AARP lobbying drops sharply after end-of-the-year spike

AARP's lobbying expenses are back down to their usual levels after a large spike at the end of last year, according to a review of lobbying records.

The seniors lobby has been in the GOP's crosshairs since it supported the healthcare reform law, but legislative counsel David Certner told The Hill that the spending patterns don't correlate with a recent investigation by House Republicans. Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee have raised concerns about AARP's insurance royalties and have called for an investigation by the IRS.

"Their inquiries to us started in the fall of 2009," Certner said. "So this goes back to the healthcare reform debate."

AARP reported spending $5 million on lobbying in the first three months of this year, a 45 percent drop from the $9.12 million spent during the last quarter of 2010. AARP has been spending between $4 million and $6 million per quarter over the past couple of years, the organization tells The Hill, but last quarter's spike coincided with the election and a major Medicare bill.

Certner said AARP was heavily involved in delaying for one year a 30 percent cut to physicians' Medicare payments, know as the Sustainable Growth Rate. That effort included advertising expenses that are counted in the lobbying disclosure.

Also, the seniors' lobby put out its voter guide for every federal House and Senate race, showing lawmakers' voting record.

Certner explained that many of those expenses are included in last quarter's numbers, including spending such as advertising that isn't usually considered lobbying. On the flip side, lobbying disclosures don't account for the work provided by the group's legions of volunteers.

"We take our entire lobbying shop dollars and include them in the report every quarter (and) our lobbying shop has dollars allocated to advocacy," Certner said. "What goes on the reports doesn't tell you the whole story. Sometimes it just depends on what part of the association is paying for it."