Home Depot and Lowe's continue to spend big bucks to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Big Orange spent $245,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on organized retail crime; metal theft; retail sales tax; tariffs on goods originating in China; efforts to stabilize the housing market; the weatherization program; and other issues. That's up 2 percent from the $240,000 Home Depot spent in last year's first quarter and up 9 percent from the $225,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2009. Home Depot 1Q lobbying
Lowe's spent $215,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on rebates for energy-efficient products; the elimination of a secret ballot in unionization elections; carbon-dioxide monitors in the home; a suspension of tariffs on imported ceiling ans, zero percent financing credit programs; and other issues. That's down 68 percent from the $680,000 Lowe's spent in last year's first quarter, and more than triple the $65,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2009. Lowe's 1Q lobbying