In the 10 years leading up to current economic crisis, the financial sector spent $5 billion on political influence, according... View Article
Continue readingLobbying for a Piece of the Bailout and Stimulus Action?
First a word of caution: when the title of a database ends with a question mark (in this case, A Piece of the Action?, approach it with some caution.
I've tried to put together a tool for tracking the lobbying surrounding the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, and whatever other bailouts and stimuli Congress enacts (TARP II? Son of Stimulus?) over the next few months. Using very imperfect records from two online congressional disclosure systems that track the same information in different ways (the classic square filters, round holes government problem), I've pieced together ...
Continue readingPMA Earmark Scandal Grows
Thanks to earmark disclosure rules passed at the beginning of the 110th Congress, we are able to be entertained—disgusted—by stories... View Article
Continue readingOGE Issues First Memo on Obama Ethics Order
The first executive order filed by President Obama (Executive Order 13490) imposed strict new rules restricting lobbyists from entering the... View Article
Continue readingPolitical Influence in Bailout to be Investigated
Numerous outlets have reported, and catalogued here, that political influence – campaign contributions, lobbying – has been part and parcel... View Article
Continue readingPolitical Influence Slows Action
The idea that overt political influence by large organizations like the banking industry, and the larger financial services industry, has,... View Article
Continue readingCheck out your peanut butter here
This morning I visited the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website to check, in the face of the current... View Article
Continue readingPMA Group Investigation
After a series of articles noting the November FBI raid of the offices of the PMA Group, a Washington lobby... View Article
Continue readingPossible Justice Department Appointee to Require Lobbyist Waiver
According to the Los Angeles Times, the leading candidate to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy is Mark... View Article
Continue readingWhat We’ve Learned
So, Tom Daschle ended his bid to be Secretary of Health and Humans Services after a weekend of revelations showing... View Article
Continue reading