K Street Project

The K Street Project is a project by the Republican party to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions.

K Street in Washington is where the big lobbying firms have their headquarters and is sometimes refered to as the fourth branch of government. Lobbying firms have great influence in Washington politics due to monetary resources and the revolving door policy of hiring ex-government officials. It is common practice for politicians to request money for lobbying firms for an exchange in better access to officials and to buy favoritism in policies.

Historically, K Street hires top ex-politicians from both major parties since party in power can vary between elections and among the legislative and executive branches in government.

Now, with the Republican party having majority control of both houses of Congress and control of the White House, they are now targeting control of K Street by pressuring the major lobbying firms to hire only Republicans in any new or open positions. The leaders of the K Street Project are Thomas D. DeLay of the House, Rick Santorum of the Senate, and Grover Norquist.

External Links

• Nicholas Confessore, Welcome to the Machine, The Washington Monthly, July/August 2003.
• David Brancaccio talks to Marty Kaplan, Pressure Afoot at K Street (audio), Marketplace, July 1, 2003.