Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Editorial: Lobbyists should lobby, not advise
The Obama administration wants lobbyists off federal advisory committees.
From the RoundTable blog
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President Obama is gradually making good on his promise to end influence peddling in Washington. The administration last month told lobbyists they are no longer welcome on federal advisory committees.
Complexity is the norm in Washington. Agencies deal with issues that politicians might spin as superficially simplistic even though they really contain tremendous nuance.
Executive agencies therefore assemble about 1,000 committees with tens of thousands of members to help with about everything the government does.
Often registered lobbyists fill seats on those committees, and that should have struck someone as strange before Obama. Lobbyists play an important role, but advisory committees are supposed to help the government develop the best policies for the American people. Lobbyists come at them with agendas paid for by the industries, companies and groups that hire them.
So last month Obama's special counsel for ethics and government reform asked agencies to leave lobbyists off advisory committees. It was not a mandate, but a firm aspiration of an administration trying to improve the culture of government. It also frees up seats for unbiased experts whose chief concern is the good of the nation.
Some agencies began to cull the lobbyists immediately, causing great outcry from K Street. Lobbyists want to be involved in these committees so they can advance their clients' goals. They also can receive an early heads up about new regulations and make important connections with policymakers.
The change does not cut them out of the process. They still may testify before committees and submit recommendations, just like everyone else.
Of course lobbyists are not the only ones with conflicts who should not serve on these committees. Doctors who take money from pharmaceutical companies, scientists who work for the coal industry and anyone else with a financial stake in federal policy should not so closely advise federal agencies. If Obama wants to reform Washington, he needs to look more deeply than just lobbyists. For now, though, this is a welcome step in the right direction.
