Congress is Getting Richer

The typical American family is still struggling to recover from the Great Recession, but Congress is getting wealthier every year.

The median net worth of lawmakers was just over $1 million in 2013, or 18 times the wealth of the typical American household, according to new research released Monday by the Center for Responsive Politics.

And while Americans' median wealth is down 43% since 2007, Congress members' net worth has jumped 28%.

(Some of the lawmakers in Congress change from year to year. The center bases its calculations on the financial disclosure forms of members in office on Jan. 12 each year.)

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