Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL4), in office since 1997 and a senior House Appropriations Committee member, presents a largely conventional profile with no major documented self-dealing scandals. He is among Alabama delegation members reported to hold individual corporate stocks, but no evidence of high-volume or suspiciously timed trading surfaced; his ~$6.4M 2018 net worth is concentrated in real estate and a family enterprise without clear office-attributable enrichment. His strongest accountability signal is the typical appropriator pattern of concentrated industry PAC money aligned with subcommittee jurisdiction (correlation, not proof), plus modest family-advocacy proximity through his wife's prior role overseeing lobbyists at Concerned Women for America. His lifetime missed-vote rate (2.9%) is only slightly above the House median, and no campaign personal-use enforcement was found.
Public record
In Congress since
1997
Committees
Appropriations
Missed votes, 119th Congress
3.0% (20 of 674; median member 1.9%)
Campaign money, 2025–26 cycle
$1.0M raised · 41% from PACs & committees · $750K cash on hand FEC ↗
The stock-trading ban
H.R. 7008 passage, Jul 22, 2026
Yes
Cosponsored a ban bill
None
H.R. 7008 bans new stock purchases by members, spouses and dependents; it doesn't force sales of existing holdings. The Senate vote was on the version paired with the SAVE Act, which is why no Democrat voted yes. Full breakdown →
Amounts are the ranges members must report, not exact values. The STOCK Act requires a report within 45 days of a trade; "late" counts days past that deadline, measured to the filing date.
How the score breaks down
Stock self-trading
25% weight
18
Aderholt is one of four Alabama congressional delegation members reported to hold individual corporate stocks, and he sits on House Appropriations (broad sector overlap). However, no record of high-volume active trading or suspicious-timing Periodic Transaction Reports surfaced; holdings appear to be relatively passive disclosed assets rather than frequent trades. Low-to-moderate score reflects individual-stock ownership with sector overlap but no evidence of active trading or market-beating timing.
OpenSecrets estimated his 2018 net worth at roughly $6.4M (ranked 62nd in House), with assets heavily in real estate and a family enterprise (Greenbrier Enterprises) plus inherited/marital wealth. Available disclosures do not isolate post-1997 growth beyond salary and market returns, and much wealth appears tied to real estate/family holdings predating clear attribution. No sourced data demonstrates anomalous enrichment attributable to office, so no score assigned (absence not penalized).
Money → action alignmentcorrelation, not proof of any quid-pro-quo
20% weight
30
Correlation, not proof. As a senior House Appropriations Committee member (and subcommittee chair), Aderholt draws substantial PAC money from industries with business before his subcommittees (defense, agriculture, health). Appropriators routinely receive concentrated industry donations alongside earmark/appropriations activity benefiting those sectors. This reflects the typical appropriator donor-vote alignment pattern rather than any documented quid pro quo.
No FEC enforcement matters, news reports, or watchdog complaints alleging personal use of campaign or leadership-PAC funds by Aderholt were found. His committee (Robert Aderholt for Congress) and a joint fundraising committee file standard FEC reports with no documented personal-use violations. Absence of evidence, not penalized.
Aderholt's wife, Caroline McDonald Aderholt, previously served as chief of staff at Concerned Women for America, where she oversaw the legislative department and lobbyists; her father, Albert McDonald, was an Alabama state senator and Agriculture Commissioner. These are family political/advocacy ties rather than documented lobbying contracts directed at Aderholt's office or a documented staff-to-K-Street pipeline. Low score reflects family advocacy/political proximity without evidence of office-tied lobbying contracts.
Aderholt missed 535 of 18,472 roll-call votes (2.9%) from 1997 to 2026, modestly worse than the ~2.1% median for current representatives. No reports of heavy paid speeches or fundraising-driven absenteeism were found. Low score reflects only a slightly above-median lifetime miss rate with no neglect-of-duty pattern.
Sources behind this score: 2 news reporting · 1 data aggregator · 5 reference database · 1 official record. Score = weighted average of the components that have data; the 2 without sourced evidence are excluded, never counted against the member. Methodology →
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