Lobbyist cash flows to Warner, possible Super Committee member
By Katy Schultz Aug 09 2011 3:15 p.m. 1 commentCreation of the “super committee” has been met with mixed reactions in Congress. While several members have called for its immediate repeal, others have balked at the idea of serving on it. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., however, has said he would “love” to serve on the bicameral, bipartisan committee charged with addressing the country's debt problems.
Warner, former governor of Virginia, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, and during the short time in the upper chamber has demonstrated an impressive fundraising ability. In all, he has brought in more than $27 million, of which more than $2.4 million came from lawyers and lobbyist whose clients include Pfizer, News Corp, PhRMA and Goldman Sachs. And as we have reported earlier, Warner has also recieved the most from lobbyists in 2008.
Prior to being elected as the governor of Virginia in 2002, Warner reportedly became a millionaire after founding a telecommunication company, Columbia Capitol Corp and Warner's ties with the telecommunication industry are apparent on his top donors list. The industry has given him nearly $500,000 over his career; Verizon Communications and Time Warner remain in his top 20 contributors. Among the top 20 of Warner's contributors, four out of the top five represent influential Virginia-based companies such as, Altria Group, Dominion Resources, Norfolk Southern and McGuireWoods LLP.
In addition to voting in favor of the debt ceiling deal, Warner was a member of the “Gang of Six,” along with other potential “super committee” members Reps. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Kent Conrad, D-N.D. and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho who tried to formulate a response to the pending debt ceiling debate. In terms of legislation, Warner voted in favor of the sweeping reforms enacted early during the Obama Administration, such as the Healthcare Reform Act of 2010 and the Dodd-Frank financial reforms. Currently Warner serves on the following committees: Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, Budget, Commerce, Science and Transportation, Rules and Administration, Intelligence committee and the Joint Economic committee.
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I do not want any super committee member to be super beholden to lobbies. We need leaders who will put The People and The Nation before The Corporations. For too long legislators have sacrificed most of the people to secure re-election and the backing of corporate American. The Time For Change ais Now!