The number one target for religious lobbyists isn’t what you think

Tobin Grant | Dec 5, 2013

Which bill in Congress affects the deficit, abortion funding, gay rights, religious liberty, peace, nuclear arms, Israel, and even homeschooling? The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

We reviewed the lobbying activity of over 300 religious interest groups. Of the over 500 bills that these interest groups lobbied on over the past two years, the annual defense spending bills were, by far, the biggest target of their advocacy.

The NDAA is so attractive to special interests because it is one of the few bills they can bet on becoming law. Even as Congress has failed to pass its other spending bills, it has managed to pass a Defense bill every year for the past five decades. If lobbyists can shoehorn a few words into the NDAA, they can rest assured that it will become law.

Very few of the changes religious interest groups push for in the NDAA address traditional military issues. Of course, some of these lobbyists are advocates for peace who always watch military bills. This year, these groups are concerned that riders to NDAA would direct U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria.

http://tobingrant.religionnews.com/2013/12/05/number-one-target-religious-lobbyists-isnt-think/