Former lobbyists were willing to take huge pay cuts to join chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) on the House Energy and Commerce Committee this year.
One of the committee staffers left lobbying work that earned him more than $1 million last year, while another left a $400,000 salary to join Upton's staff. Of the 28 revolving door connections LegiStorm has found for Upton, nine are current Republican staff on Energy and Commerce. Upton took over the chairmanship of the committee this January when Republicans took control of the House.
Upton is one of the House Republicans on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or "super committee." LegiStorm is near the conclusion of a three-week series highlighting the revolving door connection of all the super committee members.
Upton must have been persuasive to get Howard Cohen to take the revolving door trip back to Capitol Hill. As the president of health lobbying firm HC Associates, he was paid him more than $1 million last year. Cohen is now the committee's health counsel, where his pay is capped at about $170,000.
Also the former lobbyists now working for Upton on the Energy and Commerce committee is Gary Andres, the committee's Republican staff director. Before joining the committee, Andres had been vice chairman of public policy and research for lobby shop Dutko Worldwide, where he worked for 17 years. Andres earned more than $418,000 at Dutko last year.
