning a rental office space in Altoona that’s home to the dermatology practice and provided between $50,001 and $100,000 in rental income in 2024.

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/SEjsV/1/
Lawmakers report their assets and liabilities in ranges, including open-ended ones such as “over $50,000,000.” NOTUS calculated the minimum and maximum possible values of their total reported assets and liabilities, and then identified the midpoint between those two numbers to arrive at each lawmaker’s median net worth.

The data is imperfect, but it provides an important window into the financial habits of the most powerful officials in the United States.

Increasingly, investments in cryptocurrency are driving wealth within Pennsylvania’s delegation.

Bresnahan reported holding between $50,001 and $100,000 in Bitcoin and $1,001 and $15,000 in Ethereum in his 2024 financial disclosure.

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican whose median net worth is a little over $900,000, reported holding between $1,000 and $15,000 in a Coinbase account. The congressman, whose seat is also heavily contested in 2026, did not report owning any individual stocks.

Arnaud Armstrong, a spokesperson for Mackenzie, said the congressman’s disclosures “accurately reflects his assets,” adding that the bulk of his disclosures are in retirement accounts.

“As the Congressman’s disclosures show, he is not in Congress to get rich, he’s in Congress to deliver results for working Americans. That’s why he does not own individual stocks, and why he’s helping to lead the charge against insider trading — co-sponsoring all three leading pieces of legislation to crack down on this practice,” Armstrong said.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican, also reported purchasing between $3,001 and $45,000 in cryptocurrency in December 2024, according to his financial disclosure. Similar to Mackenzie, the holding was Reschenthaler’s only reported asset other than his bank accounts, Roth IRA and pension.
Reschenthaler (5500x3666, AR: 1.50)That’s a big change from when Reschenthaler first came to Congress. The congressman’s median net worth stood at -$2.8 million in 2024, largely because of a pair of sizable mortgages. That’s down from a median net worth of $93,000 in 2018. Reschenthaler’s office did not respond to a request for comment from NOTUS.

Real estate is a popular personal asset for Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, as almost half of the members derive at least some of their wealth from rental income.

Often, the properties the members own are outside their home state.

McCormick owns the largest number of rental properties in the delegation. His investments include a residential property in Wilmington, Delaware, and a residential property in Danville, Pennsylvania — a family farm that McCormick has received property tax breaks on previously — each valued between $1 million and $5 million.

McCormick reported owning a Dallas property valued between $5 million and $25 million and a ranch in Colorado valued between $25 million and $50 million. The Pennsylvania senator also reported commercial real estate ownership of a multifamily development in Englewood, Colorado, worth between $1 million and $5 million. In total, McCormick’s filing notes between $265,004 and $2.2 million in rental income from all these properties in 2024.

When Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, whose median net worth sits at just over $1 million, was elected in 2014, he reported a broad real estate portfolio of 15 properties. A decade later, that was down to two rental properties: a condo in Ocean City, New Jersey, and the other a four-bedroom townhouse in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Both of Boyle’s properties are worth between $250,000 and $500,000, and the lawmaker reported making between $15,001 and $50,000 off renting out each property in 2024. Boyle’s office did not respond to NOTUS’ questions.

Other lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, have seen their net worths balloon while in office thanks to real estate, among other factors. In 2024, Fitzpatrick reported a median net worth of more than $2.5 million. He entered Congress in 2016 with less than $1,000 in his checking account and one investment property in Dana Point, California, that he valued between $500,001 and $1 million. He did not report any rental income from that property that year.

Now, the Dana Point property is worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to Fitzpatrick’s filings, and the lawmaker made between $15,001 and $50,000 by renting it out in 2024. Fitzpatrick is one of the lawmakers leading calls to ban stock trading in Congress and owns no individual stocks. Fitzpatrick’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Other out-of-state real estate owners in the delegation include Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who owns a rental property in Chaumont, New York, and Meuser, who owns a property in Oak Beach, New York.
Mary Gay Scanlon AP-21357001034922 (4500x2934, AR: 1.53)Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans and Republican Rep. Scott Perry make money off rentals in or close to their districts. Evans owns a rental home in Philadelphia valued between $100,001 and $250,000 according to his disclosure, though he did not report any income from it in 2024. Evans also violated the STOCK Act in 2025 when he failed to properly disclose sales of Amazon and Tesla stock, according to OpenSecrets. Evans’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

Perry owns two properties in Pennsylvania, each valued between $100,001 and $250,000. A residential rental property in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, generated between $5,001 and $15,000 in income for Perry in 2024, and the other, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, generated between $15,001 and $50,000 the same year. Perry’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Demand for second homes is growing in the state and throughout the United States, but the rate of second home ownership across the country — just over 5% of the total population owns a second property — pales in comparison to where Pennsylvania’s lawmakers sit.

Wealth in the delegation is not always tied to real estate.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s median net worth is nearly $1.6 million, though he did not report owning any investment properties. Most of Fetterman’s wealth is from bank deposits, mutual fund holdings and corporate bonds. He also reported several corporate securities stock holdings owned by his child, including in a petroleum refining company, Nvidia and Amazon. Fetterman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
John Fetterman AP-25073773630741 (4500x3000, AR: 1.50)In the House, some Pennsylvania lawmakers without real estate also have sizable median net worths, including Rep. Chris Deluzio. Deluzio’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

There are a few members of Pennsylvania’s delegation whose wealth is decidedly modest — if they have any personal wealth at all.

Alongside Reschenthaler in that category is Rep. Summer Lee, who reported holding zero assets. She does have significant debt, though, including $15,001 to $50,000 in student loan debt in 2024. Her median net worth is -$407,501, and she is among the dozens of other members of Congress whose wealth is dragged down by loans.

Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson is also part of that group. His median net worth is -$84,995. His chief of staff, Matt Brennan, told NOTUS that “financial disclosures were not designed to calculate the net worth of a member, but rather to highlight the potential for conflicts of interest with their financial duties.”

“One thing is certain, Mr. Thompson did not run for office to enrich himself financially, but to make a difference in the lives of those he humbly represents,” Brennan said in a statement.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/mississippi-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debts-money Violet Jira, Torrence Banks Republican Rep. Michael Guest is worth millions, while Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson’s wealth has grown significantly since he’s been in Congress. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:37:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/mississippi-congressional-delegation-wealth-assets-debts-money As Congress debates how to make daily life more affordable for everyday Americans, most of Mississippi’s congressional delegation is much wealthier than the average Mississippian, a NOTUS analysis of congressional personal financial records indicates.

This includes two congressmen — Democrat Bennie Thompson and Republican Michael Guest — whose median net worths are in the millions. Mississippi members’ wealth is being driven primarily by financial assets, such as individual stocks, and business interests.

Guest’s median net worth sits at $9.7 million, NOTUS found, making him many, many times wealthier than the average Mississippian, as the state’s median household income is $56,447, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Guest — a member of Congress since 2019 — is chairman of the House Ethics Committee, which in part enforces the House’s code of conduct and laws including the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act. He holds a few individual stocks in companies such as Meta and Exxon Mobil, but most of his wealth is held in municipal bonds for localities and institutions throughout Mississippi, plus pooled investment securities.

Guest himself violated the STOCK Act in 2021 after failing to disclose several energy-related stock trades on time, according to Business Insider.

Thompson, meanwhile, had a median net worth of $3.3 million in 2024.

That’s up from $2.5 million in 2023 and about $682,000 in 2021, congressional financial records show.

Thompson has served in Congress since 1993, making him the delegation’s most senior member and one of Congress’ longest-serving members. Thompson chaired the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 riots and is the ranking member on the Committee on Homeland Security.

But NOTUS identified errors in Thompson’s disclosures.

In 2022, the congressman reported earning between $1 million and $5 million on each of two property transactions.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/hDelw/1/In one of the reported transactions, Thompson disclosed being compensated at least $1 million by Entergy, Mississippi’s preeminent power company, for access to his land in Jackson, Mississippi. But Thompson’s previous and current financial disclosures say that the two plots of land together are worth $50,000 at most.

Yasmine Brown, Thompson’s communications director, told NOTUS that he granted Entergy an easement — the legal right to use his land — and that “the reported dollar amount on the easement granted was an error in the reporting process.” Entergy spokeswoman Leyla Goodsell, with Thompson’s permission, confirmed that the transaction took place and that Thompson was only compensated $2,000.

“This amount was consistent with market values for similar right-of-way needs at that time,” she said.

In the second transaction, Thompson reported selling a plot of land in Mound Bayou, Mississippi — worth $15,000 at most per previous disclosures — to a church for $1 million to $5 million. Land records confirm that Thompson’s spouse transferred ownership of the land to a church in 2022.

Thompson’s office confirmed the discrepancy but did not offer details as to how the error occurred or the actual value of the transaction.

Thompson personally signed and certified the erroneous disclosure.

House ethics disclosures are mandated to promote transparency, increase confidence in government integrity and deter conflicts of interest — members of Congress have a responsibility to ensure the documents are accurate. Thompson’s office did not respond when asked if they had been in contact with the House Ethics Committee to resolve the errors.

Following NOTUS’ inquiries, Thompson filed an amended disclosure with Congress on April 21 which states that both transactions were valued from $1,000 to $15,000.

Thompson owns land throughout the region he represents through BLB Enterprises, a company formed by his spouse to hold rental investment properties. In addition to land ownership, he holds wealth in multiple fixed index annuities purchased in 2023 and 2024, which together make up a significant portion of his reported assets.

When lawmakers fill out their annual financial disclosures, they report the value of their assets and liabilities in ranges, including open-ended ranges such as “over $50,000,000.” As such, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact net worth.

So to estimate members’ net worths, NOTUS used those ranges to calculate the minimum and maximum possible values of their total reported assets and liabilities. NOTUS subtracted each lawmaker’s maximum liabilities from their minimum assets to determine what their net worth could be on the high end, then subtracted minimum liabilities from maximum assets to set the low end. The midpoint between those two numbers is what we’re reporting as each lawmaker’s estimated median net worth.

The data is invaluable but imperfect. Lawmakers, for example, do not have to report the value of their personal residence, vehicles or personal property such as art that does not generate income. They are also allowed to report the value of pensions and intellectual property as “undetermined.” (Read more about how NOTUS calculated net worth and what’s included and not included here.)

Lawmakers are required to report what stocks they own among their assets.

Mississippi’s agrarian economy is reflected in the disclosures of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who reported owning a cattle farm. The Republican senator reported generating between $1,001 and $2,500 from her Brookhaven farm, where she raises cattle and sells beef.

Hyde-Smith’s median net worth is about $932,000. In addition to the value of her farm, her largest asset, she holds individual stock in the telecommunications company CenturyLink — now known as Lumen — with the rest of her wealth in annuities, IRAs and mutual funds.
Cindy Hyde-Smith AP-24088614569860 (6712x4475, AR: 1.50)Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican who first came to Congress as a member of the House in 1994 and is the state’s senior senator, holds individual stocks in Walmart, Merck and Renasant Corp. He has previously faced criticism for his corporate securities ownership in Walmart because the company falls under his jurisdiction on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Wicker reported that stock in the company, held by his spouse, jumped in value, from between $15,001 and $50,000 in the report covering 2019, to between $50,001 and $100,00 in his most recent filing. Wicker, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, reported that his liabilities exceed his assets. Rep. Mike Ezell joins Wicker as the only other lawmaker in the delegation to have a median net worth in the red.
Roger Wicker AP-25247024746200 (4500x3000, AR: 1.50)Rep. Trent Kelly, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has a median net worth of about $350,000, buoyed by a rental home and his retirement plans.

Mississippi consistently ranks as one of the poorest U.S. states, but it is also among those with the lowest cost of living.

Mississippi is also frequently cited as having severe wealth disparities. Despite its lower-than-average median household income, the state is home to 47,279 millionaire households, or about 4.2% of all households in the state, according to Kipliner.

NOTUS reached out to the offices of Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Kelly, Ezell and Guest, and none responded to requests for comment.

This article has been updated to reflect that Rep. Bennie Thompson filed an amended personal financial disclosure on April 21 in response to NOTUS' questions about apparent errors.]]>