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Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street. | | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | With Theodoric Meyer and Daniel Lippman START YOUR (ELECTRIC-POWERED?) ENGINES: President Joe Biden today will roll out a sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure proposal that the White House says will transform the nation’s crumbling roads, bridges and transit while investing in other areas like clean water, broadband, disability care and the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector, POLITICO’s Tanya Snyder, Sarah Ferris, Zack Colman and Laura Barrón-López report. (My colleagues have more great looks at what’s in the proposal here , here here, here and here.) — But what Biden will call for in his address in Pittsburgh today is only a jumping-off point that could turn into a frenzy for K Street, lobbyists say. “It’s game on,” said Jose Ceballos , the longtime chief lobbyist for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association who now works at S-3 Group. The sheer number of unanswered questions about the plan and the logistics for passing it, as well as the massive demand for an infrastructure deal and its price tag, will provide a windfall of opportunity for those looking to shape the bill either on K Street or from advocacy groups, building trades and unions, he told PI. — “People like us and our clients, we're pretty excited because it's been a long time since you've had a substantive discussion” about infrastructure, he said. The administration’s expansive view of what it’s considering infrastructure will “make it very enticing for people like us ... in terms of either helping promote something good that's in there, or shape it a certain way, or stopping something we think is bad,” he added. — But lobbying alone won't be enough to get clients' priorities into the bill, said Rich Gold, the leader of Holland & Knight's public policy and regulation group. Instead, the firm plans to wage campaigns that include ads and grassroots and grasstops advocacy to get the attention of congressional staffers deluged with asks. "You need to figure out in a very crowded environment how to get your message across," he said. — Still, the White House’s plan to fund the package in part by increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 from 21 percent was denounced by a number of groups on K Street, from trade groups like the National Association of Manufacturers and Association of Equipment Manufacturers to business lobbies like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable , which otherwise praised the bill. — “No one should be surprised that the U.S. Chamber is against raising corporate taxes when we fought so hard to get them reformed in 2017,” said Ed Mortimer , the Chamber’s vice president of transportation and infrastructure. Mortimer noted that the Chamber has outlined a number of more palatable revenue streams, like hiking the gas tax or a vehicle miles traveled tax, prospects the administration has so far rejected, and said the group’s litmus test on funding mechanisms is options that are “long term and sustainable.” Good afternoon and welcome to PI. It’s the day Americans from coast to coast have been waiting for. No, not learning the details of the White House’s infrastructure plan — the last day until the fall without baseball. Send your hottest infrastructure and baseball season takes: coprysko@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | | | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO “THE RECAST” Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. “The Recast” is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don’t miss out on our latest newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | ANNALS OF PANDEMIC FUNDRAISING: “More and more people are getting the Covid vaccine, but for party fundraisers and members of Congress on the Democratic side, it's not quite time to be piling into overpriced steakhouses or Georgetown soirees once again,” POLITICO’s Theodoric Meyer reports. — “A few Democrats have dipped their toes in the water with outdoor events, but the party has mostly stuck to virtual fundraisers. A list of more than 80 upcoming fundraisers for House Democrats sent out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday and obtained by POLITICO includes no in-person events, and a half-dozen Democratic lobbyists and consultants said they couldn’t recall being invited to any such gatherings.” That’s compared with more than half of 204 upcoming fundraisers sent out by the DCCC’s Republican counterpart that are described as “in person.” HOUSE INVESTIGATING TRUMP WHITE HOUSE’S NO-BID COVID CONTRACTS: The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis “released documents Tuesday detailing how senior White House officials tried to warn then-President Donald Trump of the danger of Covid-19 last March and leaned on federal agencies to offer non-competitive contracts for protective equipment to favored companies,” POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. — Documents released by the committee show how White House trade adviser Peter Navarro “and other senior officials and outside advisers pushed federal agencies to give no-bid contracts for pharmaceutical ingredients and other supplies to companies that were recently formed and had political ties with the Trump administration.” — One such deal was a $354 million contract awarded to the Phlow Corporation — a first-time government contractor that had incorporated just a few months before receiving the funds, and which came after Navarro urged in emails “needs to get greenlit as soon as humanly possible,” a speed he described as “in Trump time.” A later message read: “My head is going to explode if this contract does not get immediately approved.” ABA ADDS COKE VET: The American Beverage Association has hired Rand Carpenter as its senior vice president for public affairs. Carpenter comes to the beverage industry trade group from ExxonMobil, where she headed the company’s global sustainability communications and marketing, but previously spent more than a decade with Coca-Cola North America and The Coca-Cola Company. COMMUNITY COALITION ADDS A MEMBER: Online coupon service Groupon has joined the Community Gyms Coalition as the industry cohort continues to press lawmakers for a targeted grant program even as vaccinations continue apace and Washington — at least for the moment — has turned its attention to infrastructure. Still, the group is optimistic about the prospects for the GYMS Act, a bill backed by the coalition that would create a $30 billion rescue fund for the industry, with a spokesperson noting the bill has won 75 co-sponsors in less than two months. THE STORY OF AMAZON’S TWITTER BEEFS CONTINUES: “Anticipating criticisms of worker conditions at their fulfillment centers in particular, Amazon designed Veritas” — the code name for its initiative “to train fulfillment center workers chosen for their ‘great sense of humor’ to confront critics — including policymakers — on Twitter in a ‘blunt’ manner,” The Intercept’s Ken Klippenstein reports. “The document, produced as part of the pilot program in 2018 and marked ‘Amazon.com Confidential,’ also includes examples of how its ambassadors can snarkily respond to criticisms of the company and its CEO.” GIROIR JOINS HEALTH CONSULTING FIRM: Brett Giroir , who served as the Trump administration’s coronavirus testing czar, will be a distinguished visiting executive at Leavitt Partners, a consulting firm founded by George W. Bush-era HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt that specializes in health care issues. Giroir served as HHS’ assistant secretary for health prior to being tapped testing czar. His work at Leavitt will include issues related to the pandemic response and recovery in addition to value-based care, preventative care and access and affordability issues. | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | | | | | — Riley Brands is now manager for corporate communications at Sharecare. He most recently was communications manager for the public sector at Gallup and is also a Henry Cuellar alum. — Former FAA acting Administrator Dan Elwell has been named to the advisory board of Dedrone, an airspace security company, per Playbook. — Brian Willis is leaving the Sierra Club on April 1 to join Pioneer Public Affairs as communications director, Morning Energy reports. — The Bipartisan Policy Center is bringing on Toby Z. Rice, president and CEO of EQT Corporation , to join its Energy Project as a member of the American Energy Innovation Council, per Morning Energy. | | | Cotton Majority Committee (Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Republican Majority Fund, NRSC) Take Back the House Texas 2022 (Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Kevin McCarthy(R-Calif.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Van Taylor (R-Texas), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) Take Back TX-06 Republican Nominee Fund 2022, NRCC, Republican Party Of Texas, Majority Committee PAC) | | | Athletic Conservative Moderate Engagement PAC (Super PAC)
Charles R Downs Super PAC (Super PAC)
GroundSwell (Hybrid PAC)
Progress for the People (Super PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | None. | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Capitol Hill Policy Group LLC: International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (Ihrsa)
Gridliance Gp, LLC (F/K/A Gridliance Holdco, Lp): Gridliance Gp, LLC (F/K/A Gridliance Holdco, Lp)
Lj Strategies LLC: Capitol Hill Policy Group Obo International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Assn
The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Colsa Corp.
The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Ligado Networks
The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Macoma LLC
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