Special interests lobby on the debt ceiling
By Anupama Narayanswamy Jul 20 2011 6:07 p.m. 1 commentAs Congress and the White House continue to search for a mechanism to raise the debt ceiling (the Senate "gang of six" have offered a new plan to end the deadlock), some of the biggest spending-special interests in the country are weighing in on the issue, according to a search of new lobbying disclosure records that are being released today.
So far, at least 141 lobbying entities have cited the term "debt ceiling" in lobbying disclosure forms filed, a search of filings from the House and Senate websites show, compared to just three in the first quarter of the year. The House and Senate are still putting forms online, so that number might grow.
Among the 141 are several health insurance giants like Blue Cross and Blue Shield, oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and several pharmaceutical companies. And several business conglomerates are weighing in, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has reported spending more than $9 million this quarter, and the Business Roundtable, which has reported spending $2.73 million, filings show. Those numbers represent their total spending on all issues--not just on the debt ceiling.
Here is a quick look at what some of the heavy weight lobbying interests that mentioned the debt ceiling reported spending on all issues this quarter:
| Client | Amount spent on lobbying |
|---|---|
| Chamber of Commerce | $9,040,000 |
| AARP | $4,680,000 |
| Pfizer, Inc. | $3,550,000 |
| Business Roundtable | $2,730,000 |
| National Education Association | $1,900,102 |
| American Council of Life Insurers | $1,777,300 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association | $1,660,000 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | $1,490,000 |
| American Academy of Family Physicians | $1,423,439 |
| Siemens Corporation | $1,273,909 |
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Wow. What's the total so far and the time span? Can we get a $ per minute? ;-).