Untitled Document
With the Jack
Abramoff scandal making headlines across the country, the issue
of lobbying and other forms of influence peddling at the federal level has reemerged.
Below are a few quick facts showing the size and scope of this burgeoning Washington,
DC industry.
| Amount spent on federal lobbying, 1999 |
$1.5 billion |
| Amount spent on federal lobbying, 2004 |
$2.1 billion |
| Percent increase in federal lobbying from 1999-2004 |
40 |
| The amount Interpublic Group of Companies, the top lobbying firm from
1998-2004, spent during that time |
$265
million |
| Number of federal lobbyists, 2000 |
16,000 |
| Number of federal lobbyists, 2005 |
35,000
|
| Percent increase in the number of federal lobbyists, 2000-2005 |
119
|
| Number of companies that lobbied the U.S. House of Representatives from
1998-2004 |
17,300 |
| Number of companies that lobbied the U.S. Senate from 1998-2004 |
17,200 |
| Number of former members of Congress or heads of federal agencies now
working as lobbyists |
240 |
| Number of former senior government officials now working as lobbyists |
More
than 2,000 |
| Average salary for a lobbyist |
$89,944 |
| Number of congressional earmarks, FY1996 |
958 |
| Number of congressional earmarks, FY2005 |
14,000 |
| Total value of congressional earmarks in 2004 |
$32.7
billion |
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