What K Street is paying attention to this month

From: POLITICO Influence - Tuesday Sep 07,2021 10:34 pm

Sep 07, 2021

Presented by Coalition for Medicare Choices

With Daniel Lippman

"I’M EXPECTING THE REST OF THE YEAR TO SUCK": Congress is returning to action in the coming days as lawmakers stare down a number of impending deadlines this month — government funding, flood insurance, surface transportation and defense policy programs expire at the end of the month, not to mention self-imposed target dates for Democrats to pass their infrastructure package and the coming fight over the debt ceiling — and K Street is bracing for a slog that lobbyists predict will last through the end of the year.

— “I'm expecting the rest of the year to suck,” Rich Gold , who leads Holland & Knight’s public policy and regulation group, told PI. The House Ways and Means Committee is set to hold its first markup this week, where it will unveil proposed tax measures to pay for Democrats’ reconciliation bill, while the Natural Resources Committee marked up its portion of the bill last week. But Gold said in an interview that “it’s hard for me to see” Congress wrapping that measure up by Thanksgiving.

— Ivan Zapien , a Democratic lobbyist at Hogan Lovells, has told clients to be prepared for a rocky next few months, with “very high” drama “throughout the end of the year” as Democrats hash out differences within their caucus on the price tag and scope of the reconciliation bill. “Everyone kind of knows that this has to get really ugly for it to work out, so we expect that things are gonna get very ugly and tough,” he told PI, adding that he’s advising clients to “stay hydrated and be at the ready.”

— While Congress was out of session most of August, Zapien said it was “the recess that never was … Everybody I talked to, everybody I know, was incredibly busy through the August period.” Clients, he explained, were looking to get more “aggressive” as legislative vehicles began to take shape.

— The biggest hold up for the reconciliation package is likely to be in the Rules Committee, which determines what to keep and what to edit in the committee-passed bills, Gold said. “The Rules Committee will operate and be the venue where leadership kind of works through what the art of the do-able is, in terms of total dollar amount and what issues from committee-reported bills need to be edited,” he said.

— “There are … industry sectors for whom some degree of change, as the bill moves forward, could mean the difference between success and failure,” Gold said. “I think people understand this is — I won't say once in a generation, but certainly once in a decade legislating. And there's a lot riding on it.”

— “If you are a company or trade association that is opposed to the corporate [tax] rate” increasing or other major tax changes being mulled by Democrats, “that's going to be discussed at Ways and Means,” he argued, but “it is going to have a chance of changing” at the Rules Committee.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI — and welcome to September! Your host made the delightful discovery over the long weekend that Six Flags America is a mere half hour outside D.C. — who knew?! Send lobbying tips and other underrated day trip ideas: coprysko@politico.com. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

A message from Coalition for Medicare Choices:

27 million seniors and people with disabilities across the country rely on Medicare Advantage for access to high-quality, comprehensive, and affordable health care. Medicare Advantage delivers better services, better access to care, and better value for all enrollees. Congress is considering changes to Medicare Advantage that would reduce health benefits for the millions who rely on it. Click here to learn more about the reach of Medicare Advantage across the U.S.

DEM AIDE JOINS RETAILERS AS TOP TAX LOBBYIST: Hana Greenberg is leaving the Hill, where she was most recently chief of staff to retiring Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), to join the Retail Industry Leaders Association , a trade group representing retail executives, as its new vice president of tax. Greenberg, who previously spent four years in now-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, will lobby for the organization as Democrats on the Hill push forward with proposed tax hikes on corporations — plans retailers oppose. In between her time on the Hill, Greenberg was a lobbyist at Blank Rome Government Relations.

— “Leading retailers will be well served by having Hana Greenberg at the helm of RILA’s tax policy work,” Austen Jensen, RILA’s senior vice president of government affairs, said in a statement. As the trade association fights the tax increases Jensen called it “crucial” that “policy makers understand how changes to tax policy will impact retailers, consumers and communities,” adding that Greenberg’s “tax expertise and knowledge of how tax policy moves in Washington make her a forceful advocate for our members on such an important issue.”

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN OUSTS ALPHONSO DAVID: The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s most prominent LGBTQ advocacy groups, announced Monday night that it had fired its president, Alphonso David, after a report outlining accusations of sexual misconduct against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed David had advised the former governor on the scandal.

— David, “the group’s first Black president, was terminated ‘for cause’ in separate votes by the boards of the Human Rights Campaign and its affiliated foundation after the two boards held a joint meeting,” The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman reported. “Beyond two abstentions from the foundation board, the votes were unanimous.” David vowed a legal challenge to the group’s decision.

— “Earlier, the co-chairs of the board, Morgan Cox and Jodie Patterson , said in a statement that they had decided to end Mr. David’s role ‘effective immediately, for violations of his contract with the Human Rights Campaign.’” Cox and Patterson referenced “a public quarrel that unfolded between Mr. David and the board over the weekend, after Mr. David said that he had been told that a review of his actions had been completed without any finding of wrongdoing. ‘Yesterday and today, Mr. David released a statement that included significant untruths about the investigation and his status with the organization,’ Mr. Cox and Ms. Patterson said.”

INTRODUCING OTTAWA PLAYBOOK : Join the growing community of Politicos — from lawmakers and leaders to pollsters, staffers, strategists and lobbyists — working to shape Canada’s future. Every day, our reporting team pulls back the curtain to shed light on what’s really driving the agenda on Parliament Hill, the true players who are shaping politics and policy across Canada, and the impact it all has on the world. Don’t miss out on your daily look inside Canadian politics and power. Subscribe to Ottawa Playbook today.

STEELWORKERS PRESS BIDEN TO KEEP TRUMP’S TARIFFS: POLITICO’s Steven Overly reports from Conshohocken, Pa. on the “political quagmire” President Joe Biden faces when it comes to whether to unwind steel and aluminum tariffs put in place by his predecessor, duties the business community has held up “as an unnecessary financial burden as they grapple with supply-chain shortages and rising inflation.”

— “Biden’s most senior officials haven’t just maintained Trump’s tariffs to date — they’ve lauded them. In separate instances, both [Commerce Secretary Gina] Raimondo and [U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine] Tai have described the tariffs as ‘effective’ in bolstering the U.S. steel industry,” giving “steel unions and labor-friendly groups confidence that the administration has paid heed to their lobbying blitz. They argue the tariffs have prompted more manufacturers to buy U.S.-made steel, causing a boost in domestic production and putting the industry on more level footing with foreign rivals.”

— “‘The steelworkers don't represent a huge number of voters because there's just not that many of them, but they are important voters in important states,’” said Todd Tucker, director of governance studies at the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive-leaning think tank.” On Friday, industry groups and unions “outlined their conditions for any deal the administration reaches with Europe to replace the tariffs. The American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association and United Steelworkers advocate for automatically reimposing ‘stringent, effective tariffs’ if there's an influx of steel imports from Europe, a surge which ‘would destroy good paying jobs, undermine our industry, and increase the carbon footprint of U.S. steel consumption.’”

HOW AMERICAN GENERALS CASHED IN AFTER AFGHANISTAN: “The failure of the American mission in Afghanistan became deadly apparent last month when the Afghan army collapsed as the Taliban took control. But the generals who led the mission — including [Gen. Stanley] McChrystal, who sought and supervised the 2009 American troop surge — have thrived in the private sector since leaving the war,” The Washington Post’s Isaac Stanley-Becker reported this weekend.

— “They have amassed influence within businesses, at universities and in think tanks, in some cases selling their experience in a conflict that killed an estimated 176,000 people, cost the United States more than $2 trillion and concluded with the restoration of Taliban rule. The eight generals who commanded American forces in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2018 have gone on to serve on more than 20 corporate boards, according to a review of company disclosures and other releases.”

Be a Policy Pro. POLITICO Pro has a free policy resource center filled with our best practices on building relationships with state and federal representatives, demonstrating ROI, and influencing policy through digital storytelling. Read our free guides today .

Jobs Report

— Jesse Barba has joined Chegg as head of government affairs and policy, marking their first hire in Washington. He most recently served as senior director of external affairs at Young Invincibles and is a Cassidy & Associates and Marcia Fudge alum.

— Hogan Lovells has added Charles "Ches" Garrison as a counsel in its government relations and public affairs practice. He was most recently senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). The firm also hired former FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee as a senior adviser in the energy regulation practice. He’ll also work with the government relations and public policy team, and hasn’t ruled out registering to lobby — though he’s subject to a one-year cooling off period from his former agency.

— Nick Xenakis has joined Covington & Burling’s Public Policy practice as special counsel. He was most recently a top aide to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), serving as her chief counsel and general counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

— The Petrizzo Group hired Camille Lepire as director of government relations. She’ll represent the firm’s health care and life science clients, and most recently served as deputy chief of staff to Ways and Means ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who she advised on health care issues.

— Erica Riordan has joined the American Gaming Association as director of government relations. She was most recently at Atlas Crossing and formerly worked on the Hill for Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.).

— Shannon Taylor has joined Intel as head of technology and manufacturing policy. She previously served as senior vice president and senior counsel for government affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council.

— Rachel Gantz is now media relations adviser at the Electric Power Research Institute. She was most recently communications director for the National Pork Producers Council.

— J. Alex Dalessio is now principal for the worldwide public sector innovation studio at Amazon Web Services. He most recently was senior adviser at the office of the federal chief information officer and director of strategic initiatives and technology adviser for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

— Reina Munsch is the new vice president of marketing at the American College of Radiology. Munsch was previously director of marketing at Industry Data Exchange Association and senior director of marketing at the American Pharmacists Association.

— The Jewish Institute for National Security of America has hired Morgan Viña and Matthew Kenney as vice presidents of government affairs. Viña is a former Pentagon official and Senate aide who served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor to Nikki Haley when she was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Kenney is also a Pentagon alum and was a longtime top aide to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

— Authentic has hired Kyle Middleton as email director. He most recently managed Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)'s email fundraising program.

— Katharine Emerson is now chief of staff for World Food Program USA. She previously was director of Bayer’s political affairs team.

— Celia Glassman has joined the Small Business Investor Alliance as director of government relations. She was most recently a senior legislative assistant to Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and is a Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) alum.

New Joint Fundraisers

2022 Phase 1 Patriot Day JFC (Reps. David Valadao, Mike Garcia, Young Kim Michelle Steel, Carlos Giménez, María Salazar, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Rodney Davis, Victoria Spartz, Peter Maijer, Jim Hagedorn, Richard Hudson, Don Bacon, Yvette Herrell, Andrew Garbarino, Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, John Katko, Steve Chabot, Brian Fitzpatrick, Nancy Mace, Tony Gonzales, Beth Van Duyne, Jaime Herrera-Butler, NRCC)
Comer Victory Fund (Rep. James Comer, Creating Opportunities, Markets and Enthusiam In Rural Kentucky PAC, NRCC)
Lankford Young Victory Committee (Sens. James Lankford, Todd Young, Leadership and Accountability Are National Keys PAC, Oorah! Political Action Committee)
Mowers Victory Fund (Mowers for Congress, LFOD PAC)
TDocX (Reps. Michael Burgess, Ronny Jackson, Lonestar Leadership PAC, Texas Red, Republican Party of Texas, NRCC)
Team Hagerty Victory (Sen. Bill Hagerty, Senate Eagle PAC, NRSC)
Wagner-McHenry Victory (Reps. Ann Wagner, Patrick McHenry, Ann PAC, Innovation Political Action Committee, NRCC)

New PACs

Affiliate Political Action Committee (PAC)
AMERICAblog Election Fund (Hybrid PAC)
Citizens for Livable Communities (Super PAC)
Democratic Congressional Majority PAC (PAC)
EMPOWER DEMOCRACY NOW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC)
FIREBRAND PAC (Super PAC)
Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. Political Action Committee (GBT PAC) (PAC)
GMI PAC, Inc. (Super PAC)
Liberacion Latina PAC (Super PAC)
The Parent Party PAC (Super PAC)
People over POlitics, LLC (Super PAC)
Police Crimeline Fund (Super PAC)
Police Officer Rights PAC (Super PAC)
Republican Congressional Campaign PAC (PAC)
Stop Chuck Schumer PAC (Super PAC)
Voices Against Tyranny (PAC)
You Are The Power PAC (Hybrid PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

535 Group, LLC: City Of Carlsbad, New Mexico
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Coalition Of Professional Minor Hockey Leagues
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Electrameccanica Vehicles Corporation
Albertine Enterprises, Inc.: Law Office Of Bart S. Fisher, On Behalf Of Universal Green Group
American Defense International, Inc.: Clearview Ai
Arent Fox LLP: Erie Regional Chamber And Growth Partnership
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Andrea Bocelli
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: Broadcom
Ballard Partners: The Ashcroft Law Firm (On Behalf Of Bassem Awadallah)
Benjamin Williams: Dr. Dhir & Puri
Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot: Juneau Hydropower, Inc.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Aipharma Global Holdings Limited
Capitol Counsel LLC: Digital Currency Group
Capitol Tax Partners, LLP: Coalition For American Innovation, Inc.
Carmen Group Incorporated: 10 South Street Master Tenant LLC
Carmen Group Incorporated: Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC
Cj Lake, LLC: The Picard Group Obo R&G Fish LLC
Co2Efficient LLC: Project Canary Inc, Pbc
Coleman Government Affairs: Selo Investments, LLC
Cordone Consulting LLC: The Sierra Club
Covington & Burling LLP: Muqbel Mosazei
Cppi, Co.: Cppi, Co.
David Gencarelli: Blastwave.Io
Deacero S.A.P.I. De C.V.: Deacero S.A.P.I. De C.V.
Dunkel Government Relations: UStelecom
Equality Arizona: Equality Arizona
Fgh Holdings, LLC (Formerly Known As The Glover Park Group LLC): Michigan Sugar Company
Fgh Holdings, LLC (Formerly Known As The Glover Park Group LLC): Reharvest Partners
Fifestrategies, LLC: Klick, Inc. (On Behalf Of Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.)
Food Solutions Action: Food Solutions Action
Forbes-Tate: Gen X Energy, LLC
Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Jose Enrique Aquiles Rais Lopez
High Street Strategies LLC: Penn Station Partners On Behalf Of Beatty Development And Cross Street Partners
Holland & Knight LLP: The Purpose Built Communities Foundation, Inc.
Hollis Public Affairs: Humanigen, Inc.
Husch Blackwell Strategies: Berken Energy LLC
Ian Reid LLC: Infin, A Financial Services Alliance
J M Burkman & Associates: Ciphertooth
J M Burkman & Associates: Pdx Partners
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP: Windward US
Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP: Aries Clean Technologies
King & Spalding LLP: Transmedics, Inc.
K&L Gates LLP: 14C Coalition
Lincoln Policy Group: Xcel Energy
Lot Sixteen LLC: Center For Countering Digital Hate
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): National Association Of Locum Tenens Organizations (Nalto)
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Nexans High Voltage USa
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation, Inc.
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Prime Healthcare
Milne, Wiener & Shofe Global Strategies (Fka M & W Government Affairs, LLC): Lupin, Inc.
O'Neill And Associates: Conduent, Inc.
Perseus Strategies: Berta Valle
Perseus Strategies: Victoria Cardenas
Platinum Advisors Dc, LLC: K&L Gates LLP
Reform Action Fund: Reform Action Fund
Robert White Associates, Inc.: Starkey Hearing Technology
Salt Point Strategies: Twilio, Inc
Signal Group Consulting, LLC: Unilever United States, Inc. On Behalf Of Hellmann's
Smith Dawson & Andrews: Renco-USa, Inc.
Team Hallahan LLC: Sullivan Strategies LLC (On Behalf Of Glass Aviation Holdings Inc.))
The Consilio Group: Occam Solutions
The Lucas Firm, LLC (F/K/A Travis Lucas): American College Of Lifestyle Medicine
The Petrizzo Group, Inc.: Roku, Inc.
Thorn Run Partners: Government Counsel LLC (Obo Delta Dental Of Ca)
Tiber Creek Group: Roku Inc.
Vantage Knight, Inc.: Vaultlink Inc.
Venable LLP: New York Shipping Exchange, Inc.
Venn Strategies: Future Of Pharmacy Coalition

New Lobbying Terminations

Bennett Strategies LLC: America'S Power
Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot: Tanadgusix Corporation
Butler Snow LLP: Fedex Corporation
Carlow Consulting, LLC: School Employees Retirement System Of Ohio
Clark Hill, Plc: Persivia, Inc
Frinzi & Associates: Konstantin Bas
Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs: Skagit County
Johnson Matthey Inc.: Johnson Matthey Inc.
Mckechnie & Company: Kansas Board Of Regents
Nicole Case: Northwest Public Power Association
Odawi Law Pllc: Seneca Nation Of Indians
Paul Marcone & Associates, LLC: Zorrosign, Inc.
Seventh Street Strategies LLC: Institute For Higher Education Policy
Seventh Street Strategies LLC: National Center For Teacher Residencies
The Picard Group, LLC: Southeast Rehab LLC, Dba Southeast Rehabilitation Hospital
The Picard Group, LLC: Sterlington Critical Access Hospital LLC Dba Sterlington Rehabilitation Hospital
The Picard Group, LLC: The Harmony Center Inc., Dba Accord Rehabilitation Hospital

A message from Coalition for Medicare Choices:

27 million strong. That’s the number of seniors and people with disabilities who choose Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage delivers high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care to people who need it most. More than half are women and over a third make less than $25,000 a year. With added benefits like vision, dental, hearing, in-home services, and comprehensive prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage makes it easier to stay healthy. And, with more than a 90% satisfaction rate among enrollees, Medicare Advantage outperforms traditional Medicare on 16 out of 16 different clinical quality measures. Congress is considering changes to Medicare Advantage that would threaten access to health care for 27 million Americans. Click here to find out more about how to protect Medicare Advantage today.