Former Navy secretary registers as foreign agent to lobby on Australian sub deal

From: POLITICO Influence - Tuesday Sep 28,2021 10:02 pm
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By Caitlin Oprysko

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With Daniel Lippman

FORMER NAVY SECRETARY REGISTERS FOR WORK WITH AUSTRALIA ON SUB DEAL: Donald Winter, who served as secretary of the Navy during the George W. Bush administration, has registered as a foreign agent to represent Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia in the country’s negotiations with the U.S. and U.K. to acquire an American-made nuclear-powered submarine, according to Justice Department filings.

— Winter has advised Morrison for years on his Navy’s submarine fleet, and had reportedly urged Australia to scrap a previous deal with France in 2018. Now, he’ll expand the scope of that role to engage “principally Navy” officials at the Pentagon to help implement the new so-called AUKUS deal announced this month, according to the filings, which also show that Winter will be paid $6,000 a day plus expenses through the defense-centric consultancy Burdeshaw Associates.

— The agreement, which scrapped the Australians’ submarine contract with France and was meant to counter the influence of China in the South Pacific, incensed leaders in both Paris and Beijing, with the former recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia over the deal. According to the DOJ filings, Winter was asked to support the sub deal’s initial 18-month study phase during Morrison’s visit to Washington last week.

U.S. SUBSIDIARY OF DUTCH CHIPMAKER ON A LOBBYIST HIRING SPREE: The U.S. arm of Dutch semiconductor giant ASML has dramatically scaled up its footprint in Washington since the beginning of the summer, registering its own in-house team of lobbyists and retaining four outside firms since May, recently filed disclosures show. The lobbying spree includes retaining one firm, Putala Strategies, run by Chris Putala, a former aide to President Joe Biden . ASML U.S. hired Putala in July to lobby on semiconductor development, manufacturing and trade, according to a disclosure from last month.

Maryam Cope, the company’s head of U.S. government affairs and a former director of government affairs for an industry trade association, the Semiconductor Industry Association , registered to lobby for ASML in May. Between May and the end of the second quarter in June, ASML reported $60,000 in lobbying expenditures. Since then it has also retained Putala Strategies as well as Goldstein Policy Solutions, which is run by Cope’s former colleague Lon Goldstein. ASML hired a team of lobbyists from Alpine Group to lobby on the CHIPS Act, according to a disclosure filed Monday, as well as a team from Ogilvy Government Relations that includes a former aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other top House and Senate staffers.

— The lobbying push comes as the industry grapples with global supply chain disruptions leading to shortages, which have trickled down into the auto and electronics industries. A company spokesperson told PI in an email that "ASML has been expanding its long-standing presence” in the U.S. “and is working with government and industry to build on opportunities created by the CHIPS Act, identify solutions to semiconductor supply chain shortages, and to expand collaboration with our customers."

— Earlier this month the White House convened tech companies, automakers and chip makers to discuss the shortage. And the Senate has approved the $52 billion in funding to incentivize domestic chip production, the focus of many of ASML U.S.’ new lobbyists, but the effort has been slowed up in the House. Another manufacturing giant, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing , has hiked up its lobbying spending this year, as well. After hiring its first lobbyists last year, when the company spent nearly $2 million, it’s on track to surpass that total this year, dropping $1.1 million through the first half of 2021.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send lobbying tips and gossip: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

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FLYING IN: Nearly 100 members of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, which represents shippers, carriers and logistics companies, have arrived in Washington to lobby for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. They’ll be meeting in person and virtually with nearly 200 members of Congress or their offices, including Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), and Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.). The trade association will also recognize Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), the lead sponsors of a bill that would require new safety standards for the trucking industry.

— Hundreds of members of the United Postmasters and Managers of America are also in town for their annual summit and are scheduled to meet with lawmakers including Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.), Garret Graves (R-La.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), James Comer (R-Ky.) and Ann Wagner (R-Mo.).

BIZ GROUPS TO FUNDRAISE FOR SINEMA: “Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the inscrutable Democrat who may hold the key to passing her party’s ambitious social policy and climate bill, is scheduled to have a fund-raiser on Tuesday afternoon with five business lobbying groups, many of which fiercely oppose the bill,” The New York Times’ Jonathan Weisman reports.

— “Under Ms. Sinema’s political logo, the influential National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and the [National Grocers’ Association ]’s PAC, along with lobbyists for roofers and electrical contractors and a small business group called the S-Corp political action committee, have invited association members to an undisclosed location on Tuesday afternoon to write checks for between $1,000 and $5,800, payable to Sinema for Arizona.”

— The 45-minute fundraiser today comes as congressional Democrats scramble to hash out the details of the $3.5 trillion package, the price of which Sinema has been a vocal critic. She also “has privately told Senate Democratic colleagues that she is averse to the corporate and individual tax rate increases that both the House and Senate tax-writing committees had planned to use to help pay for the measure. In both positions, she is likely to find a receptive audience at the fund-raiser.”

MORE RECONCILIATION AD WARS: In fact, four of the five groups listed on the fundraising invite for Sinema are members of a coalition of more than three dozen other business groups that on Monday launched a seven-figure TV and digital ad campaign opposing the reconciliation bill. The coalition, America’s Job Creators for a Strong Recovery, is initially targeting Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Henry Cuellar of Texas with ad buys in their districts, earned media and grassroots efforts, with more likely to be added to the buy.

— “There is a small group of House Democrats who hold the keys to blocking this misguided and harmful effort that will hammer family-owned businesses and communities across the country,” Eric Hoplin, chief executive of the Wholesaler-Distributors, said in a statement. “We are calling on them to stand up to the far left in Washington and stand with the job creators back home in their Congressional districts by opposing this massive $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend bill.” Other members of the coalition include the International Foodservice Distributors Association, the International Franchise Association, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the Associated Builders and Contractors and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America.

USA GYMNASTICS LOBBYING SPENDING SURGED DURING SCANDAL: USA Gymnastics , which received widespread condemnation for its handling of the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal in a Senate hearing earlier this month, spent more money on lobbying activities between 2016 and 2019, years during which the organization received national scrutiny after the abuse scandal broke in 2015,” OpenSecretsIsaiah Poritz reports.

— “In total, the organization spent $104,215 on lobbying activities between 2009 and 2019, according to a review of tax filings. … While it’s unclear what — if any — pieces of legislation the organization has lobbied for, between 2016 and 2019 USA Gymnastics listed engaging with an unnamed legal firm ‘to consult on legislative matters or developments that specifically could have an impact on the operations’ of the organization. The last year of publicly available tax records in 2019. The organization reported no lobbying expenditures on its tax filings between 2010 and 2015.”

— “In 2017, Congress introduced and later passed the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act, which established the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a body that reviews allegations of sexual misconduct in youth sports and can levy sanctions against people involved in Olympic sports. That year, USA Gymnastics reported spending $48,000 on lobbying to the IRS, more than any other year on record.”

DNC NOT TOTALLY BACK TO FUNDRAISING IN PERSON: Vice President Kamala Harris is hosting a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee next week, according to an invite obtained by our Daniel Lippman. An invitation sent out to some Democrats said it would be an in-person event, but a DNC aide said it will actually be virtual.

— "As the event format was still under consideration, an invitation for an in-person event was drafted and then published in error. The invitation was taken down as soon as we became aware and a corrected invitation has been distributed to all individuals who received the errant invite,” the aide said. Tickets for a “friend” start at $10,000 and go up to $100,000 for those looking to be named a “host” for the fundraiser, with other fundraising tiers in between.

— First lady Jill Biden , meanwhile, headlined a virtual fundraiser for the committee Monday evening, according to an invitation. Tickets were $36,500 for "sponsors," $25,000 for "supporters" and $10,000 for "friends" for the first lady’s first major donor event for the DNC — although she participated in a grassroots fundraiser earlier this year.

SHADY STUFF IN VA. GUBERNATORIAL RACE: “A group tied to prominent Democratic strategists is posing as a conservative outfit to try to drive a wedge between the Republican candidate for Virginia governor and his core voters,” reports Axios’ Lachlan Markay. “During the past week, Virginians have been targeted with ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google and Snapchat questioning [GOP nominee Glenn] Youngkin's commitment to the Second Amendment. They're the work of a new political group called Accountability Virginia PAC. Its website says nothing about the individuals or organizations behind it.” But the group’s “online donation page is hosted by the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. Its bank account is at Amalgamated Bank , a labor union-owned financial institution popular with Democratic political groups.” And the PAC “was incorporated in Virginia by compliance consultants at the MBA Consulting Group, which works uniformly with Democrats.”

 

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Jobs Report

Brent McIntosh will become general counsel and corporate secretary at Citigroup. He was most recently under secretary for International Affairs at Treasury and previously spent nearly a decade as a partner at law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

Géraldine Kutas has been appointed global executive vice president for corporate affairs and communication at animal health company Ceva. She was most recently director general at CropLife Europe.

Todd Dupler has been promoted to vice president of advocacy and public policy at the Recording Academy. He’s a Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and Labor Department alum.

Eva Kemp is joining Precision as a vice president on the paid media team. She previously was special assistant to the president and director of presidential correspondence.

Cody Uhing is now director of comms and media relations at AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association. He previously was press secretary at First Five Years Fund , and is a Rep. Tom O'Halleran alum.

Rebecca MacKinnon is the first vice president for global advocacy at the Wikimedia Foundation. She most recently was founding director of Ranking Digital Rights at New America.

— Former HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan launched a new health care consulting firm, The Hargan Group, “focused on helping its clients navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing and complex healthcare landscape,” Morning Pulse reports. Hargan worked closely on the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed.

Elizabeth Banker is joining Chamber of Progress as vice president of legal advocacy. Banker, a Yahoo, Twitter and Internet Association alum, will focus on First Amendment and Section 230 issues.

Ashley Allison is launching Turner Conoly Group , a social impact, strategy and political consulting firm. She’s a CNN commentator and a Biden campaign and Obama White House alum.

 

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Hope & Empowerment PAC (Hybrid PAC)
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PROTECT OHIO'S FUTURE (Super PAC)

 

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New Lobbying Registrations

Acg Analytics: Chia Network, Inc.
Allon Advocacy, LLC: Forge Global, Inc.
Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Asml US, LLC
Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: I Am Als
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: American Rivers
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: National Hydropower Association
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: City Of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Franciscan Missionaries Of Our Lady Health System
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Valero Services, Inc.
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings, LLC
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Fountain House
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: World Shipping Council
Federal Street Strategies, LLC: Cisco Systems, Inc.
Fti Government Affairs: Arkema Inc.
Ice Miller Strategies LLC: Bam Trading Services, Inc./Binance.US
Key Bridge Advisors: Hedera Hashgraph LLC
Sustainable Strategies Dc: Braxton County Development Authority, Wv
Sustainable Strategies Dc: City Of Charleston, Wv
Sustainable Strategies Dc: City Of Lorain, Oh
Sustainable Strategies Dc: Generation West Virginia
Sustainable Strategies Dc: Headwaters Community Housing Trust
Sustainable Strategies Dc: Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, Co
Sustainable Strategies Dc: Town Of Minturn, Co
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Advocates For Community Health
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Center For Policing Equity
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Vinyl Institute, Inc.

New Lobbying Terminations

Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Lumiradx
Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Twilio, Inc.
Ice Miller Strategies LLC: Ilab
Ice Miller Strategies LLC: Sas Institute Inc.
The Blc Group, LLC: Lewis Tein, P.L. For The Isaias Family

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Our innovative partnerships with governments, technology companies and other health systems allow us to pool resources, expertise and capabilities to improve the national COVID-19 response. By collaborating with the CDC, government agencies and other healthcare organizations, HCA Healthcare is supporting hospitals and caregivers around the world — not just our own — in the fight against COVID-19.

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