Members of Congress haven’t received a raise in nearly two decades, and federal law severely restricts them from working side gigs to pad their personal finances.
But at least nine federal lawmakers waltzed through a literary loophole last year, earning income from book writing last year that rivaled — and in four instances, exceeded — their $174,000-per-year congressional salaries, according to a Washington Sun analysis of House and Senate financial disclosures.
A couple dozen others earned four- or five-figure paydays in 2025 or are actively writing books that could score them handsome amounts of supplementary cash.
These days, book-writing is all but perfunctory for Capitol Hill’s leadership aspirants and potential presidential candidates. Political committees, meanwhile, have recently juiced sales by spending five- or six-figure amounts on bulk book orders of their allies’ tomes and treatises, according to Federal Election Commission records. Here’s a complete rundown of who in Congress — along with a couple of prominent congressional hopefuls — is scoring the most money:
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Six-Figure Club
Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey)
The evening of March 31, 2025, Booker stood up on the Senate floor and began speaking. It’d be another 25 hours and five minutes before he stood down and concluded his remarks. A year later, Booker’s appropriately titled book, “Stand,” hit bookstores as a meditation on civic virtues and responsibilities.
It’s also a lesson in capitalism: The potential 2028 presidential hopeful last year scored $365,000 — more than twice his Senate salary — in the form of a book advance from St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Booker embarked on a nine-city book tour in March and April.
“Cory’s team worked closely with the Senate Ethics Committee and legal counsel to follow all ethical and legal guidelines relating to his book,” spokesperson David Bergstein said in a statement.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania)
Fetterman last year earned $345,000 for his 2025 book “Unfettered,” published by Penguin Random House. That’s on top of the $172,500 he earned from the book in 2024, the year he signed a royalty agreement. The senator’s 240-page memoir explores Fetterman’s path to power, life-altering stroke, mental health struggles and contrarian politics that have alienated many of his fellow Democrats.
The book was hardly a commercial blockbuster, failing to land on major nonfiction bestseller lists despite the uncredited involvement of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger of “Friday Night Lights” fame. Defector writer Alex Shultz reported in November that the Barnes & Noble of Fetterman’s hometown of York, Pennsylvania, didn’t sell a single copy of “Unfettered” in the two days after its release. Fetterman’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont)
Books are a significant reason for Sanders’ increase in wealth to millionaire status — or close. In 2025, he earned $200,000 in royalties from Penguin Random House as his latest book, “Fight Oligarchy,” hit bookstores and became a New York Times bestseller. In 2024, Sanders earned $148,750 from Penguin Random House, which also published his previous book, “It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.” Sanders’ office did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)
One of Capitol Hill’s most prolific authors, Cotton has written three books since 2019, including his most recent, “Seven Things You Can’t Say About China.” He is under contract to write two more: “Seven Things You Can’t Say About the Left” and a yet-to-be-titled sequel. Last year, the senator earned $190,032 in royalties across several book revenue streams — mostly from Harper Collins Publishing, but also foreign publishers in Japan, Poland, Estonia and South Korea. Cotton maintains a limited liability company, TBC Books LLC, to manage his authorly pursuits. Cotton’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
During 2025, Cruz made $155,312 from a book advance through Penguin Random House, which published his August 2026 book, “Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas,” about the Supreme Court justice. But this only represents a fraction of Cruz’s recent literary haul. Since 2020, Cruz has booked more than $2.32 million in advances, according to a financial filing he submitted to the Senate on Aug. 13. In the past, Cruz’s own campaign committee has been a prime customer for his books. Cruz, who placed a distant second to President Donald Trump in the 2016 contest, is actively considering running for president in 2028.
In a statement to The Washington Sun, Cruz’s Senate office said the senator has written five New York Times bestsellers. “The income referenced in his financial disclosure reflects an advance for his writing,” the statement said. “Actual royalties beyond the advance are donated to charity. Senator Cruz is an avid writer and enjoys storytelling, particularly as a way to take readers behind the scenes of consequential moments and figures through his unique lens.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York)
The Senate minority leader’s 2025 book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” earned Schumer a $100,001 payout last year through a limited liability company — NEH 3 LLC — that the senator “established to receive income” from the book’s publication. Schumer also reported that his wife received a separate $100,001 payment through the LLC. The book became a bestseller. Schumer’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona)
The potential 2028 presidential candidate made $100,000 last year from an advance stemming from his 2025 royalty agreement with Simon & Schuster LLC for a yet-to-be-released book Gallego says is titled “American Corrido.” Gallego lists his “net” income from the advance as $51,000 — what his office says is the amount he earned after paying a co-author and taxes.
“Senator Gallego’s story is a uniquely American one. He was raised by a single mother, served in the Marines in Iraq, worked his way through Harvard, and became a United States senator,” spokesperson Jacques Petit said. “He looks forward to sharing his story with readers.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California)
The House speaker emeritus’ 2024 book, “The Art of Power,” published by Simon & Schuster, scored her between $100,001 and $1 million in 2025. (Unlike in the Senate, House members are only required to list book-related income in broad ranges.) Pelosi’s book debuted in late August 2024 as No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction. Pelosi’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky)
Comer owns a limited liability company, Gamaliel Stargazer LLC, that “was formed to own any future royalties from upcoming book sales” from “All The President’s Money” — a scathing assessment, published in 2025, of former President Joe Biden. In his annual personal financial disclosure, Comer doesn’t specify how much he earned last year from his book. Instead, he states that Gamaliel Stargazer LLC earned between $100,000 and $1 million during 2025. Comer’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Five-Figure Club
Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina)
The also-ran 2024 presidential candidate scored a $94,563 in royalties last year from HarperCollins, which published his 2025 book, “One Nation Always Under God: Profiles in Christian Courage,” and his 2022 book, “America, a Redemption Story.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana)
“How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will” — Kennedy’s romp through the absurdities and goofiness of political life on Capitol Hill — landed him an extended and improbable trip to the bestseller list after it published in October 2025. It also made the folksy senator $91,562 in the form of a book advance last year from HarperCollins Publishers.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia)
Warnock disclosed $66,256 in book-related earnings during 2025, mostly from Penguin Random House, including for his most recent effort, “The Crooked Places Made Straight.” Income also includes about $500 he made last year from his 2014 book, “The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness,” published through New York University Press.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona)
A potential presidential candidate, Kelly signed an agreement last year with Simon & Schuster to “receive book advance and royalty payments” for a yet-to-be published book titled “Dr. Atticus Orbit’s Guide to Becoming an Astronaut.’ Kelly, a retired astronaut, has previously penned children’s books including “Mousetronaut Saves the World” and “Astrotwins — Project Blastoff.” He reported receiving $51,928 total in 2025 from book-connected money.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri)
Schmitt reported receiving a “partial advance payment” of $41,667 in 2025 for his bestselling book “The Last Line of Defense: How to Beat the Left in Court,” which published last year.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts)
The author of more than a dozen books, Warren’s oldest writings — academic books dating to the 1980s and 1990s — are the ones generating cash, according to her 2025 financial disclosure, which indicated she earned $23,178.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania)
McCormick made $20,180 from “book proceeds” last year. He co-wrote the 2025 book “Who Believed in You: How Purposeful Mentorship Changes the World,” with his wife, Dina Powell McCormick, and the 2023 title “Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America” with adviser James M. Cunningham.
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Murkowski pocketed $14,750 in 2025 for her book “Far From Home,” which published last year.
Abdul El-Sayed
The Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan has three book royalty agreements dating to last decade. He disclosed that royalties from his books are paid to a AME Higher LLC, a company he owns. El-Sayed reported receiving a $103,000 payout in 2025 from AME Higher LLC, although it’s unclear how much of that is derived from book income. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to questions about how much money he received.
Clearance Sale
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana)
Sheehy earned $6,541 last year from his 2023 book “Mudslingers: A True Story of Aerial Firefighting.” But he says he didn’t keep the money: “Royalties donated to charity,” his financial disclosure affirmed. Business Insider also reported that Sheehy planned to donate some of his book money to a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group he helped found. The book garnered some controversy: The Daily Montanan and Montana Public Radio reported that it included passages from other sources without crediting them. Sheehy did not comment on the reports at the time and didn’t return a request for comment.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)
Jordan’s book “Do What You Said You Would Do” is now five years old, but it still earned the House Judiciary Committee chairman between $2,501 and $5,000 in royalties. Another Jordan book from more than 30 years ago, “Victory at the Training Table: A Guide to Sports Nutrition,” also earned him up to $200.
Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas)
Davids reported earning royalties of between $2,501 and $5,000 related to her 2021 illustrated children’s book “Sharice’s Big Voice.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky)
Paul may have six active book royalty agreements dating to the early 2010s. But he only reported $1,000 in book income during 2025, all coming from his 2023 book, “Deception: The Great Covid Cover-Up.”
Free Table
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee)
Blackburn, who’s running for Tennessee governor, reported no income in 2025 from her 2020 children’s book, “Camilla Can Vote,” which she wrote with her adult daughter and distributed through conservative publishing house Brave Books LLC.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota)
Klobuchar, who’s running for Minnesota governor, wrote her first book in the mid-1980s and three since, including a 2023 memoir, “The Joy of Politics: Surviving Cancer, a Campaign, a Pandemic, an Insurrection, and Life’s Other Unexpected Curveballs.” Klobuchar reported receiving no royalty money for any of them during 2025.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California)
Book money appears to have dried up for the freshman senator, as Schiff reported no income in 2025 from “Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could,” which published in 2021 and earned $8,339 in 2024.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri)
None of the three books that Hawley has written this decade — including his most recent from 2023, “Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs” — generated income for him during 2025.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama)
Britt’s 2023 memoir/self-help book, “God Calls Us to Do Hard Things: Lessons From the Alabama Wiregrass,” did not earn her royalties in 2025 from publisher Hachette Book Group.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia)
Kaine’s 2024 memoir “Walk Ride Paddle” didn’t generate a penny in royalties from publisher Harper Horizon.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island)
Whitehouse acknowledged that “no royalties were received in 2025” from any of the three books he’s written during the past 13 years, including his most recent, 2022’s “The Scheme.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
Ernst’s 2020 book, “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country That Raised Me,” paid her no residuals in 2025.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
Neither Merkley’s 2019 “America is Better Than This” nor his 2023 “Filibustered!” earned him income in 2025 despite ongoing royalty agreements with his publishers.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois)
Duckworth’s 2021 book, “Every Day is a Gift: A Memoir,” had no income attached last year although she retains a royalty agreement with the Hachette Book Group.
Newer Arrivals
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina)
“How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents” is the title of an upcoming book for Tillis, who’s embraced his status as an outcast within his own party. The outgoing senator, who did not seek reelection amid constant sparring with Trump, signed a publishing contract with HarperCollins earlier this year, which Tillis says “provides for royalty payments, including an advance on royalty payments.” Terms have not yet been disclosed.
Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota)
The Senate majority leader inked a deal in February with Hachette Book Group for a “forthcoming but untitled book” that comes with “an advance of royalties.” Thune affirmed he had not yet received any money from it entering 2026.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
Lee’s latest book, “The UniParty,” published this summer, after he signed a deal — terms undisclosed — with HarperCollins Publishers in late 2024. Lee reported earning no advance money related to this book during 2025. He also reported no income last year from any of several other books he’s written during the past 15 years.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut)
In February 2026, Murphy reached an “advance and royalties” agreement with publisher Farrar Straus Giroux for “Crisis of the Common Good,” which published in May. Murphy did not disclose terms in his most recent financial disclosure, which covered activity during calendar year 2025.
James Talarico
The Senate candidate is hoping to become the first Democrat elected to statewide office in Texas since President Bill Clinton’s first term. If so, that’ll likely help sales of Talarico’s “untitled” future book published by HarperCollins Publishers LLC, with which he signed an advance and royalties agreement in March. Talarico did not disclose terms.
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