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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are members of Congress expected to raise money in exchange for committee assignments?

Thursday, April 28, 2022

By Jacob Alabab-Moser

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YES

In an informal practice, both the Democratic and Republican parties assign fundraising quotas to each of their respective members of Congress. Those given positions of power, such as committee assignments, are expected to raise more. While these quotas, or "party dues," are not mandatory, both current and former members of Congress report that to advance in either party, they must be met. Dues are typically set in the six figures, but exceed $1 million for top positions.

These quotas are often met with contributions from special interests. Rep. Thomas Massie revealed in 2016 that a lobbyist offered to help him raise enough money to get on the Ways and Means Committee with the implied expectation that afterward, Massie would grant him legislative favors.

Proposed reforms range from adopting a merit-based system for committee-member selection to barring lawmakers from fundraising while Congress is in session.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Issue One The price of power

USA Today Lobbyist offered help getting key committee seat, GOP congressman says

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.