Auto industry lobbying fell to $60M in '09, study finds

WASHINGTON – Lobbying by the U.S. auto industry fell 10% last year to $60.2 million – a pittance compared to what came back in return: $80 billion in federal loans to rescue General Motors and Chrysler, along with another $25 billion in loans for new technologies.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the money spent by automakers, suppliers and dealers lobbying the federal government and Congress in 2009 was $5.4 million more than what defense aerospace firms spent and about $7 million less than the real estate industry.


The largest industry spender was GM. It spent $8.4 million through 13 different lobbying firms as it negotiated a $30.1 billion bankruptcy funded by the federal government and a law eventually passed by Congress allowing dealers to challenge their cuts.


GM’s total was down more than a third from 2008, when the automaker spent $13.1 million on influencing Washington.


Ford was the second-largest spender at $7 million, while Toyota’s $5.3 million surpassed the $3.6 million spent by Chrysler and its former owner Cerberus.


The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the trade group that includes the Detroit automakers and Toyota, spent $5.8 million, while the National Automobile Dealers Association spent $3 million.


The industry’s totals do not include lobbying by the UAW, which spent $1.6 million.


Pharmaceutical companies held onto their top spot in the D.C. lobbying universe, spending $226.8 million in 2009. That was a increase of 12% over 2008, and $83.7 million more than any other group in CRP’s study.


Source:freep.com/