All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Legislators influencing the health care debate are not only receiving significant political donations from members of the health and insurance industries but also from the numerous lobbyists that represent the industries, a report by two Washington watchdog groups shows.

After a month-long investigation, the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics found that 61 members of Congress each received money from 10 or more lobbyists whose health industry clients also donated to their campaigns. Those 61 lawmakers include 39 senators and 22 House members; by party, it includes 38 Democrats and 23 Republicans.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) topped the list with the highest amount received from lobbyists who represent the health industry, but much of that money was given during the 2008 presidential campaign, according to the Sunlight Foundation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) came next, followed by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is currently leading deliberations over a health care bill he introduced.

From January 2007 through June 2009, Baucus collected contributions from 11 major health sector firms that each worked with at least 10 lobbyists who also gave to the senator, according to the investigation. For instance, Baucus received money from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, as well as from 37 outside lobbyists representing the trade association.

"When we saw a dozen, two dozen, even three dozen lobbyists for a single company giving to the same members as their clients, we were frankly stunned," Sunlight Senior Fellow Larry Makinson said in a statement.

The organization pointed out that there is nothing to indicate that the multiple donations were part of any organized effort to win over lawmakers' support.

President Obama had no public events over the weekend, but he was %t between the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls on Friday night (picture above).

The White House also released two statements by Mr. Obama. In his regular weekly address, the president defended his budget blueprint which was released last Thursday and also said he was gearing up for a "fight" with lobbyists who oppose his plans.

"I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I," Mr. Obama said. "The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people."

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The Senate this afternoon confirmed William Lynn as deputy defense secretary by a vote of 93 to 4.

The confirmation comes despite the fact that Lynn worked until last July as a defense lobbyist for Raytheon. His move to the Defense Department represents a violation of President Obama’s decree that individuals wait two years before working for the agencies they had previously lobbied.

Mr. Obama waved the rule for Lynn, who will now run daily operations at the Pentagon.

“Obviously the American people were promised one thing but delivered another,” former GOP presidential nominee John McCain said in reference to Mr. Obama’s decision, according to the Associated Press.

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This post was written by Igor Kossov.

This week might bring another ethical embarrassment to the Democrats, who have been stung in recent weeks by revelations of misconduct by some of President Obama's nominees for key positions. The FBI is investigating Representative John P. Murtha's relationship with a defense lobbying group whose offices they raided in November.

Murtha is the chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Committee, a group of lawmakers that decides how much money goes to military spending. Sources tell the Washington Post that the FBI is looking at whether Murtha, along with fellow Democratic Reps. James P. Moran and Peter J. Visclosky, handed out defense contracts based on illegal contributions from lobbyists.

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If you work in the White House and make more than $100,000, don't expect a raise anytime soon.

President Obama today announced that he is freezing the pay of aides making more than that amount, a group that includes the White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary, according to the Associated Press.

"Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," the president said.

The salary freeze wasn't the only thing Mr. Obama announced at an afternoon event, which also featured the swearing in of White House aides by Vice President Joe Biden. He announced a number of steps he said "represent a clean break from business as usual."

Among the announcements were new rules concerning lobbyists, including a requirement that aides not lobby the White House after they leave for at least two years.

In addition, current administration employees will be barred from working on issues on which they have lobbied in the past, and lobbyists will be forbidden from giving gifts of any size to members of the administration.

The rules on lobbyists are tighter "than under any other administration in history," Mr. Obama said, according to the AP.

The president also said he was altering policy when it comes to Freedom Of Information Act requests so that government agencies and departments are more responsive to the requests.

"For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city," the president said.

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