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K Street in Washington, D.C. home to many influential lobbying firms.
Congress’ fiscal cliff fiasco, a flurry of lame duck legislation and election-season politics drove some of the nation’s most powerful lobbying forces to double down on their governmental influence efforts late last year, newly filed reports show.
Such an uptick foreshadows what could be ever-more-aggressive lobbying on federal finances, taxation, energy and social issues like immigration and gun ownership as President Barack Obama enumerated in his inaugural address Monday.
The trend may end a prolonged lobbying spending slowdown largely prompted by Capitol Hill gridlock and a dearth of meaningful legislation receiving consideration during much of 2011 and 2012.
In all, about half of the year’s top 100 lobbying organizations spent more on lobbying in the fourth quarter of last year than in the third quarter. About half also showed an overall increase in spending for 2012, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of congressional disclosure reports and Center for Responsive Politics data indicates.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s year-over-year lobbying spending skyrocketed more than 88 percent, from $66.4 million to more than $125 million, to easily lead all other organizations.
Prominent business and financial lobbies, meanwhile, rank among organizations that spent significantly more during the fourth quarter of 2012 than they did during the third quarter, including the National Association of Realtors ($15.4 million from $9.8 million), the Business Roundtable ($4.8 million from $4 million), JPMorgan Chase and Co. ($3.2 million from $1.4 million) the American Bankers Association ($2.1 million from $1.8 million) and Visa ($1.7 million from $1.1 million), records show.
For the business roundtable, the jump represents an “intensified effort” to influence fiscal cliff negotiations, permanent normalized trade relations with Russia and tax reform, said Tita Freeman, an organization spokesperson.
But percentage-wise, the greatest lobbying spending growth late in 2012 comes from companies representing a variety of industries aghast at the package of automatic tax increases and spending cuts that had been slated for implementation had Congress not struck a last-minute deal to avoid them.
They include information technology behemoth Oracle Corp. ($1.8 million during the 4th quarter from $640,000 during the 3rd quarter), energy giant Southern Co. ($5.1 million from $2.5 million), Duke Energy ($2.3 million from $1.3 million) and Dow Chemical ($2.6 million from $1.6 million), according to congressional records.
Defense contractors Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Co. and General Dynamics also reported moderate increases from the third quarter to the fourth. These and other companies that rely on government contracts stood to potentially lose billions of dollars had automatic federal spending cuts been put in place at the end of 2012.
While not yet among the nation’s biggest-spending lobbying forces, the National Rifle Association and the affiliated NRA Institute for Legislative Action together fueled their 2012 lobbying efforts with about $3 million – more money than during any other single year.
The NRA’s lobbying comes as the association finds itself in the midst of a nationwide conversation, and looming political battle, over gun ownership restrictions following the December massacre of 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school.
The gun rights lobby also faces a host of new and moneyed lobbying opponents this year, most notably organizations led by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, independent. Pro-gun advocates have historically and exponentially outspent gun control interests.
Facebook, for its part, posted its priciest quarter ever — $1.4 million in the fourth quarter — and passed the seven-figure threshold for the first time during a three-month period. The social media company, which didn’t invest a cent in federally reportable lobbying until 2009, spent nearly $4 million in 2012, or about three times the $1.35 million it spent in 2011, and shows no indication its slowing its rapid expansion into the political sphere.
Generally, federal legislation, congressional activities and regulatory action prompt most lobbying spending, although recent dollar-figure spikes are caused, in part, by national elections.
Take the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors.
The two business organizations are among a small group of lobbies that opt to disclose their state- and grassroots-level lobbying (and sometimes political organizing) costs alongside their federally focused efforts.
The pending disclosures do not, however, appear to include the tens of millions of dollars collectively spent on directly attacking or supporting political candidates, primarily through television and radio advertisements, during the 2012 election.
“Our 2012 lobbying figures reflect that it was an election year, where the Chamber engaged in an unprecedented voter education campaign to educate the public about candidates' positions on issues critical to free enterprise, such as health care, regulation, energy production and taxes,” Chamber spokeswoman Blair Latoff Holmes said.
The Realtors also engaged heavy political field organizing efforts, said Jamie Gregory, deputy chief lobbyist for the association, which reported $41.4 million in spending during 2012 in its federal lobbying reports.
That figure trailed only the Chamber and put it ahead of General Electric (General Electric is minority owner of NBCUniversal), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, American Hospital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, Google, Northrop Grumman, AT&T and the American Medical Association among the nation’s top 10 lobbying spenders last year.
“Accordingly, we expect a drop in spending during 2013, and in 2014, expect it to go back up,” Gregory said.
(Comcast Corp., majority owner of NBCUniversal, spent $14.75 million on lobbying in 2012, a decrease of nearly 25 percent from the previous year, ranking it 15th on the list.)
Several corporations known to have donated money to Obama’s inauguration committee are also among top lobbying forces of 2012: AT&T spent $17.4 million on federally reportable lobbying last year, followed by Southern Co. ($15.6 million), FedEx Corp. ($11.9 million), Microsoft ($8.1 million), and Coca-Cola ($4.8 million), disclosures show.
The Center for Public Integrity is a non-profit independent investigative news outlet. To read more of its stories on this topic go to http://www.publicintegrity.org/politics/consider-source
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Did they have lobbyists when Lincoln was presdent? I just have a picture of all of these suits rushing up to Congressmen and handing them fistfuls of dollars while the people who elected them are ignored. Can somebody make a cartoon on this??
Two items President Obama has not been concerned about - The Debt and The Budget
No other President in our country's history has allowed such incompetence in oversight
Using the lack of a budget to manipulate - extreme incompetence and neglect of duty
We see all the focus on ALL the different agenda items - until it's time to raise the debt limit - again
Barack Obama - keeping the camera's picture - out of focus
Lobbying should be illegal. Bribery by any other name is still bribery. Revolving door corruption must stop.
The Supreme Court ruled that "Corporations are people my friend." So we're stuck with lobbyists for quite some time. Both party's are guilty here when it comes to lobbyists btw.
RTypo...I wonder if this issue might be revisited with the SC from a different stance. Starters....I think one could argue that such groups inpede the people's voice and their desires. When you vote for any representative you are voting for them to be your voice not exclusively that of the wealthy. Secondly, I'd fully support reform making it illegal to lobby any candidate or elected official. An elected representatives first priority is their allegiance to the people who voted them into office. Corporations have enough resources to use marketing and advertising to make their argument. Money spent is often deducted on their tax filings any way so let them at least make their plea for all the public to hear.
I don't have a problem with some advertising on behalf of a candidate and "making their plea" for all of public to hear but the straight up slipping money to a candidate or putting them on their payroll is disturbing to me. Untraceable monies within Super Pacs ,worth millions perhaps billions, went in to the 2012 campaigns. We have no idea who contributes to these pacs so it could even be a foreign nation buying our elected candidates.
I thought O was going to crack down on lobbyist at least that's what he said BEFORE he was elected in '08 -- yet another broken promise not mentioned on media outlets like this to keep the sheep and lapdogs in a daze. Yup the most corrupt admin that money can buy.
Well Dottie, here's the beginning of an article from the "media outlets" you mention. Not sure about the sheep and lapdogs but it does refute your contention. The Washington Post has the rest of the article if you are interested.
New Obama policy bars lobbyists from federal advisory panels
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 27, 2009
Hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected from federal advisory panels as part of a little-noticed initiative by the Obama administration to curb K Street's influence in Washington, according to White House officials and lobbying experts.
The new policy -- issued with little fanfare this fall by the White House ethics counsel -- may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama, who also has sought to restrict the ability of lobbyists to get jobs in his administration and to negotiate over stimulus contracts.
Dottie, does it hurt when you try to think? If you had bothered to read the article before rushing to slander the President yet again, you would perhaps have gained a frickin' clue.
Watch the latest Frontline on why no Wall Street exec has been prosecuted for the blatant fraud that existed during the 2008 financial crisis. The Obama/Bush admins along with both parties in congress have looked the other way. Ask the justice department and they will tell you "the public is just not interested in this". The Senate's second highest ranking democrat, Dick Durbin, admitted in 2009: the banks "frankly own the place".
Your average american suffers through the recession while Wall Street has more power and profits than ever.
There's always money to be made by these bottom feeders!
The right to lobby the federal government is protected by the 1st Amendment to our Constitution. If you don't want people to be able to lobby government, too bad; you'll need another amendment that restricts Freedom of Speech to prohibit it. Lot's of luck with that. LOL
$16 trillion that is United States credit card debt, how much of that is grossly inflated by contractors ?
United States military paying $12 or more for a gallon of jet fuel and other fuel such as diesel. One nuclear aircraft carrier task force one year, look at how much it costs, all done by contractors inflating the price paid for by credit.
Ammunition for standard military M-16 assault rifles, one round $2 or more depending on the contractor.
MRE meal ready to eat, depending on the meal $9-$12 per meal or more.
Bottled water, carbonated drinks, four dollars or more per single container.
Toilet paper $3 or more per roll, Toothpaste $7-$10 per tube, clean wipes so they can wipe the dust and dirt from their faces and hands one box $9 or more.
These are some of the examples, when the war in Iraq started contractors foreign and domestic saw opportunity they grossly inflated the prices, they started ripping off the American taxpayer.
I challenge you to get out your calculators and do research on contractor prices, "starting at the beginning of the Iraqi war", (and added up to day), also add up the estimated interest, you will be surprised. """ It is in the inflated trillions """ !
The products being sold to our military the cost to produce it, look at the profit margins.
Look at the price to produce one heavy battle tank, look at the profit margin.
Look at the price to produce 1 strike aircraft F-15-E or a YF-22 and then look at European they are producing there much cheaper why?
Look at the states that have these defense contractors that produce heavy war equipment, and then look at the Congressman and Senators of the states, they are multimillionaires Hmmmmmm.
Do you know how many Congressional people have relatives working as lobbyists in Washington DC. The fact is there are many like Harry Reid and others who have many members of their family getting rich on the backs of you the taxpayer! The whole lot of these losers are there to make millions off your hard earned dollar and get payouts or favors.
Many like Kerry have millions invested off shore and others who keep trying to BS the public about how they are working hard to cut out the pork and will not stand for any lobbyists. These are career politicians who could care less how much debt they drive up because it isn't going to affect their pocket book.
This is why we need term limits and why we need to demand they quit ripping us off to take care of their relatives while you end up getting foodstamps if you are lucky.
Washington DC is just a big piggy bank for most of these so-called representatives of the people. How does that make you feel?? Well if you are not satisfied then make certain when they come up for re-election you get rid of these morons.
This I strongly agree with !!!
So much for " by the people " .
Why has the Democrat machine not forced ALL Democrats in the House to vote in support of Obama?
If they won't vote to support his agenda, they should attack and demean these Democrats in public.
Good old Chicago politics? Your opinion doesn't matter
Don't act like this can't be done - if they want to - pressure the Democrats to support Obama
Fact is - Obama and liberal democrats want it this way - never doubt that