Mizzou to close federal lobbying office
WASHINGTON — The University of Missouri plans to shutter its Washington-based office by the end of this summer, nixing two staffers now dedicated to lobbying lawmakers on everything from robust funding for higher education to immigration visas for international students.
The cuts are part of the university’s system-wide budget reductions, announced Friday by system president Mun Choi.
“We know that we must maintain the good relationships we have had with our federal legislators, and so we will be carefully reviewing what responsibilities and duties we need to continue,” said university spokesman Christian Basi. “But with the state of our budget, we felt we could not continue to keep this office open.”
The University of Missouri system spent $320,000 in 2016 on its Washington lobbying operation, according to federal disclosure reports. The two-person team pressed lawmakers on a wide range of issues, from funding for agriculture and food research to student aid and campus sexual assault.
Read more: http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/06/mizzou-close-federal-lobbying-office/102562842/