Deficit supercommittee members surrounded by lobbyists

The 12 member Congressional supercommittee charged with cutting $1.5 billion from the federal budget will likely be influenced by lobbyists that they already know well — more than a hundred of their former staffers have gone to work for lobbying firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Greenwire reports that House Representatives Dave Camp (R-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) have also hired energy company lobbyists for key positions on the committees that they lead.

Will Upton’s thinking on ending tax loopholes for oil companies be affected by input from the former oil company lobbyist who serves as his staff director?

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has two former lobbyists working on his committee. Staff director Gary Andres most recently worked for Dutko Worldwide, which lists among its clients Aspect Energy LLC, Duke Energy Corp., PDVSA USA Inc., NV Energy Inc., the National Ground Water Association, the In Situ Oil Sands Alliance and Trout Unlimited.

The Energy and Commerce Committee’s general counsel, James Barnette, worked for three lobbying firms most recently with Steptoe & Johnson, whose clients included Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, Rio Tinto London Ltd. and Weyerhaeuser Co. Before joining the lobbying groups, Barnette had an earlier stint on the Energy and Commerce Committee between 1995 and 2005.

Another Upton staffer is Howard Cohen, who is listed as a special assistant to the chairman. Cohen joined Upton in 2011 after working as a lobbyist for health care companies.

Three former lobbyists are working on the House Ways and Means Committee led by Camp.

Republican chief tax counsel Jonathan Traub worked for three years for the Security Industry and Financial Markets Association. Staff director George Callas lobbied for KPMG LLP, which lists among its clients Marathon Oil, and chief counsel David Olander worked for Baker & Hostetler, a powerhouse law firm.
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Of the House Republicans, Camp has the most former employees working for lobbying entities. A total of eight former Camp staffers have gone into the private sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, including Dena Battle, who worked for Camp as a legislative director.

Battle now is a principal at Capitol Counsel, whose clients include the American Petroleum Institute, Edison Electric Institute and Xcel Energy.