Fearing border tax, retailers boost lobbying 31 percent in a year

Along with a new administration in the White House comes a “retail lobbying frenzy” – especially in a remarkably tough year for the retail sector.

It’s been a remarkably tough year for the retail sector. So far, retailers set a record pace for bankruptcies and store closings. Household names are faring no better than small shops: J.C. Penney said it would shutter 138 locations in July; and Sears Holdings will turn off the lights at over 170 Kmart and Sears stores.

Credit ratings agency Moody’s added to an already-grim outlook when, earlier this month, its list of U.S. retailers at risk of bankruptcy rose to 22.

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By Kennett Werner

Source: Fearing border tax, retailers boost lobbying 31 percent in a year

Despite its controversies, Uber was more popular than taxis during the 2016 election

In addition to Uber’s popularity with the general public, PACs and candidate committees were frequent users to the app throughout various 2016 campaigns.

Despite its controversies, Uber has quickly become king of the ride-hailing service industry

, making it a huge competitor to taxi companies. In addition to Uber’s popularity with the general public, campaigns and PACs often rely on it for transportation.

During the 2016 election cycle, at least 528 different PACs and candidate committees used Uber, according to FEC expenditure data.

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By Sara Swann

Source: Despite its controversies, Uber was more popular than taxis during the 2016 election

Out of the swamp… or into the shadows? • OpenSecrets

If reported lobbying goes down, was the swamp drained, or is someone trying to circumvent the rules?

Nearly 2,100 federal lobbyists who were active in 2016 did not report undertaking lobbying activities in the first quarter of 2017. Of those, 58 percent or 1,200 of them continued to work for the same employer.

People change jobs all the time, of course, even within the same company. In the lobbying world it’s not uncommon for individuals to refocus their work on state level or global issues, move to public relations or take a more managerial position that does not involve trudging the halls of Congress.

At the Center for Responsive Politics, however, we found that nearly a third of the former lobbyists who stayed at the same organization have titles that indicate they are still working on influencing U.S. federal policy. Thirty percent had job titles that included terms like public policy, legislative, government, lobbyist and the like. (We excluded those that also mention state or international responsibilities.)

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Source: Out of the swamp… or into the shadows? • OpenSecrets