Interest Group Strategy Analysis

So concerned with the adverse influence of certain interest groups on federal spending, President Reagan’s budget director nominee, David Stockman, initiated a radical change in budget policy making that aimed to immobilize many groups immediately after the 1980–1981 transition (Newland, 1985; Wolman & Teitelbaum, 1985). Stockman developed a centralized budget process that shifted control in Congress to a small number of budget committees, thereby diminishing the opportunities for interest group lobbying. Despite stiff opposition from House Democrats, the Reagan administration’s ability to package budget bills together, rather than allowing House members to vote on individual bills, facilitated the new president’s policy agenda to cut social programs supported by many interest groups (Leloup, 1982; Sinclair, 1985).