Balgarianovinite.com
‘Tis the season of giving, and Christmas-related businesses are spending millions in the hope that Congress, if not Santa Claus, will deliver on their priorities.
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That includes companies whose products fill up the holiday table, manufacturers that make toys to be found under the tree, and the network behind the day-long slate of professional basketball games.
“The brilliance of the Constitution is that every citizen has a right to petition the government,” said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan University’s Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. “If there are those who are working on behalf of their industry and their livelihoods to advocate in some way for legislation that will benefit them, there’s no difference whether it’s related to the holiday season or any other season. This is what America in its greatness allows: a citizen to petition the government.’’
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Here’s what some of the familiar names at Christmastime have spent on lobbying between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 of this year.
Candy is dandy. The National Confectioners Association spent $690,000 as it lobbied on issues relating to the confectionery industry.
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Among individual companies, Mars Inc., which produces M&Ms, spent $1 million weighing in on climate and conservation issues, among others. Issues of concern to Nestle SA, which counts Kit Kat among its candy products, include tariffs with Canada and Mexico among the issues it spent $1.3 million to lobby on. Hershey Co.’s lobbying expenses were $575,000 on issues including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Ferrero, whose brands include Butterfinger, spent $300,000 lobbying on trade and nutrition, among other issues. Mondelez focused on trade, tax and nutrition issues and spent $760,000. Its brands include Cadbury chocolate (and Oreos).
Christmas tree, O Christmas tree. The Christmas Trade Group – based in New Jersey and affiliated with the National Tree Co., an importer of artificial trees – spent $90,000 to lobby on tariffs and trade. Another group touting artificial trees, the American Christmas Tree Association, didn’t report any lobbying. Nor did the National Christmas Tree Association, which touts real trees and is involved in delivering one to the White House every year.
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Hamming it up. The National Pork Producers Council, whose members supply that Christmas ham for the dinner table, spent $910,000 on various issues including immigration and the pork supply chain.
Full court press. The National Basketball Association has scheduled five games on Christmas Day for the 18th year in a row. The NBA no longer is registered to lobby; ESPN, which will air the games, is part of the Walt Disney Co., which spent $4.5 million this year lobbying on issues including sports media, streaming, and pay TV.
Side dishes. The National Potato Council lobbied on agriculture appropriations, the farm bill and other issues, spending $217,500.
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Shop until you drop. The National Retail Federation, whose members include Macy’s, Walmart and Target, spent $8.5 million to lobby on, among other things, credit cards, President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending measure known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, and Canadian tariffs. The International Council of Shopping Centers reported spending $1.4 million. The trade association’s issues included maintaining existing tax breaks and brownfields.
The mail must go through. Hallmark Cards wanted to ensure that neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night – nor Congress – would keep the mail from going through. The company spent $180,000 to lobby on issues involving the U.S. Postal Service.
We can fly. The airline industry’s trade group, Airlines for America, spent $4.2 million on such issues such as compensating passengers for flight delays and disclosing the full price of a ticket. Among the issues concerning Airports Council International-North America, which spent $2.1 million, were transportation funding and airport security.
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What will Santa bring the kids? The Toy Association, which spent $400,000, lobbied on tariffs and worked to educate members about the industry.
Jonathan D. Salant has covered money and politics out of Washington for almost 40 years. He is a former president of the National Press Club and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists D.C. chapter’s Journalism Hall of Fame.
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