Billed as the biggest opponent of financial regulatory reform, the US Chamber of Commerce is deploying former government officials to... View Article
Continue readingThe TARP Lobbying Rules: What They Say And What They Mean For Transparency
In September, the Treasury Department released its TARP lobbying disclosure rules, nearly eight months after a press release heralding their... View Article
Continue readingTracking Lobbyists’ Real Influence
It's important we know lobbyists' REAL influence on the people we elect to represent us - and before today, that's not something we could really do. While yesterday you may have looked up a lobbyist online and seen only that the individual had contributed a couple hundred dollars to a senator, you can now see the entire 'bundle' of contributions around that lobbyist or company which can total in the tens of thousands.
Continue readingRep. Frank Extends Communication Ban on Former Staffer Turned Lobbyist
Michael Paese used to be the chief of staff to Finance Committee Chair Barney Frank until he took a job... View Article
Continue readingBaucus’ Lobbyist Complex: The Real Gang of Six?
Just going to repost the Max Baucus Health Care Lobbyist Complex in light of this AP article: The latest health... View Article
Continue readingKey Democrat in Health Care Talks Receives Large Health Industry Contributions in 2009
As the summer of the Democrats’ discontent winds to a close, the head count for health care reform in the... View Article
Continue readingFormer Treasury Official Thought TARP Lobbyist Rules Were Political
Not sure what I think about this, but former TARP czar Neil Kashkari, appointed under President Bush, told the TARP... View Article
Continue readingAgencies Not Reporting Stimulus Lobbying Contacts
Lobbyists are in midst of a bonanza in Washington. With the Obama administration pursuing so many goals at once, the... View Article
Continue readingAre the Inspector General’s Financial Bailout Recommendations Out of Date?
Earlier this month, the Inspector General responsible for overseeing the government’s bailout of the financial sector released an audit of... View Article
Continue reading5,000 earmark requests databased
Our friends at Washington Watch have had some success in their effort to turn messy, un-formatted member earmark requests into usable, analyzable data:
We've collected more than 5,000 earmarks, input by people across the country who want to get a handle on how members of Congress and senators direct spending to special projects in their districts and states. (You can see how the annual spending process is going in our FY 2010 Spending Tracker, by the way.)
But there's plenty more to do, and the chance to win a Kindle for helping out.
Continue reading
59063
