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Super-lobbying at super committee
Lights are on at the U.S. Capitol as the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
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Steve Chiotakis: The Congressional super committee that's gonna try and tackle deficit reduction meets today
for the first time.
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is going to look for ways to knock off $1.5 trillion from the deficit. Needless to say, lobbyists are circling like buzzards over a pumpkin patch.
From Washington, here's Marketplace's David Gura.
David Gura: On the super committee, there are 12 heavy hitters: the Senate minority whip; the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Bill Allison: And all of them have long-term relationships with donors and lobbyists in Washington.
That's Bill Allison. He's with the Sunlight Foundation, a lobbying watchdog. Dozens of lobbyists used to work for the super committee's members, and they're happy to visit their old bosses.
Lobbyist Rich Gold is with Holland & Knight. He says every special interest has something at stake.
Rich Gold: You're really talking about, soup to nuts, the entirety of what people consider to be the government.
David Thomas is a lobbyist with Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti. He says nobody can sit this one out.
David Thomas: If you care about some of these issues, you definitely need to be up on the Hill, working it.
If the super committee can't reach a consensus, or if Congress doesn't pass what the super committee recommends, there will be across-the-board cuts to security and domestic spending.
And Kevin O'Neill, a lobbyist at Patton Boggs, says some special interests may see that as the best possible outcome.
Kevin O'Neill: I think more interest groups will realize, hey, we'd be better off with this across-the-board approach than we are with the bill that's coming out of the super committee.
And that would create another opportunity for lobbyists, who would shift their attention from the super committee back to the whole Congress.
In Washington, I'm David Gura for Marketplace.
I believe that Govt/at all levels is fraught with fraud ands waste which colors what ever good gov't. may do. I believe that every one, every business should pay it's fair share of taxes cutting waste and spending must be the first step. Else our grandchildren will be left to pay for our lack of discipline. When will self reliance and self suffiency be rewarded?
I think government should live like I live and that is within my budget. Politics is making it even harder on those of us who believe you work, pay your fair share in taxes, pay your bills and save what you can. I think they should quit sending money to every country who is in trouble and spend our money where it belongs--on the elderly and disabled!
This super committe needs needs to stop cutting on the lower class. I am a disabled mother raising a disabled child in a wheelchari on my own. It's very hard for us right now. It's like this committee is saying we don't care if you die or not, as long as they keep getting richer for themselves. They should be cutting higher up first before the lower class. These politicians are ruining our nation.
Sirs,
I find this supercommittee to be a prime example of whats' wrong with our political system and why there isnt an outcry all over the media !
We have been hijacked by corporations and their lobbyists again and again !
This glaring act just shows how much contempt politicians have for us and god help us all, this will continue to ruin our nation !
This super committee needs to consider contributions from Political Action Committees of nursing homes and any other recipient of medicare / medicaid funds. Make it illegal for them to pay their executives Millions of dollars while avoiding prosecution for slumlording in nursing homes, like Sun Healthcare did in 2003, killing 5 patients including my mother, Evelyn Calvert.
