Should Former Members of Congress Be Allowed to Become Lobbyists?

Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by many different types of people and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups (interest groups). The former members of congress can be effective lobbyists. They have tremendous knowledge on the intricate details of the legislative process, they have developed connections with many other members of congress, and have access to exclusive areas in the Capitol building such as certain gyms and restaurants. Their easy access to these areas makes their lobbying job easy and lucrative. However, this connection between Congress and the lobbying firms has not fared well with the public. They may see dishonesty and suspicious behavior in allowing former members to us e their unprecedented access to the advantage of their clients. Citizens also believe that buying this sort of access undermines the Democratic Process and limits citizens’ access to their legislators.
Those who may argue for allowing members of Congress to become lobbyists may think about how lobbying by former members of congress promotes healthy competition among interest groups. A better representation of a diverse array of interests may promote better public policy. Having members of Congress as lobbyist can actually allow more citizens voices to be heard in the legislative process. The may also think about how former members of Congress may provide better information thank other lobbyist. Former members may be better able to help current legislators craft policies that achieve their stated goals than other lobbyists. In addition, they may argue that there are already sufficient checks in place to limit the undue influence of lobbyists. Checks such as the Disclosure Act of 1995 and the Honest Leadership and open Government Act of 2007 limit the activities of former members and prevent them from receiving special treatment as lobbyists.
Those who may argue against allowing members of congress to become lobbyist may think about how lobbying by former members of Congress undermine the ability of ordinary citizens to influence the political process. Individuals may not be able to have their voices heard when forced to compete with the organized efforts and the money lobbyists of Washington. Former members of Congress’s personal knowledge, contacts, and any other special access give them an unfair advantage. They may also think about how members of congress may be biased toward information provided by their former colleagues and friends. Members of Congress may not do as thorough a job of researching and verifying information when it comes from lobbyists that are former colleagues which may negatively affect policy outcomes. In addition, they may argue that the appearance of impropriety undermines the public’s confidence in job performance of Congress. Even if there is no actual impropriety the public may not be able to trust that the members of Congress who are former or future lobbyists have their best interests at heart.