Committee chairmen say administration order blocking lobbyists from advisory committees thins field of knowledgeable candidates A 3-year-old rule preventing lobbyists from serving on federal advisory committees has robbed them of a readily available pool of experts on the complex policy issues the groups regularly address, according to chairmen of three committees affected by the ban. In 2009, President Barack Obama directed government agencies and executive departments to stop appointing federally registered lobbyists to advisory boards and committees, saying his administration wanted to limit the influence of special interests on the political process. The issue came to… Read More