National Retail Federation

At $11.3M in disclosed federal lobbying, National Retail Federation ranks as a major spender — well above the typical filer. Outlays in this range generally reflect a sustained presence in Washington, with at least one full-time government affairs lead and a stable of outside lobbyists engaged on the organization's priority issues.

Across the 5-year window from 2020 to 2024, National Retail Federation's annual disclosed lobbying spend has climbed modestly — from $2.1M in 2020 to $2.3M in 2024, a change of +10%. Step-changes of this size often coincide with major bills moving through Congress, regulatory rulemakings affecting the organization's industry, or a leadership change in the relevant committee.

National Retail Federation's disclosed lobbying covers 5 general issue areas — a moderate footprint. Filers in this range tend to engage on a coherent cluster of related topics rather than spreading effort across the federal agenda.

3 of 8 lobbyists reported by National Retail Federation (38%) disclose prior federal government service. That share is common at established government affairs operations that explicitly hire from agency and committee staff.

Among the named bench, lobbyists with disclosed prior federal service include Frederick H. Graefe (Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury); Kevin D. Hill (Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, HHS); Kenneth L. Lewis (Former Director of Policy, Department of Energy). The covered-position field on LDA cover sheets captures executive-branch and senior congressional roles held within the prior two years.

Within the Trade Association sector, National Retail Federation ranks #14 of 114 tracked organizations by disclosed lobbying spend. The sector leader is US Chamber of Commerce at $387.8M; the sector average is $9.5M. National Retail Federation's $11.3M sits 19% above the sector average.

National Retail Federation's LobbySpend Influence Score of 59/100 (grade C) is the most common grade in the index — it covers organizations with established but moderate federal advocacy programs. The score combines disclosed total spend (40%), issue breadth (30%), and revolving-door connections (30%). A C-grade is typical of mid-size corporations and trade associations with steady quarterly filings on a focused issue set.

Every figure above is sourced from Senate lobbying disclosure filings submitted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Per-issue dollar splits and covered-position flags are filer-reported and may be amended after initial submission.