Special interests—mostly advocacy firms and former-Congressmen turned lobbyists—drive Congress’s agenda and play an oversized role in the formation of policy. But the face of lobbying is changing, thanks partly to approaches pioneered in the last three years by Heritage Action for America, the lobbying and policy organization affiliated with the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Heritage—the foundation, that is—has been working to shape legislation since it opened its doors in 1972. Its particular nonprofit status, however, limits its activities on Capitol Hill. It may inform lawmakers, staffers, and donors on policy issues, but it is barred from affiliating with political campaigns and may devote only a small portion of its budget to lobbying. In 2010, with these restrictions in mind, and spurred by the seemingly unstoppable Democratic majority that had just passed Obamacare, Heritage launched Heritage Action (HA), a legally separate organization designed to lobby for the think tank’s policy prescriptions.
