• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

With Trump’s Election, a Bonanza for Washington Lobbyists

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dramatis

Member
WASHINGTON — Trent Lott, the former Republican senator from Mississippi, had gleefully flown back from Florida, where he had been working for the campaign of Donald J. Trump. Now a powerful lobbyist, his phone had been buzzing nonstop and he was busy helping to organize a briefing Thursday morning for dozens of corporate clients.

He was not alone. The stunning surprise of the election, and the political chaos it created, is a boon for Washington’s lobbying corridor known as K Street.

Corporate America is both excited and anxious about the prospect of Mr. Trump’s presidency, seeing great opportunity to shape the agenda after an extended period of frustration over gridlock in Congress.
Click to expand...
“Trump has pledged to change things in Washington — about draining the swamp,” said Mr. Lott, who now works at Squire Patton Boggs, a law and lobbying firm. “He is going to need some people to help guide him through the swamp — how do you get in and how you get out? We are prepared to help do that.”

Across Washington, lobbyists and trade association executives were busy reviewing their priorities, which include repealing financial regulations instituted during the Obama administration, pushing for cuts in corporate taxes, overhauling President Obama’s signature health care plan and spending billions on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

“On these significant issues, now that you have one party controlling the executive branch and the legislature, it is more likely they will be addressed,” said Marc S. Lampkin, managing partner of the lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, whose roster of more than 135 clients includes the drug maker AbbVie and the insurance company Zurich Financial Services.
Click to expand...
Prominent Washington lobbyists also said that Mr. Trump would arrive in the capital with a much smaller contingent of veteran policy advisers than Hillary Clinton would have brought — and they see that relative inexperience as an opening. So they are prepared to draft legislation and regulations to quietly pass to allies on Capitol Hill and in the White House.

It is an opportunity that comes after a period of decline in lobbying revenues for many major firms. Total lobbying spending in Washington, after climbing consistently for nearly two decades began to dip in 2011, as congressional action slowed with divided government.
Click to expand...
Bruce Josten, the chief lobbyist at the United States Chamber of Commerce, said he had already been in communication with members of Mr. Trump’s transition team, as the chamber pushes its priorities like securing approval for the Keystone Pipeline, the oil pipeline project blocked by the Obama administration, or reopening more federal lands to oil and gas exploration.

“It is going to be nice to get back on game,” Mr. Josten said, who has spent 22 years running the government relations division at the United States Chamber, the nation’s single biggest spender on lobbying.
Click to expand...
“The plate of issues that will be actively considered will be much larger in 2017 than we have seen in many years,” said Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, who works at BGR Group, a lobbying and public relations firm. “That will help a lot of companies and interests that have been waiting for a long time to be heard.”
Click to expand...

Source.
 
W

WedgeX

Banned
The only lobbyists that are going to be cut out of the process by Trump are those that represent or tackle issues affecting those in poverty. Best of luck to the Urban Institute and CBPP.
 
U

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Henkka said:
So... How will Trump supporters react when they realise they've been conned? Will they realise that?
Click to expand...

Trump voters are far too brave to be conned by the dishonest media. How could you even suggest such a thing? Sad!
 
N

Neifirst

Member
Wouldn't any infrastructure bill, whether backed by a democrat or republican administration, necessarily involve lobbyists on both the business and union worker side?

Somebody has to plan these things, and if that means the federal government is overspending to get some badly-needed projects going, and badly-needed, well-paying jobs funded, then fine.
 
D

Dubbedinenglish

Banned
Neifirst said:
Wouldn't any infrastructure bill, whether backed by a democrat or republican administration, necessarily involve lobbyists on both the business and union worker side?

Somebody has to plan these things, and if that means the federal government is overspending to get some badly-needed projects going, and badly-needed, well-paying jobs funded, then fine.
Click to expand...

Yes which is why simply banning lobbying is dumb. Also activists and civil rights groups lobby to get bills into congress. What we need is transparency to we can illuminate what and who Reps are talking to.
 
D

dramatis

Member
Neifirst said:
Wouldn't any infrastructure bill, whether backed by a democrat or republican administration, necessarily involve lobbyists on both the business and union worker side?

Somebody has to plan these things, and if that means the federal government is overspending to get some badly-needed projects going, and badly-needed, well-paying jobs funded, then fine.
Click to expand...
Sure. But Trump has no experience doing it, which means most of the decisions will be made and promoted by business interests.

What about repealing financial regulations and getting cuts in corporate taxes?
 
M

mjp2417

Banned
The stupidity of the Trump voter (and I'm being generous here in describing them as stupid, not racist) is staggering. Just fucking staggering.
 
N

Neifirst

Member
dramatis said:
Sure. But Trump has no experience doing it, which means most of the decisions will be made and promoted by business interests.

What about repealing financial regulations and getting cuts in corporate taxes?
Click to expand...

The one thing I have confidence in is that Trump, and whomever he brings over from his businesses, will be knowledgeable enough to get buildings built and land deals done.

Now on the defense appropriations side....

As to corporate taxes, the effective rate paid by most is already far below the headline number. It's arguable, but there may be a benefit to reducing the rate while simultaneously reducing the exemptions. There's got to be a way to incentivize the Apples and Microsofts of the world to repatriate the warchests they keep overseas.
 
D

dramatis

Member
Neifirst said:
The one thing I have confidence in is that Trump, and whomever he brings over from his businesses, will be knowledgeable enough to get buildings built and land deals done.

Now on the defense appropriations side....

As to corporate taxes, the effective rate paid by most is already far below the headline number. It's arguable, but there may be a benefit to reducing the rate while simultaneously reducing the exemptions. There's got to be a way to incentivize the Apples and Microsofts of the world to repatriate the warchests they keep overseas.
Click to expand...
Wow.

Apple and MS are not going to reinvest their profits in the working class, they're software/hardware tech giants. That money will be going to CA, assuming they choose to reinvest instead of just parceling out bonuses.

Moreover, the major corporations wouldn't be pushing for a lower tax to allow them to take their profits home from overseas. No, they'll be asking for a straight up tax holiday: the opportunity to take their profits home tax free.

The other faulty part of your theory is that if companies just get lower taxes to be 'incentivized to bring their money home', then why shouldn't they just keep using cheap foreign labor markets and then just bring the money home, as opposed to investing in people in the US?

So where is the loss in tax revenue going to be made up?
 
M

Man-is-Obsolete

Member
Jarmel said:
The public is not rational. Any failings of the Trump Presidency will be blamed on Democrats.
Click to expand...

While that typically may be true, the republicans hold all the levers now and with that shoulder all praise and more importantly blame. They have complete control of the wheel, if it crashes it's completely their fault.
 
L

LegendofJoe

Member
Trump DOES have experience with big construction projects. If there's one positive thing that will likely come from his administration it's infrastructure investment. Both sides of the aisle want it, it's guaranteed to happen with a Republican in the White House.
 
N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Funny, Obama wanted infrastructure spending but the House didn't want to move on it because it'd spend more money and they actively closed the government over raising the debt ceiling... and here comes a guy who plans to cut taxes and spend record amounts of money... and now.. that debt ceiling debate... will we have it?

Doubt it.
 
J

jelly

Member
NervousXtian said:
Funny, Obama wanted infrastructure spending but the House didn't want to move on it because it'd spend more money and they actively closed the government over raising the debt ceiling... and here comes a guy who plans to cut taxes and spend record amounts of money... and now.. that debt ceiling debate... will we have it?

Doubt it.
Click to expand...

They will because he isn't Obama.
 
D

Dryk

Member
hipsterpants said:
Literally 3 days post-election and the GOP is already making it easy for a Dem comeback. Amazing lol.
Click to expand...
We are talking about the party who after they were told they'd probably learnt their lesson after a 40 year punishment for being blatantly racist immediately started being racist again but even more blatantly.
 
Link

Link

The Autumn Wind
Dryk said:
We are talking about the party who after they were told they'd probably learnt their lesson after a 40 year punishment for being blatantly racist immediately started being racist again but even more blatantly.
Click to expand...
And now control every branch of government.

This country is full of terrible people.
 
A

Aztechnology

Member
I just want to bury my head in my hands and scream for the next few decades. I'm off to a good start over the last few days.

Link said:
And now control every branch of government.

This country is full of terrible people.
Click to expand...

So when they say the South will rise again... Maybe it's time to just let them fuck off into their own country. I know it's the Midwest too that's a big part of the problem but we'll tackle a few shit hole sections at a time. Well offer to take in the minorities and like minded individuals from the south. There's plenty of room up here in the PNW to start a great new life.

Well see how well they get on without the people they hate so much.

I'm not actually serious I'm just tired of the major parts of the Midwest and south being so fucking stupid
 
A

adj_noun

Member
Who could have predicted this unforeseeable, unknowable, unfathomable turn of events.

Not even the greatest of sages, wisdom and knowledge oozing from every pore as they chant the secret truths of the universe from atop the highest peaks, could have seen this coming from a goddamn mile away.
 
N

Neifirst

Member
dramatis said:
Wow.

Apple and MS are not going to reinvest their profits in the working class, they're software/hardware tech giants. That money will be going to CA, assuming they choose to reinvest instead of just parceling out bonuses.

Moreover, the major corporations wouldn't be pushing for a lower tax to allow them to take their profits home from overseas. No, they'll be asking for a straight up tax holiday: the opportunity to take their profits home tax free.

The other faulty part of your theory is that if companies just get lower taxes to be 'incentivized to bring their money home', then why shouldn't they just keep using cheap foreign labor markets and then just bring the money home, as opposed to investing in people in the US?

So where is the loss in tax revenue going to be made up?
Click to expand...

I thought perhaps Trump could pair lower domestic rates with increased excise taxes on their overseas built products, but you're probably right. Don't discount the possibility of Trump using the bully pulpit either; he was naming names during the campaign - Ford, Whirlpool, etc. I'm admittedly more optimistic than I should be, but united government can get things done if they really want to.
 
J

Jarate

Banned
This is like a guy gleefully talking about kicking people in the groin

This industry is a cancer on our society. Think of the millions of dollars that could be used to create jobs. But no, instead it's used as legal bribe money
 
E

Extra Sauce

Member
I am so tempted to send that link to my Breitbart-reading, Trump supporting team lead but it would probably do me more harm than good.
 
P

Palette Swap

Member
There's an irony to an apparently incompetent candidate, surrounded by a cadre of apparently incompetent cronies, promising they'll kill lobbies. These moron politicians need ghost writers.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Financial Times: How Brad Smith used Microsoft’s $1bn law and lobbying machine to win Activision battle
News Drama Business 2 3
127
8K
Topher replied
Microsoft—now trying to get its $75 billion deal for Activision approved—has taken a friendly role with regulators. (WSJ)
Opinion News 4 5 6 7 8
397
37K
Frank Horrigan replied
  • Locked
[MarketWatch] Microsoft faces battle for Activision deal, especially if ‘Call of Duty’ is destined for Xbox exclusivity
2 3 4 5
219
29K
Bo_Hazem replied
No Job, Loads of Debt: Covid Upends Middle-Class Family Finances - WSJ
Social
17
3K
daveonezero replied
17 people on Trump transition team made $14.9m from lobbying
6
2K
Beartruck replied
Top Bottom