New figures show congressional lobbying reached a new high last year. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, corporations, industries and other interests spent a record $2.79 billion last year. It was an eight percent rise over 2006, amounting to an average of $17 million for every day of Congress. The drug industry saw the highest rise, increasing its lobbying spending by 25 percent. Center for Responsive Politics executive director Sheila Krumholz said, “At a time when our economy is contracting, Washington’s lobbying industry has been expanding. Lobbying seems to be a recession-proof industry.”