US Lawmakers, Lobbyists, Toyota Are Tightly Tied

HopeTracker| As US lawmakers put Toyota executives in the Washington hot seat, many are owners of Toyota stock and the recipients of aggressive lobbying by Toyota, a company who has spent $25 million on federal regulatory and legislative lobbying matters in the last five years, according to the NYTimes.

Toyota’s registered lobbyists include at least eight former officials from Congress and the executive branch. The company also employs former engineers and officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal regulatory agency faulted by some critics for failing to spot a pattern of safety problems at Toyota.

House Democrat Jane Harman, who serves on the House energy committee, which will begin Toyota hearings tomorrow, owns Toyota stock valued at $116,000-$315,000. In fact Toyota stock and US lawmakers have incredibly strong ties, prompting questions about how legislators can actually govern impartially, with personal fortunes at stake. Read on At Inquires Start, Lawmakers’ Ties to Toyota Are Questioned via NYTimes.