A guide to the next Armed Services chair’s alumni on K Street — GOP says no dice to Biden’s relief plan — Democrats demand social media sites overhaul content recommendations

From: POLITICO Influence - Friday Jan 22,2021 08:58 pm
Presented by AT&T: Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street.
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By Caitlin Oprysko

Presented by AT&T

With Daniel Lippman

A GUIDE TO JACK REED’S ALUMNI ON K STREET: On Thursday afternoon, Chip Unruh, the press secretary for Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, blasted out a gentle reminder email to the Capitol Hill press: “Reed is NOT Chairman of SASC (yet).” Reed’s ascension to chair of the defense committee will come once Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are able to strike a deal on a power-sharing pact and the chamber formally adopts an organizing resolution.

— But PI thought it’s never too soon to take a look at which of the incoming chairs' former staffers have made their way to K Street over the years, something we plan to do for other Senate Democrats taking over the gavels of key committees in the coming weeks. Reed has a fair number of former aides downtown, including some who work for big names in the defense world.

Steve Eichenauer, a former legislative assistant to Reed, is now a lobbyist at Public Strategies, where his clients include Lockheed Martin, Southwest Airlines, PhRMA, Prudential and Anheuser-Busch. Christopher Lanen, a former legislative aide, is now an in-house lobbyist for Raytheon and Aaron Hernandez, a former counsel and senior policy adviser, now lobbies for Amazon, which sued the Pentagon in 2019 after being passed over for a lucrative cloud computing contract.

— Other Reed alumni on K Street include: Lisa Foster, a lobbyist at NVG; Michael Rogers, a lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig; Greg McCarthy, who leads strategic comms at the aerospace company Sierra Nevada Corp.; Ronnie Tepp, a principal at health care advocacy group Pyxis Partners; Luis Campillo, who works at AARP; and Laura Uttley, a lobbyist at Lewis-Burke Associates.

— The senator also has a number of former staffers now with other political groups, including former chief of staff JB Poersch, now president of the Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC, former press secretary Tara McGowan, the founder of Democratic digital organization Acronym, and Seth Gerson, now a program director at the National Governors Association.

Happy Friday and welcome to PI. Which incoming Senate chair should PI feature next? Let me know, and as always, send your tips: coprysko@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

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COLD WATER: “Senate Republicans vowed Thursday that President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief bill will not get 60 votes, daring the White House to either compromise with the GOP or use partisan procedural tactics to evade their filibuster,” our Burgess Everett reports.

— “Put simply, the Senate GOP says Biden’s proposal spends too much money and comes too soon on the heels of Congress’ $900 billion stimulus package from last month. And that unless the proposal has major changes made to it or Democrats use budget reconciliation to pass it with a simple majority, it is doomed on the Senate floor.”

— Even as Biden is pushing to win some Republican support for his $1.9 trillion plan, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah, two of the GOP conference’s more moderate members who are viewed as potential swing votes, “both indicated this week that Biden would have to sell them on passing such a large bill now.” They’re part of a bipartisan group of 16 senators set to meet with the White House this weekend to discuss economic issues.

SILICON VALLEY’S NO GOOD, VERY BAD MONTH: Dozens of House Democrats want social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to overhaul their sites’ content recommendations and algorithms in the wake of this month’s attack on the Capitol, “the latest pressure point for the big social media companies amid scrutiny of their roles in the insurrection at the Capitol,” POLITICO’s Cristiano Lima reports.

— In letters to all three companies Thursday, House members, led by Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), skewered the platforms “for creating a ‘digital echo chamber’ that lawmakers say partly ‘radicalized’ the mob that descended on both chambers of Congress on Jan. 6.” They want the companies “to make specific changes to their algorithms and recommendation practices to reduce the spread of conspiratorial and incendiary content they say have inflamed tensions in the U.S.”

— In another blow for tech companies, fury at social media platforms’ roles in the insurrection has only made “a Silicon Valley résumé ... increasingly toxic in Washington,” our Nancy Scola reports, “and that’s complicating President Joe Biden’s efforts to fill out his team to take on tech.”

THINK THEY KNOW?: Tech companies responded to the increased scrutiny in Washington last year by pouring record amounts of money into lobbying, The Washington Post’s Tony Romm reports. “Amazon, Facebook, Google and four other top technology giants spent more than $65 million to lobby the U.S. government last year,” sums that “foreshadow the political blitz that Silicon Valley is likely to mount as President Biden and his new Democratic control in Congress start sending early signals about their plans to try to rein in the tech industry.”

— “Amazon in 2020 spent roughly $18 million on lobbying, and Facebook spent nearly $20 million, marking the most that either company has ever devoted to pushing its political agenda in Washington, according to an analysis of federal lobbying disclosures that became available Friday.”

 

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TRUMP INC.: “Donald Trump returns to his company this week as it faces a deepening crisis, with key properties bleeding revenue and its bankers, lawyers and customers fleeing the company,” The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O'Connell write. “Financial disclosure forms, filed by the former president as he left office, revealed that his hotels, resorts and other properties had lost more than $120 million in revenue last year, as the pandemic forced long-term closures and kept customers home.”

— The former president’s corporate empire took another pair of hits Thursday when BankUnited and Morgan Lewis , a law firm that represented Trump since before his time in office, "said they would cut their ties with the Trump Organization. They are the latest in a string of vendors and customers who severed their relationships with the company” after this month’s assault on the Capitol.

INSIDE GREENS’ FIGHT FOR INFLUENCE: The BlueGreen Alliance , a coalition of six labor unions and six national environmental groups, is gearing up for a significant staff expansion heading into the Biden administration, recently advertising for 11 new positions, including the 15-year-old group’s first field organizers and federal campaign manager,” The Intercept’s Rachel Cohen reports, a “reflection of funders recognizing ‘the moment we’re in, both in terms of the scale of the crisis and the opportunity with the new Congress and a new president.’”

— Climate groups are hopeful about some of Biden’s first hires and the level of his team’s engagement, and they are looking to seize on the first period of unified Democratic control of Washington in more than a decade. But “as pressure for unity from the presidential campaign season fades and President Joe Biden begins enacting his climate vision, there will be more competition among climate groups for influencing policy ,” forcing their various policy differences on issues like carbon capture, nuclear energy and natural gas into the open, which the administration will then have to navigate with slim Democratic majorities in Congress.

 

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Jobs Report

Joe Vidulich has been promoted to director of government affairs at Capital One. He was previously a senior manager.

Cory Combs has joined Issue One as senior communications manager. He was previously an account executive at Sunshine Sachs.

Cody Keenan is now a partner at Fenway Strategies. He previously was chief speechwriter for Barack Obama.

TechNet has announced an all-female leadership slate for its Federal Public Policy Committee: Stephanie Moore, director of government affairs at Cisco, will be the chair and Leah Graham, Uber’s senior manager of federal affairs, will be vice chair.

HOT JOB: Snap, the ephemeral photo messaging app, is hiring a public policy associate.

 

KEEP UP WITH CONGRESS IN 2021: Tensions remain high on Capitol Hill as we inaugurate a new president this week. How are lawmakers planning to move forward after a tumultuous few weeks? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress.

 
 
New Joint Fundraisers

Victory 2022 (NRCC, Vote to Elect Republicans Now PAC, Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.))

New PACs

Reunite America (PAC)
Save Our American Dream, Inc. (Super PAC)
The Unification Party of the United States of America (PAC)
Vita Inclinata Technologies, Incorporated Political Action Committee (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

A10 Associates, LLC: Medallia, Inc.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld: Kewa Financial Inc.
American Securities Association: American Securities Association
Avenue Solutions: Genentech USa, Inc.
Avenue Solutions: Matrix Medical Network
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Cook Group, Inc.
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Civatech Oncology, Inc.
Capitol Decisions, Inc.: Trinity Refining And Safety Systems
Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Powerhouse Retail Service, LLC
Capitol Transportation Consulting: Transportation Intermediaries Association
Carmen Group Incorporated: Fair Use Collective
Chris Katopis: American Bar Association
Dla Piper LLP (US): Sparkcognition Government Systems
Govbiz Advantage, Inc.: Bell And Lindsay (For Hc Logics)
Hurt, Norton & Associates, Inc.: Envistacom, LLC
Jeffrey J. Kimbell And Associates: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals
K&L Gates LLP: Vanguard Charitable
Lot Sixteen LLC: American Clean Power Association
Merkava Strategies Corporation: Boris Mints
National Group, LLP: Blackstone Administrative Services Partnership L.P.
Nvg, LLC: Community Change Action
Nvg, LLC: Epic-Network
Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC: Arctos
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Draftkings Inc.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Fanduel, Inc.
Squire Patton Boggs: Energy Marketers Of America
Sweeney & Associates: Michael Best Strategies On Behalf Of Trc
The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Arizona State University Asu
The Summerill Group LLC: Jerome County Sheriff's Office
The Summerill Group LLC: Morgan County Sheriff's Office
The Summerill Law Firm: Dillon County Sheriff's Office
Think Policy Consulting, LLC: Wellhead Electric Company

New Lobbying Terminations

Ajw, Inc.: Clean Air Task Force
Ajw, Inc.: Waxman Strategies On Behalf Of Red Oak Reserve
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated: Allegheny Technologies Incorporated
Alston & Bird LLP: Wanhua Chemical (America) Co., Ltd.
American Continental Group: Ctia - The Wireless Association
American Strategic Partners: Paint For A Cure
Arent Fox LLP: Guardian Real Estate Services LLC
Arent Fox LLP: Semiconductor Industry Association
Atlantic Strategies Group: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Obo Cerberus Capital Management, Lp
Atlantic Strategies Group: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Obo First Key Homes
Avenue Solutions: Aimmune Therapeutics
Avenue Solutions: Fmap Coalition (Informal Coalition)
Blank Rome Government Relations: Blank Rome LLP (On Behalf Of Ethos Holding Corp.)
Blank Rome Government Relations: Franciscan Custody Of The Holy Land
Blank Rome Government Relations: Signature Bank
Bluestone Strategies, LLC: Business Interruption Group
Capitol Counsel, LLC: Ally Financial Inc.
Capitol Counsel, LLC: East West Bank
Capitol Counsel, LLC: National Park Conservation Association
Capitol Counsel, LLC: The Surety & Fidelity Association Of America
Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Novalent
Cgcn Group, LLC (Formerly Known As Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC): Lg Chem, Ltd.
Cgcn Group, LLC (Formerly Known As Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC): Ptc Therapeutics, Inc.
Chesapeake Enterprises: Hsbc Holdings P/C
Cohen & Gresser LLP: Mercury Public Affairs LLC On Behalf Of Global Medical Response
Columbia Strategic Counsel: Qylur Intelligent Systems Inc.
Confluence Government Relations: Sixteen Thirty Fund
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Champion Petfoods Lp
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Cheniere Energy, Inc.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Era Group, Inc.
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Louisiana Travel Association
Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Stupp Brothers, Inc
Cove Strategies: Ehealth, Inc.
Cove Strategies: Hemisphere Media
Cove Strategies: Samsung Electronics America
Cove Strategies: Triple Five Group LLC
Cove Strategies: Walmart Inc.
Covington & Burling LLP: Diamondrock Hospitality Co.
Crowell & Moring LLP: Project Management Institute Inc
Dc Legislative And Regulatory Services, Inc.: Agrimetis, LLC
Deutsche Organization Incorporated: International Association Of Lgbt Investors And Private Business Owners
Devon Energy Production Company, Lp: Devon Energy Production Company Lp
Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo Hunt Development Group LLC
Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo Stupp Brothers, Inc.
Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo The Natural Stone Institute
Dla Piper LLP (US): Hanesbrands, Inc.
Edington, Peel & Associates, Inc.: Low Income Investment Fund
Edington, Peel & Associates, Inc.: Pan American Health Organization
Emergent Strategies: Lovin Contracting Company
Envision Strategy: US Olympians And Paralympians Unbroken
Fierce Government Relations: Ebay Inc.
Fierce Government Relations: Ford Motor Company
Fierce Government Relations: International Foodservice Distributors Association
Fierce Government Relations: Pae
Forest Hill Consulting: Amag Pharmaceuticals
Franklin Square Holdings, L.P.: Franklin Square Holding, L.P.
Geoffrey P. Gray: Citigroup Washington, Inc.
Gephardt Group Government Affairs: Innovation Reform Action Project
Govbiz Advantage, Inc.: 4C Health Solutions, Inc
Govbiz Advantage, Inc.: Alexander Creek Inc
Grayrobinson Pa: Patho3Gen Solutions
Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Physicians For Reform
Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Health Net Federal Services: Health Net Federal Services
Hill East Group, LLC: Bankers Healthcare Group
Hill East Group, LLC: Facefirst, Inc.
Holland & Knight LLP: Navya Inc.
Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, P.C.: Government Counsel, LLC (Obo) Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Iai North America: Iai North America
Innovative Federal Strategies, LLC: Saildrone, Inc.
Invariant LLC: Emulate, Inc.
Invariant LLC: E*Trade Financial Corporation
Invariant LLC: Lambda, Inc.
Invariant LLC: The Aes Corporation
J.A.Hill Group, LLC: North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation (Nacepf)
Jones Walker, LLP: Calvary Sanitizers, LLC
Jones Walker, LLP: Chateau De Notre Dame
Jones Walker, LLP: Sasol Chemicals (USa) LLC
Jones Walker, LLP: University Of South Alabama Foundation
Klein/Johnson Group: Fiserv (Fka First Data)
Klein/Johnson Group: Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
K&L Gates LLP: Dominion Energy Services, Inc.
Lincoln Policy Group: Buchanan, Ingersoll, & Rooney Obo Strategic Health Info Exchange Collaborative
Lincoln Policy Group: National Association Of Chain Drug Stores
Lugar Hellmann Group: Neurological Surgery, P.C.
Michael Best Strategies LLC: Consumer Mortgage Coalition
Michael Pieper: Poulton Associates
Monument Advocacy: Environmental Defense Action Fund
Monument Advocacy: March Of Dimes
Mr. Roy Van Arsdall: National Coalition For Food And Agricultural Research
Mr. Roy Van Arsdall: Pollinator Partnership [Formerly Coevolution Institute (Coe)]
Navigators Global LLC (Formerly Dc Navigators, LLC): 5G Action Now
Navigators Global LLC (Formerly Dc Navigators, LLC): Tensorx Inc.
Noble Energy, Inc.: Noble Energy, Inc.
Noone Associates, LLC: J&J Contractors
Oldaker & Willison, LLP: First Bancorp
Polaris Government Relations, LLC: Healthe By Lighting Science
Prime Policy Group: Storck USa L.P.
Ricchetti Incorporated: Tesseract, Inc.
Rivendell Group LLP: Earlysense, Inc.
S-3 Group: Teralytic, Inc.
Seaboard Corporation: Seaboard Corporation
Steptoe & Johnson LLP: American Outdoor Brands Corporation
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Brennan Center For Justice
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Cleaning Coalition Of America
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Envelope Manufacturers Association
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Invest In Education Coalition
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Lindblad Expeditions
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Southern Company Services, Inc.
Subject Matter (Fka Elmendorf Ryan): Union Pacific Company
The Consilio Group: Kpmg (Cote Divoire)
The Consilio Group: Stern Value Management, LLC
The Doerrer Group LLC: L3Harris Technologies Inc (Fka Harris Corporation)
The Russell Group, Inc.: Champion Petfoods Lp
The Summerill Group LLC: Baldwin County Sheriff'S Office
The Summerill Group LLC: Lafourche Parish Sheriff'S Office
The Summerill Group LLC: Mckinley County Detention Center
The Summerill Group LLC: Montgomery County Sheriff'S Office
The Trade Partnership: Coalition For Gsp
The Wessel Group Incorporated: National Hay Association
Timothy R. Rupli & Associates, Inc.: National Credit Alliance
Tonio Burgos & Associates, Inc.: Team Select Home Care
Van Ness Feldman, LLP: Dandelion Energy
Van Ness Feldman, LLP: Expedia Inc.
Van Ness Feldman, LLP: Kinder Morgan
Van Ness Feldman, LLP: United Water Conservation District
Venable LLP: Vantagescore Solutions LLC
Waste Management, Inc.: Waste Management Inc
West Capital Inc.: Cabinet Of Ministers Of Ukraine
West Front Strategies LLC: Liberty Sbf
West Front Strategies LLC: Vapor Technology Association
Williams And Jensen, Pllc: Smithfield Foods, Inc.
Williams Weese Pepple & Ferguson Pc (F/K/A Lewis Bess Williams & Weese P.C.): Hess Corporation
Wpx Energy, Inc.: Wpx Energy, Inc.
Wynne Health Group: National Coalition For Transplant Equity (Ncte)

A message from AT&T:

Nearly 17 million kids don’t have the high-speed internet they need to connect to learning. The homework gap has existed for decades, but the pandemic made the problem – and the need for a solution – more pressing. AT&T has invested $125 billion in American infrastructure over the past five years and is backed by one of the largest private full-time union workforces in the country. We’ve made progress, but there’s more to do. Read our plan to learn how we can commit to closing the homework gap together and connect students to brighter futures.

 
 

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