One API. 15 Data Sources.
Congress.gov. FEC. Senate LDA. Federal Register. USAspending. Voteview. Census. All normalized into a single, consistent JSON API.
Stop wrestling with 14 different API formats. Start building.
New to APIs? Start here.
No experience required
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a way for programs to talk to each other. Instead of visiting a website and copying data by hand, your code can request data directly and get it back in a structured format (JSON) that's easy to work with.
What does the Capitol Trace API do?
We pull data from 15+ government sources — Congress.gov, the FEC, Senate lobbying records, and more — normalize it into a single, consistent format, and serve it through one API. One key, one schema, all the data.
Who is this for?
Students building class projects. Journalists investigating corruption. Researchers studying polarization. Developers building civic tech apps. Anyone who wants to work with congressional data without spending weeks figuring out government APIs.
How do I get started?
1. Sign up for a free API key below. 2. Pick an endpoint from the reference. 3. Make your first request using any language — JavaScript, Python, R, or even just cURL in your terminal. 4. Get back clean JSON data. That's it.
Response Format
Every endpoint returns the same structure{
"data": [{
"bioguide_id": "C001098",
"name": "Ted Cruz",
"party": "R",
"state": "TX",
"chamber": "Senate",
"ideology_score": 0.891,
"committees": ["Commerce", "Judiciary", "Foreign Relations"]
}],
"meta": {
"source": "congress.gov + voteview.com",
"updated_at": "2026-03-16T12:00:00Z",
"cache_ttl": 3600,
"api_version": "v1" },
"pagination": {
"total": 25,
"page": 1,
"per_page": 50,
"next": null }
}/v1/membersLiveFree/v1/members/:idLiveFree/v1/members/:id/votesLiveFree/v1/members/:id/donorsLiveResearcher/v1/members/:id/tradesLiveResearcher/v1/members/:id/ideologyLiveResearcher/v1/lobbyingLiveResearcher/v1/executive-ordersLiveFree/v1/usageLiveFree/v1/members/:id/committeesSoonFree/v1/members/:id/spendingSoonResearcher/v1/members/:id/demographicsSoonResearcher/v1/members/:id/net-worthSoonResearcher/v1/billsSoonFree/v1/bills/:id/lobbyingSoonResearcher/v1/votesSoonFree/v1/lobbying/revolving-doorSoonPro/v1/nominationsSoonResearcher/v1/spending/statesSoonResearcher/v1/super-pacsSoonPro/v1/campaign-finance/:idSoonResearcher/v1/earmarksSoonResearcher/v1/faraSoonPro/v1/treatiesSoonResearcher/v1/hearingsSoonResearcher25 endpoints · All responses return JSON with consistent schema
Simple, Transparent Pricing
Free for citizens. Paid for power users. No hidden fees. No "contact sales" games.
Free
For students, hobbyists, and civic tech experiments.
- Member profiles & search
- Bill search & status
- Roll call votes
- JSON responses
- Community support
Starter
For hobbyists, side projects, and Quiver-style dashboards.
- Everything in Free
- All 25 endpoints
- JSON responses
- Email support
Researcher
For academics, journalists, and data analysts.
- Everything in Starter
- CSV & JSON export
- Historical data access
- Bulk data downloads
- Email support
Widget
For commercial applications using Capitol Trace embeddable widgets.
- Everything in Researcher
- Embeddable data widgets
- Commercial use license
- White-label options
- Email support
Pro
For developers, side projects, and power users.
- Everything in Researcher
- Webhook alerts (real-time)
- Bulk downloads
- Priority support
- Multiple API keys
Enterprise
For media organizations and advocacy groups.
- Everything in Pro
- Embeddable widgets
- Team accounts (5 keys)
- Custom alert rules
- Dedicated support
- SLA guarantee
Need enterprise-grade access? Custom endpoints, SLA, white-label data? Let's talk.
Built for every level of expertise
Students
Build class projects with real congressional data. The free tier has everything you need. No credit card required.
Journalists
Stop spending 3 days pulling FEC data. Get a member's full donor breakdown, stock trades, and voting record in one API call.
Researchers
Research-ready political data. Bulk CSV downloads, historical records, ideology scores. No more wrestling with 14 different formats.
Developers
Build civic tech on top of our data layer. We handle the government APIs — you build the experience. Full OpenAPI spec included.
Ready to build?
Get your free API key in 30 seconds. 100 requests/day, no credit card, no strings attached. Upgrade when you need to.
Capitol Trace API · Free for citizens, paid for power users · Built by JSW Legacy Ventures