9/1/2011 - Lobbyists Take Aim To Influence Super Congress A Holy War To Protect Military Spending

Source: Reuters
Thousands of Washington lobbyists are scrambling to influence the work of a congressional "super committee" given the job of identifying up to $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions, with many worried about how to gain access to its 12 members.


The committee is due to report its findings by Thanksgiving and with such massive potential cuts to the U.S. federal budget being decided by just a handful of lawmakers in such a short timeframe, lobbyists say the mission to protect their clients' interests is unprecedented and potentially impossible.
"Anyone who tells their client they have figured out how to influence this process is either lying -- or you should hire them," said Joel Johnson, a managing director at the Washington lobbying shop The Glover Park Group and a veteran of the Clinton White House and Capitol Hill.


Johnson said when federal funds are being targeted in traditional congressional committees, work is more predictable, with lobbyists knowing there are a handful of lawmakers who can be approached on a given issue who will determine the outcome.


This special bipartisan committee, made up of six Republican and six Democratic lawmakers, was formed as part of the deal to raise the U.S. debt limit.


It will meet independently from Congress, set its own rules and must come up with at least $1.2 trillion -- and potentially $1.5 trillion -- in budget savings for the next decade. If it fails, or if Congress does not endorse its plan, $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts will be triggered in 2013.
"It's going to be very hard to penetrate at the member level because they have a lot of work to do and they are not going to have three hours a day to meet with advocates on certain issues," Johnson said.

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