Revolving Door in Congress 2025: Hill to K Street

As Members of Congress and congressional staff move between public service and lobbying, they bring institutional knowledge, policy expertise, and valuable networks that can shape legislative outcomes. Tracking the revolving door in Congress helps public affairs professionals anticipate shifts in influence to better align advocacy efforts with the realities of Washington’s policymaking ecosystem.

This post examines the most significant moves from Capitol Hill to K Street, along with those shifting from K Street to Congress in 2025, to discover what these shifts reveal about congressional priorities. By analyzing the latest examples of the revolving door in Congress in 2025, we aim to provide insights that public affairs professionals can use to develop engagement strategies and navigate Washington’s evolving influence landscape.

What the Revolving Door Means in Congress

The revolving door describes the movement of people between government roles and private-sector jobs, especially between Congress and the lobbying industry. In Washington, this dynamic is often framed as the flow from Capitol Hill to K Street, a reference to the D.C. street where many lobbying firms are based.

The revolving door can shape how policy is developed and how laws are made, as former officials possess expertise that can improve policy outcomes. Similarly, lobbyists making the move from K Street to Capitol Hill bring industry-specific knowledge that helps lawmakers understand complex issues arising from new legislation by Congress.

However, the revolving door also raises concerns about conflicts of interest and unequal access to decision-makers. To address ethical concerns, Congress and the executive branch have created rules limiting post-government employment and lobbying activities. These include:

1. Lifetime bans on representing private companies on the same specific issues handled in government
2. Two-year lobbying bans for high senior officials
3. One-year bans on representing foreign governments in certain cases
4. “Cooling off” periods for some senior officials
5. Lobbying disclosure requirements
6. Congressional rules for post-employment activities, such as lobbying

Recently proposed legislation looks to put further checks and balances on the revolving door in Congress. The ZOMBIE Act, introduced in May 2025 by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), would ban Members of Congress from lobbying and require that congressional candidates close their accounts before they can lobby the government. Additionally, legislation proposed this year in the House by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would enact a lifetime lobbying ban for Members of Congress, along with strengthening transparency rules and increasing penalties.

Congress to K Street vs K Street to Congress

Despite efforts to diminish the practice, the revolving door between Congress and the private sector remains an important, if controversial, feature of Washington. While the number of transitions has fluctuated over time, the overall pattern has remained remarkably steady, and continues to play a central role in shaping how influence moves through the policymaking system.

The revolving door is not a one-way street, as former Members of Congress and congressional staff regularly leave public service for lobbying, while private-sector professionals move in the opposite direction to serve as lawmakers, senior aides, or political appointees. 

Capitol Hill to K Street in 2025

Moves from Capitol Hill to K Street in 2025 remained a bipartisan affair, with former lawmakers and congressional staff from both parties transitioning into lobbying roles. The following section breaks down the totals of those who made the transition in 2025 and analyzes trends in the revolving door, including trends by political party.

How Many Moved From Congress to Lobbying in 2025?

Overall, the number of transitions from Congress to K Street increased sharply compared with 2024, reflecting a consistent post-election pattern. Historically, revolving door activity tends to slow during presidential election years, as political uncertainty and institutional turnover discourage major career moves, while the years following typically see an uptick in revolving door activity.

A total of 866 Members of Congress and congressional staffers made the move from Capitol Hill to K Street in 2025, a 60% increase over 2024. This also resulted in a record number for the revolving door in Congress, eclipsing a high of 777 set in 2007, before Congress enacted the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which set additional hurdles for those looking to jump from Congress to lobbying.

Revolving Door By Party in 2025

Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of Feb. 2, 2026.

In examining the revolving door by party, Republicans accounted for a slightly higher share of transitions for Members of Congress and congressional staffers to lobbyists in 2025.

In total, 440 Republicans entered lobbying or related private-sector roles, representing 50.8% of all Congress-to–K Street transitions in 2025. By comparison, 384 Democrats, or 44.3% of the total, made the move from Capitol Hill to K Street, while "unknown party" rounded out the final 4.8%.

How 2025 Compares to Recent Years

Republicans continued a recent trend of slightly outpacing Democrats in the revolving door since 2002. This trend ramped up even more when Executive Order 13770 was revoked on the last day of President Donald Trump’s first term. In 2017, President Trump initially signed the executive order, which extended cooling-off periods and instituted a lifetime ban on lobbying foreign governments. 

Since 2021, the number of moves from Congress to K Street exploded, increasing nearly 80% from 2020 to 2021. That number stayed relatively stable before dipping in 2024, typical for a presidential election year, then rising again to 866 in 2025. If these trends continue, we are likely to see further growth in the revolving door, especially as the second Trump administration has seen a relatively high number of moves to K Street in its first year.

K Street to Congress in 2025

Although the Congress to K Street pipeline shot up last year, the revolving door from K Street to Congress in 2025 has remained somewhat consistent.

The number of moves from lobbying to Congress is far from the peak levels seen in the mid-2000s, and continues a trend of slower growth in that direction over the past decade. This is caused by a variety of factors, such as a ten-year earmark ban enacted in 2011 and the increase of so-called shadow lobbying.

However, historical trends of revolving door activity show a spike every four years in lobbyists making the leap to public service. If that trend holds up, expect another increase in 2027.

2025 Totals Moving From Lobbying Into Congress

A total of 125 lobbyists made the move from K Street to Congress in 2025, representing an increase of nearly 60% (59.74%) over 2024, when just 77 made the jump. Although it looks like a significant rise, fewer lobbyists historically join Congress during a presidential election year.

In terms of the revolving door by party, Republicans far outnumbered their Democratic colleagues, with 91 Republican lobbyists moving to Congress, representing 72.8% of the total. In contrast, just 31 Democratic lobbyists joined Congress in 2025, representing about 25% of the total. However, this is expected, with the incoming Republican Trump administration and a Republican trifecta in Congress at the start of 2025.

Top Congressional Offices Producing Revolving Door Staff

The revolving door affects nearly every corner of Congress, cutting across parties, chambers, and levels of seniority. Yet the intensity of revolving door activity is not evenly distributed, as some congressional offices consistently produce a higher number of staff who transition into lobbying and related roles.

In this section, we examine the congressional offices that generated the most congressional staff to lobbyists in 2025, based on the latest Legistorm data.

Top Offices By Senate “Recent Staff”

Many long-time Members of the Senate find themselves on the list of the top offices in revolving door activity for 2025, including:

Top Offices By House “Recent Staff”

With Senate offices typically larger than those in the House, the number of those moving from Capitol Hill to K Street is typically smaller in the House. The highest House members by recent staff include:

Why 2025 Totals Can Change

Year-end records for revolving door activity are not always finalized immediately, and some transitions may be reported after initial data collection.

As a result, the totals presented here may change as additional information becomes available and records are updated. Legistorm will revise these figures as soon as new data is confirmed to ensure the most accurate and comprehensive picture of the revolving door in 2025.

What This Means For Government Affairs Teams and Journalists

Understanding the revolving door in Congress offers a roadmap to influence, expertise, and institutional power in Washington. For government affairs teams, this data helps identify where policy knowledge and relationships are migrating, anticipate shifts in advocacy dynamics, and refine engagement strategies.

For journalists, revolving door trends can reveal deeper stories about political influence, industry priorities, and the networks shaping public policy, enabling more accurate and contextualized coverage.

How Government Affairs Professionals Can Use Revolving Door In Congress Data

For government affairs professionals, tracking revolving door activity is essential to staying ahead of Washington’s rapidly changing landscape. Public affairs software like LegiStorm makes it possible to monitor the latest moves between Capitol Hill and K Street in real time, helping teams understand who holds influence and where it is shifting.

By analyzing office churn, professionals can identify which congressional offices are experiencing the highest turnover and where institutional knowledge is being redistributed. Relationship mapping allows teams to visualize connections between former staffers, lawmakers, and private-sector organizations, revealing networks that often shape legislative outcomes. Examining staffing pipelines on Capitol Hill further clarifies how talent flows through committees, leadership offices, and policy areas, offering critical insight into emerging power centers across Congress and the lobbying industry.

These insights, among others, enable government affairs teams to move from a reactive advocacy to a more strategic, data-driven approach to engaging policymakers and stakeholders.

How Journalists Can Use Revolving Door In Congress Data

Data on the revolving door in Congress provides journalists with a powerful way to deepen reporting on Congress, lobbying, and public policy. By tracking the movement of lawmakers and staff between Capitol Hill and K Street, reporters can verify timelines, confirm relationships, and add critical context to stories about legislative decisions, political influence, and regulatory outcomes.

Journalists can also use revolving door data to identify potential sources with direct knowledge of specific policy areas or legislative actions. Former congressional staffers and lawmakers who transition into lobbying or advisory roles often retain deep expertise and institutional insight, making them valuable voices for follow-up reporting.

Monitoring the flow of K Street to Congress moves can also help journalists spot emerging trends, such as industry sectors gaining influence in government or committees attracting private-sector talent. Over time, patterns revealed through LegiStorm’s data can generate new story ideas, highlighting shifts in power dynamics, evolving industry priorities, and the structural forces shaping how Congress operates.

Public affairs software like LegiStorm helps aggregate and organize this information, making it easier to identify career transitions, map connections, and analyze trends across Congress and the lobbying industry. LegiStorm’s profiles and career histories also help reporters quickly understand a source’s background and relevance to a given policy issue.

FAQ

1. What is the “revolving door” in Congress?

The “revolving door” describes career moves between congressional jobs and lobbying roles, including Congress to K Street and K Street to Congress.

2. How many people went from Congress to K Street in 2025?

According to LegiStorm’s 2025 count, 866 moved from Congress to K Street.

3. What is the 2025 revolving door by party?

As of Feb. 2, 2026, LegiStorm reported 440 Republicans (50.8%) and 384 Democrats (44.3%) in its 2025 revolving door tracking.

4. How many moved from K Street to Congress in 2025?

According to LegiStorm’s 2025 count, 125 made the move from K Street to Congress.

5. Which offices are the “top revolving door congressional employers”?

In LegiStorm’s “Top Revolving Door Congressional Employers” snapshot, examples of high “Recent staff” counts in the Senate include Sen. Chuck Schumer (113), Sen. Susan Collins (80), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (75). In the House, the top revolving door congressional employers include Rep. Steve Scalise (43), Rep. Pete Sessions (42), and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (42).

Originally published February 10, 2026, updated February 10, 2026