Vogel Group adds new ag practice head

By Caitlin Oprysko

With Daniel Lippman

FIRST IN PI — VOGEL GROUP ADDS NEW AG PRACTICE HEAD: The Vogel Group has tapped Cory Harris to lead the firm’s agriculture practice ahead of next year’s farm bill reauthorization. Harris spent the past two years as legislative director for Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.), the top Republican on the House Agriculture Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research Subcommittee, and before that worked for the American Feed Industry Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance.

— In an interview, Harris said that he’s eager to help the firm grow its agriculture practice, especially as the sector takes on an increasingly important role in climate and sustainability policy, and ahead of the upcoming reauthorization process for major programs.

— “There's just a tremendous opportunity for agribusinesses and companies that are adjacent to the agriculture industry to define new opportunities and ways to re-innovate and bring new products to market that meet some of those new sustainability needs,” he told PI, though he added “there's certainly a lot of government challenges” to get to a place where producers are also benefiting.

— There’s also been a deluge of government cash in those areas in recent years thanks to various reconciliation bills and administration initiatives, a windfall Harris said stakeholders shouldn’t necessarily expect will remain under a divided government or change in administration. “There’s been a lot of one-time money that is on the field right now,” he said, “And I think it's important that companies in the ag space look at opportunities to leverage those resources that are available.”

— In a divided government some of those priorities will change, he added, with increased activity around issues “that toe the line between those climate [and] sustainability goals and the things that directly benefit producers and boots on the ground, and folks in the rural Midwest” such as biofuels and crop protection tools or hemp and nutrition.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI . Hitting up any interesting fundraisers soon? Been hit up for any interesting fundraisers soon? Tell me all about it: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. 

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

America’s chocolate and candy companies are providing more choice and portion guidance options for consumers seeking to manage their sugar intake – whether that’s buying candy for family celebrations, picking up a treat to share with friends or enjoying a treat on the way out of the store. From beloved classics to new offerings like low/zero sugar and organic, the confectionery industry is meeting consumers where they want to be met. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com.

HERITAGE LOBBYIST JOINS ONMESSAGE: OnMessage Public Strategies, the public affairs offshoot of the GOP consulting firm, has added a veteran of one of D.C.’s preeminent conservative think tanks ahead of a likely Republican takeover of the House next year. Tommy Binion is leaving the Heritage Foundation after eight years with the organization and its political arm, most recently serving as its vice president of government relations.

— At OnMessage, Binion will leverage his ties with Republicans in Congress — a press release announcing his hiring included high praise from Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and House GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.) — and his understanding of the new conservative movement to advise advocacy groups, trade associations and companies, he told PI. “A possible conservative majority in the 118th Congress is going to look very different than prior conservative majorities,” he said. “They've got different priorities, they've got different points of view, there are … newer concerns that are driving and animating that.”

— “But in my view, Washington is slow to catch up to some of those trends. And so you know, helping companies understand that … is a very, very valuable and very, very needed service in Washington,” he added. Though Heritage will remain one of Binion’s clients, “the way that OnMessage Public Strategies is positioned to help their clients navigate what we call a political realignment” was an offer he couldn’t turn down, he said.

— In a statement, Heritage President Kevin Roberts praised Binion as a “transformational leader who supercharged our government relations team and strengthened Heritage’s relationships with our allies on Capitol Hill and partners in the conservative movement,” adding that he was “delighted that he’ll remain closely connected to our organization.”

COLE JUMPS FROM ROBERTI GLOBAL: Drew Cole is departing Roberti Global, where he was a partner for five years, to DiRoma Eck & Co. as a senior adviser. The move is a reunion of sorts for Cole and co-founder and partner Michael DiRoma, who worked together at Quinn Gillespie & Associates before the firm shut down in 2017.

— Cole, who is also a DCI Group and Don Nickles alum, told PI he plans to continue working with a “handful” of current clients, and will continue to work on appropriations, defense, tech and transportation issues for DiRoma Eck, which was founded in 2020 and represents finance, crypto and national security clients.

— DiRoma previously worked for Sen. Susan Collins , who is poised to take over the top GOP spot on the Appropriations Committee in the new Congress, “and my experience in that space I hope will be helpful,” Cole said.

DEATH, TAXES AND DOCS LOBBYING TO OFFSET PAYMENT CUTS: “Doctors are again ramping up what has become a perennial lobbying campaign to urge Congress to increase Medicare payments in order to offset cuts scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1,” Roll Call’s Jessie Hellmann reports.

— “The cuts, the result of a 2020 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decision to increase payments for underpaid services like primary care and maternal health, are meant to offset the costs of increasing payments for those services. But every year since that Trump-era rule, groups representing doctors have lobbied Congress to add billions of dollars to Medicare spending to avoid those cuts. Every year, Congress has obliged.”

— “This year the groups — which include the American Medical Association, Surgical Care Coalition and Medical Group Management Association — are asking again, with their efforts becoming more urgent as Congress prepares to return from recess and appropriations season kicks into overdrive.”

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RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK: Antitrust legislation “is now at a critical juncture as the Senate returns this week for a final stretch before the November midterms,” Bloomberg’s Anna Edgerton and Emily Birnbaum write, and Silicon Valley heavyweights are looking to run out the clock to back up their lobbying spree.

— “Backers of the measure swear they have the necessary votes, yet it’s unclear if they do, and the Senate will be busy with other must-pass spending legislation. The view that momentum for the bill is slowing is based on conversations with nearly two dozen of its supporters and critics -- including policy experts, lobbyists, congressional aides and advocates. One Hill staffer summed it up as a do-or-die moment.”

— “‘If supporters of this bill had enough votes, it wouldn’t be a bill, it would be a law,’ said Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents the major tech companies.”

— “Failure would be a setback for politicians, activists and regulators who argue Silicon Valley has too much control over people’s lives. It would mark a huge win for Big Tech, which has argued that the measure would weaken privacy, threaten national security and degrade products that consumers enjoy.” And tech companies have spent accordingly, per Edgerton and Birnbaum, with Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple and their trade groups dropping $95 million on lobbying since last year.

— But “even if this bill falls short, advocates say the attention on this measure has helped build the antitrust movement into something bigger than any one piece of legislation.”

BARRE SEID’S OTHER BENEFICIARIES: Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott of ProPublica and Andrew Perez of The Lever have new reporting on the political and philanthropic causes funded by the little-known Chicago electronics mogul Barre Seid, whose $1.6 billion gift to a new group helmed by conservative power player Leonard Leo is “the largest known political advocacy donation in U.S. history.”

— Over the years, “Seid has funded climate denialism as well as a national network of state-level think tanks that promote business deregulation and fight Medicaid expansion. He’s also supported efforts to remake the higher education system in a conservative mold, including to turn one of the nation’s most politically influential law schools into a training ground for future generations of right-wing judges and justices.”

— “Seid was so insistent on remaining in the shadows that he sometimes went by a pseudonym, variously given as Ebert or Elbert Howell. He and his staff at Tripp Lite would give the Howell name as the CEO of the company to outside salesmen and in business information registries, according to testimony Seid gave in a federal lawsuit.”

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

— Emily Jacobs has joined Dentons’ public policy practice as a principal. She previously was a principal at Squire Patton Boggs and is a Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) alum.

— Dylan Moore has joined Farragut Partners as a partner. He was most recently deputy chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.).

— Chad Chitwood is joining the Intelligent Transportation Society of America as communications director. He was most recently a senior manager for media relations at the American Public Transportation Association and is a Hill vet.

— Kathy O’Neill is now a partner with Cooley LLP’s D.C. office. She previously was senior director of investigations and litigation with DOJ’s Antitrust Division.

— Meredith Hoing is now media relations manager at Corning . She most recently was director for earned media at Edelman Global Advisory, and is a John Kennedy and Alex Mooney alum.

— Shayla Ragimov is now director of carbon management at Boundary Stone Partners. She previously was manager of research at the Climate Leadership Council.

— Rachel Goldberg is joining the London Stock Exchange Group as head of government relations and regulatory strategy for the Americas. She was most recently global head of external affairs at TransUnion.

— Elan Sykes has joined the Progressive Policy Institute as an energy policy analyst. Skyes was previously a researcher at the Climate Leadership Council.

— The Pet Advocacy Network has hired Ashley Brinkman as director of government affairs. She most recently was government affairs office manager at Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

— Edward Miyagishima is now director for public and government affairs at NASCAR . He most recently was founding partner at 1845 Group and is a Trump DHS and TSA alum.

— Alyssa Giammarella is joining Pivotal Ventures as interim executive business administrator of scheduling. She was most recently associate director of scheduling at the White House.

— Sharon Wilson Géno will be the next president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, succeeding Doug Bibby when he retires at the end of the year. Géno currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Volunteers of America National Services, the housing and health care affiliate of the Volunteers of America.

— David Berrios has joined the Department of Energy as White House liaison. He was most recently head of community at grassroots voting group Swing Left.

— Lawrence Muir is now a partner at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig. He retains his role as CEO of The Muir Group and is a Trump ONDCP alum.

— Saima Ahmed has joined SIFMA as executive vice president and general counsel. She most recently served as senior director of regulation and head of the market watch and corporate actions groups at the New York Stock Exchange.

— Sharon Lindan Mayl has joined DLA Piper as a partner in its regulatory and government affairs FDA regulatory subgroup. She previously spent more than 25 years at the FDA, most recently serving as a senior adviser for policy.

— Micah S. Myers is joining Cozen O’Connor’s D.C. office. He previously served as a senior associate general counsel at USTR.

— Ken Zimmerman is joining the mental health nonprofit Fountain House as CEO. He was previously head of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations and is an Obama and Clinton administration alum.

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A message from the National Confectioners Association:

In 2017, America’s leading chocolate and candy companies joined forces in a landmark agreement to help consumers manage their sugar intake. In a commitment to Partnership for a Healthier America, these companies set an ambitious goal to provide more transparency, create more portion guidance options in innovative packaging and educate consumers about how unique products like chocolate and candy can be an occasional treat in a balanced lifestyle. The companies exceeded their commitment, empowering consumers to make informed choices and driving directional alignment within the broader confectionery industry. In fact, 85% of chocolate and candy sold today comes in packaging that contains 200 calories or less per pack – whether that’s individually wrapped products or multipacks that contain smaller packages inside. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com.

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