Interest Groups

• Factors affecting significance

  • Finances: NRA made nearly $350m in 2013, spent on influencing voters e.g. attack on Minchin following amendment to gun control
  • Membership: American civil liberties union has more than 1.6 million members
  • Expertise and experience: NRA and NRA-ILA (institute for legislative action) which aims to educate law makers about gun ownership
• Tactics

  • Lobbying: $3bn a year, registered lobbyists is 12,000. Boehner resigned as speaker and joined lobbyists Squire Patton Boggs who spent $19m in 2016
  • Legal methods: ACLU filed an amicus curiae briefing in support of free speech in Snyder v Phelps 2011 case
  • Congressional report cards: NRA rate congressmen for sympathy to their issue e.g. Halvorson straight As since 2002 and endorsement in 2010
  • Publicity and media: NRA ran advert suggesting Obama's children deserved protection
  • Protests: Women's march on Washington organised protest march against NRA in 2017
• Policy Groups 


  Exert influence over large policy area e.g. Environmental America over environment, UnidosUS over immigration (labelled Obama as deporter in chief)
• Professional Interest Groups 


  Represent a group of workers or professionals e.g. National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) biggest lobbying spenders in 2017 ($14.7m) and American Farm Bureau Federation campaigned on immigration reform on tax and energy
• Single Issue Groups


  Influence over narrow policy are e.g. NRA, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) works to protect individuals rights and freedoms but focus on civil liberties such as free speech and privacy
• Resources of Interest Groups

  • Money: NRA spent $5m on lobbying in 2017 and $700,000 on campaigns
  • Membership: American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has nearly 38 million members
  • Access: 2017 suggested 340 former congressmen staff worked for pharmaceutical companies or their lobbying firms (Revolving door)
• Examples of Influence

  • American Medical Association (AMA): represents physicians and have shaped healthcare policies including medical reforms and medical liability laws administered 5.5m vaccinations
  • Greenpeace USA: played a role in pressuring Biden to act for justice and climate resulting in US joining Paris Climate Accord in his first day
  • Civil Liberties Group: 2017 obtained a federal court order to halt Trump's banning of transgender service members from military
  • American Hospital Association: In 2023, they presented federal hospital leaders with awards
• Examples of not influential

  • AMA: opposed universal healthcare despite polls showing doctors supported it
  • Greenpeace: 2016 caught trying to pass off photos of damaged reef in Samoa as the Great Barrier Reef in campaign against coal bleaching
  • Civil liberties group: during palmer raids, fed gov deported those accused of being radicals and civil liberties didn't prevent this
  • AMA has faced scrutiny over increase in profits and costs increase in drug expenses per patient between 2019 and 2022 stood at 19.7%