We the People Lifetime Lobbying Ban: How to Actually Drain the Swamp in One Move (Not the Fake Version They Sold You).

Jeremy Black
Nov 19, 2025
6 min read

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

By Jeremy Black

Nov 14th, 2025

Lifetime Lobbying Ban: How to Actually Drain the Swamp

“Drain the swamp!” It started as a battle cry that echoed through rallies and town halls. Then it became the biggest punchline in American politics.

Because the real swamp isn’t the faceless bureaucrats in cubicles. It’s not the shadowy “deep state” conspiracy they whisper about on late-night shows. It’s not even the lobbyists themselves, with their K-Street briefcases and power lunches.

The real swamp is the revolving door, the legal, open, and shameless pipeline that turns your “public servant” into a multimillionaire lobbyist the moment they walk out of the Capitol for the last time.

Close that door, permanently, for life, and the swamp drains itself faster than any task force, executive order, or “Schedule F” firing spree ever could.

Here is the exact one-sentence law that does it:

“No former Member of Congress may ever register as a lobbyist or accept compensation (paid or unpaid) from any entity required to register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, for life.”

That’s it. One sentence. No new bureaucracy. No new taxes. No twenty-year Supreme Court fight.

Just the end of the largest legalized bribery operation in human history.

The Fake “Drain the Swamp” vs. the Real One (The 2017–2025 Scorecard)

They promised you fireworks. We’re delivering dynamite.

Year	Fake Promise They Sold You	What Actually Happened
2017	5-year lobbying ban executive order	Biden rescinded it on Day 1
2018	“No lobbyists in my administration”	70+ quiet waivers issued
2020	“Drain the Swamp 2.0” rally chant	41 new ex-members became lobbyists in 18 months
2023	Schedule F to fire “deep state”	Reversed before it started
2025	“Drain the Swamp” still printed on hats	Lobbying spending hit record $4.2 billion

Every promise was a distraction. The revolving door stayed wide open, and richer than ever.

They promised you fireworks. We’re delivering dynamite.

The $4.2 Billion Swamp Map – Who Owns Congress in 2025

OpenSecret's 2025 data reveals the top 10 industries paying ex-members to lobby:

Pharmaceuticals/Health Products – $488 million
Insurance – $312 million
Securities & Investment – $298 million
Defense/Aerospace – $340 million
Hospitals/Nursing Homes – $188 million
Electric Utilities – $165 million
Real Estate – $152 million
Oil & Gas – $141 million
Telecom Services – $128 million
Air Transport – $112 million

Every dollar funneled through firms that employ former members as their highest-paid rainmakers. Your tax dollars built the relationships. They cash in when they leave.

50 Infamous Revolving-Door Traitors Since 2015 (The Full List)

These are just 50 of the 373+ former members who became lobbyists since 2015 (per Wikipedia and OpenSecret's data). The book has the full list with payoffs.

Billy Tauzin (R-LA) – Medicare Part D giveaway → $2M/year at PhRMA
Tom Daschle (D-SD) – Blocked healthcare reform → $5M+ from insurers
Chris Dodd (D-CT) – Dodd-Frank author → Hollywood & banking lobbyist
Trent Lott (R-MS) – Retired to open lobbying firm → $30M in 5 years
John Breaux (D-LA) – Partnered with Lott → same firm, same windfall
Richard Burr (R-NC) – COVID insider trading → hedge fund consultant
Max Baucus (D-MT) – Obamacare architect → $2M/year health lobbyist
Dan Coats (R-IN) – DNI → back to defense contractors
Scott Pruitt – EPA chief → coal companies he regulated
Tom Price – HHS Secretary → pharma “advisory” roles
Eric Cantor (R-VA) – Majority Leader loss → Moelis & Co. managing director
Jack Kingston (R-GA) – 22 years in House → lobbying for clients like T-Mobile
Kevin Yoder (R-KS) – Financial Services Committee → HHQ Ventures lobbyist
Beryl Anthony Jr. (D-AR) – House Ways and Means → lobbying firm
Michael A. Andrews (D-TX) – House → corporate lobbyist
Chester G. Atkins (D-MA) – House → influence roles
Michael D. Barnes (D-MD) – House → lobbying
James J. Blanchard (D-MI) – House/Senate → trade lobbyist
Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R-VA) – House Commerce Chair → lobbying
Bob Corker (R-TN) – Senate Finance Chair → board of debt-underwriting firm
Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) – Financial Services Chair → Wall Street advisor
Rick Santorum (R-PA) – Senate → energy lobbyist
Harry Reid (D-NV) – Senate Majority Leader → cannabis lobbyist
John Boehner (R-OH) – House Speaker → cannabis lobbying firm
Paul Ryan (R-WI) – House Speaker → Fox board, then consulting
Michele Bachmann (R-MN) – House → anti-Islam lobbying
Charlie Rangel (D-NY) – Ways and Means Chair → influence consulting
Dennis Hastert (R-IL) – House Speaker → lobbying (pre-conviction)
Bob Ney (R-OH) – House → prison, then low-key influence
Duke Cunningham (R-CA) – House → prison, then consulting
William Jefferson (D-LA) – House → prison, then quiet
Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) – House → lobbying post-prison
James Traficant (D-OH) – House → post-prison influence
Corrine Brown (D-FL) – House → post-prison consulting
Chaka Fattah (D-PA) – House → prison
Trey Radel (R-FL) – House → media/influence
Aaron Schock (R-IL) – House → consulting
Chris Collins (R-NY) – House → prison for insider trading
Duncan Hunter (R-CA) – House → prison
George Santos (R-NY) – House → expelled, then influence attempts
Matt Gaetz (R-FL) – House → under investigation, potential pivot
George Helmy (D-NJ) – House → early lobbying ties
John Katko (R-NY) – House → corporate board
Fred Upton (R-MI) – House → energy lobbying
Cheri Bustos (D-IL) – House → consulting
Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) – House → early ties
Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) – House → potential
Elise Stefanik (R-NY) – House → rising, but future unknown
Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) – House → media/influence
Lauren Boebert (R-CO) – House → potential pivot

This list is just the tip. The full 373+ are tracked by OpenSecrets and Wikipedia.

The Human Price of the Swamp – 2025 Edition

While ex-members buy third homes:

107 million Americans carry medical debt
Average family health premium: $24,000/year
41 % skipped needed care due to cost
700,000 homeless
110,000 overdose deaths
Median household savings: $8,000
Median ex-member post-office wealth gain: $12–18 million

The swamp isn’t in D.C. It’s in your empty bank account and your kid’s GoFundMe for insulin.

What Actually Happens the Day the Lifetime Lobbying Ban Passes – 10-Year Timeline

Day 1 → 412 golden parachutes become worthless
Week 4 → First clean CR in decades (under 100 pages)
Month 6 → Super PACs cancel eight-figure buys
Year 1 → Lobbying spending down 60–80 %
Year 4 → National debt curve bends downward
Year 10 → America debt-free or close

Seen in Taiwan, South Korea, Iceland. Will be seen here.

Ten “Drain the Swamp” Lies They Told You (And the Truth)

Term limits → speeds the door
Fire bureaucrats → they’re not getting rich
Campaign finance reform → leaves post-office payoff untouched
Transparency → they already disclose after cashing in
Cooling-off periods → ignored
Ethics pledges → voluntary
Sunlight → doesn’t stop $5M checks
Expertise excuse → we have CBO & 20k staffers
“It’s just how Washington works” → only because we allow it
“You can’t stop human nature” → you can remove the profit

The 90-Day Blitz That Forces the Vote

Days 1–30 → 10 million texts via 50409
Days 31–60 → Public leaderboard of refusers goes viral
Days 61–90 → Primary challengers filed in 138 seats
Day 100 → House & Senate ethics committees add the rule unilaterally
July 4, 2026 → Ban read aloud on Capitol steps, 250th anniversary

20 Hard-Hitting FAQ – Every Excuse Destroyed

Isn’t a lifetime ban unconstitutional? No. Lobbying is a profession, not speech. Lifetime bans exist for judges and generals. SCOTUS upheld this for 70 years.
Family members? Bill bans paid/unpaid work for lobbying entities, including family pass-throughs. Loopholes closed.
Staffers? Their value drops 70–80 % once members are banned. Phase in next.
Expertise? 20,000 staffers, CBO, GAO. Excuse is cash cover.
Hurts good politicians? Honest win on merit. Corrupt lose riches.
Enforcement? FEC audits, whistleblower bounties, 5-year prison.
Early retirement? Applies to anyone who ever served.
Pardon? Statutory, not pardonable. Felony.
Foreign influence? Drops 60 % without domestic middlemen.
Age discrimination? Never ruled that way.
Presidents/Justices? Start with Congress, expand.
Raise campaign costs? Kills incentive, fundraising collapses.
House/Senate pass alone? Yes, ethics rules, simple majority.
Foreign consultants? Expand to FARA in v2.0.
Class warfare? Citizen warfare against parasites.
Media calls extremists? 91 % of Americans agree.
Weak ban? Reject. Lifetime or primary.
Repeal later? Permanent litmus test.
Non-US? Share, donate, amplify.
First thing now? Text WETHEPEOPLE to 50409.