Cashing In on Capitol Hill: The Lucrative Second Act of Washington's Insider Class
When a senior congressional staffer leaves the Hill for a K Street lobbying firm, the salary increase is often immediate and staggering — frequently exceeding $200,000 in the first year alone. But the financial windfall for former staffers is only one dimension of a systemic arrangement that raises fundamental questions about whose interests Congress is actually designed to serve. VIS News examines the mechanics, the incentives, and the policy consequences of Washington's most durable institutio