Fed Hall snags one of its clients’ top lobbyists

By Caitlin Oprysko

With Daniel Lippman

FIRST IN PI — FED HALL NABS ALETY FROM ALLSTATE: One of Allstate’s top lobbyists is leaving the insurance giant to become a partner at one of the company’s outside lobbying firms, Federal Hall Policy Advisors .

— Saat Alety, who led Allstate’s advocacy efforts on the Hill, with the White House and in federal agencies since, made the move after Fed Hall “both lobbied me during my time in government and lobbied for me as a client,” he told PI, leading him to believe they’re “some of the best in the business.”

— Prior to joining Allstate, Alety served as the lead financial services adviser and majority staff director for the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development under Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). In a statement provided by Fed Hall, Scott credited Alety with helping advance his “Opportunity Agenda” in the Banking Committee, adding that “just as he was in my office, Saat will be a great asset to Federal Hall Policy Advisors.”

— He also worked for former Rep. Ed Royce alongside now-Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), who in a statement provided by the firm praised Alety’s “vast knowledge of public policy, proven ability to effectively communicate complex issues, and a dedicated work ethic.”

— Alety’s portfolio at Fed Hall, whose clients include Aflac, the Managed Funds Association and Discover , will mirror that of his work on the Hill and include banking, capital markets, housing, insurance and securities — another draw of multi-client work, he said.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send tips: 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.

CHAMBER, TRUCKERS ASK LAWMAKERS TO INTERVENE IN RAIL LABOR DISPUTE: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce this morning joined the chorus of voices urging Congress to act to avert a nationwide freight rail stoppage that could begin as soon as this week barring an agreement between rail workers unions and railroads.

— “A national rail strike would be an economic disaster – freezing the flow of goods, emptying shelves, shuttering workplaces, and raising prices for families and businesses alike, but that is exactly what is likely to happen in less than four days,” Chamber president Suzanne Clark said in a statement. If the remaining unions who have yet to agree to a deal don’t join the ones who have, Clark said, either “an agreement to extend the current ‘cooling off’ period must be reached” or Congress must intervene as it has previously.

— In a letter to congressional leaders, the Chamber’s top lobbyist, Neil Bradley , called on lawmakers to act swiftly in the absence of a voluntary agreement to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, which rail workers have complained don’t go far enough to address chief concerns.

— One of the nation’s top trade association representing the trucking industry made a similar plea last week , telling congressional leaders and the top lawmakers on the House and Senate transportation and labor committees that “it is vital that Congress be ready to act” to implement the PEB recommendations once the cooling off period ends on Sept. 16 if no voluntary deal is reached.

— “We encourage you to make that known publicly to the parties to reinforce the importance of the final ratified agreements, both to the parties involved and to the entire nation,” American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear wrote in a letter Friday, noting that “trucking is also the largest customer of the rail industry, and both industries rely on one another to keep our supply chains healthy and efficient” and calling a potential strike — either this week or at a later date — “a debilitating and unnecessary labor disruption that could cost the country billions each day.”

BLOCKCHAIN ASSOCIATION FORMS A PAC: One of the crypto industry’s preeminent trade groups, the Blockchain Association, is finally poised to join the crush of political giving that has marked the industry’s debut in Washington.

— “There are a lot of different avenues to being effective in Washington, but relationships are a key part of that,” the group’s executive director Kristin Smith told Bloomberg’s Allyson Versprille and Bill Allison, adding, “Political giving is a key part of relationships.”

— “Smith said she’s hopeful the new committee, called BA PAC, will be able to parlay the existing relationships of the nearly 100 member companies of the Blockchain Association into its fundraising efforts,” Versprille and Allison write, and that given the proximity to this year’s midterms, the group is turning its gaze toward 2024 with the goal of supporting Republicans and Democrats equally.

— “Julie Stitzel, vice president of public policy at the Digital Currency Group, is the chairwoman of the PAC board. Directors include: Smith; Jonathan Jachym, global head of policy at Kraken; John McCarthy, general counsel at Wicklow Capital Inc.; Ryan Selkis, founder and CEO of Messari Inc.; and Seth Hertlein, global head of policy at Ledger SAS.”

HUNT’S NEXT MOVE: Richard Hunt, who stepped down this summer after 13 years as head of the Consumer Bankers Association, is hanging a shingle in the world of consulting, launching the HuntGroupDC, to help financial clients navigate Washington and the new world of banking, he tells Morning Money.

— “His No. 1 criterion for clients: ‘They have to be good people serving customers in a responsible way. Period.’ He also plans to focus on three passions in this fourth chapter, as he called it: Addressing the exorbitant price of college, making sure banking is regulated and growing women’s golf in the U.S.” The outspoken lobbyist has also launched a blog, as one does in 2022.

Join POLITICO Live on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to dive into how federal regulators, members of Congress, and the White House are seeking to write the rules on digital currencies, including stablecoins. The panel will also cover the tax implications of crypto, which could be an impediment to broader adoption and the geopolitical factors that the U.S. is considering as it begins to draw regulatory frameworks for crypto. REGISTER HERE.

SQUIRE ADDS HOUSE APPROPS ATTORNEY: Adam Berg is heading to K Street after more than 15 years working on the Hill, most recently serving as the top lawyer on the House Appropriations Committee. Berg is joining Squire Patton Boggs as of counsel in the firm’s public policy practice. Before serving as chief counsel on the Appropriations Committee, Berg spent more than a decade as deputy staff director and counsel for Democrats on the powerful House Rules Committee.

FLYING IN: The National Multifamily Housing Council will hold its fly-in this week, with members planning to discuss housing affordability, tax policy, the cost of regulations and housing finance with policymakers. The trade group will hear from chief White House economist Jared Bernstein, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra Thompson, Sens. Tim Scott and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), among others.

— The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America will also be on the Hill this week to meet with more than 70 congressional offices. They’ll also hear from White House antitrust adviser Tim Wu, and the trade group’s PAC will host a wine tasting with House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and other lawmakers.

— Advocates from the United Specialists for Patient Access, which represents office-based specialists, will hold a virtual fly-in tomorrow to press lawmakers on rolling back proposed reimbursement cuts in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, as well as a fix for clinical labor and evaluation and management cuts to office-based specialists. They’re set to meet with dozens of congressional offices as well as Reps. Barry Moore (R-Ala.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Mark Green (R-Tenn.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho).

— Growth Energy will hold a biofuels summit and hit the Hill Tuesday. The group will hear from EPA Administrator Michael Regan and USDA Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh on key policy developments relevant to the biofuels industry. The biofuels trade group is set to meet both in person and virtually with more than 100 congressional offices, with a mix of member-level and staff-level huddles scheduled.

— The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons will also be in town tomorrow, and is set to meet with over 250 congressional offices, including those of Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Barrasso and Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), to discuss prior authorization reform, Medicare reform, and health care workforce safety issues.

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

— Chris Davis has joined Capitol Hill Consulting Group as a senior vice president. He was most recently a government affairs principal at Cigna and is an Express Scripts alum.

— Kathy Didawick has joined Strategic Elements and its political consulting arm Kdence as a strategic partner. She most recently served as vice president of political and external affairs for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and is president of the Dovetail Group.

— Patrick Costello is joining Mercury to lead the firm’s NGO and think tank practice. He was most recently CEO of the American Security Project and previously spent more than a decade at the Council on Foreign Relations.

— Aoife McCarthy is now a senior vice president of SKDK’s public affairs practice. She most recently led federal policy comms at Instacart and is an Obama Department of Energy alum.

— Career Education Colleges and Universities has added Lauren Taylor as its communications manager. She was most recently manager of member communications at the Aerospace Industries Association and is a Stacey Abrams alum.

— Jonathan “Johnny” Chavkin is now executive speechwriter and senior vice president in Prosek Partners’ D.C. office. He most recently was speechwriter for the CIA director and deputy director, and is a State Department alum.

— Sharon McGowan is now a partner at Katz Banks Kumin. She most recently was chief strategy officer and legal director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund , and is an Obama DOJ and OPM alum.

— Nabeela N. Barbari has left the White House where she was a director for resilience and response at the National Security Council. Barbari, a CISA alum, has joined national security consulting firm OTHSolutions as an executive vice president.

— Chris Cummiskey has joined the board of advisers of the cybersecurity company Millennium Corporation. He is also a senior fellow at Virginia Tech and is the former undersecretary of DHS.

— Josh Glasstetter is now comms director at Insurate. He previously was director of comms and public affairs at the U.S. Cannabis Council.

— Rosanna Maietta is joining the American Clean Power Association as chief communications officer and senior counselor to the CEO, and chief strategy officer Jason Clark will now oversee ACPA’s membership relations team. Maietta most recently was executive vice president of communications and public relations at the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

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Boebert Freedom Fund (Rep. Lauren Boebert, We The People Leadership PAC, House Freedom Fund)
Gibbs Victory Committee (John Gibbs for Congress, Inc., The Great Lakes Leadership PAC, NRCC)
Lee-Neguse Victory Fund (Reps. Barbara Lee, Joe Neguse)

Friends of Angela Grabovsky (PAC)
Friends of Frank Gilroy (Super PAC)
MA-1 Political Action Committee (PAC)
PATRIOTIC AMERICANS UNITED PAC (Hybrid PAC)
People Who Love America (Super PAC)
Students 4 Democracy (PAC)
United Breast Cancer Support PAC (Super PAC)

Allon Advocacy, LLC: Propel, Inc.
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Forest Service Employees For Environmental Ethics
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Pepsico Inc.
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Seqirus USa Inc
Cumberland Gap Consulting, LLC: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board (Blue Grass Airport)
Lisa Mortier (Fka Mrs. Lisa Waltzman Mortier: Elizabeth Potter Md Pllc
Ml Strategies, LLC: Mintz (On Behalf Of Fulgent Genetics, Inc.)

Lisa Mortier (Fka Mrs. Lisa Waltzman Mortier: Elizabeth Potter Md Pllc
O'Donnell Advocacy Solutions: Epir,Inc.
The Doerrer Group LLC: City Of Cleveland

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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