CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Oct. 5, 2009 – 12:13 p.m.
Lobbyists Stew After Being Bounced From Boards
By Keith Koffler, CQ-Roll Call Group
A tide of anger and dismay is rippling down K Street as the Obama administration implements a new policy limiting the roles of lobbyists on federal advisory committees.
The policy change, described by the White House as the next step in President Barack Obama ’s drive to limit influence-peddling in Washington, could affect hundreds of lobbyists who serve on the panels, which were created by Congress in the 1970s to provide private-sector advice to the government.
By removing a key point of access to the administration, many lobbyists will be less useful to their clients, who will be forced to appoint others to take up the slack. And the information about federal government intentions gleaned from committee meetings will now be unavailable to many lobbyists as they strategize on how to work various issues.
“There is fury,” said a lobbyist who sits on one of the committees. “Absolute fury.” K Street veterans say they sit at the intersection of policy wonk-dom, Washington savvy, and the needs of business, and are therefore best suited to populate the panels.
But the White House views the move as a key step in rolling back what officials see as the open-door policy for K Street created in previous years. According to a senior White House official, the panels have been excessively dominated by lobbyists. “It is one of the ways special interests have historically shaped policy to the detriment of the public interest,” he said.
The policy was announced quietly Sept. 23 in a blog post on the White House Web site by the White House special counsel for ethics and government reform — also known as the “ethics czar” — Norm Eisen. “The White House has informed executive agencies and departments that it is our aspiration that federally-registered lobbyists not be appointed to agency advisory boards and commissions,” Eisen states. He goes on to say that “it is our hope” that lobbyists already on the panels not be reappointed.
The Commerce Department and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative took the White House “aspiration” to heart almost immediately, telling members of the panels in a letter last week that lobbyists will no longer be appointed to panels and that those on them will be out as the committees are rechartered in 2010 and 2011.
The letter, obtained by Roll Call, was signed by Commerce Department Industry Trade Advisory Center Director Ingrid Mitchem. It states: “If you are requesting consideration for reappointment, you will need to send to me a supplemental statement in writing, by letter or via e-mail, affirming both that: 1) you are not a federally-registered lobbyist, and 2) that you understand that if reappointed, you will not be allowed to continue to serve as an ITAC member if you become a federally-registered lobbyist at any time during your appointed tenure to the committee.”
The instructions will decimate the ranks of lobbyists on the trade committees, which help guide U.S. negotiators’ objectives as they pursue trade deals with other countries. One source estimated that about 130 of 330 people on the trade committees are lobbyists. Other federal agencies affected by the new policy continue to consider how they will implement it.
Administration allies in labor and elsewhere will not be spared.
“The President recognizes that some lobbyists advocate for public interest goals shared by this Administration,” Eisen wrote. “Nevertheless, the President made a commitment to the American people to reduce the influence of lobbyists in Washington.”
K Street sources describe a process they say was completely opaque and undertaken without their input. Several lobbyists who sit on the panels said they were not consulted and don’t know of anyone who was. Indeed, some sources on the panels contacted just before the Sept. 23 announcement said they were either unaware of the new policy or had heard little more than rumors.
“This was done in a vacuum,” said another business lobbyist who sits on one of the panels. “The decision was made in a room of the White House without consultation.”
Sources also complained that they had to search for the new policy, finding it finally on the White House blog.
The senior White House official denied that the new approach had been concocted without outside input. “There were consultations,” he said.
In his blog post, Eisen promised future give and take.
“As the Administration strives to make these changes, we will monitor the process and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that we are fulfilling the President’s commitment while satisfying all interested parties that their voices will be appropriately heard in the process,” he states.
Business officials argued small- and medium-sized companies will be particularly hard hit, since they can’t easily afford to pay both a lobbyist and someone else to staff the panels.
The senior White House official said the administration did not believe lobbyists were irreplaceable. “The CEOs, the folks who are actually directing businesses and organizations, are often the most effective and articulate advocates for their interests,” he said.
K Street is now mulling its next steps. Missives have been sent to officials who run the trade committees grumbling about the new policy. Many expect an effort to gin up opposition from Congressional panels that handle trade.
Officials are particularly eyeing the Finance Committee, where Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) are believed on K Street to be closely following the issue.
Comments
What a shame! Imagine that lobbyists who (what a surprise) have vested interests - financial and otherwise - are not going to be on the inside corrupting our already $$$$$$ corrupted system. Hurrah for the Administration! The insider/good old boy cancer on our political process will find it harder to operate. I guess some lobbyists will actually have to work harder to advance their client's causes.
Gee, my heart is breaking for K Street lobbyists. They have no business serving on government agency commissions and committees and do more harm than good. This change in policy is long overdue. The Obama administration should think about appointing common sense Americans who don't have a special interest, but do have a special expertise, to serve on these committees.
its a good policy that should have been enacted years ago. If you want to go lobby, have at it, but for government service, we need to know that everyone has a vested interest in doing the right thing, not lobbying for a meal ticket. YES WE CAN and now we have
Why do corporations (particularly foreign corporations) even have the right to petition the government? These entities share few (if any) of the same interests of the American people, and have virtually none of the same responsibilities. Allowing corporations the same rights as real people is completely incompatible with a legitimate democratic government.
this step is long over due,I applaud president obama for followiing through with it my thanks go out to him, now he needs to move in on the insurance companies...pass the public option as part off the health reform package
Seriously? Doesn't he have all his lobbyists already in cabinet or, czar positions? Anyone who believes this as fixing the problem doesn't understand the problem.
On the surface the elimination of lobbyists appears to be a good move. However it makes room for 130 Acorn types and improves the control of public policy by a socialistic leaning Government. You can't get jobs if you kill business.
AND THEY SAY OBAMA IS DOING NOTHING. THIS POOR GUY HAS HIS HANDS FULL
This is the best news I have heard in a long time. The parasites that contravene utilitarian public policy for private benefit will now find it more difficult to feed at the trough. What a shame! Congratulations and thanks to our President.
They should have hanged them by the neck ! The lobbiest are guilty of TREASON !
"it is our aspiration" "it is our hope" So this is just a suggestion from the Obama admin??? Special interests will simply hire people to serve on these committees Not have them register as lobbyists, (call them something different) and BINGO problem fixed. And the most galling point of all they were not consulted about this!!! Simply indicates how obnoxiously entitled these assholes are.
WOW - I FINALLY AGREE WITH THE PRES ON SOMETHING - THIS SHOULD PULL A FEW INDEPENDENTS BACK TOWARD APPROVAL - THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST CORRUPTIONS IN OUR GOVERNMENT FOR YEARS - NOW LIBERALS CAN TOUT SOMTHING THAT OBAMA DID (AS HE PROMISED DURING HIS CAMPAIGN) THET ACTUALLY SERVES ALL OF THE PEOPLE - GOOD JOB BARRY!!
Our political systems, if ethically used, are sound. Eliminate the corruption and kickbacks through accountability and visibility - don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Who will take their place on the committees is my concern. Ditto for other issues currently under scrutiny. For example - Health Care - fix the legal and ethical root causing the bleeding out of funding through waste, fraud and big business greed and you will not find better care in any National Health Care country (I 've lived it and it's not pretty)
Before you jump too high for JOY. Read the article closely. It specifically states that the companies/groups will be paying someone to sit on the panel. HOW is that different from a lobbyist. It will cost more money, but there will now be two of them. One will lobby and the other will sit on panels and still corrupt the government. The panels have out lived their usefulness. With the speed of communications today, anyone can input to these panels.
It's about time! No one can be objective in their policy making if they have a vested interest in the outcome. The lobbyists are out of line for being angry. They've been on the "gravy train" too long!
I applaud Baraks initiative . But now the politicians will actually become de facto lobbyists themselves and get even more money from industry to further their nefarious aims, and they won't be registered ! Also I fear for Baraks life because several industries may get together and hatch a plot, we are now really hitting them where it hurts. Just one more plot, right? I hope the Secret Service is on its toes. Barak is our best hope. He also must be sharper and faster in implementing the public option, anything else is useless and just window dressing. Anything the repubs vote for will be so watered down to be useless, we know that now, lets not waste our time with this bi partisan nonsense, they don't know the meaning of the word. The next thing is to cut the health benefits of congress and force them to get insurance on the open market. Just think. Go Mr. President, keep the faith! We are with you!!
It is all smoke and mirrors.
OHHHhhhh...wow...good ridence of the worst rubbish ever that has ruined the voters rights to drive this once great nation...The old saying, the louder the screams, the more guilty these pieces of crap are. This is the first step to take our COUNTRY back. Unbelievable...we get rid of the biggest sewer rats in Washington. Well done Obama...this is why we elected you! Next step, don't allow these crooks to line politicians pockets anymore... STOP THE PAYOFFS!
Finally! This is a long overdue step. Fire them all, and while you are at it, fire everyone else, clean the slate and get some honest people in congress...enough of this....
It's about time. So the wolf is getting kicked out of the hen house.He should get his head chopped off for all the past transgressions.
Mr. President, you are doing an excellent job. I just hope that the "new people" will be properly screened for the "conflict of interest" issue.
This does not fix the problem it only leaves the door open for more czars who believe and practice what the president does.
With all of his communist/lobbyist pals in the positions of czars already, this move make perfect sense for this Marxist administration. Now they have who they need in the proper postions, and are getting rid of anyone who doesn't agree with their views.. This isn't Democracy, this is dictatorship, pure and simple.. Too bad half of the country doesn't realize that if they think ths fixing the problem, they don't know what the problem is....
Wait a minute! Anyone who thinks this fixes anything or even substantially changes anything hasn't thought about it. He hasn't eliminated lobbiests from operating. He has simply SUGGESTED that they not serve on these boards. They are now saying that CEO's are better at being on the boards! After telling us for months that CEO's are by definition evil! They also leave themselves wiggle room from the SUGGESTION that registered lobbiests not serve on the boards by saying they will monitor the situation to see if it needs modification. Is it possible for the administration to be less decisive? This is just a smoke screen to say that he is fulfilling a campaign pledge that he has already broken repeatedly. He is hoping you won't notice that he has filled key positions in the government with lobbiests in direct opposition to his much ballyhooed statement that in his adminstration there will be no lobbiests. Just more of the same pie in the sky, head in the clouds, accomplish nothing stuff we are becoming all to used to from this adminstration.
For all who never took a Civic"s course, lobbying is or was"proteced" by the US constitution--your right to petition grievences--What will happen is the "lobbyist" will be bounced and a non-lobbyist from the same group will be appointed. Basically no change .
Meryl, I disagree with 99% of your statement except, "The next thing is to cut the health benefits of congress and force them to get insurance on the open market." I agree with this statement 100%. If congress was forced to use the same health care they are trying to ram down the rest of the country's throats, then possibly a decent health care reform would take place. As for Mr. O's public option he should also be forced to use it. Several Republicans have offered to put this into effect, that congress use the same health care as the rest of the country, it is the DEMOCRATS that refuse to accept this. They like the special treatment they get for themselves, but don't want the rest of the country to enjoy the same. Before you make statements about who is not being bi-partisan, you should look at who is really behind what you are speaking of.
Thankgod a small victory for the people.
GREAT ! How'd those Slime-Balls get there in the First Place ? ?
I too applaud our President, who has overwhelmed himself trying to better our Nation. The K street sources say it was opaque and undertaken without theiir input? Although this has openly been part of Obama's plan for reconditioning America, why should our President and our Nations White House advisors have to consider the lobbyist input? So that the corrupt lobbyist can lobby to continue to lobby? Not all lobbyist have acted unethically but for the better of our Nation, in our Presidents judgement who the majority voted for, some collateral damage might have to be weathered.
Finally someone has decided to take the foxes out of the hen house! Perhaps we can now have representatives on these panels who are more interested in the welfare of the general population rather than their clients. I love the noise I am hearing from K street!
The lobbyists are saying they weren't informed of this change......they had no idea it was going to happen. They weren't told.........HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE DARK IN DECISIONS MADE CONCERNING YOU? Now they got a small dose of what the American people have gotten for over 30 years by lobbyists who were given special treatment sitting in on discussions concerning the lives of the American people. No Sympathy!
Finally!!!!!!!!!! It's one of many that should be For the People, Of the People ,By the People...
No wonder the lobbyists are full of rage, the gravy train left the station while they got off to urinate on Americans' health-care needs. They didn't get to write the legislation regulating them? Boo-effin-hoo-hoo. "now the politicians will actually become de facto lobbyists themselves and get even more money from industry" Now? Oh, that's hilarious. Check out the campaign and PAC contributors to the legislators most involved in any particular legislation affecting large corporate interests. It may not fix it--I'm very doubtful of influence reform--but it's a good beginning. A regulation prohibited legislators and their staff from insider trading would be the best start. Without the ability to reap obscene profit from their positions, just maybe they'd be less willing to kow-tow to those whose only have the interests of the bottom-line at heart. It's high time those in congress worked for the people, not the other way around.
Silly Americans. Obama is just another version/distraction for the cororations who totally run america. Pretending to throw off the K street corporate whores is just another bit of window dressing. Get some cahones and buy a pitchfork. Forget your "government" as an instrument of change. Your rulers answer to their sponsors. Stop deluding yourselves.
@JT or as our former Irish leader says smokes and daggers
Way to go Obama. Get these high paid leeches out of influential positions. How refreshingly different than the past administrations, like the energy policy group created by the last one. Ugh, can't even say their names. I agree with the above, now excuse elected officials from medical and dental coverage and high per diem and let's see how long it takes for them to take care of the great American people.
"K Street sources describe a process they say was completely opaque and undertaken without their input. Several lobbyists who sit on the panels said they were not consulted and don't know of anyone who was. Indeed, some sources on the panels contacted just before the Sept. 23 announcement said they were either unaware of the new policy or had heard little more than rumors. "This was done in a vacuum," said another business lobbyist who sits on one of the panels. "The decision was made in a room of the White House without consultation." " ROFLMAO. Translation: "OH NOES! They didn't consult us before firing us! However now shall we bribe, cheat, and thieve!????" What a hoot. Like any of them -deserved- any input whatsoever. It's these same jerks that got Congress thinking NAFTA and CAFTA were good ideas. There is quite a bit of difference between addressing Congress for grievances and outright bribery (I think they call it campaign contributions these days), and also writing public policy to the benefit of their corporate masters and the detriment of the general public. Finally their comeuppance makes an appearance via White House policy. They should consider themselves lucky. In nations such as Argentina, people like them were made to "disappear" in the past.
This makes me so happy I could cry. I strongly hope we see more moves in this direction as Obama's term plays out.
good news for all people against abusing the powers of lobbying for greed, and self interest.
HOORAY!!!
WOw, Lobbyists are the biggest CROOKS of them all! RT www.complete-privacy.net.tc
Hey gang, The lobbyists in DC aren't any better or worse in character, behavior and ways than any of the politicians are. The difference is, the lobbyist can or may push for an agenda, a motive or aim, but it is the politician that makes the critical choice to acquiesce or compromise his integrity, values, or principles. When they do - pork runs wild in the streets. Pretty much every adult citizen could be a lobbyist in a given moment - as most all have preferences, wants, aims, agendas, wishes for independence, freedom, cash for clunkers, free healthcare, free EVERYTHING, ad infinitum... both conservative and liberal (socialistic) wishes and objectives. Lobbyists just happen to have some DC base connectivities and front row seats. I know, oh, at least 200 lobbyists. Some are dimwits, some are bright. Some are mean and rotten, some have very high standards and work their fingers to the bone. The range of character is great. But in many respects, they do share one thing - many decades of skils and experience and the scars of many cycles of Administrations and Congresses and ways our Nation has functioned. And there is some value in that. As much as the existing structure (lobbyist involvement on boards) has defects, I would not conclude that trash-and-burn of the system is the smart way to correct it. To (as someone else here said) "throw the baby out with the bathwater" is ...well... very stupid. Actually, what is more likely to happen is - they will be "bounced from the boards" (babies thrown out in the street)... only to be picked up (baby retreived from the street wet bruised and dirty) and placed into new "roles" as uniltaterally appointed (by the Administration) czars and chiefs or as fed government agents. So, will there really be much change? No. Well some. My guess is: it is an effort to expunge the lobbyists, extinct their connectivity away-from-non-government entities and to then reconstruct the system so these individuals will be more fully and "purely" under government control. Get it? - - - As things become increasingly chaotic and the Nation erodes and corrodes, it is reasonable to expect the Government to exert increasing levels of severe control. Mandatory and forced nationalization of corporations. More GM and Bank and TARP and the like. Why not add in agriculture and energy and all insurances and manufacturing and mining and IT and everything? If the government controls all of the private sector, then they could prevent any and all of it from failing. If it begins to fail, they can just money it to death. Mandatory health care. Fines or imprisonment for failure to comply. Yet no level of quality or timeliness of healthcare provided. Government is superb at funding systems that exist in name - but have no correlation to performance or effectiveness. Is the healthcare system perfect today? No. But has anyone ever taken the time to map out a system that actually works? No. Do you think any of the legislation or Bills for Healthcare that are in Congress have anything other than a gazillion words? No. Is writing a Bill with a gazillio words the best way to architect a viable healthcare system? No. Appoint czars to run everything. Make sure th czars are chosen behind closed doors, by only the President, in accordance with his preferences and whims. Wait? Isn't that a tyranny? An oligarchy? A fiefdom? Consider a major new Federal Funding of Acorn. Expand Acorn dramatically. Exempt Acorn from any prosecution for any malfeasance or wrong-doings. Appoint many new Czars to Acorn. Accelerate their voter registration activities - if there are insufficient quantities of voters - use Federal Funds to import additional illegals. If they hesitate to come to the U.S. - entice them with money and healthcare and new Federally paid for homes. Transfer of Wealth is Key!! Take money from anyone who has it. Take it from anyone that has worked hard for it. If someone has worked their fingers to the bone to make an extra dollar - tax them even more and take more money from them. (I mean, who gives a damn about someone who has money? Why do they deserve it? Why can you have it?) Take the money from the workers and give it to those who make less money, to those who do not make any money, to those who are unable or are lazy or are incapable of work and productivity. Transfer the Wealth!! (From Obama's Speech) Transfer Wealth away from workers and give to the poor. Make everyone "equal" - not in opportunity but in economic status. Make the poor more powerful and the rich less powerful. Make the poor richer so they will be grateful to the State, to the Government, to those in power that have handed money to the poor. Be sure that all those who are given special entitlements and money will be forever indebted and grateful to those who gave them their money. - - - If the current agendas are to succeed, they must be pressed forward quickly, before the common man realizes what is being altered and executed on. The American People asked for change. They voted for change. And they are now getting it. Hopefully, the Administration will not simply succeed in a marginal way. Hopefully they will succeed Dramatically. Hopefuly they will be able to shred our former way of life, hopefully they will be able to mutate the Constitution, to alter it, shred it if they so wish, and install their wished for New Government. Of course, we do not truly know what that New Government will be (it's a secret up on the Hill). It appears to be less of America and freedom and the Constitution and individual responsibility and self-reliance, and more of socalism, socialistic structures, communistic architectures, and even czar-centric facism and totalitarianism. We can only hope that the current leadership acts in a way that results in a rapid and dramatic change, not marginal change, not fractonal success. (Because marginal success occurs too slowly and the meek will most likely fail to notice slow change - tactical hint for you guys in DC!) So, my bottom line recommendation to the current leadership is: keep moving fast! Appoint those czars. Get that healthcare bill in place! Socialize! Nationalize! Communize! Destroy the rich! Money the poor and make sure they are voters! Pump hyper liberals and socialists and wedge them deeply into power positions! Destroy all major U.S. corporations - I mean - they are all rotten and greedy, right? If anything gets out of hand - prepare to activate a "police state" so you will not fail to control the populous. ALWAYS state on top. Eliminate opposers. Use propaganda. Enlist liberals (typically those who have asked for entitlements and handouts) to create your propaganda. Breed socialist mindsets into school children - seed the ground for the next 50 years of socialism. (Look at how socialism has succeeded elsewhere - isn't it terrific?) (Oh, ignore nations that are abandoning socialistic ways, they're probably just confused.) Whatever you do leadership: Act fast and act now. If you do, you will succeed. Note: You will probably have about 2 years before the entirety of the Nation, its people, cities, economy, and entire infrastructure goes fully bankrupt and collapses, so be sure to use up your vacation time now, pay off your friends that helped you, and enjoy your government position and power while you can. The good news is: You will have taught 300,000,000 people WHY socialism and communism fail. (Something the Russians finally figured out, at a great price.) * * *
For what possible reason did this story use anonymous sources? At no point were the sources providing information that was at odds with what their employer wanted them to say. I'm sure the "Obama administration official" was specifically given the green light to talk to this reporter. There is absolutely no need to grant anonymity to them.
Lisa - it's easy to say healthcare in the country is good when you say it from the position of one who has insurance. What about all the people who don't have it? I don't have kids yet I still have to pay taxes to pay for schools. Why can't my tax money go towards healthcare coverage for my family members who don't have it? Why is it ok that just families with kids can soak me for money and not other citizens? NPR did a cool interview with an author who says that healthcare in the world boils down to 4 systems. And ALL 4 systems exist here in the USA. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939
Now this is change I can believe in!
This things get crazy as the people who run the nation are not public figures but corp. ones.. www.agenda.co.il
Good for Obama, this should have happened years ago. Now maybe the panels will be filled with people that have the publics and the nations best interest at heart instead of big businesses profit being the foremost consideration. And hey, maybe the panels will have people that actually know what the real issues are instead of just what the financial issues are. Financial issues are always a consideration but they have become the only consideration with all of the lobbyist influence. Health Care is a prime example, the public wants it, it's the right thing to do for the nation to control exploding costs but big business doesn't want to loose a cash cow; their lobbyists are winning the legislative battle against the public's wish. Time for them to go. For the people, by the people. Last I knew, a business wasn't a person, I don't care what the Supreme Court says to the contrary.
Lobbyists whining about transparency? Har! Having been a member of an industry group that [our] lobbyists reported back to, I can only snort with disgust. Even though our situation was pretty old-fashioned - which means we were too cheap to pay for bribes and gifts - "discretion" was clearly part of the sleazy bargaining that went on just to get our representatives to consider doing the job they were elected to do. Right on!
Have these people no shame...?? These money sucking vampires have destroyed our country...Begone !...
Excellent. THIS is why I voted for Obama in the first place.
It's so funny to hear of a lobbyist complaining about a decision being made in a vacuum when that's how the public has been feeling for years.
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