Lobbying spending by the nation?s most prominent political influencers largely rebounded during last year?s fourth quarter, in part reflecting aggressive special interest campaigns concerning health, trade, employment, energy, telecom and technology issues, a POLITICO analysis of new federal disclosures indicates.
Companies and organizations such as Google, Verizon, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Southern Co., Business Roundtable, National Association of Realtors, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and CTIA-The Wireless Association all posted larger lobbying numbers than they did during both the preceding quarter and the same period one year before.
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Upstart influence operations run by companies such as Facebook, meanwhile, also reported markedly increased federal lobbying investments.
In all, 17 of the nation?s top 50 biggest-spending lobbying entities, as calculated by the Center for Responsive Politics based on third-quarter federal lobbying spending, exceeded their fourth-quarter 2010 and third-quarter 2011 output. Another 24 entities saw their spending in last year?s fourth quarter jump compared with one of the two periods.
And more than three-fifths of these top 50 entities spent more for all of 2011 than they did in 2010, according to POLITICO?s analysis.
Following the pitched battles in 2009 and 2010 over health care and financial reform, as well as energy and climate change legislation, overall federal lobbying activity stalled during much of 2011.
But the ill-fated congressional supercommittee, coupled with several high-profile legislative fights late last year, helped change matters.
Overall, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent more on lobbying during the fourth quarter ? $14.25 million ? than any other, according to fourth quarter disclosure reports, which lobbying entities had to submit by Friday night.
The Chamber, while well off its mark from the nearly $51 million it spent during the fourth quarter of 2010, spent about as much in the fourth quarter of 2011 as it did in the quarter before. It voluntarily includes state-level and grassroots lobbying efforts in its reports.
?Our lobbying figures represent an aggressive effort to advance our jobs agenda, which we rolled out around Labor Day. This includes our support for the three free trade agreements, which passed during the fall,? Chamber spokesman J.P. Fielder said. ?With the economy still facing strong headwinds, we?re continuing to aggressively push our pro-growth agenda this year. This encompasses a myriad of issues, from expanding energy production in order to drive down costs and create jobs, to supporting legislation that shuts down rogue websites and protects jobs.?
The Business Roundtable, which represents the chief executives of top U.S. companies, spent nearly $3.9 million during the fourth quarter ? about 27 percent more than in the third quarter and nearly 75 percent more compared with the fourth quarter of 2010.
?Our overall effort was to support policies that promote economic growth and job creation including the three trade agreements ? Colombia, Panama, South Korea ? work on fundamental corporate tax reform, extension of the research and development tax credit, work on various regulations ? and cyber security legislation,? said Larry Burton, the Business Roundtable?s executive director.
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