JOHNSON BLESSES GOP MONEY MACHINE: “Freshly minted Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Monday that he is ‘wholeheartedly’ endorsing the Congressional Leadership Fund, keeping in place the existing infrastructure and team at the super PAC,” which spent $250 million last cycle to help Republicans retake control of the House, per POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick. — “His decision sends an important signal to Republican donors spooked by the chaos in the House that there will be continuity in one major campaign entity. The group’s president, Dan Conston, who was a top McCarthy lieutenant, will stay on for at least through the 2024 election.” — “The new speaker joined Conston for CLF donor meetings in Las Vegas over the weekend, just days after securing the gavel, on a trip that coincided with the Republican Jewish Coalition gathering there.” — “Conston has led the group since the 2020 cycle. He has extensive experience fundraising and personal relationships with key donors that have helped the group smash its own records. He is also well-known by many vulnerable GOP incumbents.” — Though the new speaker “could have chosen to elevate his own political associates over a close ally of McCarthy,” he “was not a prolific fundraiser nor did he have a large political operation to tap. He is choosing to lean heavily on the existing structure at the Congressional Leadership Fund.” INSIDE THE LOBBYING BLITZ TO SAVE ISRAELI HOSTAGES: “A few days after Israeli soldiers knocked on his door near Tel Aviv to tell him that his son had been captured by Hamas, Ruby Chen hopped on a plane to New York. He’s been patiently retelling his story ever since: outside the United Nations Tuesday, in all-day meetings with members of Congress from both parties Thursday, to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday,” the Los Angeles Times’ Noah Bierman writes. — All last week, Chen “met with the FBI, State Department negotiators and New York City officials.” On Friday, Chen spoke at a D.C. synagogue to “a congregation gathering under heavy security for Sabbath evening services” after blanketing the Capitol earlier in the week with a dozen other families of American hostages. — “Chen does not stop answering questions. Keeping his 19-year-old son, Itay, in the public eye is too important. He asks the lawmakers and reporters he meets to imagine how they’d feel if their own child were held hostage.” — “He and the other families believe the U.S. can leverage influence with partners in the region ‘to solve this humanitarian issue as soon as possible’ and free the 10 Americans among more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas. An aerospace lobbyist with American and Israeli clients who is working with the group said the attention is their best hope and that they were making plans to sustain it.” ON THE AIRWAVES: The American Council of Engineering Companies is rolling out a national campaign this week pushing lawmakers to hash out a deal by the end of this year to allow businesses to once again immediately deduct their research and development expenses. — The trade group is pumping six figures into an ad buy to go along with a grassroots campaign (that included a fly-in last month) seeking to highlight how small businesses — and engineering firms in particular — are being hit by the tax change. — The amortization requirement, which kicked in beginning last year, has been a top target of the business community for a year-end tax package, the prospects for which are murky given Congress’ tight timeline to move a slew of other must-pass legislation. House Republicans passed a package of bills earlier this year that would fix the R&D issue, but Democrats have demanded that tax cuts for business be paired with a Child Tax Credit expansion. — ACEC is framing the issue as crucial to infrastructure and clean energy investments Democrats have lauded, in an apparent nod to the partisan split. “Engineers are innovating the solutions that will build a stronger American future. But tax changes are stifling the spark of innovation, holding back the dreamers, doers and builders from the discoveries that will reshape our future,” a narrator says in the group’s ad, which will air nationally on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC and on streaming platforms, with additional spots inside the Beltway through November. ANNALS OF SPORTSWASHING: Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) is using the war in Israel to ramp up pressure on Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns D.C.’s pro basketball and hockey franchises, and pro sports leagues over the decision to greenlight an investment from Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Daniel reports. — In nearly identical letters to Monumental Sports CEO Ted Leonsis and the commissioners of the NBA and NHL sent Friday, Bergman wrote that the deal, which gives the Qatar Investment Authority a 5 percent stake in the Washington Wizards’ and Washington Capitals’ parent company, was not only "misguided but dangerous" because of Qatar’s support for Hamas. — Bergman also pointed to Qatar’s robust roster of lobbyists and financial support of some of Washington’s top think tanks, adding that if the deal goes through, all three organizations would be providing Qatar with “an incredibly powerful new tool to strengthen the tiny emirate’s grip on Washington, D.C. even further.” Earlier this month, Monumental spokesperson Anu Rangappa told The Daily Wire that the deal with Qatar had closed already. — The lawmaker went on to threaten a congressional probe of the organizations if they did not cut ties with Qatar. Monumental external affairs president Monica Dixon wrote in a response letter to Bergman on Monday that said that the company "fully supported Israel's right to defend itself in accordance with international law" and that Qatar's minority investment was passive, adding "QIA has no governance rights and no ability to direct, control or influence our teams or our business." NHL senior executive vice president David Zimmerman noted in a response to Bergman that the State Department said Qatar is "an ally and strategic partner" and that the league had condemned the Hamas attack. He also said the investment by QIA was "infinitesimal." Spokespeople for the NBA and the Qatar Investment Authority didn't respond to requests for comment.
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