Interest groups play role in sequestration

Interest groups barrage Congress with sequester pleas

by Fredreka Schouten on Feb. 28, 2013,  USA TODAY News
http://usa-today-news/2013/02/28/interest-groups-barrage-congress-with-sequester-pleas/

Topic: Hematologists are sending tweets to members of Congress, warning that looming cuts to federal research funding threaten to slow medical advances for diseases such as sickle-cell anemia and lymphoma. Defense manufacturers have produced studies showing job losses will top 2 million. Lobbyists and interest groups have spent months and millions trying to forestall what now seems inevitable: automaticcuts totaling an estimated $85 billion that will kick in starting Friday without action by Congress and the White House. This sequester has been brought on by what most have identified as a byproduct of President Obama and Congressional Republican's unwillingness to compromise. Mthousand of elected officla and business owners are preapring themselves for the wost because the $85 billion might affect their industry or offic's ability to satisfy their district's interest.“With this degree of uncertainty, companies are already holding back on investments,” said Cord Sterling, vice president of legislative affairs for the Aerospace Industries Association, which has bombarded lawmakers with studies, outlining the economic toll if a planned 9% cut in this year’s Defense Department budget takes effect. Deficit hawks counter that the most aggressive lobbying and dire predictions are coming from special interests with a vested interest in government spending. "If you are a government employee or you have a government contract, the chances are that, at least in the short term, you will feel pain,” said Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. “But as far as the country and the economy overall, we are talking about cutting government spending back to 2009 levels,” he said. “The country survived 2009.”

Opinion: I finished my topic analysis on a positive note because yes, the country will survive, but at what cost? It is unfortunate that certain programs, particularly medical research programs, will suffer from our politician's inability to compromise and prioritize the needs of our nation. We've discussed in class how party alliances often rule supreme of national interest and I believe that what the sequestration has come to, is this. Republican Congressman are not incapable of understanding that (sticking to the theme) medical research is crucial and represents one of the lighter sides of industry, but they cannot rule out their party ideology which is to remain loyal to big business.Druker, a leading scientist in the medical industry, said he has relied on NIH grants, ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 a year, since 1985. “Our capability of making advances has never been greater,” he said. “But it’s a travesty that at the same time we can make such rapid advances, our funding is decreasing.” It is amazing how deep the sequestration has run, from national park to Oil industry, bringing me to my next point. Lobbyist are a commodity that must be purchased, and coalitions for businesses to become involved in may be difficult, when we recognize this, it is easy to see what portion of the population will receive the most consideration and exemption from the spending cuts. When the final sequestration plan is laid out it can be interpreted as the interest groups that spent the most on lobbyist were the least affected by the spending reduction and may even benefit from spending realignment.

Conclusion:Many groups lobbying Congress already are turning their attention to the next fiscal deadline menacing Washington: late March when the government will shut down entirely unless Congress approves another bill to temporarily extend government funding. What we can take away from this event is that lobbyist play a major role in determining the future of our country and that their inevitable presence highlights an unfortunate flaw in our American system. Lobbyist represent the largest groups and coalitions in our Nation, but what about those who are too small to afford a lobbyist of their own or receive substantial consideration. Another interesting factor is lobbyist represent groups from both sides of the spectrum and often, one side has a more valid claim, the presence of lobbyist detract from one another and thus, result in some programs receiving more or less than they should in terms of national interest. Ultimately, Lobbyist have and continue to play a major role in the reorganization and reduction of federal funding.