Congress and State Legislatures: 2025 in Review

Understanding the changes that occurred in 2025 among Congress and state legislatures in the U.S. is pivotal for public affairs professionals looking to develop an effective government affairs strategy in the years ahead.

In this post, we delve into the data to examine the significant changes that have occurred in U.S. politics over the past year, including shifts among legislators and congressional staff, lobbying trends, expenses, and congressional reports.

Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of Jan. 13, 2026.

Departing Members in 2026

2026 is shaping up to be a big year for change in Congress. As several states consider reshaping congressional districts and dysfunction continues, over 10% of Congress members are departing this year. A total of 47 House members announced that they will not seek reelection in 2026, with 26 Republicans and 21 Democrats announcing this year that they are leaving Congress.

The Senate is also experiencing departures, with seven members (five Republicans and four Democrats) leaving at the end of their terms.

Many of these departing members are leaving to seek higher office, such as the Senate or a governorship in 2026. These members include:

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) - Running for Senate
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) - Running for Senate
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) - Running for Senate
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) - Running for Senate
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) - Running for Governor
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) - Running for Governor
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) - Running for Governor
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) - Running for Governor

While some departing members have expressed a desire to spend more time with their families, others have cited the constant dysfunction in Congress as a reason to head for the exits. Congress members announcing their retirement include:

Along with those leaving at the end of their terms, other members of Congress decided to depart mid-term, setting up some fierce battles for their open seats in 2026. Perhaps the highest-profile departure is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who cited disagreements with President Donald Trump as a primary factor in her resignation in early 2026.

Additionally, former Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) resigned in 2025 for private sector employment, while former Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) left to become National Security Advisor for the Trump administration.

A group of Congress members died in office in 2025, leading to special elections in their former districts. These members include:

Connolly's 11th district was succeeded by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) in a special election held on September 9, 2025, while Raul Grijalva's 7th congressional district was won by his daughter, Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), in a special election held on September 23, 2025.

A special election for Turner's 18th congressional seat was held on November 4, 2025, but neither candidate received a majority of the vote. The district will hold a runoff election on January 31, 2026, to determine the winner.

Another member of Congress, Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-NJ), left mid-term to run for governor, which she won in December 2025.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who represented California's 1st congressional district, died in office on January 6th, 2026. A special election will be held for the seat this year, although Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet set a date.

With such a large number of members leaving Congress in 2026, this year looks certain to see a number of changes to the legislative branch, including a potential change to the party in power. In addition, congressional staff members will likely see a shakeup as new members enter Congress.

Congressional Staff Turnover

A number of headwinds faced congressional staffers this year, with the month-long government shutdown and the number of departing members contributing further to instability.

According to Legistorm’s turnover data, Republican members of the 119th Congress are outpacing their Democratic counterparts in cycling through staff. In 2025, Republican House offices experienced nearly 75% more turnover than Democratic staff members. The data also found that among the 100 members with the highest staff turnover, 78 were Republicans. However, much of this turnover reflects Republican members of Congress moving to executive branch positions in early 2025 following the election of President Donald Trump.

According to LegiStorm’s turnover index — a salary-weighted calculation comparing staff departures in offices of varying size and composition—the House members with the highest turnover rates in 2025 are:

Rep. Spartz has long held the top spot on Legistorm’s Worst Bosses list, with a turnover index five times the average House average and having the highest level of staff turnover among all active House members. In 2024, the problem got to the point where the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Spartz’s treatment of staff after multiple complaints from staffers.

Staff turnover in the Senate continued to be lower than in the House in 2025, with a turnover index of .29 compared to the House average of .72. Republicans also saw a higher turnover rate in the Senate compared to Democrats, occupying 8 of the 10 highest turnover rates among Senate offices.

Senate members with the highest turnover rate in 2025 include:

The Revolving Door Keeps Revolving

As of November 2025, congressional staffers were on pace for a record number making the leap from government to the lobbying world, a move known colloquially as the “revolving door.”

While the revolving door remains a common phenomenon in Washington D.C., the number of Congress to K Street moves rose significantly in 2025, with 755 former congressional employees registering as lobbyists, over a 45% increase from 2024.

The revolving door continued to be a largely bipartisan affair in 2025, with slightly more Republicans (395) than Democrats (343) leaving their government posts to join the private sector. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) experienced the largest number of staffers joining K Street, with 123 becoming lobbyists over his tenure.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the number of K Street lobbyists entering government service also experienced an increase in 2025, a typical trend during an off-election year. Republicans represented an outsize number of those entering government from K Street, with 76 staffers or over 71% of the total. The result is not surprising, given that Republicans took over control of the presidency and Senate, along with maintaining control of the House, providing many more plum jobs in leadership offices and committees for the GOP.

Congressional Expenses in 2025

Full expense figures for House offices are not yet in for the final quarter of the year, but we can, at this point, determine official expenses as a percentage of each member’s allotted budget.

For example, travel expenses made up 3% of House members’ budgets in 2025, a drop from 4.37% in 2024. We saw similar small decreases in expenses for supplies & materials (1.30% in 2025 vs. 2.63% in 2024), equipment (.32% in 2025 vs. 1% in 2024), and rent/communication/utilities (4.61% in 2025 vs. 4.53% in 2024). With 2025 being a non-election year, these decreases were expected.

We witnessed a steep decline in expenses for franked mail, or taxpayer-funded communications related to a member’s district. Expenses as a percentage of budget for franked mail dropped from 2.67% in 2024 to .66% in 2025. However, this drop in spending is expected, as franked mail is typically utilized more heavily in election years.

House members with the highest expenses include:

Top Vendors in 2025

Congressional office expenditures this year saw the largest percentage of spending for both parties go toward unknown vendors ($17,588,314 total). This spending category typically includes credit card payments or reimbursements to staff, which allows offices to avoid revealing specifics by recording transactions as credit card payments rather than the specific vendor being paid.

The list of top vendors for House members includes:

Leidos Digital Solutions Inc. ($7,430,786)
U.S. Postal Service ($5,808,113)
Amplify Inc ($3,694,449)
AEJ Group LLC ($2,806,402)
Fireside21 LLC ($2,775,089)

Privately-Funded Travel

Congress regularly travels throughout the year for purposes ranging from meeting with foreign leaders to visiting U.S. military sites and overseeing government-funded projects. While some congressional travel is taxpayer-funded, the trips covered in this section are privately funded by outside organizations.

In 2025, Congress members took 333 trips overall, 192 by Republicans and 141 by Democrats. This number is around the historical average of privately-funded travel by Congress, besides a steep drop during 2020-2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited much travel.

Members of the House who traveled the most in 2025 include:

The top destinations for House members include:

United States - 1296 Trips
Israel - 167 Trips
United Kingdom - 76 Trips
Mexico - 47 Trips
Italy - 35 Trips

The top sponsors for congressional travel include:

Congressional Institute Inc. - 248 Trips
Center Forward - 138 Trips
American Israel Education Foundation - 100 Trips
Global Women's Innovation Network - 78 Trips
Third Way - 62 Trips

Town Halls in 2025

Members of Congress continued using town halls to connect with their districts, utilizing phone and Zoom meetings and meeting in person. While most members of Congress held some type of town hall in 2025, the members who held the most include:

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) - 74 town halls
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) - 40 town halls
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) - 38 town halls
Rep. John Larson (D-CT) - 26 town halls
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) - 25 town halls

Press Releases

Congress published about five thousand press releases every month in 2025 to inform the public about legislative actions, policy positions, and constituent events. A total of 61,032 press releases were published in 2025, an increase over the 57,439 press releases published in 2024, and nearly matching the number put out in 2023. However, the number of press releases was still below the 68,587 published in 2022.

Some of these press releases were customary, such as acknowledging the passing of a congressional colleague, while others dealt with hot-button issues such as the Russia/Ukraine war, tariffs, and immigration.

A new topic that showed up more frequently in press releases last year concerned the government shutdown in September 2025. From September 16 to October 3, congressional member offices issued upwards of 860 press releases referencing the shutdown, with Democratic lawmakers leading the push. During that period, Democrats issued over 375 press releases from the House and 140 from the Senate focused on the shutdown. Over the same time span, Republican House members issued over 250 press releases related to the shutdown, and Republican Senators issued over 100 press releases.

Other common topics for 2025 congressional press releases included:

Health
Economy
Security and Defense
Infrastructure
Environment
Israel

Members of Congress publishing the highest amount of press releases included:

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) - 878 Press Releases
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) - 612 Press Releases
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) - 530 Press Releases
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) - 521 Press Releases
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) - 511 Press Releases

The Congressional Record

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the U.S. Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. It documents all floor activity and all remarks made by members of Congress on the House or Senate floor.

The most frequent House speakers that appear in the Congressional Record include:

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) - 249 Remarks
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) - 191 Remarks
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) -173 Remarks
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) - 143 Remarks
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) - 135 Remarks

The most frequent Senate speakers who appear in the Congressional Record include:

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) - 385 Remarks
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) - 305 Remarks
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) - 302 Remarks
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) - 224 Remarks
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) - 212 Remarks

Additionally, members can submit Extensions of Remarks for tributes, statements, and other speeches that were not spoken on the floor but are included to supplement the proceedings. The most common presenters submitting written statements and Extensions of Remarks included:

Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) - 174 Extensions of Remarks
Rep. Gus Billirakis (R-FL) - 128 Extensions of Remarks
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) - 100 Extensions of Remarks
Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) - 84 Extensions of Remarks
Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-NY) - 80 Extensions of Remarks

Congressional Hearings in 2025

Congressional committees also held hundreds of hearings throughout 2025, many conducted by groups such as the House Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs Committees, along with subcommittees focused on issues such as social security, health, trade, and technology.

Subjects in the hearings ranged from energy production to affordability issues, artificial intelligence, and immigration. Congressional committees used these hearings to explore issues in more detail, calling forth experts in various subject areas to provide a clear path forward in combating some of the nation’s most pressing problems.

In 2025, the House held a total of 904 hearings, a bit shy of the 940 congressional hearings held in 2024. However, the month-long government shutdown may have impacted the lower number in 2025.

House committees holding the most hearings in 2025 included:

House Rules Committee - 36 Committee Hearings
House Financial Services Committee - 30 Committee Hearings
House Small Business Committee - 25 Committee Hearings
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - 18 Committee Hearings
House Education and the Workforce Committee - 18 Committee Hearings

Senate committees held a total of 897 hearings in 2025, a sharp increase from the 614 hearings held in 2024. Senate committees holding the most hearings in 2025 included:

Senate Judiciary Committee - 80 Committee Hearings
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence - 74 Committee Hearings
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee - 69 Committee Hearings
Senate Armed Services Committee - 58 Committee Hearings
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee - 56 Committee Hearings

Congressional Office Salaries in 2025

Congressional office staff salaries in 2025 stayed relatively flat from 2024, particularly for Republicans, who saw a smaller rise in pay than Democrats. However, we are still waiting for results for Q4, when bonuses are typically issued. We also can't yet determine the full impact of the government shutdown on salaries for 2025.

The median staffer's salary in 2025 was $74,357, with House staffers receiving a median salary of $70,882 and Senate staffers receiving a median salary of $80,215. However, this number may likely rise with the addition of House staffer bonuses.

The top 5 highest-paid House member offices include:

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) - $130,514 median salary
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) - $116,680 median salary
Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) - $111,616 median salary
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) - $106,458 median salary
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) - $103,018 median salary

The top 5 lowest-paid House member offices include:

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) - $51,867 median salary
Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) - $52,722 median salary
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) - $53,736 median salary
Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) - $54,074 median salary
Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) - $55,763 median salary

The top 5 highest-paid Senate offices include:

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) - $111,527 median salary
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) - $97,344 median salary
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) - $96,519 median salary
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) - $96,017 median salary
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) - $95,824 median salary

The top 5 lowest-paid Senate member offices include:

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) - $54,891 median salary
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) - $55,568 median salary
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) - $61,668 median salary
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) - $61,836 median salary
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) - $62,897 median salary

Among congressional offices, the highest-paid roles in the House include:

Chief of Staff - $177,430 median salary
District/State Chief of Staff - $152,083 median salary
Policy Director - $141,099 median salary
Deputy Chief of Staff - $126,702 median salary
State Director - $124,777 median salary

The highest-paid offices in the Senate include:

Chief of Staff - $211,940 median salary
Deputy Chief of Staff - $176,499 median salary
State Director - $161,860 median salary
Legislative Director - $160,970 median salary
District/State Chief of Staff - $152,567 median salary

Meanwhile, the lowest-paid roles in House offices include:

Appropriations Director - $38,727 median salary
Receptionist - $50,694 median salary
Constituent Services Assistant - $53,229 median salary
Communications Coordinator - $53,615 median salary
Staff Assistant - $53,986 median salary

The lowest-paid Senate offices include:

Law Clerk - $24,333 median salary
District/Regional/State Coordinator - $49,770 median salary
District/State Assistant - $49,831 median salary
Administrative Assistant - $50,510 median salary
Staff Assistant - $51,137 median salary

State Legislatures in 2025

While 2025 wasn’t a major election year, a handful of states held state-level races and special elections, meaning a new crop of incoming state legislators in 2026.

In total, there were 208 new state legislators entering office in 2025 across 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Virginia and New Jersey saw the highest numbers of new state legislators, as they were the two states holding statewide elections in 2025. The states with the most new state legislators in 2025 included:

Virginia - 22 New Members
New Jersey - 16 New Members
Mississippi - 10 New Members
Maryland - 10 New Members
Colorado - 8 New Members

Departing State Legislators

State legislatures across the nation saw lots of changes in 2025 following a significant number of departing state legislators due to resignation, retirement, death, or appointment to another position or office.

A total of 257 state legislators departed their offices in 2025 and early 2026 across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. States seeing the largest number of legislators departing included:

Virginia - 24 Departures
New Jersey - 15 Departures
Maryland - 12 Departures
West Virginia - 9 Departures
Louisiana - 9 Departures
Colorado - 9 Departures

As of January 2026, 19 states were scheduled to hold 48 state legislative special elections, as 38 state legislators departed between December 2025 and January 2026. This is a much higher number than usual, with an average of 70 special elections taking place each year between 2011 and 2024. With it being so early in the year, this number will likely be eclipsed.

Lobbying in 2025

2025 saw a surge in lobbying as Congress engaged in policy battles over healthcare, technology, defense, and tax reform, especially with the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which delivered massive spending increases for defense and immigration, among others.

The total number of lobbyists held steady with modest increases in 2025, rising to 4,976 from 4,867 in 2024, showing a similar trajectory of growth since 2020.

After seeing a slight dip in 2024, the number of newly registered lobbyists increased nearly 20% in 2025, with 431 new registered lobbyists, up from 363 in 2024.

Let’s take a deep dive into the data to see who the big winners in lobbying were in 2025.

Top Lobbying Issues

Defense overtook healthcare as the top issue being spent on lobbying in 2025, a year that saw the Department of Defense receive its first trillion-dollar budget and a renewal of the National Defense Authorization Act. The rest of the list includes many important issues related to the budget and healthcare, among others.

The list of top lobbying issues based on expenditures in 2025 includes:

Defense - $9,499,308
Budget/Appropriations - $7,724,912
Health Issues - $6,681,057
Government Issues - $6,596,374
Accounting - $5,136,485

Top Lobbying Firms

The list of the top lobbying firms in 2025 contains many typical giants in the industry, along with some relative newcomers. They include:

Top Lobbying Clients

The number of lobbying clients climbed nearly 8% in 2025, continuing sustained growth beginning in 2020. The list of top lobbying clients contains some familiar names representing tech, energy, trade, and more. They include:

2025 also saw a jump in new lobbying clients, with the number jumping nearly 33%. While the number of new Democratic lobbying clients dropped a bit, Republican lobbying clients saw the largest rise, increasing by over 27% in 2025, an expected result after Republicans gained trifecta control over the federal government.

Tracking Congress and State Legislatures in 2026 and Beyond

Analyzing data related to the inner workings of government helps public affairs professionals better understand the evolving priorities of Washington, along with helping to anticipate changes likely to be seen in the years ahead.

By utilizing public affairs software such as LegiStorm, you can track staff and leadership changes in Congress and state legislatures, along with following trends in the world of lobbying and keeping up on congressional publications, town halls, press releases, hearings, and more.

This article provides just a sample of the data types revealed through the LegiStorm platform. We encourage you to explore the platform further to see how it can help your organization plan an effective government affairs strategy to accomplish your goals.

Sources