Wyoming Republican
Rep. Cynthia Lummis
What the Post found
Legislation could benefit themselves
Rep. Cynthia M. Lummis (R-Wyo.) owns between $1 million and $5 million in her family’s livestock business in Wyoming. She is one of 15 lawmakers co-sponsoring a bill that would double, from 10 years to 20 years, the duration of federal grazing permits for livestock that feeds on publicly held lands. Her husband, records show, holds a permit through 2017 to graze cattle on 675 acres of federal land. Last year, Lummis also introduced a bill that seeks to change how cattle prices are negotiated to ensure, she says, that ranchers and farmers are fairly compensated. She is also one of the co-sponsors of a bill to exclude livestock manure from being defined as a hazardous substance.
Response by Lummis
In an interview, Lummis said she thinks her actions present no potential for conflict. The livestock marketing bill, she said, would force slaughterhouses to be more transparent about their pricing but would have no financial bearing on her family’s large ranching operation. The bill to exclude manure would primarily affect producers who confine their livestock, unlike her family’s open-range ranch near Cheyenne, Lummis said. The bill to lengthen federal grazing permits could benefit her husband, she said. Her husband feeds a dozen or so cattle on federal lands that adjoin one of their ranches, she said. However, she said, that operation is “inconsequential” compared with the 500 to 1,500 cattle sent to market annually from the family’s main ranch 90 miles away.
Lummis’s financial portrait
The Post examined the personal finances disclosed by all members of Congress and computerized by Center for Responsive Politics to show how they manage their assets and invest their money.
Lummis
House median
Estimated wealth
$14.8 million in 2010
Change in estimated wealth
69% since 2007
More wealth and less aggressive
Lawmakers who use safer investment strategies to protect accumulated wealth.
Wealthier
More aggressive
Financial approach
Agribusiness
20 lawmakers are primarily invested in agriculture-related companies, including farms, ranches and stock in agribusiness-related firms.
What industries does Lummis invest in?
Many assets can be tied to specific industries, such as finance, agriculture or
natural resources. "Mixed" investments are assets not tied to a specific industry.
Lummis's estimated
2010 liabilities
$375,001
What asset types does Lummis hold?
Assets are lumped into groups such as real estate, stocks,
mutual funds or cash.
NOTE: "Mixed" investments are assets that are not tied to a specific industry. Charted change in annual estimated wealth is capped at 200 percent increase and 100 percent decrease for clarity. See the full methodology here.
SOURCES: Congressional financial disclosure forms, Center for Responsive Politics, Washington Post analysis.
About the data
The estimation of assets for lawmakers is based on calculating the midpoint of reported value ranges for holdings and liabilities that members of Congress list on financial disclosure forms. It does not reflect assets lawmakers are not required to disclose, such as personal residences and non-interest bearing bank accounts. The estimation is not intended to provide a complete portrait of the net worth of each legislator, but rather show their relative standing in Congress and how their holdings have changed over time.
If you're a member of Congress who would like to further clarify your financial portrait, please contact us at capitolassets@washpost.com.
