Chamber CEO to lawmakers: ‘Do your jobs’

From: POLITICO Influence - Thursday Jan 12,2023 11:12 pm

Jan 12, 2023

With Daniel Lippman

CLARK KNOCKS DYSFUNCTION IN WASHINGTON: U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark chastised policymakers in Washington today, urging leaders to look “beyond this Congress and this political cycle” to find areas of compromise on issues favorable to businesses.

— “Business demands better from our government,” Clark said in the trade group’s annual “State of American Business” address. “Because when it comes to Washington, the state of American business is fed up. The polarization, the gridlock, the overreach, the inability to act smartly or strategically for our future, is making it harder for all of us to do our jobs, to fill our roles, [and] move the country forward.” She bemoaned the policy whiplash for businesses created by a “cycle of hyper partisanship and political power swings.”

— “Government isn’t working,” she repeated numerous times. Among other issues, Clark implored lawmakers to find consensus on permitting and immigration reforms, raising the debt ceiling and new data privacy and artificial intelligence regulations. She also called on the House to “forge a serious bipartisan approach” and “strike a balance” in the new House Select Committee on China. “Do your jobs, so we can do ours,” she said.

— For Clark, who in particular has emerged as the face of some conservatives’ crusade against so-called woke corporations, the swipes at politicians who stoke “noise and outrage” to “grab headlines and get clicks” may have appeared like a rebuttal to the Chamber’s critics in the GOP — a group that includes new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

— In an interview on CNBC and a news conference after her speech, though, Clark had nothing but praise for the GOP leader before accusing President Joe Biden of going “after House Republicans for some messaging soundbites.” Throughout the day, she also reiterated the Chamber’s many accusations of overreach against the Biden administration, with whose regulators the Chamber has sparred.

— The head of K Street’s biggest lobbying spender expressed exasperation when asked about the organization’s credibility with the political party it has traditionally been most aligned with, though, dismissing the notion of a rift as “locker room shenanigans” overblown by the press.

— “We will continue to do meaningful policy work with the entire conference, as we always have,” Clark said. But while she noted she’d spoken with several House Republicans just in recent days, and repeatedly praised bipartisan “workhorses” in Congress, Clark declined to say when last she’d met with McCarthy or another member of the new House GOP leadership.

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MANCHIN’S CHIEF JUMPS TO API: The top aide to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources chair who played an outsize role in determining the size and scope of Democrats’ policy agenda over the past two years is leaving the Hill to join the American Petroleum Institute.

— Lance West , who’s worked for Manchin on and off for most of the past decade, will be vice president of federal government relations for the oil and gas trade group. He’ll head API’s outreach to the Hill as well as federal agencies and report to the association’s top lobbyist Amanda Eversole.

— West’s hiring means now, the top aides to two of the Senate’s most important members in the last Congress — and those most intimately involved in the negotiations over the bipartisan infrastructure bill and Democrats’ climate and social spending package — will now be working from the outside to shape policy as the Biden administration works to implement both bills and Republicans in Congress seek to undercut them.

— As PI readers might recall, the health care-centric lobbying firm Tarplin Downs & Young last fall hired Meg Joseph, the longtime chief of staff to Manchin’s fellow swing vote Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

— Per Axios, West “worked closely with White House officials and other senate offices” to negotiate what became the Inflation Reduction Act. He’ll now represent the fossil fuel industry as Manchin embarks on another bid to overhaul the permitting process.

— West’s “position on Capitol Hill placed him at the center of some of our country’s more important legislative debates, and his deep relationships on both sides of the aisle will be a tremendous asset to our organization and the industry we serve,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.

MCHENRY PLANS CRYPTO, FINTECH PANEL: “House Republicans will establish a new subcommittee dedicated to cryptocurrency this Congress, a move that puts oversight and legislation around the ailing industry high on the GOP agenda,” POLITICO’s Zach Warmbrodt and Eleanor Mueller report.

— “Incoming Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who has long made a priority of financial technology issues, said in an interview Thursday that he plans to create the panel because he believes there is ‘a big hole in how we structure the committee’ as it spends more time grappling with crypto topics.”

— “The subcommittee on digital assets, financial technology and inclusion will be chaired by Rep.French Hill (R-Ark.), who has led Republican efforts to explore the viability of a central bank digital currency. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), another prominent crypto voice in the House, will serve as the subcommittee’s vice chair.”

S-3 NAMES NEW PARTNERS: S-3 Group haspromoted Matt Bravo and Martin Delgado to partners in the firm, where they’ll join John Scofield and Mike Ference on the management team. Bravo and Delgado are both former GOP House aides, and Bravo previously served as floor director to now-Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

— Bravo “helped us secure numerous victories for House Republicans, and has always been a tireless advocate,” Scalise said in a statement provided by the firm. “To those of us who have worked with him, this promotion comes as no surprise, and is well deserved.” The firm also promoted Hastie Afkhami to managing director of digital communications in S-3’s strategic communications practice.

ACROSS THE POND: An effort underway in the U.K. to introduce new FARA-like disclosure requirements is hitting some speed bumps “after an outcry from businesses worried it will spook overseas investment,”our transatlantic colleague Matt Honeycombe-Foster reports.

— “The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme — contained in the National Security Bill currently making its way through the U.K. parliament — is meant to shield British politics from malign foreign influence. It has long been called for by MPs worried about covert lobbying by hostile states like Russia and China, and the Home Office has looked to similar schemes in the United States and Australia for inspiration.”

— “But overseas firms doing business in the U.K. have warned that the current drafting of the scheme is far broader than international equivalents, and say it risks deterring investment as well as scuttling day-to-day engagement by firms based in countries friendly to the U.K. … A U.K. government official confirmed to POLITICO that the register is now being reconsidered. ‘It’s under review,’ the official said. ‘There has been a lot of opposition, and it has been noted.’”

— The proposal would “require most foreign organizations, including businesses and charities, to publicly register every interaction they have with a U.K. policymaker or risk committing a criminal offense that carries potential jail time.”

— “Critics of the proposed register argue that it fails to differentiate between hostile powers and countries with whom Britain has a strong relationship, with some firms calling on the Home Office to bring in a ‘whitelist’ of countries whose businesses will not have to register.”

Jobs Report

— Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions has promoted Evan Dixon to vice president of communications and added Liz Daniels as senior communications director, Benjamin Sumner as communications and digital associate, and Alexander Diaz as communications coordinator. Daniels most recently served as communications director for the Congressional Western Caucus and Sumner was most recently the email and P2P coordinator at the NRSC.

— Katy Montgomery is joining Adfero as executive vice president and chief client officer. She previously was executive vice president for corporate affairs and communications at Cyber Defense Labs.

— The American Bankers Association is adding Frank Pigulski, Abby Truhart and Jon Blum to its congressional relations team. Pigulski most recently was senior policy adviser in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and is a Treasury and Beto O’Rourke alum. Truhart most recently was senior director of advocacy at the Credit Union National Association.Blum most recently was public policy adviser at WilmerHale, and is a Treasury and Hill GOP alum.

— Bully Pulpit Interactive announced 38 promotions, including Caroline Weisser to managing director and Jane Munro and Bryan Watt to senior directors.

— Wanyoike Kang'ethe is now a senior principal scientist with Altria’s regulatory affairs department. He previously was toxicology branch chief with the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ Office of Science.

— Jared Brewster is now director of federal government affairs at Duke Energy. He most recently was a Washington representative with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s federal affairs division in D.C.

— Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America brought on Raaed Haddad as its director of federal government affairs. He most recently was senior manager of government affairs for Experian Information Solutions and is a Bill Huizenga alum.

— Nathalie Maréchal is the new co-director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. She was previously policy director at Ranking Digital Rights.

— The Edison Electric Institute has promoted Emily Sanford Fisher to executive vice president for clean energy and general counsel, Richard McMahon to senior vice president for energy supply and finance and chief ESG officer, Lawrence E. Jones to senior vice president of international programs, Shelby Linton-Keddie to executive director of regulatory affairs and Kristine Esposo Telford to executive director of external affairs.

— The Healthcare Distribution Alliance promoted Luisa F. Alemán to director of creative services, Rachel Newman to foundation director, Abigail Kizer to associate director of the HDA PAC and grassroots and Michelle Leslie to associate director for membership and education.

— Alexandra LaManna is now a senior advisor at the Messina Group and its communications arm Greenbrier. She most recently was assistant press secretary at the White House and was a day-one appointee at the Treasury Department, where she was a senior spokesperson.

— Jarryd Rauch is now executive director of Democrats Abroad. He was previously Eastern regional director for the Association of State Democratic Committees at the DNC.

— David Turner is joining the incoming Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office as communications director. He previously was communications director at the Democratic Governors Association.

— Karen Lancaster is the new associate vice president of communications and public affairs for the American Clinical Laboratory Association.

New Joint Fundraisers

New York Majority Fund (Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Off The Sidelines PAC, New York State Democratic Committee)

New PACs

100-40 PAC (Super PAC)
TEXAS REGIONAL BANK FEDERAL PAC (PAC)

New Lobbying Registrations

A1.9 Strategies LLC: Flexsys America L.P.
A1.9 Strategies LLC: Mercury Systems, Inc.
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Teleflex Incorporated
Bockorny Group, Inc.: Booster Fuels
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Notarize, Inc
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Percy Rockdale LLC
Capitol Meteorologics: Climavision
Capitol Resource Group: Zero Eyes
Covington & Burling LLP: Advent International Corporation
H & M Hennes & Mauritz L.P.: H & M Hennes & Mauritz L.P.
Liberty Partners Group, LLC: Pulse Vascular (Cardiovascular Coalition)
Masa Group, LLC: Nakasec
Ml Strategies, LLC: Ametros Financial Corporation
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP: The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP: University City
Smith Advocacy Group, LLC: Blastone International
Ulman Public Policy & Federal Relations: Flex Association
Vol. 1 Ventures: Vol. 1 Ventures
Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation: Web 3.0 Technologies Foundation

New Lobbying Terminations

Cavarocchi Ruscio Dennis Associates, L.L.C.: Apts Action, Inc.
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Act/Iac
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Amazon Web Services
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Coalfire Systems Ic.
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Hettinger Strategy Group LLC On Behalf Of Veritas LLC
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Hettinger Strategy Group On Behalf Of J.A. Green And Company On Behalf Of Tanium
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Hettinger Strategy Group On Behalf Of Service Now
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Hettinger Strategy Group On Behalf Of Unison (Fka Fedbid, Inc.)
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Meritalk
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: National Telecommunications Institute
Cyrrus Analytics LLC: Nutanix
Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Emery Water Conservancy District
Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Purecircle USa Inc.
Klarna Inc.: Klarna Inc.
Masa Group, LLC: American Civil Liberties Union
Masa Group, LLC: Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
Mccarter & English, LLP: Ed Farm
Mccarter & English, LLP: Institute For Healthcare Improvement
Milos Ivkovic: Antoaneta Vassileva
Milos Ivkovic: King&Spalding On Behalf Of Mr. Tzvetan Vassilev (Fka L.C. Obo Tzvetan Vassilev)
Nwg Advocacy LLC: Puerto Rico Private Sector Coalition
Predicate LLC: National Association Of Energy Service Companies
Russell Public Communications: Skincure Oncology
The O Team LLC: Merle Hay Investors, LLC
The O Team LLC: Pulse Clinical Alliance, LLC
Tiber Creek Group: State Of Rhode Island
Tiger Hill Partners LLC: Plaid Inc.
Tom Bradley Health Policy LLC: Capitol Counsel On Behalf Of Physicians Advocacy Institute
Van Scoyoc Associates: Cma Cgm (America) LLC

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