Travel Companies Spent Big in Q2 on Lobbying — Here's What They Want
From April through June, the tourism and travel industries grappled with several political challenges at once: President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff turbulence. Messy debates over the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' U.S. travel bans and declining tourism from abroad.
In response, many of the nation's biggest airlines, hotels, travel service companies, and associated trade associations spent bigger-than-usual amounts to lobby Congress and the Trump administration, according to a Skift analysis of new federal lobbying disclosure documents filed Monday.
This government influence spending, which includes money spent on both in-house and for-hire lobbyists in Washington, D.C., is designed to defend industry and corporate interests and advocate for favorable policies and legislation.
Among the notable revelations:
Where Spending Rose
Trade Groups: The U.S. Travel Association reported a spike in its lobbying activity during the second quarter ($1.03 million) versus a year earlier ($900,00).
It was also well beyond what it spent during the same period in 2021 during Joe Biden's first year as president ($840,000) and in 2017 during the first year of Trump's first term ($640,000).
'Lobbying expenditures during the first year of a new presidential administration or new Congress typically increase — along with legislative and regulatory action — compared to the previous year,' U.S. Travel Association spokesperson Spencer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
a few seconds ago
- New York Post
Trump's tariff plan seems to be working — proving all the naysayers wrong
For all the 'sky-is-falling' cries over President Donald Trump's tariffs, it looks like his strategy may be working — just as his Aug. 1 deadline nears. In the past week, the Trump folks struck deals with Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines — and may be on the verge of a deal with Europe: On Friday, the prez cited a 50-50 chance of reaching an agreement with the European Union. These developments — on top of previous deals with Vietnam, the United Kingdom and a framework on rare-earth exports and tech restrictions with China — go a long way toward standing up Trump's vision for the international economy, with better terms for America. And at least so far, no catastrophic fallout. Heck, the nation looks poised to benefit enormously on several fronts. Trump's deals in Asia, for starters, reopen US access to cheap markets, sidestepping China, our greatest economic and military rival. Indonesia and the Philippines will pay 19% tariffs on their exports to the United States and levy 0% tariffs on more than 99% of US goods. Japan will see 15% tariffs and invest more than half a trillion dollars into the US economy. Washington will also slap fewer restrictions on Indonesian, Filipino and Japanese goods, everything from cars and clothes to electronics and rubber. And now EU officials are signaling their support for a deal that would mirror the one Trump made with Japan — reciprocal tariffs of 15%. Notably, the EU includes 27 countries in a shared common market, representing the largest singular trading bloc for the United States. The EU deal would clearly benefit US consumers looking to buy, say, French wines or German cars, and also US producers seeking wider access to the European markets. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Meanwhile, the resolution of trade issues with so many countries will calm markets and bring confidence and stability to the business community. As for the predicted inflation, it's nowhere to be seen: June's consumer price index came in at a reasonable 2.7%. Recall it hit 9% under Joe Biden. That's partially because corporations, unsure of whether high tariffs will remain permanent and nervous about hiking prices, have absorbed most of the tariffs' costs, at least for now. More good news: The tariffs brought in $64 billion in revenue for the government in just the first three months since Trump's April 2 'Liberation Day' announcement. He's suggested issuing 'rebates' based on that haul, but far better to use the new revenue to pay down the runaway national debt. Yes, there's plenty more to do: Team Trump needs to finalize agreements with Canada, India and Mexico, along with the EU, and numerous smaller countries, before the president's across-the-board reciprocal tariffs hit Aug. 1. So considerable uncertainty remains. But clearly the signs are good, at least so far — despite all the doomy predictions.
Geek Wire
a few seconds ago
- Geek Wire
Trump's mega bill blasted by Washington leaders: Clean energy cuts threaten AI boom, hike costs
Participants in a Seattle roundtable on the Republican-led repeal of clean energy tax credits, from left: Gregg Small, executive director of Climate Solutions; Brandon Provalenko, general manager of Western Solar; Sen. Patty Murray; Dawn Lindell, CEO of Seattle City Light; Joe Nguyen, director of the Washington State Department of Commerce; and Christine Reid, political director of IBEW Local 77. The event was held July 25 at the Seattle City Light Denny Substation. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) As energy demand spikes due to AI-driven data center expansions and the shift to electrification of transportation and other sectors, a sweeping bill signed this month by President Trump cuts resources for deploying renewable power, Washington state leaders said Friday. Washington Sen. Patty Murray convened a roundtable in Seattle on Friday to highlight the potential energy impacts of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' and issue a call to action. She warned of rising utility costs for businesses and residents and lost jobs in the energy sector. 'It's going to set us back in terms of our access to clean energy,' Murray said. 'It's so important that people know why this is coming and that we continue to raise our voices to fight back.' Joe Nguyen, director of the state's Department of Commerce, was blunt in his criticism of the bill in a GeekWire interview following the roundtable. 'This is a direct attack on tech,' Nguyen said. 'Without clean energy, we don't have technology.' That's particularly true, he added, as companies such as Amazon and Microsoft are building out capacity to meet AI demands. The Pacific Northwest is already home to numerous data center facilities, with plans to build more. In Washington alone, the Republican-backed bill could decrease electric capacity by 18 gigawatts over the next decade — or the equivalent of two Seattles' worth of energy — said Gregg Small, executive director of Climate Solutions, speaking at the event. Commerce Director Joe Nguyen addresses Sen. Patty Murray during the roundtable on clean energy. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) The legislation repeals tax cuts for renewable power efforts including wind and solar installations that were included in the Democrats' 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. At the same time, the GOP measure bolsters support for fossil fuel power. President Trump staunchly defends the nixing of benefits for wind and solar, calling the intermittent power sources 'unreliable,' and even some critics of the president acknowledge that tax cuts for renewable power should phase out over time. Others say the support makes sense to get new energy deployed as quickly as possible. Renewable power made up 93% of the U.S. energy capacity that came online last year. 'Even if you're pro-fossil fuels, pro-coal, that is very expensive and it takes a long time to build. And also, the market is not demanding that right now,' Nguyen told GeekWire. The data center tech giants — also called hyperscalers — are seeking clean power sources given that they've set ambitious goals for shrinking their carbon impacts. The AI boom is making it increasingly difficult to reach their targets, with Microsoft and Amazon both reporting rising carbon emissions. At the same time, Trump this week announced his 'AI Action Plan' to accelerate data center growth in the U.S. and support America's leadership in AI. Clean energy advocates say there's a disconnect between those ambitions and policy that limits options for new power. 'For us to be leaders in that [AI] space, it requires hyperscalers. It requires energy for those hyperscalers,' Nguyen said. 'So limiting the amount of energy we can produce is counterintuitive in terms of trying to be a dominant player in the AI space.'
Fox News
a minute ago
- Fox News
Harris begs young voters to not 'stay home' in November in taped message at youth voter event
Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith reports on the Democratic Party's maneuvering to get more voters at the polls in November on 'Special Report.'
