CleanUpWashington.org
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(1/29/2008) Lobbyists Playing Bigger Role in Presidential Fundraising The number of lobbyists raising money for the 2008 presidential candidates already has eclipsed the total for the entire 2004 campaign. A new Public Citizen study shows that so far, candidates still in the race have recruited 142 federal lobbyists to raise money for their campaigns, compared to 136 lobbyist fundraisers in 2004. It underscores the need to update the presidential public financing system so that presidential candidates wont rely on influence peddlers to fuel their campaigns. |
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(12/20/2007) Fundraising Central: Majority of Presidential Bundlers and Other Fundraisers Hail from Only Five U.S. Industries More than half the major fundraisers for the presidential campaigns hail from just three segments of the U.S. economy: lawyers and law firms, representing both corporate and consumer interests; the financial sector; and real estate, according to a joint study released Thursday by Public Citizen and Campaign Finance Institute.
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(09/06/07) Number of Lobbyist-Fundraisers for 2008 Presidential Candidates Likely to Eclipse 2004 Totals With more than a year left until the 2008 election, the presidential candidates already have been raking in bundles of cash from at least 92 registered federal lobbyists. If this pace continues, contributions collected by lobbyist-fundraisers could mushroom in the coming months. Find out whose got lobbyist bundlers in our blog post and get all the details in our new report.
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Non-Profit Front Group Violates Americans for Job Security is a sham front group that would be better called Corporations Influencing Elections. This group is masquerading as a non-profit to conceal its funders and the scope of its electioneering activities. Read why Public Citizen has called upon the IRS to revoke AJS's tax status and asked that the FEC fine the group for election-law violations.
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(03/28/07) Breaking Free With Fair Elections Want to restore honesty and accountability to Congress? Public funding of congressional races would end the chase for campaign dollars. A Fair Elections bill now pending in the Senate would free our representatives from deep-pocketed donors, cost just a fraction of the nation's budget and save billions by ending wasteful, corporate kickbacks.
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The RPSEA Rip-Off: How the Natural Gas Industry Extracted a Billion-Dollar Boondoggle from Congress Learn how Big Oil is trying to rip off the public by slipping a subsidy into the enormous Energy Bill giving them up to $1.5 billion in taxpayer money to look for oil and gas in "ultra-deepwater" areas.
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The Chamber of Commerce Spent Millions to Influence State-Level Attorneys General, State Supreme Court and Federal Races The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its affiliated Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) failed to report millions in taxable spending from 2000 to 2004 intended to influence state attorneys general, state supreme court and federal races around the country, according to a Public Citizen complaint filed today with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
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Taking the Public Trust: How a New York Real Estate Developer Is Threatening State Governments in the West A wealthy New York developer holds leadership positions in groups that have funneled more than $8.5 million into statewide campaigns in an attempt to enact ballot initiatives in eight states that would eviscerate environmental protections while threatening to bankrupt state treasuries.
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Under the Influence: Special Interest Money and Members of Congress A new report and interactive website showing how much money federal lawmakers accept from special interests versus ordinary citizens. Is your Rep. under the influence? |
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The Bankrollers: Lobbyists' Payments to the Lawmakers they Court, 1998-2006 Lobbyists and their political action committees (PACs) have contributed at least $103.1 million to members of Congress since 1998, according to a new report released today by Public Citizen. This is the first comprehensive effort to match names of lobbyists with Federal Election Commission campaign contribution data. It also highlights the top lobbyist-contributors and what they have achieved with their influence. |
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Willful Misconduct: How Bill Frist and the Drug Lobby Covertly Bagged a Liability Shield Drug industry lobbyists conspired with the White House and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) last year to craft a sweeping liability provision that shields the industry from lawsuits over products used to treat pandemic illnesses, even in cases of gross negligence or gross recklessness, according to a report issued today by Public Citizen. |
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Spending Millions to Save Billions: The Campaign of the Super Wealthy to Kill the Estate Tax While the estate tax has been attacked as a burden on average Americans everywhere, our new report, co-written with United for a Fair Economy, demonstrates that the estate tax affects only the very wealthiest Americans, about one quarter of one percent - and that the campaign to kill this progressive and fair tax has been bankrolled by some of the wealthiest familes in America, who stand to save tens of billions of dollars even as they would deprive the U.S. Treasury of more than one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000) over the next ten years. |
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How a Washington Lobbyist Gives Lawmakers Free Trips Despite the Ban on Lobbyist-Funded Travel Elaborate schemes concocted by prominent Washington lobbyist Richard Kessler, head of Kessler Business Services, have allowed registered lobbyists to spend millions of dollars taking members of Congress on luxurious trips to Europe and U.S. resorts without technically violating congressional ethics rules that forbid registered lobbyists from paying for congressional travel. |
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Congressional Revolving Doors The Journey from Congress to K Street Learn which members of Congress have left public service to join the influence-peddling business. |
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Rep. Roy Blunt: Unfit to Lead In this report, Public Citizen compiles a disturbing dossier on Blunt, based on original research and a comprehensive compilation of news accounts of recent months. In the end, what emerges is a portrait of a legislative leader who not only has surrendered his office to the imperative of moneyed interests, but who has also done so with disturbing zeal and efficiency. |
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A Matter of Trust A report by the Revolving Doors Working Group that includes a comprehensive review of problems associated with the revolving door, and proposes measures to tighten ethics rules, eliminate loopholes, and reduce conflicts of interest. |
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Public Citizen Analysis Shows Lobbyists Have Contributed $1.2 Million to DeLay and Will Give More Tonight in Unprecedented Fundraiser Group Also Proposes Major Reforms to Prevent Lobbyists from Using Campaign Cash to Feed at the Public Trough |
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Consumers Eat Blind While Congress Feasts on Campaign Cash Public Citizen analysis shows how industry invested millions in lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions to thwart a law requiring country-of-origin labels on food. |
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Federal Asbestos Legislation: The Winners Are The lobbying effort in Congress to limit how much big business pays to compensate dying workers and their families. |
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