Loebsack would like to ban former Congress members from lobbying

WASHINGTON - It's called the “revolving door” in Washington - former members of Congress who leave office, become lobbyists and return to Capitol Hill to bend the ears of their former colleagues.

It revolves quite a lot. So much so that Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, has proposed a federal law banning former members of Congress from lobbying - ever.

Loebsack also supports a more limited bill that would ban former congressional members from lobbying for five years after their congressional career. In case both proposals are unsuccessful, Loebsack tacked on a personal pledge to never become a lobbyist once he leaves office.

Loebsack cites rampant public disapproval of Congress - most polls show approval ratings languishing around the 10 percent level - as the principal reason for his unusual vow.

“I didn't come here to make money,” Loebsack said, “and I was concerned about how the public views us. There's a reason why so few people have faith in us, and I wanted to try and correct that. I'm not here to cash in.”

The only problem? Few others in Congress agree.

There is only one other congressman co-sponsoring the bill - Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.

Loebsack also stands mostly alone among the seven-member Iowa congressional delegation. Only Democratic Reps. Leonard Boswell of Des Moines and Bruce Braley of Waterloo like the idea. Republican Reps. Steve King and Tom Latham, Sen. Chuck Grassley, also a Republican, and Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat, all disagree with it.

Such a situation means the bill is highly unlikely to pass, but Loebsack said the idea is worth fighting for, even if his colleagues overwhelmingly disagree.

“This is my personal belief, and I leave it up to the other members to make their own decision,” he said. “That said, I co-sponsored these bills because I think there is a need for the rules to change.”

State Sen. Joe Seng, a Davenport Democrat who is challenging Loebsack in the June 5 primary, had mixed feelings about the idea.

“It's a good-faith effort and it's not a bad proposal by any means, but I wonder if it justifies the cause,” Seng said. “I wouldn't propose it myself.”

Iowa's congressmen who disagree with the proposal say they have no plans to lobby once they leave office, but that they should have the right to do so. All avoided direct criticism of Loebsack, simply saying his idea is well-intentioned but unlikely to survive a court challenge.

“I'd be concerned about the constitutional implications of that type of legislation,” King said.

Some, such as Grassley, also bristle at having their opportunities limited.

“I would never make any pledge when I retire, except to go back to the farm,” Grassley said. “Would I ever do anything else? I'm more apt to teach at a university, but I'm not going to say that I wouldn't lobby.”

Others cited the First Amendment right of Americans to petition their government.

“My afternoons are filled with people from Iowa coming into my office lobbying,” said Latham. “They're not official lobbyists, but they're pushing for their causes. It's their right to petition their government, and I don't think you should take that away from anybody.”

Members of Congress are already banned from lobbying for two years after they leave office, and some say it has proved so ineffective that a lifetime lobbying ban would be equally useless. Braley instead called for “real, comprehensive and sweeping reform” and wants it to go further.

Harkin said lobbyists serve a valuable role in educating Congress.

“Why all of a sudden does the word ‘lobbyist' have a bad connotation?” Harkin said. “Lobbyists in many cases can provide in-depth information or another viewpoint, and bring things out that maybe we haven't thought about before. ... There's lobbyists who come in here and lobby for universities, for Alzheimer's research and cancer research. They should be able to have their say-so.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a D.C.-based organization that promotes ethics among public officials, a third of the most-recent former Congress members - from the 2009-10 Congress - have become lobbyists.

However, there are so many lobbyists in Washington that former congressional members make up only a fraction of the overall total. Out of 12,654 lobbyists, fewer than 200 are former members of Congress, or less than 1 percent.

Among Iowa's former congressmen, there are only two in recent years who have turned to lobbying, both of whom declined to be interviewed.

Former Rep. Tom Tauke, who represented the state's northeast corner from 1979 to 1991, is now an executive lobbyist for Verizon Communications in Washington. Former Rep. Jim Nussle, who succeeded Tauke, lobbies for Growth Energy, a pro-ethanol group in Washington.

One place where Loebsack's idea is popular is the pro-ethics organizations in Washington.

“If it were to pass, it would be a big change in how things work in Washington, so it's pretty unusual for a member of Congress to suggest this,” said Viveca Novack, the Center for Responsive Politics' editorial director. “But it would have to pass, and right now there's only two people on the bill.”

John Dunbar, a managing editor for the Center for Public Integrity, said it's admirable, even if it raises constitutional issues.

“I'm not sure a lifetime ban would hold up in the courts,” he said, “but it's really hard for Congress to reform itself. At the end of the day, the best way to punish a congressman who's unethical is to just vote them out.”