House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton is one of the top recipients of last-minute campaign cash. Sunlight looks at the weekend's biggest givers and getters.
Continue readingLate money flooding “sleeper” House races
Election season has almost reached its costly, bitter end, but the spigot of money that runs from PACs and special interests to federal campaigns is still running.
Continue readingBig-time political donor General Motors on Capitol Hill to talk about vehicle recall
When GM's CEO testifies before Congress on the company's faulty vehicles, she could be facing a friendlier-than-expected audience.
Continue readingPolitical chemistry: The legal magic that makes corporate donations disappear
Want to know what dark money is and what it can do? Here's a classic example.
Continue readingLawmakers demanding LightSquared docs got campaign money from company’s adversaries
The three GOP House lawmakers who yesterday demanded that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cough up documents detailing its actions and relationship with wireless telecommunications company LightSquared have gotten ample campaign contributions from the embattled firm's corporate adversaries.
The ongoing saga surrounding LightSquared's efforts to launch a satellite-based 4G network demonstrates that when it comes to spectrum wars, there are monied interests on all sides pushing lawmakers, complicating President Barack Obama's campaign promise to expand the reach of broadband.
AT&T and Verizon figure prominently among the top donors to the three lawmakers who are demanding documents ...
Continue readingWednesday: Sunlight Live to check in on super committee
When the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or super committee, emerges from the shadows on Wednesday morning to hold its first public hearing in a month, the Sunlight Live team will be there to shine a light on who’s influencing the panel.
As the 12 members inch closer to proposing at least $1.2 trillion in federal cuts or new revenue sources before the end of November, little has come out about their ideas even as reports have surfaced about daily or twice-daily “unofficial” meetings.
More than 200 groups or people — with health care lobbyists leading the way ...
Online poker lobby gives timely donations to pair of congressmen pushing its cause
Congressman Joe Barton, who is now lobbying the special deficit panel to legalize Internet poker, got some not so subtle nudges from the Poker Players Alliance when he introduced his own online poker bill in June.
On June 20, just days before Barton, R-Texas, brought his bill to the floor, the PPA’s PAC gave Barton’s campaign committee $2,500, according to the group’s Federal Election Commission report. Four days later, Barton, the second-ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced the measure. The PPA applauded the bill.
On June 28, the PPA’s PAC sent another ...
Continue readingWho’s watching the Super Committee?
A big audience turned out yesterday for the second meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the "super committee," as its 12 members asked questions of the first witness, CBO director Doug Elmendorf. The meeting was open to the public and there was live video on the committee's new website.
While all the other cameras were focused on the committee members and witness, we turned ours 180 degrees to check out the crowd — and we want your help to identify the people keeping a close eye on this committee. Check out the photos below and the ...
Key House Committee Hires Three More Former Lobbyists
The House Energy & Commerce Committee has hired three more lobbyists after naming a top Washington lobbyist as Staff Director... View Article
Continue readingLobbyist hired to head key congressional committee
Gary Andres, a lobbyist for Dutko Worldwide, has been hired by incoming chairman Fred Upton to be the staff director... View Article
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