In the fourth quarter of 2016, Congress was barely in session, thanks to the presidential election. But lobbying still went on. Who were the biggest spenders in the last three months of 2016, according to filings with the Senate Office of Public Records?
TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
National Association of Realtors — $19.5 million: Dethroning the Chamber of Commerce as the top lobbying spender is an impressive feat.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce — $18.6 million: If you add in the $6.0 million from the Chamber’s separate but affiliated “Institute for Legal Reform”, they keep their crown.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) — $5.0 million: Lobbying on Obamacare implementation, 340(b) discounts, and reimportation kept this indispensable champion of the Affordable Care Act busy.
COMPANIES
Huntington Ingalls — $5.8 million: These guys sell warships. They need friends in Congress and the new administration.
Boeing — $4.1 million: They lobbied to restore their financing from the Export-Import Bank. They also lobbied on federal procurement, space flight, tax reform and a million other things.
Comcast — $3.8 million: The parent company of MSNBC is always a top lobbying power. TPP, net neutrality and energy regulations were among their concerns.
Timothy P. Carney, the Washington Examiner’s senior political columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]. His column appears Tuesday and Thursday nights on washingtonexaminer.com.
