With CRP data, Sunlight Maps Baucus's Health Care Lobbying Network

[Triana]

As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus is playing a key role in determining the shape, size, and cost of health care reform. The Montana Democrat's influence may be even keener as a result of the lobbyist web that flows from his office.

According to OpenSecrets's data summarized in a Sunlight Foundation blog post yesterday, five former Baucus aides are presently lobbying on behalf of 27 different organizations with big stakes in the health care debate. These ex-staffers, either as in-house lobbyists or as part of private firms, are serving a comprehensive roster of tier-one insurers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and business advocacy groups such as Humana, Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble. We've also profiled nearly two-dozen Baucus staffers that have gone through the "revolving door," which ranks his office as the No. 7 slot on the most action between service in Congress and the lucrative private sector.

Among these, his former chief of staff, David Castagnetti, who took a spin through the revolving door when he became a lobbyist, has strong connections to Capitol Hill, including another stint as a staffer to Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.). Castagnetti's firm, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti, has already made $2.6 million this year. Castagnetti is personally lobbying in service of several health care players, including AstraZeneca, America's Health Insurance Plans and Merck & Company. Among Castagnetti's clients is also the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a trade association that has already shelled out $7 million in lobbying expenses this year and $154.2 million since 1998. Only five companies, unions, or other organizations have spent more during that span.

MORE - with LINKS:


http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/06/sunlight-maps-baucuss-health-c.html

[sarcasmo]

1. Lobbyists one of the biggest problems in Politics, the GREED is unreal and no party is immune.

[Horse with no Name]

2. Baucus is dirty

He needs to be gone and at the very least, he NEEDS to be removed from this committee due to conflict of interest.

[havocmom]

5. And ol Max is in his last term. More than dirty - dangerous

No one to answer to but lobbyists at this point in his career.

[dmr]

8. Wonder what kind of lucrative opportunities await his retirement?

Too bad he can't be reassigned to another committee.

[annabanana]

3. He is exactly the WRONG man to be chairing a committee on this

matter. The conflict of interest is staggering.

[Triana]

7. Seems like he's the absolute worst person (or one of them) to chair such

a committee. No way WE can remove him, I guess. :mad:

[Blackhatjack]

4. Any Questions As To Why No One Was Present To Represent Single Payer?

The $$ says it all.

[Triana]

6. I think Baucus ought to be sent off to retirement with the same "health care" he's advocating

for the rest of us.

Bet he'd change his tune then...a$$hole.