Those in the Know
"If you want to serve on a committee in Congress, you have to pay for the privilege. Committee assignments, then, are less about qualifications than they are about cash — or, to put it another way, cash is the chief qualification you need. When representatives don’t pay their ‘dues’ or fall behind, they are pressured to pay up — or else …. Candidates’ ability to raise cash is largely influenced by how well they play the game with leadership, and if you don’t pay your dues, you can’t use the NRCC call suites (or other benefits like the NRCC recording studios) to raise money …. Some members of Congress spend at least half their time fundraising to keep their dues paid and campaign coffers full."
Ken Buck | Republican Representative of Colorado