Boston Globe: In D.C., lobbying ‘swamp’ isn’t drained so much as clogged
The amount of lobbying activity being reported has declined in President Trump’s Washington, but observers say it’s not because he is making good on his promise to “drain the swamp” of special interests.
The slow pace of legislation, stiffer rules, and a gradual decline in the number of lobbyists have contributed to the decrease in the first half of 2017.
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“At the beginning, there may have been a reaction from ‘drain the swamp.’ If you hear that and you’re a lobbyist who doesn’t have to register, or you can easily adjust things so you don’t have to register, then you’re not an alligator in the swamp anymore,” said Larry Noble, the Campaign Legal Center’s general counsel.
“As it became apparent that he really wasn’t going to change the rules, the incentive to do that is less and less,” he added. “He’s given a lot of waivers. He doesn’t even talk about ‘drain the swamp’ anymore.”