"The rise of the united states of money",  - List of lobbying in Washington by year

Last updated: 2014 - 05 - 11
Lobbying is a controversial industry were companies and other special interests hire well connected advocates to influence politicians. Lobbying is a wide spread phenomenon that has a great influence in politics which is illustrated by the figures below.

Lobbying has been a fast growing industry over the last 10-15 years. According to figures from the senate office public records however, the growth has been staggering over the last 5 years. Analysts claims that the figures is misleading and that it is rather the increased use of "underground lobbying" and "increasingly sophisticated strategies" used by the companies, than a actual decrease of lobbying activity that explains the figures. According to analyst James Thurber, the actual estimated number of lobbyists in Washington is closer to 100 000 and that the industry brings in more than $9 billion a year. Lee Drutman, a lobbying expert at the Sunlight Foundation, says that at least twice as much money is spent on lobbying as is officially reported.      

Sources: https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/, https://www.thenation.com/article/178460/shadow-lobbying-complex