Disparate Lobbying Groups Hit Capitol Hill on Budget, Tax Issues

More than 100 union members and leaders of the Service Employees International Union from 24 states — along with dozens of members from other unions — are on Capitol Hill today to lobby against cuts to entitlements and education. The lobbying event is being held in coordination with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO and the National Education Association.

The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons is also on the Hill today, having scheduled meetings with 15 congressional offices — including seven with members themselves. The fiscal cliff’s potential effects on orthopaedic issues will be their top topic of discussion, with particular emphasis on preventing physician payment cuts and Medicare reimbursement reductions that could be triggered at the year’s end. Joshua Jacobs, the group’s first vice president, will in part lead a delegation of 11 members. The association is a powerful force among medical lobbies, spending at least $1 million on federal lobbying efforts each year since 2004, congressional records show.

Meanwhile, clean energy campaign Operation Free is expected to host a bipartisan press conference with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and veterans from across the country Wednesday afternoon to call for extending the Wind Production Tax Credit, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

The press conference is part of a two-day fly-in for about 40 veterans, many of whom have been working in the wind energy industry since returning home. Veterans will meet with members of Congress from their home states to urge them to extend the tax credit.