“Apple spent an all-time high $2.2 million lobbying Donald Trump’s federal government between April 1 and June 30, 2017, according to a disclosure form filed by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives,” Joe Rossignol reports for MacRumors.
“That amount is by far the most Apple has ever spent on lobbying in a single quarter, eclipsing the previous record of nearly $1.4 million spent during Trump’s first three months as President of the United States,” Rossignol reports. “Apple has now spent nearly $3.6 million on lobbying during the first six months of his term.”
“The extra $800,000 that Apple spent between April 1 and June 30 of this year, compared to January 1 to March 31, is its largest ever quarter-over-quarter increase in lobbying expenses. Apple had never increased its lobbying spending by more than $330,000 from one quarter to the next before now,” Rossignol reports. “Apple spent $1.12 million lobbying between April 1 and June 30 of 2016, the final year of Barack Obama’s administration, meaning it has nearly doubled its spending in just one year.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s always better to have a seat at the table than to be left alone out in the cold.
SEE ALSO:
At the start of the Trump era, Apple spent more on lobbying than ever, but outspent 2.5 times by Google – April 21, 2017
Apple’s dearth of European lobbyists kept company out of loop in EC tax decision for two years – September 26, 2016
Apple boosts U.S. federal government lobbying efforts by 16% in Q1 – April 22, 2015
Apple steps up lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. – May 24, 2013
Apple is taking a bruising in Washington D.C. as lobbying effort has yet to ripen – May 9, 2012
With antitrust mutters growing, Apple triples federal lobbying expenses, boosts D.C. presence – April 9, 2011
Apple hires new D.C. lobbyists, former G. W. Bush staffers to influence U.S. federal government – February 5, 2011
Curios.. exactly where does this money go?
What/who exactly is it spent on ? (whose pocket does it end up in…etc )
Anyone?
Usually, directly Into the pocket of lobbyist, who help shape laws and grease the palms of the swamp denizens. Perhaps watching House of Cards will bring you up to speed. 😉
In an ideal world, the President, his cabinet, and all 535 members of Congress would be philosopher kings who knew everything about every subject. In an only slightly less ideal world, all those officials would have the brilliance (and budget) to hire staff members who collectively knew everything.
In the real world, there are subjects that the officials and their staff simply do not know very well or care very much about… but that still require each official to take a position and support or oppose legislation. The people who are directly affected by a particular subject are much more likely to care and know about that subject, but they aren’t legislative or executive officials who can actually affect public policy.
Since the dawn of human government millennia ago, the solution to that problem been legislative and administrative advocacy (the polite name for lobbying). Those who have the knowledge, but not the power, try to inform and thereby influence those who have the power, but not the knowledge.
For example, most legislators don’t give a flip about the details of criminal procedure (most of the ones who are lawyers come from wealthy civil law firms). So, the prosecutors and defense lawyers who actually do know something and who are going to be affected by legislation must—yes, MUST—take the trouble to try informing and influencing the legislators. I’ve been there and done that, but to do it personally is almost impossible even in Texas, where the Legislature is only in session for 140 days every two years. In a state (or nation) with continuous legislative sessions it would be impossible.
Since the concerned parties have day jobs and don’t have a personal relationship with more than their individual representatives, the concerned parties cannot accomplish effective advocacy without professional assistance from men and women who can devote full time to advocacy on a broad front. We call those advocates “lobbyists.”
Like other competent professionals, they do not come cheap. They also have very high expenses, since it is often only possible to approach a busy legislator over dinner or at a social event.
Because the lobbyists either have subject-matter competence or work for those who do, they often have a dominant role in drafting legislation, suggesting good amendments, and stopping bad ones. If the legislators were left on their own, they would produce even more unplanned consequences than they already do.
The lobbyists probably have too much influence. They would have even more if we did not have a fair number of veteran legislators who develop their own competence (which is why term limits generally just hand control over from the people’s elected representatives to the lobby). Limits keeping former government workers from working as lobbyists also tend to concentrate control over legislation into the hands of established lobbyists who need not fear competition.
On the whole, corporate lobbyists perform a necessary function. When the government is basically friendly, they are less necessary. When the government is pushing policies that are contrary to the company’s best interests, they become much more necessary, and lobbying expenses will go up. Currently, Apple and the Trump Administration are on different sides on a number of issues concerning the free movement of goods, labor, and capital across the US border, so Apple is quite naturally spending more money on lobbying.
Thanx Caste and TX l …have been watch watching House of cards.. as much as i like it i find it disturbing. But is what it is right..
I had no idea that lobbyists make that kind of money…. or maybe some of the money goes towards under the table bribes as well?
…to fight Trump’s position on limiting H1-B hiring of aliens to undermine American jobs.
Meanwhile Trump’s organization has asked for an increase in H2-B visas for foreign workers for staffing his golf course in Florida. Got to hand it to the guy…he sure is consistent when it comes to blatant hypocrisy! 😉
link to legitimate source that documents “Trump’s organization has asked for H2-B visas for foreign workers for staffing his golf course in Florida.”
Will this one from Fox business do? http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/21/dozens-foreign-workers-sought-for-trumps-florida-clubs.html
Wow, did you just shut down a troll? There is no way he won’t respond with some random deflection or other insanity. I just don’t believe it. I’ve never seen a troll silenced with reason before.
Opposite. You are the fool. That Trump would advocate a policy of limiting those visas despite what one of his properties wanted to do only proves he is independent of his businesses and even doing things that would appear to REDUCE their profitability. Again, more fake news and even fake comments. TRUMP!
Pardon me? LOL… wow, proof positive that tRump could piss on his followers head and they would twist it around and call it champagne.
Wow.
yes, that will do, thanks.
Hey Botty, you know you can get that burn you just received treated under Obamacare.
can’t afford the $7,100 deductible, but thanks for your gracious suggestion.
Beats a $7,100 monthly premium!
LOL….when bottwipe can get enough shifts at the coal mine, his union negotiated health insurance kicks in…maybe some socialized medicine is what he needs.
Hey Botty…
You must have much bigger hands than Trump, ’cause you just stepped on your dick!
It’s okay dude, happens to the best of us! 🙂
Sir Jared, I believe, as some say, that you won the internet today.
One less dollar spent for progressive libtard agendas. I’m not complaining.
a useless comment making a useless point.
Kinda stupid to piss away money on someone on their way to jail…
If we are lucky we can get a 2-1 and put Mike Dense in jail along with Agent Orange.
In my mind paid lobbying is nothing more or less than thinly disguised bribery. When my Professional Society proposed hiring full time D.C. Lobbyists I along with many others told them not only no, but hell no.
I’ll be damned if I’ll pay people to bribe, entice, wine and dine or otherwise influence elected officials already paid more than they are worth.
Regrettably, as much as you are right in every (ethical) way, that doesn’t help you (or others).
America is the only developed democratic nation with legalised corruption. There is nothing thinly disguised here, other than the actual name for it (lobbying, rather than bribery, or corruption). It is, in fact, quite nicely regulated, all within the letter of law (who can bribe whom, how it should be done, etc).
Apple has, since the very beginning, been living on the sidelines of the DC bribery show. While 2.2 million effort this quarter is their record, it is still quite a lot lower than many others. Google spends $6 million, Facebook close to $4m, and so on.
When you are the biggest money maker in the industry, and possibly in the country, Washington D.C. will demand their share of that pie. There is no way out of that racket, and Apple is simply trying to do the bare minimum in order to survive.
It isn’t really that simple. America is probably one of the lesser corrupt major nations precisely because of legal and regulated lobbying. At least it creates a certain level of transparency. Also, lobbying groups are the ones that write almost all the laws. Without them, Congress wouldn’t have the manpower to get much done (Yes, I see the irony in this statement since Congress hasn’t done much in a long time). I think lobbying in some form is good, but the system could definitely use reforming.
http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/how-lobbying-works.htm
I have to agree. For those that don’t truly understand Lobbying. The Constitution provides for legal redress to Congress. Since the Congress writes laws that affect businesses, business entities have a legal right to communicate their needs, concerns, ideas, regarding pending legislation. Companies often hire agents to pass on this communication/redress. These are lobbyists. Does corruption occur? Sure. That’s why some of us hate seeing the Federal government with so much control over so many facets of our lives and businesses. But as long as they do, citizens and businesses have a Constitutional right to lobby for legislation that helps, or at least does not harm, them.
Well stated…do you agree with Trump’s ban of five years of Federal employees in his administration from lobbying after their job termination?
Actually, I would prefer no restrictions on people’s freedoms, mandatory transparency and an informed electorate that used their heads!
That’s as heads in the cloud as Utopia.
It is, I prefer Utopia though I realize it’s an idealization. We should strive though.
I too but there goes your expectation of no restrictions on freedoms.
The ancient Spartans when leaving pubic service immediately stood trial after their term, to determine “if they acted in the interests of the State”.
Not saying we should go that far, but to hold leaders to the sacred role they’ve been placed is important. This isn’t necessarily done through artificial restriction of freedoms, which is a symptomatic cure. It’s done through an informed electorate that truly gives a crap about their country.
And because of this, there are many with deep links to the inner workings of government. Yet folk still wonder where leeks come from. It’s admirable in a way because it relies on free and wide access and open dialogue. It’s still deeply flawed and quite barmy when the deepest pockets win against the interests of many.
As a stock holder I find this offensive. Using stockholders money to pursue the political beliefs of a flaky CEO. Just shameful. Return that money to share holders.
It depends on what they are trying to lobby. If, as suggested above, it is to help their H1B visa program, that has a direct impact on Apple’s ability to hire engineers across the globe (and thus stay globally competitive). If it’s to push environmental initiatives, that could also have a direct impact (since Apple is currently spending more to be far greener than other competitors, having government force others to up their game would level that out). If it’s to push transgender rights, then you probably have a point. The CEO can have a stance and promote that within his company’s culture — CORPORATE CULTURE IS SUPER IMPORTANT, JUST ASK UBER –, but he shouldn’t be spending much time and money on it since it’s largely a non-issue for Apple (other than in their NC data center).
Also, unless you are a hedge fund manager, saying “as a stock holder” when talking about Apple is kinda silly. Your investment is a drop in an ocean, just riding the wave. It’s almost like if everyone started saying, “as a citizen, ….” before commenting on their federal government. You’ll be far more effective in influencing others (and creating the change you want) by using cogent arguments instead of stating status and making silly demands.
You forfeited your line item veto at the door the moment you took on partners (other shareholders). The 2.2 million spent when divided by outstanding shares, may be less than a penny. Apple governance will do what they want, not you, within the Law. Especially true over less than a penny…
MacDailyNews Take: “It’s always better to have a seat at the table than to be left alone out in the cold.”
or to fight off additional government intrusions or demands.