The 50 Wealthiest Members of Congress

They're supposed to represent the people, but members of Congress have very little in common with the rest of us. One of the biggest gaps between constituents and their elected representatives appears to be income.

While Americans struggle to make ends meet in the current 22-month-old recession, Congress resembles an exclusive country club, where millionaires hang out.

The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, has published a new list of the 50 wealthiest members of Congress.

No. 1 on The Hill's Rich List is Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic Party nominee for president, with a worth of at least $167.8 million (thanks primarily to his marriage to Theresa Heinz.)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), placed second and third, with "hundreds of millions of dollars in assets," according to the newspaper.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the Top 50, with a net worth of $12.5 million. Also on the list is Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is worth $9.6 million. (Nobody from Pennsylvania made the Top 50).

From The Hill:

Most lawmakers, like other Americans, have seen stark declines in their Wall Street portfolios, but their latest financial disclosures do not suggest they are hard-up despite the recession. The average member of Congress is worth at least $2.9 million, according to their reports, although several have also reported debts that exceed their assets.

The list is a bipartisan one. Of the 50 lawmakers on the The Hill's Rich List, 26 are Democrats and 24 are Republicans. For comparison, there are 256 Democrats in the House and 178 Republicans; in the Senate there are 59 Democrats and 40 Republicans.

The Hill based its analysis on annual financial disclosure forms that lawmakers are required to complete and file with the House clerk or Senate secretary. The disclosures are for lawmakers’ assets and liabilities as at the end of 2008. The reports are not models of transparency so the dollar numbers in the list are best guesses rather than precise figures.

Read the full story and review the list of the 50 richest members of Congress at The Hill Web site.