Elizabeth Warren wants to 'end lobbying as we know it' and, unsurprisingly, lobbyists are not happy


The latest plan from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) does not have a lot of support from lobbyists, which shouldn't come as a huge shocker, considering she's targeting them with taxation.
The Democratic presidential candidate announced Wednesday that, if elected, she intends to "end lobbying as we know it" by pursing a 35 percent tax rate on corporate and trade organization lobbying if the amount is somewhere between $500 and $1 million. The progressive rate would increase to 60 percent for spending between $1 million and $5 million and 75 percent for anything over $5 million.
The idea isn't sitting too well with lobbyists, The Hill reports. In fact, they've gone so far as to call it unconstitutional.
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.
"Senator Warren wants to tax people because she doesn't like them exercising their right to petition the government," U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley told The Hill in a statement Wednesday. "I am sure lots of people would like to tax politicians who give too many speeches, but that isn't constitutional either." The Chamber of Commerce is reportedly the country's top lobbying spender and has already spent $40.6 million so far in 2019.
Meanwhile, Linda Kelly, the senior vice president of legal, general counsel, and corporate secretary, for the National Association of Manufacturers, which has spent $4.2 million so far this year said it would be "an attack on manufacturers' First Amendment rights."
Warren's proposal is one aspect of her broader anti-corruption plan. Read more at The Hill.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Trump hawks Teslas, slashes more federal jobs
Speed Read The Education Department cut its workforce in half ahead of an expected Trump order to shutter the agency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine agrees to ceasefire, ending US aid freeze
Speed Read Kyiv made peace with the Trump administration by agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in its war against Russian invaders
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
ICE arrests Palestinian advocate with green card
Speed Read Recent Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has had his visa revoked, despite his status as a permanent resident
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump doesn't rule out recession as tariffs bite
Speed Read In an interview for Fox News, Trump acknowledges the economic turbulence caused by his tariffs but claims his policies will be worth it in the long run
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mark Carney selected next Canadian prime minister
Speed Read The political novice will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump eases Mexico, Canada tariffs again as markets slide
speed read The president suspended some of the 25% tariffs he imposed on Mexican and Canadian imports
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tells Cabinet they are in charge of layoffs, not Musk
Speed Read The White House has faced mounting complaints about DOGE's sweeping cuts
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining House
Speed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published