Chamber taps Jenkins to lead Hill lobbying

From: POLITICO Influence - Wednesday Sep 14,2022 10:47 pm

Sep 14, 2022

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With Daniel Lippman

JENKINS HEADS TO THE CHAMBER: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has tapped former West Virginia Rep. Evan Jenkins as its top congressional lobbyist. Jenkins, a Republican, served in the House from 2015 until 2018, when Gov. Jim Justice named him to the state Supreme Court following Jenkins’ unsuccessful GOP primary bid to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin that year. Jenkins was chief justice last year; he resigned in February to practice law.

— It’s a rather ironic turn for the former congressman, who longtime readers might recall made railing against his GOP Senate primary rival Patrick Morrisey for his past as a lobbyist a primary attack during the campaign — at one point airing an ad accusing Morrisey of getting “filthy rich in the swamp lobbying for special interests.”

— The Chamber also named David Detweiler, who previously served as executive vice president and general counsel at Volkswagen Group of America and is a board member for Electrify America, as its next general counsel.

— “Evan's acumen, knowledge and relationships will propel our advocacy on Capitol Hill and David's deep experience in the private sector will bolster the Chamber's legal expertise,” Chamber President and CEO Suzanne Clark said in a statement.

SALINAS AND SCISM JOIN FORCES: Salinas Strategies’ Norberto Salinas and Bridge Street Group’s Jason Scism have partnered up to launch Salinas & Scism, a bipartisan lobbying shop specializing in issues under the purview of the two congressional Judiciary committees, such as intellectual property, legal reform, antitrust, state taxation and immigration.

— The focus stems from the pair’s experience on the Hill, which for Salinas includes serving as senior counsel on House Judiciary and working in the private sector to advocate for Intel and other clients on issues before the committees. Before founding Bridge Street Group, Scism worked on Judiciary issues at Bockorny Group, BlackBerry and the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association and served as counsel and legislative director for former Rep. Darrell Issa.

— In an email, Scism told PI that the decision to join forces with Salinas stemmed from the pair’s similar personalities and complementary skill sets. “We've known each other for a long time, and we've shared advice and intelligence over the years. We decided to finally make it official,” he said.

— The firm is launching with several big names already, including Charter, Intel, Iggy Ventures, the Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform, the Save Our Standards coalition and the U.S. Manufacturers Association for Development and Enterprise.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send lobbying 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.

DOWNTOWN CONTINUES TO RAISE ALARMS ON POTENTIAL RAIL STRIKE: A flurry of trade groups continue to weigh in on labor negotiations between rail workers and railroads ahead of a potential work stoppage , as one union that had tentatively reached an agreement with freight railroads voted to authorize a strike as soon as Sept. 29, while congressional Democrats appeared disinclined to intervene in the labor dispute.

— “The crescendo of challenges, from rail strike to truck shortage, should be enough to motivate Congress to jump on forward-thinking policies that will better prepare us to manage crises rather than react to them,” said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain and logistics at the Consumer Brands Association, which represents the consumer packaged goods industry, and said that U.S. railroads are poised to stop shipments of crops as early as tomorrow at the risk of stranding them during a strike.

— The trade group, which said the CPG industry makes up a fifth of all freight transportation, urged Congress and President Joe Biden last week to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, as the Biden administration works to help avert the crisis.

— National Association of Manufacturers chief Jay Timmons warned Tuesday night that “further delays in concluding the rail negotiations will exacerbate the pain of inflation and supply chain disruptions, and failing to reach an agreement before Friday’s deadline would devastate the movement of manufactured products that families depend on,” reiterating the group’s stance that “Congress should be ready to act as a last resort” but that “manufacturers still believe that the parties have it within their power to resolve these talks before they inflict severe economic damage.”

— Brian Dodge , who leads the Retail Industry Leaders Association, also called on Tuesday for the White House and Congress to be prepared to step in, arguing that “the negative impact of uncertainty is already being felt, and even a short strike or disruption would be disastrous.” Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable , also warned Tuesday of a potential “economic catastrophe” if rail workers and railroads are unable to come to an agreement by tomorrow night.

— “Beyond transporting people and consumer goods, America’s freight railroads carry security-sensitive and hazardous materials like the chlorine that purifies our drinking water and energy products that power homes, businesses and vehicles across the country,” he noted. “America’s freight rail operations are essential to the U.S. economy and commerce.”

— Other corners of the shipping industry that stand to feel the fallout from a rail stoppage, like the National Industrial Transportation League , wrote to congressional leadership on Tuesday that the “sooner Congress acts, should the situation arise, the better it will be for shippers to deploy contingency plans including working with their customers and the communities they serve, as NITL members represent billions of dollars freight movements to our nation’s economy.” Even then, the group warned, the situation would be dire: “The vulnerability in our nation’s supply chain cannot effectively handle a freight rail work stoppage even for one day.”

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K STREET COMES TO VANCE’S AID: After much hand wringing over Ohio GOP Senate nominee J.D. Vance’s lackluster fundraising, the downtown community is coming to his side in a big way, according to a pair of fundraising invites obtained by POLITICO’s Natalie Allison. One invite shows over a dozen corporate, interest and trade group PACs listed as co-hosts, including those of CPAC, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Washington, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Continental Resources, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, NextEra, Home Depot, UPS and the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

— More than two dozen lobbyists and K Street types are listed as co-hosts for the fundraiser, including Hunter Bates of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Kirk Blalock of Fierce Government Relations, Wayne Berman of Blackstone, Sam Geduldig of CGCN Group, Matt Hoekstra of Williams and Jensen, Matt Johnson of the Klein/Johnson Group, T.J. Petrizzo of The Petrizzo Group, Cesar Conda of Navigators Global, former Sen. Cory Gardner of Michael Best Strategies, Amy Swonger of Invariant and Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute, to name just a few.

— According to the invite, the downtown community event next Tuesday will feature Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), among others. Tickets will start at $500 for individuals to get in the door and go up to $5,000 for PACs to be named a host.

FLY-IN SZN: Advocates representing more than 350 health care groups including the Alzheimer's Association, March of Dimes, Stand Up to Cancer and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are in town today meeting in person and virtually with congressional offices including those of Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) as part of the annual Rally for Medical Research. Advocates will press the Hill on the importance of continued investment in medical research and of prioritizing the National Institutes of Health.

SPOTTED at a rooftop reception at the Managed Funds Association’s headquarters for the financial services policy community, per a tipster: Bryan Corbett, Jillien Flores, Jenn Han and Noah Theran of MFA, Mike Berman of Citadel, Mike Piwowar of the Milken Institute, Joe Carapiet of Blackstone, Brett Quick of the Crypto Council for Innovation, Terry Campbell of Nasdaq, Samantha DeZur of BlackRock, Lev Bagramian of the House Financial Services Committee, Dan Sullivan of the Senate Banking Committee, Steve Patterson of State Street, Michael Wong of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema ’s (D-Ariz.) office and Andrew Upward of Jane Street.

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Jobs Report

— Vaun Cleveland is joining American Family Insurance as their Washington head of office. Most recently he was director of federal affairs at the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, and is an Ed Towns alum.

— Alexis Gurganious is now the PAC manager at Cox Enterprises. She was previously in the advocacy division of the Alzheimer's Association's public policy office.

— David Vandivier has been appointed executive director of the Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, per Morning Money. Vandivier was most recently co-head of government affairs for BNY Mellon and is an Obama White House and Treasury alum.

— Jeff Vanderslice is now director of federal government affairs at the R Street Institute. He was previously director of government and external affairs at the Cato Institute.

— Joe Shultz will be executive director of the Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation, launching today. He previously was the longtime staff director for Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

— Maia Brockbank is now confidential assistant in the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education. She most recently was director of outreach and programming at the nonprofit Family Beehive and is a Stanford alum.

— Kortne Edogun-Ticey is now senior advisor in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Department of Education. She most recently was senior director at Equal Opportunity Schools.

— Kaitlyn Harger is now a senior economist at Chamber of Progress, Morning Tech reports. She was previously an economist in Oregon’s Legislative Revenue Office.

— Joshua Stager is now policy director at Free Press, per Morning Tech. He was previously deputy director for broadband and competition policy at New America’s Open Technology Institute.

— Joe Gaeta is joining Democracy Forward to lead its oversight work. He previously was deputy assistant attorney general for DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs and is a Sheldon Whitehouse, Senate Budget Committee and Rhode Island AG alum.

— Hailey Hamel is joining FTI Consulting ’s government affairs team as a senior consultant. She most recently was a legislative aide for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

— Suzy Welch is joining the Brunswick Group as a senior adviser. She currently is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and a contributor on the Today show and CNBC.

— Chris Golden is now vice president for digital at Rational 360. He most recently was director for digital grassroots mobilization at Crypto.com, and is a FWD.us and Joe Trippi alum.

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

New Joint Fundraisers

Boebert Palin Victory (Rep. Lauren Boebert, Sarah for Alaska, We the People Leadership PAC, Save And Restore Alaskan Honor PAC)
End Citizens United: Senate Fund (Cheri Beasley for North Carolina, Fetterman for PA, Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin, End Citizens United)
GA VICTORY (Team Herschel, Inc, Georgia Republican Party Inc.)
GOP Winning Women-Florida (Rep. María Salazar, Amanda Adkins for Congress, Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Congress, Monica for Congress, Cassy for Congress, Committee to Elect Jennifer-Ruth Green, Kiggans for Congress, Scheller for Congress, Inc.)
Kim Chen Victory Fund (Rep. Andy Kim, Jay Chen for Congress)
LARKIN VICTORY COMMITTEE (Matt Larkin for Congress, Washington State Republican Party, NRCC, PACNW)
Lee-Levin Victory Fund (Reps. Barbara Lee, Mike Levin)
Turn Iowa Blue 2022 (Rep. Cindy Axne, Michael Franken for Iowa, Inc, Liz Mathis for Congress, Christina Bohannan for Congress)

New PACs

Arkansas Advanced Energy Association Political Action Committee (PAC)
OPPORTUNITY MATTERS FUND ACTION (Super PAC)
PACNW (Leadership PAC: Matt Larkin)
Sky is Blue (Super PAC)
Sunshine for America PAC (Super PAC)
Vote Alaska Before Party (Super PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

Cjw Quantum Consulting, LLC: Cjw Quantum Consulting, LLC
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Chubb Ina Holding Company Inc
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Dependable Health Services
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, Inc.
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Port Of Olympia
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: X Energy, LLC
Droneup: Droneup
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP: Jenny Loyblom
Invariant LLC: Colton Underwood Legacy Foundation
Mcguirewoods Consulting (A Subsidiary Of Mcguirewoods LLP): Perdue Foods LLC
Meeks, Butera & Israel Pllc: First Command Financial Services
Nossaman LLP: Citrus Community College
R&R Partners, Inc.: Tae Technologies
Sc Partners LLC: 8 Minute Solar Energy
Shift5: Shift5
Tilray Brands Inc.: Tilray Brands Inc.

New Lobbying Terminations

Darby Field Advisors: Gssi
Hj Tobin Policy Consulting: American Civil Liberties Union

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.