Every data point on Capitol Trace comes from official government sources or established research institutions. Here's exactly where everything comes from.
**Congress.gov API** — The official Library of Congress legislative database. Source for: bill text and status, member profiles, committee assignments, roll call votes, nominations, treaties, amendments, and the Congressional Record. Updated continuously as Congress acts.
Voteview (UCLA) — DW-NOMINATE ideology scores for every member of Congress since 1789, produced by political scientists at UCLA. The gold standard for measuring congressional ideology. Updated each Congress.
Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) — Quarterly filings submitted directly to the Senate showing which firms, clients, and issues received lobbying activity. Updated quarterly.
FEC (Federal Election Commission) — Schedule A (individual donations), Schedule B (spending), candidate totals, PAC contributions, Super PAC independent expenditures. Updated as filings come in — major reports due quarterly and around elections.
Quiver Quantitative / House Clerk PTR — Congressional stock transaction disclosures filed under the STOCK Act. Members must disclose within 45 days of a trade. Capitol Trace caches 96,000+ trades and syncs new filings every 6 hours.
USAspending.gov — Federal contract awards, grants, loans, and direct payments searchable by agency, recipient, state, and congressional district.
FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) — DOJ database of individuals and firms registered to lobby or do public relations on behalf of foreign governments and entities. Currently tracking 822 principals.