$400,000 Breakfast Tab

People used to talk about “power lunches.” But in Washington real power flows at breakfast. It is particularly difficult to snare a member of Congress for lunch because of the vagaries of the congressional schedule. The real deals are made over scrambled eggs.

The new king of the Washington power breakfast is Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Bentsen has invited Washington lobbyists to breakfast with him once a month for the coming two years for the nice round figure of $10,000. About 40 have signed up for the chance to bend Bentsen’s ear on taxes, trade, the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys or any other subject. The $400,000 will go into Bentsen’s 1988 election campaign fund.

Bentsen was offended by the suggestion that he is selling access to big business. He protested that he is accessible to anyone, either in his Washington office or in Texas on weekends. Funny, lobbyists always insist that their campaign contributions don’t buy them influence--just access.

Well, if you need a good chuckle next time you’re in Washington, amble past Room 703 in the Hart building (or phone (202) 224-5922) and tell the receptionist that you just dropped by to chat with the senator about the awful taxes on soybeans or what the falling dollar is doing to the price of a new Honda.

Former Finance Chairman Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) also had such a breakfast club, but the dues were only a mere $5,000. Bentsen blamed the rise on inflation. It can’t be that eggs have gone up that much. Maybe it’s inflation of the ego.