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Congressman lobby job heightens revolving door fear { December 17 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/61c6f06c-4fd2-11d9-86b3-00000e2511c8.htmlhttp://news.ft.com/cms/s/61c6f06c-4fd2-11d9-86b3-00000e2511c8.html
Tauzin's lobby job heightens 'revolving door' fear
By Joanna Chung in Washington
Published: December 17 2004 02:00 | Last updated: December 17 2004 02:00
Billy Tauzin's change of jobs next month - from congressman and one-time chairman of the House energy and commerce committee to top lobbyist for the US pharmaceuticals industry - has renewed questions about Washington's "revolving door" between lawmakers and lobbyists.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) trade group announced on Wednesday that it had hired the retiring Louisiana congressman to be its new head.
Corporations and lobby groups routinely hire former lawmakers from both parties because of their Capitol Hill experience and access, and Mr Tauzin is hardly the first to take a job in an industry affected by legislation on which he had worked.
But Mr Tauzin's move into an industry that stands to gain billions of dollars from legislation he helped craft is perhaps one of the most obvious examples.
"It's a sad commentary on politics in Washington that a member of Congress who pushed through a major piece of legislation benefiting the drug industry gets the job leading that industry," said Joan Claybrook, president of the Public Citizen watchdog group. Mr Tauzin, who is retiring after 20 years in the House of Representatives, had been touted for more than one high-profile job on K Street - the home of Washington's lobbying world - including head of the Motion Picture Association of America.
But Democrats lambasted Mr Tauzin in February after it emerged that he was negotiating with PhRMA for a multimillion-dollar job. Mr Tauzin had been instrumental in pushing through a $500bn (€377bn, £259bn) bill to expand drugs coverage for elderly citizens - a bill that many Democrats characterised as a sell-out to the pharmaceuticals industry. Critics asked whether it was ethical for Mr Tauzin, who headed the committee that oversees the drugs industry, to negotiate a job with PhRMA while committee chairman. Mr Tauzin resigned his chairmanship to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. He later halted talks with PhRMA when he learnt he had cancer.
Mr Tauzin raised more than $218,000 from drugs companies over the past 15 years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He raised $41,500 from manufacturers in the last election cycle, even though he was not seeking re-election.
On Wednesday Mr Tauzin used his health to justify his decision to take the PhRMA position, one of the most lucrative lobbying jobs in Washington. "When I was in my fight with cancer earlier this year I was reminded about my own mother, who fought off cancer three times," he said. "As I worked through my recovery, I realised that I wanted to work in an industry whose mission is no less than saving and enhancing lives."
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