House and Senate Campaign Expenditures: Available Historical Data Limited, but Range of Limited Estimates for Reported Media-Related Expenditures Possible

This letter formally transmits the briefing in response to congressional direction in a Senate Appropriations Committee Report (S. Rep. No. 110-129) to report on the 10-year trend in House and Senate campaign costs and the percentage of those costs incurred due to rising broadcast advertising rates. Specifically, we are reporting on the extent to which data on House and Senate campaign operating expenditures, especially media-related expenditures, are available and what the data show about the range of estimates of media-related expenditures as a proportion of itemized operating expenditures. On the basis of the results of our review, we are not making any recommendations for congressional consideration or agency action.