More than half of the lobbyists crawling around Capitol Hill this year had a shared goal: tax reform. Public Citizen, a government watchdog group, found that 6,243 of the nearly 11,000 lobbyists listed in 2016 disclosure forms pushed members of Congress on tax issues, The Hill reported Friday. This would mean that for every member of Congress, there were approximately 11 lobbyists in Washington, D.C., working on taxes. The Public Citizen's report was released on Friday, just ahead of the expected passage of Senate Republicans' tax bill, which would give massive tax cuts to corporations and wealthy Americans.
The report notes that 31 lobbyists who worked to rally support for tax reform were members of the Trump campaign or his presidential transition team. It also found deep ties between lawmakers, donors, and lobbyists. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which had 100 registered lobbyists working on tax reform alone, gave nearly $200,000 to congressional Republicans during the 2016 campaign. Amongst those Republicans was Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who threatened to block the Senate tax bill in committee before announcing his support for the bill on Friday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 reflective podcasts you may have missed this fallThe Week Recommends Shining a light on the NYPD, Hollywood's rock groupies of the '60s and '70s, and more
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battleSpeed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Penny acquitted in NYC subway choking deathSpeed Read Daniel Penny was found not guilty of homicide in the 2023 choking death of Jordan Neely
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rallySpeed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraudSpeed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
US economy still strong in final preelection reportSpeed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strikeSpeed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strikeSpeed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
