|
Presented by ACT|The App Association: Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With Daniel Lippman GUARDING AGAINST PANDEMICS HIRES RIDGE POLICY GROUP: The pandemic preparedness advocacy group founded by the brother of crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried continues to ramp up its lobbying footprint in Washington. Guarding Against Pandemics has hired Ridge Policy Group, the lobbying firm run by former DHS Secretary and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, to press lawmakers on investing in pandemic preparedness. RPG’s Mark Holman, Rebeccah Wolfkiel, Zaida Ricker and Charles Moffat will lobby on the account. — Gabe Bankman-Fried founded the organization in 2020, but the group has ramped up its advocacy efforts over the past nine months, first bringing on Van Scoyoc Associates and then Capitol Counsel and Ogilvy Government Relations. The group now retains only Ogilvy, to which it paid $60,000 last quarter, disclosures show. — RPG is the first new outside lobbying hire for Guarding Against Pandemics since Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of crypto exchange FTX, began making waves in Washington with heavy investments via the super PAC Protect Our Future in Democratic primary races across the country. Campaign finance disclosures filed last month show Sam Bankman-Fried dumped $14 million into the PAC, which has in turn spent half of that amount supporting Democratic House candidates in Oregon, Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina that the super PAC says support long-term investments in pandemic preparedness. — Guarding Against Pandemics also has its own PAC, which has spent a comparatively smaller $43,000 supporting some of the same Democrats that Protect Our Future does. FEC filings show it also contributed to Sen. John Hickenlooper’s (D-Colo.) leadership PAC and PACs supporting the Blue Dog Democrats, the New Democrat Coalition and GOP members of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, respectively. MORE NEW BUSINESS: Satellite TV giant DirecTV has hired its first new lobbyists since its separation from AT&T closed last year, retaining a team of lobbyists from Farragut Partners that includes former Rep. Ed Whitfield . Farragut Partners will lobby on general telecom issues for DirecTV, in addition to privacy issues “relating to the gathering, retention, and use of online information,” according to a disclosure filing. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | A message from ACT|The App Association: Open and fair competition in the digital marketplace drives our members’ success, but the proposals in the Open App Markets Act will hinder our small business members’ opportunity for continued prosperity. https://actonline.org/2022/04/04/give-small-developers-a-chance-not-higher-barriers-to-entry/ | | | BOEING GOES TO WASHINGTON: Boeing is expected to move its headquarters to Arlington, Va., from Chicago, The Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Tangel and Doug Cameron report, “a shift that would bring the aerospace company’s leadership closer to top federal officials after a challenging period for the plane maker.” — “Northern Virginia is already home to many of the largest U.S. military contractors, and the local property and labor market has been fueled further by Amazon.com Inc.’s decision to locate one of its satellite headquarters there.” — “Boeing has for months been in talks with the office of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has been working to woo the plane maker and other businesses to the commonwealth, according to a state official. While details of Boeing’s agreement with the state aren’t final, they aren’t expected to involve significant financial enticements but may include workforce-related incentives, the official said.” — “Many of Boeing’s senior executives have increasingly been working out of its Washington, D.C., area offices in recent years. Boeing in 2017 said it would move its defense unit’s headquarters to Arlington from St. Louis to be nearer lawmakers and Pentagon procurement officials, with government affairs and other staff also working from the office complex opened in 2014.” — The move also comes after several tumultuous years for the aerospace giant, stemming from the safety issues exposed by crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX planes in 2018 and 2019. In addition, the company’s tax breaks for relocating to Chicago in 2001 were expected to end last year, the Journal reports. A FOXX IN THE WHITE HOUSE?: Former Transportation Secretary-turned-Lyft executive Anthony Foxx could be returning to the executive branch, Axios’ Hans Nichols reports. President Joe Biden is considering Foxx “to replace Cedric Richmond as the head of the White House Office of Public Engagement, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.” — “In Foxx, the Black former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, Biden would be ensuring he has someone from a vital minority group — and with a seasoned political antenna — in his inner circle ahead of this fall's midterms. Biden relied on Richmond, a former congressman from Louisiana and member of the Congressional Black Caucus, to look around political corners, engage with the Black community and help manage the interest groups making up the broader Democratic coalition.” — Foxx joined Lyft in 2018 as the rideshare company’s chief policy officer, where he saw the company’s spending on lobbying nearly quadruple — from $600,000 in 2017 to more than $2 million in 2020. He stepped down from that role last year but remained with the company as a senior adviser as the broader gig industry faced criticism from federal and local policymakers over their classification of workers as independent contractors rather than employees. BUSCHER, CORNERSTONE STRIKE UP A PARTNERSHIP: Longtime Democratic lobbyist John Buscher, who left Forbes Tate Partners for his own firm, JGB & Associates, has struck up a strategic partnership with Cornerstone Government Affairs to “work together on a variety of projects and client engagements.” — Buscher is a former Democratic Senate staffer who served as one of United Airlines’ top lobbyists for nearly a decade before moving to Holland & Knight and then Forbes Tate. Buscher’s only disclosed client for now is Google, which he’s represented through JGB & Associates since 2012, Buscher specializes in a number of matters, including surface and air transportation, technology, banking, taxation, tech, IT, labor, appropriations, homeland security and judiciary issues. CRYPTO CASH FLOWS INTO PENNSYLVANIA SENATE PRIMARY: “A cryptocurrency super PAC is poised to make a dent in Pennsylvania’s Senate Democratic primary by supporting Democrat John Fetterman,” our Holly Otterbein reports. “A new TV ad by Web3 Forward PAC portrays Fetterman as an anti-establishment outsider who has been an advocate for the working class. The commercial does not make any mention of crypto. — “‘Gonna get schmoozed by lobbyists or bossed around by politicians? Not a chance,’ a narrator says in the spot. ‘John Fetterman’s no stranger to tough fights. As mayor turning around the city of Braddock, crime went down. Jobs came back. As lieutenant governor, saving taxpayers money by refusing to live in the state-owned mansion.’ Joe Calvello , a spokesperson for Fetterman, said that ‘even though this PAC is supporting John, it doesn’t change his view that super PACs are an example of how deeply broken and dysfunctional our campaign finance system is.’” — “Fetterman is the progressive frontrunner in the key Democratic primary, which also includes Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta . In a statement provided to POLITICO, Web3 Forward confirmed it is endorsing Fetterman and said ‘he knows America deserves a better internet.’” — “‘Web 3.0 is the next generation of the internet that will democratize financial access, return ownership of the web to the users, and unlock new opportunities for millions on the margins,’ the group said. ‘John Fetterman is a proponent of American leadership in this space.’” Web3 Forward is tied to GMI PAC, which was formed by cryptocurrency financiers and plans to spend $20 million on congressional candidates during this year’s midterms.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — Cisco has hired Bill Davenport as a senior director of government affairs. He most recently served as chief of staff and senior legal adviser to FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. — Kaade Wallace has joined the Consumer Brands Association as director of government relations. She is a House and Senate alum and most recently lobbied for Minnesota’s largest county. — Stephanie Johnson has joined the National Grocers Association as vice president of government relations, where she will be responsible for food and nutrition issues. She was most recently a legislative assistant for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). — Claire Bienvenu is now executive assistant at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She most recently was scheduler for Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.). — Gary Fuchs has been promoted to be head of the Americas region for HP government affairs and public policy. Amy Burke has been promoted to be head of global policy and strategy at HP. — Paul Ray is the new director of the Heritage Foundation’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies. He most recently has been at Patomak Global Partners, and previously was federal “regulations czar” in OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Trump administration. — Terence Huie is now federal government affairs manager at Exelon. Huie most recently was PAC and grassroots manager at the National Grocers Association. — Grubhub has added Dominic Sanchez manager of federal affairs and Liza Dee policy comms manager. Sanchez most recently was legislative assistant for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Dee previously was a vice president at SKDK. — Anthony DeAngelo has been named head of public affairs and strategic comms for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in the U.S. He previously was senior program manager for democratic governance at the National Democratic Institute, and is an Andy Kim (D-N.J.) alum. — Belisario Contreras is now senior director of global security and technology strategy at Venable. He is the former manager of the cybersecurity program at the Organization of American States.
| | | | A message from ACT|The App Association:   | | | | | | Colorado Elects Women (BRITTANY PETTERSEN FOR COLORADO, CARAVEO FOR CONGRESS)
Luria Spanberger Victory Fund 2022 (Reps. Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger)
Manning Victory Fund 2022 (Kathy Manning for Congress, North Carolina Democratic Party - Federal)
| | | BIENVENIDO ACTION PAC (Super PAC)
Blue Voter Project (PAC)
Common Sense NJ (PAC)
Equity South (PAC)
THE PROSPERITY FUND (Hybrid PAC)
Redefeat Trump (PAC)
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Capitol Advocacy Partners: Leaven Kids
Capitol Tax Partners, LLP: Constellation Energy Generation, LLC
Carlyle Consulting: Verde Technologies
Crestview Strategy US LLC: Oil Sands Pathways To Net Zero Initiative
Crestview Strategy US LLC: Teck Resources Limited
Downs Government Affairs: Foothill Deanza Community College District
Eichstaedt Law Office, Pllc: Confederated Tribes Of Coos, Lower Umpqua And Siuslaw Indians
Farragut Partners LLP: Directv
Hartwell Capitol Consulting: Niacom Holdings LLC
Hogan Lovells US LLP: Ioneer Ltd.
Husch Blackwell Strategies: Veru, Inc.
Japan Tobacco International U.S.A., Inc.: Japan Tobacco International U.S.A., Inc.
Klein/Johnson Group: Camston Wrather LLC
Lne Group: Belmont County
Mccain Foods USa Inc.: Mccain Foods USa Inc.
National Women'S Health Network: National Women'S Health Network
Nextdecade Corporation: Nextdecade Corporation
Off Hill Strategies L.L.C.: Micron Technologies, Inc.
Ridge Policy Group: Guarding Against Pandemics
Ridge Policy Group: The International Association Of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials
Ridge Policy Group: USs Frank E. Evans Association
Sims Strategies, LLC: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Spinnaker Government Relations Fka C.H. Fisher LLC: National Black Theatre Workshop, Inc.
Strategic Elements: Wabash Valley Resources LLC (Wvr)
The Summerill Law Firm: Dauphin County Prison
The Vogel Group: Trellix (Formerly Musaruba US LLC)
Van Scoyoc Associates: Serrano Water District
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | C Yrrus: Hettinger Strategy Group On Behalf Of Adobe
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP: Environmental Energy Capital, LLC
Save America'S Forests, Inc.: Save America'S Forests Inc
Zirkelbach Strategies: Eo2 Concepts, Inc.
Zirkelbach Strategies: Magellan Health Inc.
| | | | A message from ACT|The App Association: When the largest sellers on the app stores, with multi-billion-dollar valuations, come to Congress with proposals to reshape the mobile marketplace to suit their needs, policymakers should be rather skeptical. We urge Congress not to sacrifice consumers’ most important privacy and security protections–and with them, the competitive prospects of small app companies–in order to further advantage the app stores’ biggest winners. https://actonline.org/2022/04/04/give-small-developers-a-chance-not-higher-barriers-to-entry/ | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
