Foreign countries are spending less to lobby America’s federal government, according to a new report released by the Department of Justice.
The latest figures show governmental organizations from more than 130 countries spent less than $460 million in 2010 lobbying Congress and the executive branch as well as promoting their interests though public relations campaigns. This marks a decrease of almost 6 percent compared with 2009, when these lobbying expenditures totaled $486.9 million, according to the DOJ report.
Some of the biggest decreases in lobbying spending came from a few Caribbean countries, which together cut their spending by almost $31 million.
Leading the way was the Cayman Islands, which curtailed its spending by more than $13 million to just over $8.1 million in 2010. The Cayman Islands spent most of this money to promote tourism with travel shows, conferences and seminars.
But FARA records also show some lobbying that appears to respond to the Obama administration’s criticism of corporate banking in the country to evade taxes.
The Bahamas also slashed almost $11.2 million from its American lobbying and public relations budget last year — falling from $48.2 million to $37.1 million. While it was a significant cut, the country still spent the third-largest amount among foreign nations in 2010. The Bahamas had held the top position in 2009. All of the Bahamas lobbying reports listed spending money to promote tourism. Jamaica also dialed back its expenses last year by 68 percent, spending just $3.1 million in 2010.
