Posted by
Defend America on Friday, February 12, 2010 1:53:17 PM
Federal Lobbying Climbs in 2009 as Lawmakers Execute Aggressive Congressional Agenda
Published by Communications on February 12, 2010 10:30 AM
The economy stunk. Corporations slashed jobs. And some firms, once juggernauts of American industry, simply ceased to exist.
But for federal lobbyists, 2009 proved to be a year of riches unlike any other, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.
In all, federal lobbyists’ clients spent more than $3.47 billion
last year, often driven to Washington, D.C.’s power centers and halls
of influence by political issues central to the age: health care
reform, financial reform, energy policy.
That figure represents a more than 5 percent increase over $3.3
billion worth of federal lobbying recorded in 2008, the previous
all-time annual high for lobbying expenditures. And it comes in a year
when a recession persisted, the dollar’s value against major foreign
currencies declined and joblessness rates increased.
In 2009's 4th quarter, lobbying expenditures increased nearly 16
percent over 4th quarter levels from 2008, whereas spending only
increased about 3 percent from the 3rd quarter of 2008 to the same
period in 2009.
http://209.190.229.100/news/2010/02/federal-lobbying-soars-in-2009.html