Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Millionaires Club In Congress

BOSTON (CBS) – They're getting richer on Capitol Hill.

A new report by the Center for Responsive Politics finds a majority of Congressional members had a net worth of $1 million or more in 2012.

First time we've ever been able to say that.

Keep in mind that members of Congress make $174,000 a year.

The latest financial disclosure numbers are making news because they come from the very same same people who are deciding whether to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and whether to hike the minimum wage.

If people already thought Congress was out of touch, I'm guessing this won't help.

Some of the Congressional millionaires are from Massachusetts. In fact there's one local lawmaker in the list of the 30 richest members – Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA). He reported a net worth of more than $15 million.

Kennedy, like many others on The Hill, already had his money when he showed up.

And, for what it's worth, he's pushing for both an extension of long-term unemployment benefits and a higher minimum wage. In fact just this week he framed it as a moral imperative, when he joined me on WBZ's NewsWatch.

But Congress would be a lot richer if it weren't for one man who left the U.S. Senate last year.

Secretary of State John Kerry was the wealthiest Senator in Washington with a net worth of $248 million.

His departure single handedly caused Democrats to record a lower net worth from the year earlier.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz