Sunlight Foundation Releases First Online Foreign Agent Lobbying Database

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 2, 2008

Contact: Gabriela Schneider 202/742-1520

WASHINGTON, DC - In its continuing effort to make hard to access government data accessible with the click of a mouse, the Sunlight Foundation is releasing a beta version of FARAdb, which digitizes disclosures filed by lobbyists representing 15 foreign countries required by the Foreign Agent Registration Act.

These reports are filed twice a year by firms hired to lobby Congress and the executive branch by foreign governments, political parties, individuals and organizations–including for-profit companies. The lobbying firms disclose specific details about which government officials, including members of Congress and their staffs, were contacted by lobbyists for each client, and gives details about what specific issues were discussed. The firms must also disclose all the campaign donations made by their employees who lobby for foreign clients.

As detailed in blog posts on “Real Time Investigations,” these 15 countries alone have spent more than $67 million in fees and expenses to lobbying firms working to largely improve their image and push selected issues in the United States. According to FARA reports, lobbyists from these countries also gave Senator McCain $97,000 between the latter part of 2005 to the end of 2007. Obama received $11,000 from lobbyists for these countries as disclosed on their FARA supplemental forms.

“This experimental database shows in more detail how lobbyists representing foreign clients try to influence public policy, who they approach, and what they're after,” said Bill Allison, senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation. “Given the influence lobbyists have on our political process, shouldn't we have the same level of disclosure for all lobbyists?"

Sunlight hopes to expand this dataset and add more countries and release an updated version of this information in the coming months.

The Sunlight Foundation supports, develops and deploys new Internet technologies to make information about Congress and the federal government more accessible to the American people. Through its projects and grant-making, Sunlight serves as a catalyst to create greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government. Visit SunlightFoundation.com to learn more about Sunlight's projects, including PublicMarkup.org, EarmarkWatch.org and OpenCongress.org.

###