William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

348 Chapter 10Chapter 10 || Interest GroupsInterest Groups

officials, bureaucrats, or legislative staff.^13 Sometimes these former members of

government are also policy experts, but their unique contribution is their knowledge

of how government works and their relationships with officeholders and other former

coworkers.

The practice of moving from a government position to a job with an interest group

or lobbying firm, or of transitioning from a lobbyist job to holding office, is often called

the revolving door.^14 For example, as of 2018, nearly two-thirds of the members of

Congress who retired at the end of the 114th Congress and were employed had moved

to lobbying jobs.^15 The percentages are similar for congressional staff and bureaucrats.

Many observers view this dynamic as potentially sowing seeds of corruption; they

fear that past government employees might capitalize on personal ties with their

former colleagues to negotiate favorable deals for their interest groups—or that people

working in government may give special treatment to a corporation or interest group

that might hire them as a lobbyist in the future. These concerns have led to proposed

restrictions on the revolving door, including banning former elected officials, staff,

and bureaucrats from working as lobbyists for some time period after they have left

government service, as well as banning former lobbyists in government positions from

administering programs that they previously lobbied for. President Trump’s vow to

“drain the swamp” was centered on these proposals to limit the revolving door. Of the

five specific promises to tighten restrictions on lobbying that he made during the 2016

campaign, only one has been fulfilled (an executive order that bans executive branch

officials from lobbying for foreign governments and overseas political parties after they

leave the administration).^16

Such restrictions have costs as well as benefits. On the one hand, people who have

worked in an industry or as lobbyists know a particular field and the relevant laws very

well, making them well qualified to work in the corresponding area of the executive

branch. Thus, a ban on hiring lobbyists may lead to a shortage of experienced candidates

for government positions. Similarly, former officeholders, congressional staff, and

bureaucrats are attractive candidates for lobbying jobs because they have firsthand

knowledge of how policies are made and enjoy established relationships with people

in government. On the other hand, these restrictions would help lower the potential for

corruption mentioned earlier. It is very hard to craft restrictions that avoid these problems.

429

former members of Congress were

registered lobbyists as of 2018.

Source: Opensecrets.org

DID YOU KNOW?

revolving door

The movement of individuals from

government positions to jobs with

interest groups or lobbying firms, and

vice versa.

Centralized interest groups

typically have headquarters close

to Washington, D.C., such as the

NRA’s offices shown here in Fairfax,

Virginia. These offices serve as a hub

for the organization’s leadership,

and the close proximity to the capitol

facilitates their lobbying goals.

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