Monday, April 20, marked the deadline for companies and organizations to file their 2015 first quarter federal lobbying disclosure reports. Below is a list of the top ten organizations and how much they spent lobbying Congress and federal agencies between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2015.
What, the nefarious NRA is not in the top 10? I'm shocked. To hear MSNBC, CNN, and other media outlets, you'd think that they controlled the Congress.
I also expected the NRA to be near the top. However, I think one of their biggest weapons is their voting power. Battles are won in the primaries and I think primary voters are mostly people who are angry. The NRA could have a significant effect, voting as a block, in any primary.
The Health Care Industry is well represented, I see.
I'm surprised the lobbying industry has not yet lobbied for legislation to prohibit the disclosure of this sort of information. Haven't got around to it yet, I guess.
This is just the first quarter of 2015. If you google NRA lobbying you'll find that they spend an enormous amount.