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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 Daniel Lippman EVERYONE WANTS IN ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE: “The early jockeying for influence over” President Joe Biden ’s multi-trillion dollar infrastructure outline “portends a fierce debate about the details that could last much of the year, if not longer,” my colleagues Megan Cassella and Theodoric Meyer write. — “Veteran lobbyists said the package could spark the most intensive lobbying effort in history, dwarfing the efforts to shape President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill in 2009, President Donald Trump's tax overhaul in 2017 and even the massive relief bills passed during the pandemic.” — Key Republicans and business coalitions have lambasted the proposal’s corporate tax hikes — despite Biden’s outreach, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell shut the door today on it winning GOP support — while moderate Democrats are demanding the bill repeal the cap on state and local tax deductions. White House chief of staff Ron Klain insisted in an interview with POLITICO’s Ryan Lizza this morning that the administration will try to engage Republicans and dodged a question about whether Democrats will try to pass the bill through reconciliation. — With all of the unknowns, “we’re advising our clients to be nimble,” Lisa Kountoupes, founder of Kountoupes, Denham, Carr & Reid told PI of the limbo firms face while waiting to see if and what makes it through the Senate parliamentarian. Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas’ David Castagnetti emphasized that the sprawling nature of Biden’s plan will require more than just traditional advocacy with regard to committee work. “At the same time, you're going to need a media plan, traditional and social, to support your cause,” he noted. WALSH AIDE WILL LOBBY FOR UBER: Alexis Tkachuk, who served in Labor Secretary Marty Walsh ’s administration in Boston first as director of labor relations and then as director of emerging industries, has been hired as a subcontractor to Tremont Strategies to lobby for Uber on “issues related to the future of work and the on-demand economy” as well as “possible anti-competitive activities that could limit” users’ access to “app-based technologies,” according to a disclosure filing. — The rideshare company brought on a team from the Boston-based firm that includes David Garriepy, Gov. Charlie Baker’s former liaison to Washington, earlier this week, according to disclosure filings. It’s one of the company’s first additions to an already-sizable roster of outside lobbying firms since last summer, and it comes as fellow gig companies fight off efforts to force them to reclassify their workers. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. How is your firm or company planning to get in on the infrastructure lobbying bonanza? Let me know: 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. | | | | | MORE NEW BUSINESS: Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, a former member of the New York City Council once viewed as a top contender for the speakership before leaving office in 2017, has registered to lobby. Ferreras-Copeland is now a partner at Hollis Public Affairs, which just signed T-Mobile to lobby on telecom issues and will be a subcontractor for Jamestown OTS, the real estate developer behind New York’s Chelsea Market and Atlanta’s Ponce City Market. — Meanwhile the AFL-CIO’s Metal Trades Department has hired a team from Mercury Public Affairs that includes former Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to help with “relationship development” and lobby on shipyard and transportation issues. LaHOOD HID LOAN FROM FOREIGN DONOR: “Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood admitted to federal prosecutors that he intentionally excluded from his financial disclosures a $50,000 loan he obtained while in office from a billionaire foreign donor,” our Josh Gerstein reports. — LaHood, who served in the Obama administration until 2013 after representing Illinois in the House, “initially denied receiving the loan” from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury , who acknowledged to the Justice Department paying $180,000 to individuals in the U.S. to fund donations to political candidates, which Chagoury is barred from doing. — The former DOT chief “later acknowledged the payment after being shown a copy of the $50,000 check he received in 2012, according to a non-prosecution agreement LaHood signed with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles.” WILLIAMS JUMPS FROM ACG TO THEGROUP: Eriade Williams has left ACG (formerly known as American Continental Group), where she was a partner, and joined TheGROUP in the same role. It’s unclear if she will bring any clients, which include Comcast, Verisign and Walgreens, with her. Williams previously was a top aide to former Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), and her move to TheGROUP comes as the firm, where former Biden legislative affairs director Sudafi Henry is a partner, has picked up a number of new clients since November’s election. It also follows the departure of ACG President Dave Urban last fall. TO FIGHT OR NOT TO FIGHT?: “The U.S. business community is trying to figure out how to address President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, which calls for higher corporate taxes to help pay for at least $2 trillion in government spending,” CNBC’s Brian Schwartz reports. Despite vocal opposition to the tax hikes, “some companies are considering whether to put up much of a fight because of corporate America’s demand for an infrastructure overhaul, according to people familiar with the matter.” — “In some cases, corporate clients discussed with lobbyists potentially negotiating with the White House and congressional Democrats potential tradeoffs for raising the corporate rate to 28%, according to a lobbyist who represents tech giants and Wall Street banks. One of the ideas being floated behind the scenes is to persuade Congress to find a middle ground on global intangible low-taxed income, or GILTI.” FLYING IN (VIRTUALLY): The American Seniors Housing Association is holding its annual fly-in this week, where the group plans to press lawmakers to have HHS release targeted funding for assisted living, independent living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities as part of the Provider Relief Fund. The trade association’s Hill outreach will include meetings with more than 40 House and Senate offices — including leadership in both chambers — and members of the Senate Finance and HELP and House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees. IF YOU MISSED IT WEDNESDAY: An Arizona bill “that would have imposed developer-friendly changes to Apple and Google’s mobile app stores” was pulled from the state Senate’s agenda last week amid an extensive lobbying campaign from the two tech giants, The Verge’s Nick Statt reports. “The bill, which would have allowed alternative payment systems on Android and iOS that bypass the stores’ 30 percent cuts, mysteriously disappeared last week prior to a scheduled vote that could have sent it straight to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.” | | | | 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. | | | | | | | | — Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma is joining the board of health tech firm Lumeris. — Former deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich is joining the Council on Foreign Relations as a distinguished visiting fellow, where he’ll work on issues relating to national security and economic policy. — Katie Harbath has joined the Bipartisan Policy Center as an elections fellow and the advisory board of the Rainey Center. She was previously Facebook’s public policy director for global elections. — Bobby Fraser is joining Nahigian Strategies as vice president of communications. He was previously head of public affairs at the Department of Transportation. — John Hannah , a longtime national security expert and national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, has joined the Jewish Institute for National Security of America as a senior fellow. — Vikrum Aiyer is joining the ACLU as deputy director in the National Political Advocacy Department, per Playbook. He previously was vice president of global public policy and strategic communications at Postmates and is an Obama White House alum. — Colleen Gallagher is joining OnWrd & UpWrd as a founding partner. She was most recently vice president at the PR firm Curley Company. — SKDKnickerbocker has promoted five: Rae Robinson is now managing director and chief equity and inclusion officer; Cameron French, who was a spokesperson for the Biden transition, is now senior vice president in public affairs; Daniel Barash and Greta Feldman are now senior vice presidents in political and Andrew Shipley is now senior vice president and head of advertising. — Former Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly joins The Media Institute today as a senior fellow and member of the organization’s First Amendment Advisory Council, Morning Tech reports. | | | None. | | | Conservatives for Accountability in Tax Spending (PAC)
Defending Conservative Values (Super PAC)
Patriotic Majority PAC (Super PAC)
WUF INTERNATIONAL (Super PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Akerman LLP: City Of Shelbyville, Tennessee
Civitas Public Affairs Group, LLC: Freedom For All Americans
Hollis Public Affairs: Polaris Government Relations (For Jamestown Ots, Lp)
Hollis Public Affairs: T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Mccaulley&Company: Ohio Aerospace Institute
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Jma Outreach Solutions
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP Obo Webgroup Czech Republic A.S.
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Rocket Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Michael Powelson: Wild Salmon Center
Miller-Wenhold Capitol Strategies: Profile Products, LLC
Ms. Alexis Tkachuk: Tremont Strategies Group On Behalf Of Uber Technologies
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Apothecary Products LLC -
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Newair
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Rad Power Bike Inc
Van Heuvelen Strategies, LLC: School-Based Health Alliance
West Front Strategies LLC: Please Touch Museum | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Gray & Oscar, LLC (Formerly Bob Gray, LLC): Arsenal Associates
Gray & Oscar, LLC (Formerly Bob Gray, LLC): Eastern Regional Medical Center
Gray & Oscar, LLC (Formerly Bob Gray, LLC): Insulators Local 23
Robert Rozen: Local Initiative Support Corporation
South River Advocacy: UPS
Tai Ginsberg & Associates, LLC: City Of Joliet, Il
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