The BLAST Act (Banning Lobbying And Safeguarding Trust Act) would permanently ban former members of Congress and elected congressional officers from lobbying Congress for the rest of their lives. Currently, federal law imposes a temporary cooling-off period after lawmakers leave office, but this bill eliminates that time window entirely, making it illegal for ex-members to register as lobbyists or to communicate with current members of Congress on behalf of outside interests at any point after they depart from office. The bill also expands the definition of "lobbyist" to include former members employed to engage in lobbying activities even if they don't formally register as lobbyists. The legislation would apply to anyone leaving office on or after the date the bill is enacted, and violations would be subject to the criminal penalties already established under federal law for similar lobbying violations. This is intended to address concerns about the so-called "revolving door" between Congress and lobbying firms, where lawmakers have historically leveraged their insider knowledge and relationships immediately after leaving office.
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