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    A Big Buck Club

    The richest Congressman of them all? He's from Houston and he has more moneythan Mitt Romney

    Sarah Rufca
    Sep 13, 2012 | 4:01 pm
    • Rep. Michael McCaul is the richest member of Congress, according to Roll Call,with a $300 million fortune.
    • Millionaire's club? Almost half of Congress has a reported net worth over $1million.
      Photo by Lawrence Jackson/Wikipedia
    • John Kerry

    There's been a lot of talk this campaign season about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's net worth: How he likes to fire people, whether he'll release his tax returns and how he cheered on his Olympic dressage horse.

    But even Romney's $250 million fortune is eclipsed by that of a Houston-area congressman listed by Roll Call as the richest member of Congress for the second year in a row.

     

    The wealth of Congress continues to rise. Nearly half of all representatives and senators are millionaires.

     Republican Michael McCaul represents the 10th District of Texas in the House of Representatives, which stretches from Austin through parts of rural counties including Bastrop, Washington and Waller and into suburban Houston, including parts of Katy, Cypress and Tomball. He's also worth more than $300 million according to his financial disclosure reports, which included mutual funds, bank accounts and other assets, as well as liabilities like mortgages on homes (though the value of the home was not required to include as an asset).

    McCaul's reported wealth eclipses other members of Congress by a large margin. The only other members worth more than $100 million are Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who lists his assets at $198.65 million, followed by Rep. Darrell Issa of California, a Republican whose worth dropped by $80 million (partly due to new liability disclosure rules) to put him in the third spot at $140.55 million.

    Democratic senators Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia ($85.81 million), West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller ($83.08) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut ($79.11 million) round out the top five.

    They may be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but one thing that McCaul and Kerry have in common is that the vast majority of their fortunes come from their wives. Teresa Heinz Kerry is the widow of H. John Heinz III, whose family controls the Heinz ketchup fortune. Similarly Linda McCaul, whose father Lowry May is the founder and CEO of media juggernaut Clear Channel Communications Inc., has received most of the family assets as gifts from her parents, leading to the McCauls' reported wealth rising from about $74 million in 2009 to $294 million in 2010.

    Hey, work hard and marry well, right?

    The average wealth of Congress continues to rise, with the median net worth of members at $913,000 in 2011. Nearly half of all representatives and senators are millionaires. How rich is this club? Sen. John McCain, who took some flack for not knowing how many houses he owned in 2008 (he has eight) no longer ranks among the top 50, according to Roll Call.

    Just to compare, the average American family's net worth was $77,300 in 2010.

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    Flood Relief News

    Houston company gives back with free cleanings for Hill County families

    Natalie Grigson
    Jul 15, 2025 | 4:34 pm
    Cotton Holdings restoration team
    Photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings
    Cotton Holdings Restoration Station team helping residents in Central Texas.

    Cotton Holdings, a Houston-based disaster relief company, has been on the ground daily in Central Texas since the July 4 floods, clearing debris and cleaning up spaces. The company has deployed two "Restoration Station" vans, fully equipped with cleaning teams and professional-grade supplies, to help people recover and preserve their belongings.

    For residents of Kerrville, Hunt, and Comfort, this service is being offered free of charge through July 19.

    Residents in these areas can schedule a free two-hour appointment to have family heirlooms, jewelry, collectibles, or other keepsakes and valuables that may have been damaged by the floods professionally cleaned and restored.

    The website notes that Cotton Holdings is currently only accepting "hard, nonporous items," and recommends throwing away soft belongings that were damaged in the floods. Some of the items they'll accept include:

    • Wood furniture
    • Sculptures
    • Mirrors
    • Jewelry
    • Dinnerware
    • Musical instruments
    • TVs
    • Gaming devices

     Cotton Holdings item cleaning Most items can be cleaned within 15 minutes, a press release says.Photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings

    Each home visit includes two hours of cleaning, plus a dedicated team member to offer emotional support, according to a press release.

    "This effort aims to preserve treasured memories and renew hope within the community during this challenging time," says the release.

    Aside from its work in Central Texas, Cotton Holdings has been at the forefront of disaster relief across the country since its founding in 1996. They've recently helped residents in the California wildfires and in Asheville, North Carolina, post-Hurricane Helene.

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