Has President Biden tightened rules governing lobbyists working in the executive branch?
The Biden administration has imposed stricter rules on lobbying activities for those coming to work in the executive branch. The rules tighten some that the Trump administration relaxed, and go beyond those under President Obama. Norman Eisen, Obama’s “ethics czar,” calls the plan “the strongest, most ambitious swamp-draining plan ever.”
Despite this, some critics have noted that private interests can still be an issue. For instance, Tom Vilsack, reappointed as Agriculture Secretary after serving in that post under Obama, has close ties to agribusiness. Vilsack hasn’t been a registered lobbyist since 2007, but after leaving government in 2017 became president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council—working with lobbyists, though not technically one himself. He “represents the powerful few of Big Ag,” The Intercept writes.
