This is why I think Monsanto has all their bases covered and will get what they want in a few short days, they may have to pay to play but they will spread some campaign donations around the House and Senate and before they know it they will be back in the driver’s seat and the American people be damned.
Those representing special interest groups are gearing up to ensure that their constituents are spared cuts in new budget negotiations.
This is why I think Monsanto has all their bases covered and will get what they want in a few short days, they may have to pay to play but they will spread some campaign donations around the House and Senate and before they know it they will be back in the driver’s seat and the American people be damned.
Lobbyists Ready for a New Fight on U.S. Spending
By ERIC LIPTON
WASHINGTON — Throughout the tense fiscal deadlock in recent weeks, some of the most powerful forces in Washington, including retirees and defense contractors, largely sat on the sidelines. Now they are preparing for a political fight with billions of federal dollars at stake.
With automatic cuts to the military set to take effect by January and a separate round of cuts scheduled for Medicare, lawmakers will have to decide who gets hit the hardest. Washington’s lobbying machine — representing older citizens, doctors, educators, military contractors and a wide range of corporate interests — is gearing up to ensure that the slices of federal money for those groups are spared in new negotiations over government spending.
It is a debate that almost no one involved wants to have so soon after the nasty fight over the federal budget, which produced the 16-day shutdown and again failed to reverse the automatic cuts resulting from previous disagreements. But Congress managed to reopen the government and extend the nation’s borrowing limit largely by creating a new series of deadlines that run through February, giving special interests several chances to influence the process.
So far, the defense industry is likely to be hit the hardest, since the automatic cuts, known as sequestration, set for January would slice an additional $20 billion from the Pentagon’s budget.
“It’s fair to say the volume in Washington is going to be deafening,” said Marion Blakey, the chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/u...-on-us-spending.html?hp&_r=0&pagewanted=print
Those representing special interest groups are gearing up to ensure that their constituents are spared cuts in new budget negotiations.
This is why I think Monsanto has all their bases covered and will get what they want in a few short days, they may have to pay to play but they will spread some campaign donations around the House and Senate and before they know it they will be back in the driver’s seat and the American people be damned.
Lobbyists Ready for a New Fight on U.S. Spending
By ERIC LIPTON
WASHINGTON — Throughout the tense fiscal deadlock in recent weeks, some of the most powerful forces in Washington, including retirees and defense contractors, largely sat on the sidelines. Now they are preparing for a political fight with billions of federal dollars at stake.
With automatic cuts to the military set to take effect by January and a separate round of cuts scheduled for Medicare, lawmakers will have to decide who gets hit the hardest. Washington’s lobbying machine — representing older citizens, doctors, educators, military contractors and a wide range of corporate interests — is gearing up to ensure that the slices of federal money for those groups are spared in new negotiations over government spending.
It is a debate that almost no one involved wants to have so soon after the nasty fight over the federal budget, which produced the 16-day shutdown and again failed to reverse the automatic cuts resulting from previous disagreements. But Congress managed to reopen the government and extend the nation’s borrowing limit largely by creating a new series of deadlines that run through February, giving special interests several chances to influence the process.
So far, the defense industry is likely to be hit the hardest, since the automatic cuts, known as sequestration, set for January would slice an additional $20 billion from the Pentagon’s budget.
“It’s fair to say the volume in Washington is going to be deafening,” said Marion Blakey, the chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/u...-on-us-spending.html?hp&_r=0&pagewanted=print