How Lobbying Shapes Laws More Than Elections
Elections may decide who gets the seat—but lobbyists help decide what they do once they’re in it.
In Part 1, we looked at how Citizens United unleashed a flood of dark money into U.S. elections, helping wealthy donors and special interests shape who gets elected. But the influence doesn’t stop there. In fact, campaign money is just the down payment.
The real returns come after the votes are counted—when lobbyists get to work.
What Lobbying Really Is—and Why It Matters
At its core, lobbying is the act of trying to influence lawmakers or government officials. It’s protected under the First Amendment as the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” And in theory, anyone can do it—citizens, nonprofits, trade unions, corporations.
But in practice, lobbying is a multibillion-dollar industry dominated by those with the money to hire professionals, make campaign donations, and get regular access to lawmakers.
Lobbyists aren’t just knocking on doors or handing out business cards. They’re:
Writing the first drafts of legislation.
Offering talking points and “model bills” to lawmakers and their staff.
Sitting on advisory panels.
Influencing which bills get committee attention or floor votes—and which quietly die.
The Numbers: Billions Spent, Year After Year
Lobbying isn’t a side game—it’s the main event. In 2023 alone, over $4.1 billion was spent on lobbying in the U.S. That’s more than the entire GDP of some countries.
And it’s not just a handful of players:
Pharmaceuticals and health products: over $380 million.
Insurance and finance: over $300 million.
Big Tech: hundreds of millions across Facebook (Meta), Google, Amazon, and others.
Fossil fuels and energy: major players like ExxonMobil and Koch Industries spend tens of millions annually.
Why spend so much? Because it works.
Case Studies: When Lobbying Shapes the Law
Big Pharma and Drug Prices
The pharmaceutical industry has long been one of the most powerful lobbying forces in Washington. It helped block efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for years. Even modest reforms have been delayed or watered down. One result: Americans pay far more for prescription drugs than citizens of any other developed country.
Wall Street and Financial Reform
After the 2008 crash, public pressure led to the Dodd-Frank Act, aimed at reining in risky financial behavior. But lobbyists for big banks worked overtime to weaken key provisions, secure loopholes, and delay enforcement through the rulemaking process. Today, many safeguards envisioned by the law exist only on paper—or not at all.
Big Tech’s Quiet Influence
Tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon have built bipartisan lobbying machines. They fund think tanks, sponsor events, and quietly shape data privacy laws, antitrust enforcement, and content moderation policy. Despite public concern, Congress has repeatedly failed to pass meaningful tech regulation.
Beyond Congress: The Hidden Influence
Lobbying doesn’t just happen on Capitol Hill. A huge amount of influence happens inside federal agencies—the ones tasked with writing the detailed rules that laws require.
This is called regulatory capture: when industries exert so much influence over the agencies meant to regulate them that the regulators become effectively beholden to the regulated. Think of the SEC working closely with Wall Street, or the EPA consulting fossil fuel lobbyists on environmental rules.
Then there’s the revolving door: members of Congress and agency officials retire—or are voted out—and walk straight into high-paying lobbying jobs. Their value? Insider knowledge, personal connections, and an open door to their former colleagues.
“Soft Power” and Astroturf
Not all lobbying looks like lobbying.
Sometimes, it looks like a concerned citizens’ group urging Congress to act—but the group is funded by an industry association. Other times, it’s a glossy report from a “neutral” think tank—written with corporate sponsorship.
This is known as astroturfing—fake grassroots movements created by powerful interests. The goal is to make industry-backed ideas look like they came from ordinary Americans.
Why Voters Can’t Compete
While voters get a say every two or four years, lobbyists have access every day. They don’t just donate—they educate (or spin), provide bill language, and serve as trusted advisers to understaffed congressional offices. In some cases, lawmakers openly admit they rely on lobbyists for technical details or policy advice.
Even when constituents flood phone lines or show up at town halls, they often struggle to match the daily presence, funding, and influence of professional lobbyists.
Reforms Have Been Tried—And Weakened
There are laws requiring lobbyists to register and report their activities, but many simply label themselves “strategic consultants” and sidestep the rules. Disclosure reports are vague, inconsistent, and often come long after the fact.
Attempts to curb the revolving door—like mandatory cooling-off periods—are limited and often ignored.
The ROI of Political Money
If campaign spending is the investment, lobbying is the return.
For wealthy interests, it’s a smart bet. A $10 million lobbying campaign can delay or defeat a regulation that would cost them hundreds of millions. And thanks to weak disclosure rules and insider access, they can do it quietly.
In Part 3, we’ll look at what can be done—what reforms are on the table, what’s working at the state level, and how voters can push back against a system where money talks louder than citizens.
Because democracy shouldn’t be pay-to-play.