What Retailers Spend On Lobbying To Influence Trump

In spite of all this year’s ambiguity surrounding corporate tax rates, free trade deals, price regulation and employee health policy, retailers have found relatively little to scream about by way of legislation.

Eight months into 2017, the industry has spent $31,236,209 on lobbying efforts, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, setting it on pace to marginally outspend last year’s $46 million but fall well short of 2015’s $58.5 million. In fact, retailers might invest less influencing politics this year than they did every year from 2011 on.

Notably, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN has dropped more on lobbying ($6.2 million) than any retail competitor thus far.

Retail Spenders

Here are the e-commerce giant’s largest spending rivals:

1. National Retail Federation: $7.3 million

The trade association has already spent more in 2017 than it did in the entirety of 2016 ($7.12 million) ━ its previous record year. Health care and workforce fairness have been major points of interest thus far.

2. Wal-Mart Stores Inc WMT: $3.6 million

While its lobbying spending is on track to mark a 10-year low, failing to break even $5.5 million against a long-term threshold of $6 million, Walmart found worthy causes in influencing tax- and trade-related policy. It would have been largely exposed to Trump’s border-adjustment tax.

Related Link: Is The Retail Trade On The Comeback?

3. CVS Health Corp CVS: $3.3 million

After having steadily increased spending from $5.2 million in 2008 to $15.2 million in 2015, CVS is on pace to spend just $4.9 million this year, mostly to oppose the Senate bill “Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked (C-THRU) Act of 2017.” The retailer was uniquely exposed to the failed American Health Care Act and other federal efforts to lower drug costs.

4. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc WBA: $1.9 million

This pharmacy giant shared CVS’s struggles while struggling to secure regulatory approval for its intended purchase of Rite Aid Corporation RAD. On track to spend just $2.8 million this year, Walgreens spent a record $3.4 million on lobbying in 2016 and still failed to pass antitrust investigations.

5. Best Buy Co Inc BBY: $1.7 million

Already this year, Best Buy has more than doubled last year’s spending and outspent 2015 figures. It’s poised to drop a record $2.6 million by the end of 2017, concentrated largely on influencing debit card regulations in the Dodd-Frank Act, the border adjustment tax and federal sales taxes.

6. Retail Industry Leaders Association: $1.6 million

7. Target Corporation TGT: $1.5 million

8. National Association of Convenience Stores: $1.2 million

9. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. LOW: $1 million

10. International Council of Shopping Centers: $910,000

Related Link: Trade-Exposed Companies Contain Their Relief As GOP Scraps Border Adjustment Tax Plan ______ Image Credit: By Matt Johnson from Omaha, Nebraska, United States (Donald Trump) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons