New Rules May Bar Lobbyist From Advisory Boards

I’m not sure why there hasn’t been more comment from the Obama administration on this:

Hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected from federal advisory panels as part of a little-noticed initiative by the Obama administration to curb K Street’s influence in Washington, according to White House officials and lobbying experts.

The new policy — issued with little fanfare this fall by the White House ethics counsel — may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama, who also has sought to restrict the ability of lobbyists to get jobs in his administration and to negotiate over stimulus contracts.

The initiative is aimed at a system of advisory committees so vast that federal officials don’t have exact numbers for its size; the most recent estimates tally nearly 1,000 panels with total membership exceeding 60,000 people.

Under the policy, which is being phased in over the coming months, none of the more than 13,000 lobbyists in Washington would be able to hold seats on the committees, which advise agencies on trade rules, troop levels, environmental regulations, consumer protections and thousands of other government policies.

YES!!!!

I’m tired of all the money and influence being sold in government by lobbyists. They’ve built a pretty cozy relationship for themselves in Washington and it’s been hurting our country that the interests of big corporations are addressed before the needs of everyone else. The reason the public option will be killed (or if it survives it will be so weak to be almost meaningless) despite its popularity with the nation is because of business interests. I can’t believe how many Democrats have stood up and talked about preserving the insurance industry. Preserving industry profits at the expense of the health of the American people is not their job!