Senator Accuses SBA of Illegal Lobbying

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Senator Accuses SBA of Illegal Lobbying

By FRANK BASS, Associated Press Writer 49 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - A key Republican senator on Thursday accused the Bush administration's small business agency of illegally lobbying special interest groups to sway the outcome of a congressional inquiry into the agency's missteps.


Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., chairman of a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee, said he found it unacceptable that Small Business Administration officials tried to stop lawmakers from holding a hearing examining the agency's problems and improving its performance.

"I have seen e-mails from SBA employees to organizations sent seemingly for the purpose of undermining our hearing before it even began. This type of illegal lobbying is unacceptable and will be dealt with accordingly," Coburn said in remarks prepared for the hearing.

Federal law prohibits agencies from using tax dollars to lobby Congress, either directly or indirectly. Officials who violate the law can be fined as much as $100,000.