Congress Gets Richer

Congress's popularity might be in the ditch, but its members' bank accounts are soaring. Roll Call reports that Congress had a collective net worth of more than $2 billion in 2010, almost a 25 percent increase over 2008. The 50 richest representatives account for 80 percent of the institution's net worth, but there are still plenty of wealthy members—219 reported having assets worth more than $1 million last year. A Newsweek investigation found that some of the most fiscally conservative Republicans, including Darrell Issa, one of the institution's wealthiest members, have been fighting to get government funding from some of the same programs they decry as wasteful.