With Daniel Lippman PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 28. META ADDS A REPUBLICAN: Facebook parent company Meta has hired its 25th outside lobbying firm, according to a newly filed disclosure, indicating that even as the company laid off more than 11,000 staffers this month and announced other cost-cutting measures, it plans to maintain its outsize footprint in Washington. — The social media giant in October brought on former Google lobbyist Stewart Jeffries’ new firm Jeffries Strategies to lobby on privacy, security, competition, piracy, online advertising, content and platform transparency issues, among others, according to the disclosure. — Jeffries launched his new firm this summer after serving for more than a decade as an in-house lobbyist at Google, leading the company’s outreach to Hill Republicans. He’s also the former chief antitrust counsel for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee — a body that, now in the majority, has signaled that it will not let up the pressure on social media platforms. — To be sure, some Republican leaders in the House have found themselves on the same side as Meta in opposing bipartisan antitrust bills seeking to rein in platforms like Facebook and flaying the Biden administration’s top trust busters. But the party has previewed plans to squeeze social media companies over perceived censorship of conservatives online and threatened to strip away tech companies’ prized legal shield. — Nearly three dozen House Republicans — led by incoming Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and incoming House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) — put Meta on notice in September that the company would be in lawmakers’ crosshairs in a GOP majority, directing CEO Mark Zuckerberg to “to preserve all existing and future records and materials” related to Meta’s decision to suppress a New York Post article about Hunter Biden prior to the 2020 election. — Meta has already spent more than $15 million on lobbying this year and could break the lobbying record it set just last year as the company has sought to beat back legislative threats to its market power, even as the company has struggled in the current economic contraction . — Even Republican backers concede those efforts are likely dead if they don’t advance during the lame-duck session, but lobbyists haven’t ruled out the potential for bipartisan legislation addressing tech companies’ privacy and child protection policies. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Send lobbying and influence tips: coprysko@politico.com . And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko . HOW LOBBYISTS GAMED STATEHOUSES TO EXPAND SPORTS BETTING: “Less than five years ago, betting on sports in the United States was prohibited under federal law except in Nevada casinos and a smattering of venues in other states.” But following a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the ban, companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, along with sports leagues and casinos, set out to capitalize on what they saw as a potentially multibillion dollar market, The New York Times’ Eric Lipton and Ken Vogel write as part of a series by the paper examining sports betting’s rapid spread throughout the country. — “Gambling companies and their allies deployed a bare-knuckled lobbying campaign, showering state lawmakers with money, gifts and visits from sports luminaries and at times using deceptive arguments to extract generous tax breaks and other concessions, according to a New York Times investigation.” — “Industry lobbyists, for example, dazzled lawmakers with projections about the billions of dollars that states could expect to collect in taxes from sports betting — projections that, at least so far, have often turned out to be wildly inflated, according to a Times analysis of state tax data.” — “The gambling industry managed to scare state lawmakers into keeping tax rates low, in part by trotting out data about a sprawling underworld of illegal gambling. The Times found that those figures, which suggested that Americans were placing as much as $400 billion of illicit bets each year, were unreliable.” — “In state after state, while lobbyists for sports-betting firms, casino companies and professional leagues cultivated friendly relationships with lawmakers and regulators, the interests of taxpayers and people at risk of gambling problems were often on the back burner, if they were represented at all.” FAMOUS WOMEN PRESS SCHUMER ON PREGNANCY RIGHTS BILL: More than five dozen female celebrities and business leaders are ramping up pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to schedule a lame-duck vote on a bill that would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers. — Women including Schumer’s cousin once removed, comedian Amy Schumer; Olympic athletes Allyson Felix and Alysia Montaño and WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani added to the chorus of support for sending the bill, which passed the House last May with broad bipartisan backing, to President Joe Biden’s desk by the end of the year. — “Women are tired of being told that their health and economic security are not worth the time. Investing in women is an investment in our economy,” the group wrote. “Enough is enough. The responsibility is yours to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act this year. Time is running out. Treat pregnant workers and those who have recently given birth with the respect and equality they deserve.” — Just last week, a coalition of more than 100 business, labor, religious and civil rights groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Planned Parenthood and the AFL-CIO warned Schumer in a letter that “time is running out” to pass the bill and called for a standalone vote on the measure. More than 100 lawmakers issued their own call for Schumer to schedule a vote on the bill earlier this month. ‘A SIGH OF RELIEF’: “Lobbyists are ready for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to lead Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — touting him as a dealmaker who can work across party lines,” POLITICO’s Megan Wilson reports. — “That’ll be necessary because he will be working next to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is chairing the important panel that covers a swath of issues related to prescription drugs, health insurance and labor policy. Cassidy is also a shift from Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), who could have been the committee’s ranking member, but chose instead to be the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.” — “‘I think the health care industry breathed a sigh of relief Rand is going to HSGAC instead of ranking at HELP,’ one lobbyist who works on health care issues texted POLITICO shortly after Paul announced his decision on Thursday.” — “While both are medical professionals, Cassidy is considered more steeped in health care policy with three dedicated health policy staffers in his personal office, larger than most other Senate offices, multiple people said.” — Still, a word of warning to those looking to sway Cassidy: “Several people told POLITICO that anyone looking to influence Cassidy needs to make sure they’re beefed up on the details, and prepared to potentially get pulled into other discussions. ‘If you come in for a meeting with him – he’s well prepared, and he’s going to raise very technical issues with you. He’s not just going to wave away, and say “Oh, that makes sense,”’” according to one former staffer. DESANTIS TEAM DENOUNCES NEW SUPER PAC: Aides to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are distancing the Republican from a new super PAC formed to encourage DeSantis to challenge former President Donald Trump in his latest bid for the White House, Fox News’ Kyle Morris reports. — “In a letter sent Friday to DeSantis' donors, Benjamin Gibson , legal counsel for DeSantis, said he had ‘recently learned through media reports that a super PAC apparently named “Ron to the Rescue” (“PAC”) is being formed reportedly “in order to boost a potential 2024 presidential run from Governor Ron DeSantis.” This is similar to other “pro-DeSantis” PACs that have formed and continue to use Ron DeSantis’ name and likeness to raise funds without his permission or authorization.’” — “‘Whether well intentioned or not, the organizers of these PACs have not been in contact with DeSantis leadership and such efforts may create confusion amongst supporters of the Governor and his policies,’ Gibson wrote.” — The super PAC, which was formed by GOP strategist John Thomas after DeSantis’ commanding reelection victory earlier this month, is barred by federal law from coordinating with the governor. But Gibson reiterated that “Governor DeSantis and his team are not affiliated with the 'Ron to the Rescue' PAC, have not authorized it to conduct any activity on their behalf, and contributions made to the 'Ron to the Rescue' PAC will not benefit Governor DeSantis or his agenda.” — DeSantis is just the latest politician to rebuff outside groups raising money off their image, purportedly to boost their candidacies. Trump has sought to prevent even his own allies from fundraising off his name and likeness, and last month Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman’s campaign manager accused a Democratic super PAC of “tricking” donors into giving it money over Fetterman’s Senate campaign. — The campaign of Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate in Georgia’s Senate runoff, has raised similar complaints, and last month sent a cease-and-desist letter accusing a newly formed PAC of “impermissibly” using Walker’s name in its committee name and fundraising efforts. Walker’s campaign manager blasted the group as a “scam PAC” looking “to take advantage of donors,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein reported.
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