Lobbyist losing earmark debate
Image via WikipediaLobbyists who have built their careers around securing congressional money for clients are facing the biggest squeeze yet on their business as earmarks begin to disappear from Washington.Sen. Tom Coburn discusses the myths surrounding earmarks.
Since capturing the House in the midterm elections last week, Republican leaders have affirmed their support for a plan that would outlaw earmarks in the lower chamber during the next Congress.
Lobbyists on K Street contacted by The Hill expect the ban will apply to Democrats in the minority as well, essentially taking billions of dollars out of the hands of House lawmakers.
The earmark ban “is going to lead to long-term change on K Street,” said Michael Herson, the president of American Defense International, one of the largest defense consulting and lobbying firms in Washington. “You will have to be able to perform a broader service rather than just get earmarks. The focus would shift to the policy and the bigger picture.”
Lobbyists had expected the Democrat-led Senate to continue with earmarking, but the anti-spending mood is now spreading to that chamber as well. Eleven Republican senators and senators-elect, led by Jim DeMint of South Carolina, are calling on their conference to join the earmark moratorium proposed by the House.
The earmark vote pits DeMint, a favorite of the Tea Party, against GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who has argued a ban would do little to control spending while weakening congressional authority.
DeMint will force a secret ballot on an earmark ban next week. Spokesman Wesley Denton said DeMint expects the measure to pass the Republican Conference, although it won’t have the force of law.
A ban on earmarking among Republican senators wouldn’t prevent Democrats from continuing the practice, though they could face political pressure from centrists to disavow it.
But even if the House stands alone in banning the earmarks completely, lobbyists concede that big changes are in store for what has long been the bread and butter of their business.
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I think forcing these items to go through the appropriation process gives us a better chance of weeding out the wasteful spending and reduces the possibility that they can be used as bribes to get votes on other wasteful programs such as the Corn Husker kickback used to get the final vote on the Democrats disastrous health care law.
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