Democratic hopeful Warren seeks to curb U.S. lobbying, corporate power

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Monday proposed a major rewrite of U.S. laws governing lobbying that she said was aimed at restricting corporate influence and rooting out “corruption in Washington.”

Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, seeks to transform the practice of U.S. government officials cashing in by moving to private-sector jobs where they make vastly more money by influencing regulations and legislation.

In a detailed policy plan, Warren one of the top contenders among 20 Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election, proposes barring elected officials and senior government appointees from ever becoming lobbyists.

She would also ban U.S. firms lobbying on behalf of foreign governments, expand the definition of lobbyists to include anyone paid to influence lawmakers, impose new taxes on excessive lobbying by large companies and restrict the ability of industry officials to “dominate” the regulatory process.

“Today, I’m announcing a comprehensive set of far-reaching and aggressive proposals to root out corruption in Washington,” Warren said in her plan.

She added that “comprehensive anti-corruption reforms targeted at Washington itself are necessary to finally end the stranglehold that the wealthy and the well-connected have over our government’s decision making processes.”

The Center for Responsive Politics said in January that companies and others spent $3.42 billion on lobbying in 2018, the highest amount in eight years.