Today, in a blog post from Norm Eisen, who serves as the Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, the Obama administration announced updates to President Obama’s March 20, 2009 Memorandum on Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds. That policy barred lobbyists from engaging in oral conversations with agency officials regarding specific requests for Recovery Act funds. The new policy will bar not just lobbyists, but everyone from speaking with agency officials about competitive grants once grant applications have been submitted. Written communications will be permitted.

CREW executive director Melanie Sloan stated,

By requiring everyone -- not just lobbyists -- to communicate in writing after grant applications have been filed, the WH is ensuring real merits-based decision-making.  For the first time, not just lobbyist communications but also communications by the ubiquitous class of deliberately vaguely titled "consultants" will be reported.  With this new restriction, the White House has leveled the playing field to ensure that corporate bigwigs and major donors who do not register as lobbyists do not benefit from an inside track unavailable to those less politically influential.

CREW thanks David Frulla and his law firm, Kelly Drye & Warren, for preparing a legal analysis of the previous policy, which can be found here.