While most industries are shrinking, there is one that is growing, reports the Web site OpenSecrets.org:
During the third quarter, corporations, unions, trade associations and other special interests spent $849 million on federal lobbying, the Center for Responsive Politics has found. This is the largest single-quarter lobbying expenditure since firms began filing quarterly at the start of 2008 -- about $8 million more than was spent during the third quarter of 2008.
The year-to-date total spent on lobbying now stands at $2.5 billion through the end of September, with that sum supporting 13,428 individual active lobbyists. By comparison, the total amount spent on all federal lobbying during 2005 was $2.43 billion.
With more federal spending comes more lobbyists wanting to help their clients get a piece of the action.