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Politico
an hour ago
- Business
- Politico
Digging into the latest batch of megabill lobbying disclosures
With help from Daniel Lippman WHO LOBBIED ON MEGABILL NONPROFIT LANGUAGE: We're learning more about who hired whom to lobby on the Republicans' reconciliation bill as disclosures poured in following the end of the second quarter on Monday. (Lobbyists have 45 days to disclose new lobbying registrations, which explains the delay, though some of the latest disclosures have overshot that deadline.) — Take, for example, ASAE — The Center for Association Leadership, the trade association for trade association executives. ASAE retained Saunders Global Diplomacy starting on April 1 to lobby on megabill provisions related to nonprofits' tax-exempt status, according to a disclosure filed on Monday. — An earlier version of the megabill would have granted the Treasury secretary new powers to revoke a nonprofit's tax-exempt status if designated as a 'terrorist supporting organization,' which the nonprofit sector adamantly opposed. The language was dropped before the House bill reached headed to the floor. — Americans Against Government Censorship, a coalition of nonprofits including the AFL-CIO and liberal advocacy group Indivisible, hired Washington Council Ernst & Young in May to lobby on the same provision. And the Rockefeller Foundation brought on Michael Best Strategies beginning in June to work on the reconciliation bill's proposal to hit private foundations with a new excise tax on their assets, according to more disclosures filed this week. MORE NEW MEGABILL BUSINESS: Here's a round-up of additional reconciliation lobbying disclosed over the past few days. Saunders Global Diplomacy disclosed this week that it began lobbying in April for ClassWallet, a fintech vendor that helps K-12 schools digitally manage public funds, on issues related to the GOP school choice overhaul included in the reconciliation bill. — More recently, the renewable energy company Serena Power retained Thorn Run Partners and the American Academy of Pediatrics retained Haro Solutions. Lockheed Martin hired Michael Best Strategies to lobby on spectrum provisions in the bill and 3M hired the firm to work on taxes. — Fox Corp. retained the Smith-Free Group to work on several issues, including taxes, and General Mills has tapped OGR to lobby on corporate and international policy. Montreal's BMO Bank hired Marble Arch and real estate developer KRA Management retained Ballard Partners to lobby on international tax matters as well, while the fintech Remitly hired Capitol Counsel to lobby on the remittance excise tax. — Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has signed LS Electric America and GE Aerospace for tax work, while Ridgeline Advocacy Group signed on to lobby beginning yesterday for the American Public Gas Association and geothermal developer AlterG Resources, per disclosure filings. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. Did we miss any big reconciliation lobbying moves? Drop me a line: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. GORDON HEADED BACK TO DGA: Philip Gordon, who served as national security adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris, has rejoined DGA Group as a senior counselor. Gordon is a longtime Democratic foreign policy hand who worked in both the Obama and Clinton administrations. Before coming on as Harris' national security adviser in 2021, he previously was a senior adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group (which is now a part of DGA). — DGA Group has also added Naveen Jha and Elizabeth Linder as senior advisers. Jha is currently global director of the Mehta Family Foundation; Linder is currently founder and CEO of Brooch Associates and served as Facebook's first international corporate diplomat. KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON: Downtown isn't letting up on the pressure to pass the Republican megabill. The National Federation of Independent Business, which was an aggressive proponent of the bill's permanent extension of the 20 percent deduction for pass-through businesses, announced the House vote on the bill will be a key vote for the group. — 'This legislation will prevent a tax hike on 33 million small business owners,' the group's top lobbyist, Adam Temple, warned in a letter to House members on Tuesday. 'A permanent small business deduction will lead to an additional 1.2 million jobs a year and $750 billion in economic growth in the small business sector alone,' Temple continued, adding that 'making the small business deduction permanent is NFIB's number one legislative priority and the most important thing Congress can do to help small businesses and their workers.' GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The removal of an effort to block state and local AI regulations for as much as a decade from Republicans' reconciliation package marked Silicon Valley's first major loss of the second Trump administration. But the episode was only 'a prelude to future battles around who gets to write the rulebook on a technology that is rapidly remaking the economy,' POLITICO's Chase DiFeliciantonio writes. — 'The main driver of the measure, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, has threatened to bring the measure back, suggesting the fight is far from over. … The freeze became a rallying cry for much of the tech industry and their moneyed backers, who have long argued a patchwork of state AI rules will hobble the United States' ability to compete with rivals like China when it comes to the technology — an argument that has resonated with the Trump administration and its MAGA allies.' — But 'states are already gearing up for the next battle, with legislators crafting measures they hope will be immune to Washington's preemption trump card. The push for a federal freeze on state AI laws also forged unlikely bipartisan coalitions across red and blue states that helped to crater Cruz's first effort. Those alliances will still be there should he try again.' MOVING ON: Tech groups don't seem to be dwelling on the loss much, so far. 'The proposed moratorium on state AI laws is dead,' Adam Kovacevich, the head of the Chamber of Progress, wrote in a post on X today. — Kovacevich laid out the next state AI policy battlegrounds where 'people who worry about states botching AI policy' should be actively engaged on, including efforts to regulate AI models in New York, California and Michigan; efforts to crack down on AI discrimination in Colorado and California; and legal and policy fights over intellectual property and copyright, where he warned that one pending California measure would be a 'litigation honey pot.' UAP UNION: As Capitol Hill considers the threat of unidentified anomalous phenomena (previously known as unidentified flying objects), three groups focused on the issue are merging to help continue to drive advocacy, pass legislation and help protect whistleblowers on the issue, Daniel reports. — Historically, the UAP community has been extremely fragmented. Activists say the union of three groups — the UAP Disclosure Fund, Disclosure Advocacy Group and UAP Caucus — could make their efforts more efficient. It could also improve whistleblower advocacy and better the chances of passing legislation about UAPs. — The UAP Disclosure Fund is a 501(c)4, the Disclosure Advocacy Group represents whistleblowers and files FOIA requests and the UAP Caucus is an online grassroots platform trying to build a political constituency around the issue. — 'With this first-of-its-kind merger of efforts in the UAP space, we have assembled an accomplished team of specialized professionals dedicated to what may be the most important issue of our time,' Jordan Flowers, executive director of the UAP Disclosure Fund, said in a statement. 'The transaction will augment our ability to engage at all levels of government — as well as in court if necessary — and expand our reach to new audiences inspired by the call for greater transparency.' Jobs report — Adam Szubin has joined Covington & Burling as of counsel in the national security practice. He previously led Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and served for nearly a decade as director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. — Theo Wold is joining the Heritage Foundation as a visiting fellow for law and technology in the Center for Technology and the Human Person. He is a senior counselor at Palantir and previously was Idaho's solicitor general and U.S. assistant attorney general. — Sean Savett is now associate director of comms at the Open Society Foundations, leading comms for the U.S. and the Americas. He previously was spokesperson for the NSC in the Biden White House. — Molly Tuttle is now director of workforce development at the American Council of Engineering Companies. She previously was associate vice president for strategic comms at AECOM. — Lisa Bercu is joining the National Consumers League as senior director of health policy. She previously was senior adviser to the deputy FDA commissioner for policy, legislation and international affairs. — The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation has promoted Taylor Schmitz to senior vice president. He has been with CSF for nearly a decade, most recently as director of federal relations. New Joint Fundraisers Maasdam Victory Committee (Trident Values PAC, Matt Maasdam for Congress) SCOTT BROWN VICTORY COMMITTEE (Scott Brown for New Hampshire, Inc., Strong Country for Today and Tomorrow) WHITSON VICTORY COMMITTEE (LIBERTY & LAW PAC, Whitson for Congress) New PACs LIBERTY & LAW PAC (Leadership PAC: Stewart Whitson) NE-02 REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2026 (PAC) Peace Democrats (PAC) Rough Riders PAC (Super PAC) Trident Values PAC (Leadership PAC: Matt Maasdam) W&T OFFSHORE, INC. PAC (PAC) Walleye PAC (Leadership PAC: Josh Williams) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: General Electric Company Dba Ge Aerospace Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Ls Electric America, Inc. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Volvo Group North America, LLC Ankura Advocacy LLC: Vytalize Health Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Elliott Investment Management L.P. Capitol Asset Strategies: Metrika, Inc. Continental Strategy, LLC: Save Our Simulation Continental Strategy, LLC: Sea Energy Shipping LLC Disability Community For Democracy, Inc.: Disability Community For Democracy, Inc. Federal Hall Policy Advisors, LLC: Enova International Hogan Lovells US LLP: Tencent America LLC Holland & Knight LLP: Li-Cycle Corp. Law Offices Of George Harris, LLC: Hospital Authority Of Irwin County Michael Best Strategies LLC: 3M Company Michael Best Strategies LLC: Linn County, Oregon Michael Best Strategies LLC: Lockheed Martin Corporation Michael Best Strategies LLC: Payward, Inc. Dba Kraken Michael Best Strategies LLC: The Rockefeller Foundation Miller Strategies, LLC: Jetzero, Inc. Miller Strategies, LLC: Keeping Americas Edge Miller Strategies, LLC: Kps Capital Partners, Lp Miller Strategies, LLC: Mark Foods Miller Strategies, LLC: Medline Industries, Lp Miller Strategies, LLC: Sibelco North America, Inc. Miller Strategies, LLC: Twenty-Nine Palms Band Of Mission Indians Miller Strategies, LLC: Vial Health Technology Inc. Penn Hill Group: Association Of Private Nonprofit Institutions LLC People United For Privacy: People United For Privacy Porter Group, LLC: Bullseye Target Systems, LLC Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Alterg Resources LLC Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: American Public Gas Association Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Quintessence Marine Inc. D/B/A Inversa Leathers Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Tetra Pak Inc. Saunders Global Diplomacy: Asae - The Center For Association Leadership Saunders Global Diplomacy: Classwallet The Smith-Free Group, LLC: Fox Corporation Tulipifera Strategies: Campaign For Trauma Informed Policy And Practice Tulipifera Strategies: Treatment Advocacy Center New Lobbying Terminations Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Advanced Mobile Solutions Dutko Worldwide, LLC: American Home Furnishings Alliance Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Apprenticeships For America, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Armorworks Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Baker Engineering, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: California Workforce Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Carbon Sic Technologies, Inc Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Centegix Holdings, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: C. H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Cimpress USa Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Cubrc Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Excelsior College Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Fibernet Mercurydelta Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Friends Of Falun Gong USa Dutko Worldwide, LLC: H2L Solutions, Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Highway 36/City Of Boulder (F/K/A Highway 36/City Of Louisville) Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Hntb Companies (The) Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Liberty Steel Holdings USa Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Lima 7, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Michigan Research Institute Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Michigan Works! Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Midwest Urban Strategies Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National Association Of Workforce Development Professionals Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National Skills Coalition Dutko Worldwide, LLC: National University Dutko Worldwide, LLC: New York Association Of Training And Employment Professionals Dutko Worldwide, LLC: North American Home Furnishings Association Dutko Worldwide, LLC: North Salt Lake, Ut Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Saginaw Valley State University Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Sandy City Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Strawberry Waters USers Assn Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Surface Tech, LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: The Central Iron Country Water Conservancy District Dutko Worldwide, LLC: The Metropolitan Water District Of Salt Lake & Sandy (Fka Provo River Water Assn Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Inc. Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Vericarbon Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Wayfair LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Western Governors University Homesafe Alliance: Homesafe Alliance Law Offices Of George Harris, LLC: Irwin County Commission Ledge Counsel, Inc.: National Americorps Seniors Association Fka National Senior Corps Association Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: Education Reform Now Advocacy Lxr Group: Broadridge Financial Solutions Mr. Vincent A. Panvini: Phrma Porter Group, LLC: Reno-Sparks Convention And Visitors Authority Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C.: Alaska Federation Of Natives Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, P.C.: Eastern Navajo Land Commission Ridgeline Advocacy Group LLC: Fti Consulting On Behalf Of Tetra Pak Simmons Energy And Environmental Strategies LLC: Carboncapture Inc. Taxbit: Taxbit Timothy Lovain: Capitol Strategies US, LLC On Behalf Of Port Of Everett Tusk Strategies, LLC: Trustwell
Politico
a day ago
- Business
- Politico
Winners and losers in the megabill
With Daniel Lippman ON THE MOVE: Republicans' 'big, beautiful' reconciliation bill is one step closer to President Donald Trump's desk, clearing what was likely the biggest remaining hurdle to passage following a grueling vote-a-rama in the Senate. (The megabill still has to clear the House, where a new set of challenges awaits, but the package nevertheless appears poised to squeak through.) WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT: The main pillars of the bill, which would permanently extend a slew of tax breaks for businesses including full deductions for research and development, investment and interest expenses, in addition to a 20 percent break for pass-through businesses, were never in much doubt. — But amid the overnight haggling, senators stripped out a mysterious new excise tax on wind and solar projects and included (slightly) more favorable terms for wind and solar projects looking to take advantage of clean energy tax credits, POLITICO's Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino report. — A deal between Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to shorten the duration of a moratorium on state and local enforcement of artificial intelligence regulations also collapsed overnight. The chamber voted overwhelmingly to remove the moratorium from the bill altogether, in a blow to tech companies, business groups and venture capitalists. — Conservative efforts to make steeper Medicaid cuts never came up for a vote. And though a crackdown on state provider taxes that drew fierce opposition from hospitals remains in the bill (albeit with a new delay in implementation added over the weekend), Republicans did double the pot of funding to help rural hospitals, POLITICO's David Lim reports. — Even before all the overnight drama, manufacturers of so-called orphan drugs scored a major procedural victory on one of their top legislative priorities in the bill. The Senate parliamentarian, who previously ruled against expanding an exclusion for orphan drugs from Medicare's drug price negotiations, reversed course on Monday and allowed language to include medicines that treat multiple rare diseases, per David. — The reconciliation bill now heading back to the House includes wins (or improvements) for a panoply of other special interests, including the telehealth industry, banks and fintechs and small colleges with large endowments. — Under the Senate-passed bill, online marketplaces and gig companies would also win a reprieve from impending tax-reporting requirements, and third-party litigation funders would avert a tax hike on qualified proceeds from litigation they financed after the parliamentarian nixed the proposal. — Among the losers: The fitness industry's push for coverage of gym and fitness memberships by HSAs — which The Health & Fitness Association argued would have 'honor[ed] the promise of Make America Healthy Again' — fell short. And of course, hospitals remain livid over the Senate bill's Medicaid changes. — While clean energy groups acknowledged that the Senate bill represented an improvement over the House's version, today's package was 'an intentional effort to undermine the fastest-growing sources of electric power [that] will lead to increased energy bills, decreased grid reliability, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs,' American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said in a statement. Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI, where we wish you all a big, beautiful naptime. Send lobbying tips before nodding off though: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. SEEING IT THROUGH: In one final push to smooth the reconciliation bill's path through the Senate and then the House, the National Association of Manufacturers and more than 300 other trade associations and companies in the manufacturing sector threw their full backing behind the measure last night. — 'The global manufacturing economy is more competitive today than at any point in recent history, and this bill delivers a tax code that responds to that geopolitical and economic reality,' the industry coalition wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson. — 'As manufacturers did following the tax reform's passage in 2017, our industry is ready to deliver on the promise of economic growth, higher wages, more jobs, continued investment, and accelerated research that these policies will enable,' the letter continued. 'Manufacturers are committed to building on the success of the TCJA, preventing devastating tax increases, and making America the best place in the world to make things.' FORMER ACTING FAA CHIEF REGISTERS TO LOBBY: Dan Elwell, who led the FAA during the Boeing 737 MAX crisis during the first Trump administration, has registered to lobby for the first time since leaving government. Elwell, who opened his consulting shop Elwell & Associates in 2020, began lobbying last week on behalf of Cyclone, an airplane parts manufacturer whose customers include Boeing. He's lobbying on the 'manufacturing, approval, and sale of parts for U.S.-manufactured commercial aircraft,' according to a disclosure filing. — Elwell joined the first Trump administration in 2017 as deputy FAA administrator, and served as the agency's acting head from 2018 to 2019. Before joining the administration, he worked as Airlines for America's senior vice president for safety, security and operations, and was an in-house lobbyist for the Aerospace Industries Association and American Airlines. — He also worked on Trump's second transition, and his name was also in the mix late last year to be nominated to lead FAA permanently. DOGE ALUM TRIES TO BEAT MUSK AT HIS OWN GAME: 'An ally of President Donald Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency adviser James Fishback on Tuesday is launching a super PAC called FSD PAC designed to blunt Elon Musk's political ambitions,' POLITICO's Sophia Cai reports. (The name of the PAC is a swipe at Tesla's 'full self-driving mode, but stands for 'Full Support for Donald.') — 'Its strategy is to be a bulwark against Musk's threats — real or perceived, and comes as multiple Republicans shrug off the latest social media spat as little to worry about in a world where Trump so thoroughly commands the loyalty of the GOP base.' — 'The PAC will spend money in any race where Musk follows through on his plan to bankroll a third-party hopeful, or where he backs a Democrat or a Republican primary challenge against a Trump-endorsed incumbent. The goal: ensure that Musk's deep pockets don't undermine Trump's grip on the GOP.' OTHER REGISTRATIONS THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE: A little over than a week out from the Trump administration's so-called reciprocal tariffs snapping back into place, trade policy continues driving new business on K Street — in particular from retailers. Ralph Lauren and Bombas have both brought on new lobbying help in recent weeks, retaining Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and the Vogel Group, respectively, to work on tariff issues. — Meanwhile Oura Ring retained Invariant this month to work on issues related to health tech and wearable devices. Invariant is the third outside lobbying firm working for the smart ring maker, which only hired its first federal lobbyists last October. — And five years since the pandemic made them a household name, Zoom has registered its first in-house lobbyist. Marcy Weldin, who leads U.S. public policy and procurement at the video conferencing giant, is lobbying on telecom implementation within the federal government and Pentagon in particular. STAFFING UP: Liberal legal advocacy group Democracy Forward has announced a slate of additions to its legal team. The group has added Joshua Salzman, Yenisey Rodríguez and Nathaniel Zelinsky as senior counsels, Amy Vickery and Anisha Hindocha as oversight attorneys, Simon Brewer as a senior staff attorney and Joe Shantz as senior policy counsel. Jobs report — The American Economic Liberties Project is adding Alvaro Bedoya as a senior adviser. He previously was an FTC commissioner who resigned after refusing to accept Trump's firing of him, which he said was illegal. — McLarty Associates has promoted Jérémie Gallon, previously head of McLarty Europe in Brussels, to lead the firm's entire Europe practice. Head of strategy Claire Kaiser will co-lead the Eurasia practice, and managing director Fran Burwell will also be head of research, in addition to her current responsibilities. — Molly Tuttle is now director of workforce development at the American Council of Engineering Companies where she will support ACEC's Workforce Committee and the organization's engagement with the Engineering Workforce Consortium. She was previously with the global engineering firm AECOM and the Semiconductor Industry Association. — FAMM has promoted Shanna Rifkin to general counsel and Mary Price to senior counsel. — Brian Burton has joined Saronic Technologies as senior director for growth, per Morning Defense. He was most recently a senior adviser for international and industry engagement in DOD's Industrial Base Policy office and is a Boeing alum. — Thomas Quatroche Jr., the CEO of Erie County Medical Center, is now chair of the board at America's Essential Hospitals. He succeeds Jacob Cintron, the president and CEO of University Medical Center of El Paso. — James Czerniawski is now head of emerging tech policy at Consumer Choice Center. He previously was lead tech policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity. — Gabriel Uy is now national coalitions director at the DNC. He previously was deputy director of intergovernmental affairs and public engagement for VP Kamala Harris. — Megan Echtenkamp is now briefing book coordinator for the deputy secretary at DHS. She most recently was director of external affairs at Florida Young Republicans. — Alana Conant is joining Gambit Strategies as vice president of digital strategy. She previously was digital candidate services director at the DSCC. — Natalia Vanegas is joining the National Council of Nonprofits as vice president of comms. She previously was assistant secretary for public affairs at HUD. — Celia Winslow will be the American Financial Services Association's next president and CEO. She was most recently executive vice president and head of federal government affairs for the group. — Hadley Ott is now a research economist at the Council of Economic Advisors. He most recently was a policy analyst at MacIver Institute and an intern for the Center for Immigration Studies. — Daniel Wanderley is now special assistant for policy at the Department of Education. He most recently was a policy research intern at the Heritage Foundation. — Joshua Loucks is now special assistant to the deputy energy secretary. He most recently was a research associate in tax and energy policy at the Cato Institute. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs Empower California Now (Hybrid PAC) IndiGo PAC (Super PAC) NC SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2026 (PAC) Rising Voices Collective (PAC) Virisha LLC (PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Central Atlanta Progress Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Kochava, Inc. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Ralph Lauren Corporation Bell & Lindsay, Inc. (Formerly White House Consulting Inc.): Demerx, Inc Bitdeer Technologies Group: Bitdeer Technologies Group Bromelkamp Government Relations, LLC: Chromatic 3D Materials Capitol Pillar LLC: Adams Memorial Foundation, Inc Compass Capitol Advisors, LLC: Itserve Alliance Inc Drake Ventures, LLC: Timios, Inc Elwell & Associates, LLC: Elbit Systems - Cyclone Ltd. Federal Business Group: Minneapolis Speaker Company, Inc. Ferox Strategies: Adtalem Global Education Hance Scarborough: Brian Glackin & Associates (On Behalf Of Codan Communications LLC) Haro Solutions LLC: American Academy Of Pediatrics Haro Solutions LLC: The Perigee Fund Hb Strategies: Genesis Systems, LLC Hogan Lovells US LLP: National Women'S Soccer League, LLC Invariant LLC: Molten Industries Inc. Invariant LLC: Ouraring Inc. Marble Arch: Bmo Bank N.A. Marble Arch: Servicenow, Inc. Mn8 Energy LLC: Mn8 Energy LLC Ogr: General Mills Inc. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP: Cyera US Inc. Prism Group: Pembina Pipeline Corp. Schaerr Jaffe LLP: The Democracy Fund Shumaker Advisors, LLC: Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Inc. Stanton Park Group: Kyowa Kirin The Vogel Group: Bombas LLC The Vogel Group: Mtn (Dubai) Limited The Vogel Group: Skywater Technology Inc. The Vogel Group: Truetest Medical Vernonburg Group: Tp-Link Systems, Inc. Zoom Communications Inc: Zoom Communications, Inc New Lobbying Terminations Invariant LLC: Nuview Michael Strachn: West Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (Wsafca) Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP: Holy Redeemer Health System Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP: Liberty Healthcare Corporation
Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Don't forget about Iran's space program
With help from Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric Left out of Israel and the United States's bombardment of Iran was one potentially key piece of infrastructure: Iran's growing space program, which U.S. officials have warned could one day help power an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking far beyond the Middle East. The program may have suffered indirectly in the strikes though — and could well be a target in the future. Iran currently has no known program for building ICBMs, per NICHOLAS CARL, an Iran analyst at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. Such missiles, first developed in the 1950s, shoot into space and then reenter the atmosphere to strike targets as much as 11,000 miles away. Indeed, Iran has taken pains to say it has limited its missiles' range to under 1250 miles, Carl said. However, Iran does have an increasingly robust space program — which could allow it to develop the rocketry and associated tech necessary to build an ICBM. In 2023, Iran launched a rocket with a capsule capable of life support as part of plans to send a human to space. In 2024 it launched three satellite-carrying rockets. Meanwhile, ties between Iran and top space power Russia have grown increasingly close amid Iran's support for Russia's war on Ukraine. Russia launched one Iranian satellite from its Vostochny Cosmodrome in February 2023, then launched a further two Iranian satellites in November 2024. Such collaboration could be particularly appealing to Russia after its space partners in Europe cut ties with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 'Iran is a willing and paying customer right when others have backed out,' said KARI BINGEN, who leads the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. All of this is alarming to the U.S., which has sanctioned Iran's space program and may have launched a covert campaign to undermine it under the first Trump administration. Strategic Command head Gen. ANTHONY COTTON, in written testimony given this year, stated that Iran's space program 'likely shortens the timeline to produce an ICBM due to the similarities in technology.' 'Why do they have a space program? Is Iran going to go to the moon? No, they're trying to build an ICBM so they can one day put a warhead on it,' Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO warned in a CBS interview this month. So far, Israel isn't directly targeting Iran's space infrastructure, such as its launch pads. However, the space program may be indirectly squeezed by the strikes. On June 13, Israel killed Brig. Gen. AMIR ALI HAJIZADEH, who led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, which controls Iran's military space program. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Iranian missile production facilities may have an impact on Iran's space program, said Bingen, given that the subcomponents for space and missile programs have a broad overlap. Of course, just because Iran has a space program, it doesn't necessarily mean it's using it solely as part of research toward an ICBM. Space programs are often as much about national prestige as national security, as they were when the U.S. and Soviet Union vied to be the first to place astronauts in space and later the moon. Indeed, in an echo of past space races, Iran's launch of a capsule capable of supporting life reportedly carried animals into space — just as the Soviet Union did when it blasted a dog into orbit back in 1957. The Inbox ELUSIVE IRAN TALKS: Iran and the United States have not yet penciled a date for talks, and Iran's making it clear it has one big demand before any negotiations resume: that President DONALD TRUMP stop threatening future strikes. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI told the BBC today that 'right now, we are seeking an answer to this question: Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?' Takht-Ravanchi added that Iran is not backing down in its desire to retain enrichment capabilities. The administration isn't relaxing its positions either. White House spokesperson KAROLINE LEAVITT today confirmed that special envoy STEVE WITKOFF is still 'in communication directly and indirectly' with Iranian counterparts. But it's unclear if those efforts are bringing both sides any closer to an agreement about next steps for negotiations. TRUMP'S SYRIA EXECUTIVE ORDER: Trump will sign an executive order today eliminating most of the remaining U.S. sanctions against Syria, State Department and White House spokespeople said today. The removal of the sanctions was expected after Trump met with Syrian leader AHMED AL-SHARAA last month in Saudi Arabia and vowed to give the fledgling government in Damascus a lifeline. The reprieves are being offered as a way to help al-Sharaa stabilize the country, which is still plagued by turmoil after the collapse of the regime of Syrian dictator BASHAR ASSAD. Leavitt insisted at a briefing today that sanctions against Assad and his allies, as well as 'human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, Islamic State and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies,' will remain in place. It's also worth noting that some sanctions will remain on Syria, including those mandated through the Caesar Civilian Protection Act of 2019. The U.S. will also continue to consider Syria a state sponsor of terrorism. ISRAEL'S NEW GAZA STRIKES: As the White House signals it wants to return its focus to securing a new deal to end fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel has launched several military operations in the territory, Reuters' Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell report. The Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders today for a number of areas in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing a new wave of displacement. Meanwhile, airstrikes and tank attacks killed 60 people in the enclave today in the suburbs of Gaza City. Israel claims it took efforts to lessen/reduce/avoid civilian casualties and targeted the Hamas militant group's command and control centers. All these military efforts presaged the visit of Israeli strategic affairs minister RON DERMER to Washington for meetings with U.S. officials. He'll be meeting with U.S. counterparts Tuesday. IT'S MONDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at ebazail@ and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on X and Bluesky at: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @ @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes ALL CLEAR (FOR NOW): The nation's top cybersecurity agencies are saying there's no sign yet of a coordinated Iranian cyber campaign against the U.S. following the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. The statement was jointly issued today by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center and the National Security Agency. Still, the agencies warned critical infrastructure facilities, such as power grids or dams, to keep on guard. U.S. utilities have been bracing for Iranian cyberattacks since even before the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan this month, Iran has spent years building up their cyber forces, which the U.S. has accused of being behind campaigns against U.S. companies and government agencies. Iran's apparent decision to not target the U.S. with cyberstrikes follows its relatively limited military response to the U.S. strike, in which Iran gave advance notice that it would fire missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar. The Complex ITALY BRIDGES THE GAP: Italy is eyeing an inventive solution to its struggles to reach the NATO alliance's lofty defense spending targets: building a multibillion-dollar bridge between its mainland peninsula and Sicily. Our colleagues Tommaso Lecca, Ben Munster and Martina Sapio report that Italian officials are looking to build a long-desired suspension bridge between the Italian peninsula and the Sicilian city of Messina, the construction of which eluded Italy's leaders dating back to the Roman Empire. The expensive bridge — valued at nearly $16 billion — has never been constructed since the process of constructing the large bridge in an active seismic region was long seen as too difficult. But the argument goes that now with the impetus to spend money on defense, the bridge would be a useful investment that would improve the ability of allies to deploy resources and troops to Sicily, and constructing the bridge for military purposes would clear some of the technical roadblocks associated with the project. It has been expected that European partners would use some creative accounting to reach the 5 percent defense spending target, especially after the alliance allowed allies to count spending on cybersecurity and infrastructure to support military installations to count as 1.5 percent of that. But this effort could prove to test the limits of the alliance's definition of supportive infrastructure, since the bridge's dual use function to boost military installations in Sicily could be cast into some doubt. On the Hill NAVY'S MEGABILL MISSION: The funding bill currently making its way through Congress would fund more Navy ships than the Defense Department has asked for — that is if Republicans can move past other issues they have with Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' As our friends at Morning Defense wrote this morning (for Pros!), the GOP-backed reconciliation bill would add 16 new ships to the Navy's fleet. By contrast, the Defense Department asked in its budget request to only add three more. While analysts aren't sure it'll do much to boost the fleet — since the Navy will have to decommission older ships in the longer term to account for maintenance costs — it's a boost to shipyards in the short term. Yet Republicans are antsy about the Trump administration's efforts to Medicaid costs and the bill's future looks uncertain. Sen. THOM TILLIS (R-N.C.), who announced he would retire at the end of this Congress over the weekend, and colleagues JIM JUSTICE ( and LISA MURKOWSKI (R-Alaska), have voiced their concerns about the bill and have not yet committed to voting for it. The bill faces what's expected to be a long 'vote-a-rama' today and potentially tomorrow as Republican leadership looks to appease holdouts while also conforming to strict guidelines for reconciliation set by the Senate parliamentarian. Broadsides VYLAN'S VISA REVOCATION: The State Department revoked the visas of British punk duo Bob Vylan after they chanted 'death to the IDF' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be — inshallah — it will be free' at the Glastonbury music festival this past weekend. As our colleague Cheyanne Daniels reports, Deputy Secretary of State CHRIS LANDAU confirmed the revocation in a social media post, writing on X that the decision was made 'in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.' Bob Vylan — whose members use pseudonyms in protest of what they argue is a surveillance state — was due to tour in the United States. It's the latest example of the Trump administration using all the procedural levers at its disposal against supporters of the Palestinian cause and institutions it deems have not done enough to combat antisemitism from pro-Palestinian activists and organizers. Visa revocations have become an integral component of those efforts. The duo did not comment on the revocations. Lead singer BOBBY VYLAN, whose real name is PASCAL ROBINSON-FOSTER, has defended his performance on social media, calling for more protests and saying 'I said what I said.' Transitions — Global strategy firm McLarty Associates announced a series of new roles and promotions. JÉRÉMIE GALLON, previously head of McLarty Europe in Brussels, will lead the firm's entire Europe practice. Head of strategy CLAIRE KAISER will co-lead the Eurasia practice. Prior to McLarty, Gallon led AmCham France after years posted to Washington by the EU's foreign service arm, serving as senior political adviser to the EU ambassador to the U.S.. He'll succeed former Ambassador RICK BURT, who built the practice and will remain at the firm as a senior counselor. Managing Director FRAN BURWELL will also be head of research, in addition to her current responsibilities. — JERRY HENDRIX is now deputy to the associate director for defense at the Office of Management and Budget. He most recently was senior counselor at the Office of Shipbuilding on the National Security Council and served in the Navy for 26 years. — MEGAN ECHTENKAMP is now briefing book coordinator for the deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. She most recently was director of external affairs at Florida Young Republicans. What to Read — Maggie Michael, Reuters: Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites. The chain of command led to Damascus. — Maria Abi-Habib, Paulina Villegas and Alan Feuer, The New York TImes: Cartel Fighters Make a Desperate Alliance That Could Transform Underworld — Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press: Survivor of Israel's attack on Iran's Evin prison describes a 'slow death' after 12-day war — Carl Bildt, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Sanna Marin and Kajsa Ollongren, European Pravda: The cost of saving Europe: what the EU must do now to stop Putin Tomorrow Today — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 11 a.m.: Explosive Triangle: The U.S., Iran and Israel — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, 2 p.m.: Schriever Spacepower Series with Col. ROBERT W. DAVIS Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who should never be allowed to develop their own space programs.
Politico
25-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Holocaust restitution group hires Mayer Brown
With Daniel Lippman JEWISH RESTITUTION GROUP LOBBYING ON LEGAL PROTECTIONS: A global organization advocating for the return of private property and compensation for Holocaust survivors and their families has enlisted Mayer Brown to lobby on a new bill aimed at helping Jewish families recover artwork looted by Nazis. — Marc Cohen, Charley Lanter and John Mirvish began working last week on behalf of the World Jewish Restitution Organization on supplementing the 2016 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, according to a disclosure filing. That law established a federal statute of limitations starting at the time of discovery of Nazi-confiscated artwork and called for restitution claims to be decided on the merits rather than procedural or technical grounds. — But critics have accused governments and institutions like museums of exploiting loopholes in those enhanced protections and of trying to run out the clock by stonewalling and employing various legal tactics to avoid turning over stolen art. — In May, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and six other bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation that would eliminate the 2026 expiration date for the HEAR Act and further strengthen its legal protections and access to recourse for victims. — 'To fully realize the HEAR Act's promise and uphold the United States' enduring commitment to Holocaust justice, WJRO calls on Congress to act decisively to strengthen the HEAR Act,' the group said in a statement last month. MORE NEW BUSINESS: TechNet, which represents more than 100 tech startups and Silicon Valley heavyweights including Apple, Google, Intuit, Meta and Amazon, has retained Farragut Partners to lobby on federal data privacy legislation, according to a newly filed disclosure. — The team of lobbyists working on the account includes former Rep. Ed Whitfield, a longtime member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee before his retirement in 2016, and Dylan Moore, a former deputy chief of staff to Whitfield's fellow E&C alum Larry Bucshon. — TechNet has just three other outside firms on retainer, all of which were brought on in the past three years: Avoq, the Smith-Free Group and Crossroads Strategies. — Meanwhile the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmaceutical middlemen, hired Continental Strategy this week, as PBMs' business practices face a multipronged threat from the Trump administration and GOP megabill. Tim Costa, a former chief of staff to Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), and Chris Miles, a former deputy chief of staff to former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), are working on the account. — The House and Senate versions of the reconciliation bill both contain provisions targeting PBM practices like spread pricing in Medicaid. President Donald Trump's April executive order called for tying U.S. drug prices to the cost of those medicines overseas and for establishing a mechanism for patients to purchase drugs directly from manufacturers, cutting out middlemen like pharmacy benefit managers. Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. We hope you're managing to stay cool out there. Got any interesting reconciliation lobbying scoops? Drop me a line: Add me on Signal or email me at coprysko@ And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD FIGHT: 'Food industry groups frustrated over being left out of planning for the Make America Healthy Again report are angling to play a bigger role in shaping a looming Trump administration move that could have a major impact on nutrition policy,' per POLITICO's Rachel Shin. — At a recent White House meeting for ag groups to air their grievances with the MAHA report, the National Pork Producers Council, the Meat Institute and the International Dairy Foods Association 'highlighted their desire to be involved as the FDA prepares a definition for 'ultra-processed foods,'' which could ultimately 'shape which products are eligible for school lunch menus or available to buy with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.' — In particular, 'meat and dairy groups want officials to distinguish between nutrient-dense processed options and empty calorie foods, which would allow their products to remain accessible in federal programs.' — 'MAHA leaders have made ultra-processed foods — which often contain artificial ingredients like preservatives, emulsifiers and sweeteners — a primary focus of their movement to improve America's public health. An ultra-processed foods definition would likely serve as the foundation for future labelling efforts and regulations aiming to minimize consumption of those products, especially by children.' RE: THE RUMORS OF FEDSOC'S DEMISE: 'President Donald Trump said the Federalist Society gave him 'bad advice' on judicial nominations. He's still appointing their members to the federal bench anyway,' POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs and Daniel Barnes write. — The Senate Judiciary Committee this week will consider a slate of nominees 'for seats on the federal bench, including Emil Bove, Trump's No. 3 at the Justice Department and an outsider to some mainstream conservative legal circles.' — 'Bove's nomination has divided the right over whether Trump was eschewing the traditional conservative Federalist Society pipeline in favor of his own brand of loyalist nominees. But even amid a schism between Trump and the Federalist Society, the president's orbit has continued to embrace lawyers and jurists who have ties to the most influential conservative legal group.' — Case in point: Following today's hearing with Bove, Senate Judiciary 'will also vote Thursday on a different slate of judicial nominees, all five of whom are members of the Federalist Society, according to their disclosures and the Federalist Society website.' FLYING IN: Nearly 500 national construction and business leaders are in town this week for a fly-in organized by the Associated Builders and Contractors. The trade group heard from Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) at a breakfast during its summit and was slated to huddle with hundreds of offices across the Capitol, including member-level meetings with House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House Education and Workforce Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). — ABC's members are pushing legislation that would scrap project labor agreements for federal construction contracts and will of course lobby for passage of the reconciliation bill in addition to workforce development incentives and visa reforms. — Executives from top fintechs were also in town today for a fly-in and CEO summit hosted by the Financial Technology Association. House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) addressed the summit earlier in the day before execs headed off to meetings on the Hill and with officials from OMB, the White House and Treasury, as well as acting FDIC Chair Travis Hill and acting OCC Comptroller Rodney Hood. They discussed fintech policy issues such as payments modernization, AI, open banking, bank-fintech partnerships, and access to capital for small businesses. LAYOFFS HIT EEI: 'The Edison Electric Institute laid off a number of employees Tuesday ahead of its new CEO taking charge,' E&E News' Tim Cama reports. EEI spokesperson Brian Reil said that the trade group has 'strategically restructured our team to position EEI for the future and to ensure that we can continue meeting the evolving needs of our customers,' but declined to reveal how many positions were being eliminated. — The staff cuts came a week before Drew Maloney moves over from his post atop the American Investment Council to serve as the next president and CEO of the investor-owned utilities group. They cap off a turbulent couple of years for EEI that saw Dan Brouilette, the former Trump Energy secretary who took over following the retirement of longtime EEI head Tom Kuhn, ousted after less than a year on the job. SPOTTED at Cafe Fiorello for a fundraiser that raised six figures for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), per a tipster: Lyndon Boozer and DeAna Dow of Capitol Counsel, Fred Humphries of Microsoft, Steve Hartell of Amazon, Laurie Knight of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, James Assey of NCTA, Mignon Clyburn of MLC Strategies, Shashrina Thomas of Reynolds American, Ashley Hayes of Charter Communications, Katreice Banks of AT&T, Lance Mangum of FedEx, Jamie Gillespie of Fox Corp., Erik Huey of Platinum Advisors, Gerry Harrington of Capitol City Group, Larry Duncan of Monument Advocacy, Yebbie Watkins of Clyburn's office and G.K. Butterfield of McGuireWoods. Jobs report — Robert Shapiro is now a partner in Dechert's financial services practice group. He was previously assistant chief counsel in the division of investment management at the SEC. — Rachel Thomas is now senior director of corporate communications at Flagship Pioneering. She most recently was director of strategic communications for implementation in the Biden White House. — Keighle Joyce is joining Morrison Foerster as of counsel in the congressional investigations group. She most recently was senior counsel in the Justice Department's Office of Legislative Affairs, and is a House Homeland Security alum. — Ellen Hamilton will be executive director for the California Democratic delegation. She previously was chief of staff for Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.). — Na'ilah Amaru is now senior director of mobilization and engagement at the League of Women Voters. She was previously pursuing a PhD in political science at the CUNY Graduate Center. — Erica Goldman is joining Prologue as head of insights and analysis. She was most recently managing director and insights lead at Purple Strategies. — Oliver McPherson-Smith is now the America First Policy Institute's vice chair for energy and environment. He was previously the White House's National Energy Dominance Council executive director (he left the position after less than a month; click here to read more). — Alan Davidson is now head of government affairs at Databricks, a data intelligence platform. He most recently served as assistant secretary of commerce and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and is a Mozilla alum. — John Mitchell is now senior manager of public policy at Workday, leading its federal advocacy on AI and data privacy. He was previously a director at the Consumer Technology Association. — The Berkman Klein Center has a new round of hires: Alex Pascal is now its executive director by way of the White House Domestic Policy Council, where he co-led policy initiatives on AI and social media platforms. Meg Marco is being permanently appointed as senior director of BKC's Applied Social Media Lab. She's a WIRED, ProPublica and Wall Street Journal alum. New Joint Fundraisers TEAM BRAUN (Sen. Mike Braun, Freedom & Opportunity Fund, Indiana Republican State Committee, Inc., Hoosiers for Opportunity Prosperity and Enterprise Victory Fund) New PACs POWERBACK (PAC)Win Back Our Country PAC (Hybrid PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Alston & Bird LLP: Claritev Ballard Partners: Banco Btg Pactual S.A. - Cayman Branch Ballard Partners: Unet Production, LLC Farragut Partners LLP: Fullscript Farragut Partners LLP: Technet The Voice Of Innovation Economy Grayrobinson Pa: Texas Health Care Association K&L Gates, LLP: Highland Copper Company Inc. Mayer Brown LLP: World Jewish Restitution Organization Mission Strategies LLC (Energy): Evergrow Inc. Vnf Solutions, LLC: American Water Works Association Vnf Solutions, LLC: Cherry Street Energy New Lobbying Terminations National American Indian Housing Council: National American Indian Housing Council The Picard Group, LLC: Esperanza Land, LLC
Politico
24-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Hillsdale's lobbying pays off
With Amanda Chu, Daniel Lippman CONSERVATIVE COLLEGE CARVEOUT: President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are angling to use their megabill to turn the screws on elite liberal colleges that take millions in taxpayer funds while sitting on endowments worth tens of billions of dollars. But a single college that's a paragon of conservative higher education has managed to secure a carveout after finding itself in the crossfire, your host reports for Pros. — Hillsdale College, a Christian liberal arts school of fewer than 2,000 students located in southern Michigan, is one of a slew of smaller institutions that had been working to avoid being swept up in the GOP effort to raise taxes on the seemingly bottomless endowments of household names like Harvard, Princeton and Yale. — But Hillsdale stands apart from those schools: For one, it's a rare institution of higher learning that the modern Republican Party applauds. Just as uncommon, Hillsdale accepts no funding from the federal government. — That formed the crux of its argument that, on principle, Hillsdale and schools like it should not be subject to a federal tax on endowments. The university, like other schools fearful of a tax hike on their endowments, turned to K Street earlier this year for help with the endowment tax, as PI previously reported. — While the Hillsdale would still be hit by the tax under the House-passed reconciliation bill, Hillsdale's distinctive argument appeared to have broken through in the Senate, where tax writers last week included an exemption for schools that fit Hillsdale's profile in the draft text of their bill. — Despite Hillsdale's incomparable conservative credentials — or possibly in spite of them — that reprieve is by no means guaranteed, as Hillsdale found out eight years ago. And there remains one hitch that could complicate things: At least right now, there aren't believed to be any other schools besides Hillsdale that don't accept federal cash and have large enough endowments that they're at risk of being hit by the endowment tax. (Pro subscribers can read the full story here. Others can find it on the POLITICO home page tomorrow morning.) Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI. What's going on out there? Add me on Signal or email me at coprysko@ And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. FLYING IN: AARP will fan out across the Hill tomorrow for an 11th-hour lobbying blitz to seek changes to the reconciliation bill, including its new work requirements for recipients of Medicaid and food stamps. The advocacy group has more than 330 meetings on the books with members from both parties on both sides of the Capitol. — AARP supports certain parts of the bill, including the broadening of the bonus standard deductions for older Americans and expansions of a caregiver tax credit and the low-income housing tax credit. And AARP-opposed language in the House-passed megabill that would have expanded the orphan drug exclusion from the Inflation Reduction Act's drug pricing provisions was dropped from the Senate text. — But AARP wants to see additional changes to the Senate bill's cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including its move to foist the costs of SNAP onto states, which may end up securing approval from the Senate parliamentarian. — The Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition, meanwhile, was on the Hill today in an effort to salvage an investment tax credit that is poised to sunset at the end of this year for solar projects under the reconciliation bill. SEMA is also lobbying for the removal of a restriction in the Senate version on how many products companies can claim an advanced manufacturing tax credit for. COMING ATTRACTIONS: As Republicans' war with elite colleges rages on, Wall Street is the latest industry 'trying to get out of the crosshairs of Republican states that are cracking down on companies for 'woke' policies that conservative policymakers say are illegal and discriminatory,' The Wall Street Journal's Alexander Saeedy, AnnaMaria Andriotis and Dylan Tokar write. — 'Representatives from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and other big banks met in recent weeks with officials in states including Texas and Oklahoma to defend against allegations that they refuse to do business with industries such as gun manufacturing and fossil-fuel extraction, people familiar with the discussions said.' — 'Banks are also worried about a bigger threat: that President Trump could turn the power of the federal government against banks, as he has with universities and big law firms. The Trump administration is considering an executive order on 'debanking,' according to people familiar with the matter.' A NEW STAMP ON BALLARD'S PASSPORT: Ballard Partners has announced another expansion to its series of strategic partnerships around the globe, teaming up with the Mexico City-based government affairs firm Global Nexus. — The latest addition to the Ballard Global Alliance means that the firm now has a foothold in every country on the continent ahead of next year's likely renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, and as the Trump administration looks to squeeze America's neighbors on trade and immigration issues. — Ballard announced its partnership with Quebec-based TACT in March, and has also struck up partnerships with government affairs shops in Japan, South Korea, Latin America, the U.K. and Italy as well as a domestic alliance with Checkmate Government Relations. FIRST IN PI — GLASS HOUSE ALERT: One of the intellectual architects of the push to cut Medicaid once took a loan from the government that was never repaid, Daniel reports. Brian Blase is president of Paragon Health Institute, which has taken on a high-profile role in the effort in Congress to slash Medicaid costs through work requirements and other reforms. — He has called Medicaid America's 'most flawed' entitlement program while advocating for changes that would reduce spending on the program by hundreds of billions of dollars. — But while Blase calls for those cuts, he has benefited from government largesse in the past. His consulting firm, Blase Policy Strategies LLC, took a $20,833 Covid relief loan under the Paycheck Protection Program in May 2020, but it was not repaid and was later fully forgiven in line with many other PPP loans. Shortly after, in January 2021, he bought a house near Jacksonville for almost $700,000, according to real estate records. — Blase said he was told to apply for the PPP loan by his accountant and that he adhered to all rules as he ran his small business. 'Like millions of other Americans, I applied for a PPP loan as part of the shared national effort to keep the economy going during COVID,' he said in a statement. 'I'm proud of the work that my Paragon team and I have done to expose how government programs often fail American patients, particularly the most vulnerable, and hard-working families.' — Blase, a former congressional staffer, is testifying on Wednesday before the House Budget Committee on Medicaid reform. In a sign of Paragon's sway, a letter in early May released by fiscal hawks in Congress appeared to be written at least in part by Paragon. — Blase served on the National Economic Council in the first Trump administration. But on Jan. 6, 2021, he implicitly criticized Trump's efforts to overturn the election. In 2022, Paragon Health Institute received almost $3 million from Koch-funded outfit Stand Together. HOSPITALS HIT THE AIRWAVES: The American Hospital Association launched a seven-figure ad campaign in Washington Monday in a last-ditch effort to persuade Congress to protect hospital care in the GOP megabill, Amanda reports. — The campaign, which includes TV and digital advertising, comes a week after Senate Republicans unveiled draft provisions in the megabill to curtail a crucial Medicaid financing mechanism for hospitals, known as provider taxes, by nearly half. The ad buy comes on the heels of a fly-in of more than 250 hospital leaders last week to sway senators on Medicaid changes. SPOTTED last night at a Capitol Hull fundraiser hosted by Moran Global Strategies' Austin Durrer, HM&CO's Helen Milby, Duberstein Group's Kate Keating, Venn Strategies' Erik Olson, Thorn Run Partners' Andy Rosenberg and Stuart Chapman and DLA Piper's Jamie Gregorian for James Walkinshaw, who's running in the special election to succeed his late boss Gerry's Connolly (D-Va.), per a tipster: Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va), David Gillis of General Dynamics, Kevin Richards of SAP, Peter Brown of Deloitte, Ryan McGuire of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Tania Hanna of L3/Harris, Vanessa Ide of Demand Elections, Adam Goldberg of Elevance Health, Michelle Dorothy of Rep. Chrissy Houlahan's (D-Pa.) office, Ed An of Google, Travis Robey of the American Hospital Association, Gordon Taylor of Ogilvy, Roger West of HII, Chris Gaspar of BAE, Lee Friedman of NCTA, Karl Koch of Holland & Knight, Joe Vidulich of Capital One, Linda Auglis of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, Christopher Hartmann of Cigna, Roger Jordan of SAIC, Cindy Brown of Forbes Tate Partners and Tom McMillan of Moran Global Strategies. Jobs report — Joe Brown is joining Mehlman Consulting. He was most recently a senior professional staffer on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and is a John Boozman alum. — Heath Taylor is joining AxAdvocacy as director of government relations research. He most recently was a consultant at ThinkTek, and is a Booz Allen Hamilton and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) alum. — Dow Chemical has promoted Colleen Litkenhaus to global director of public policy in addition to her current role as global director of plastics/circularity advocacy. — Elena Hernandez is now chief of staff at the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She previously worked in policy and corporate communications at YouTube and is an OSTP alum from Trump's first term. — Danielle Melfi will be the new CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She previously was the first chief people officer in the Biden White House, and is an AmeriCorps and Building Back Together alum. — Julia Trent is now director in Ervin Graves Strategy Group's defense, aerospace and cybersecurity practice group. She most recently was deputy director of member services and chief clerk for the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. — David Berrios is now vice president of organizing and campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All. He previously was North Carolina campaign manager for the Harris campaign and is a DOE alum. — Sydney Maingot is now communications director for Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.). She most recently was a communications associate for Bullpen Strategy Group. — John Provenzano will be CEO of NENA: The 9-1-1 Association. He was previously vice president of public affairs for Publix Super Markets. — Dan Krassner is now senior vice president at Kensington Avenue Strategies and executive director of the American EV Jobs Alliance. He previously was senior director of campaigns at Unite America. New Joint Fundraisers None. New PACs Alliance 4 American Leadership (PAC) Californians For A Better Future (Hybrid PAC) La Luz (Leadership PAC: Luz Rivas) Neighbor Network (PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Alston & Bird LLP: Remitly, Inc. Avoq, LLC: Kidde Global Solutions Ballard Partners: Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation, LLC A/K/A Mettel Ballard Partners: Rio Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Boundary Stone Partners: Chambers For Innovation And Clean Energy Canfield Consulting, LLC: Applied Intuition Carpi & Clay, Inc: City Of Inglewood Carpi & Clay, Inc: Trifiletti Consulting Checkmate Government Relations: Digicel Holdings (Bermuda) Limited Checkmate Government Relations: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (Finra) Checkmate Government Relations: Summit Sd, LLC Checkmate Government Relations: Syberjet LLC Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: City Of Baton Rouge And Parish Of East Baton Rouge Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: Rune Technologies, Inc. Cr Federal: Umbra Lab, Inc. Dga Group Government Relations LLC: Federation Of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, Inc. Dla Piper LLP (US): Novartis Farragut Partners LLP: Neuralace Medical, Inc. Franklin Square Group, LLC: Ai Integrators Council Franklin Square Group, LLC: Consuli Government Relations Group, LLC: Millenium Natural Systems LLC Guardian Police Solutions LLC: Phoenix Law Enforcement Association Icebreaker Strategies, LLC: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Keller Partners & Company: Manchester University K&L Gates, LLP: Fwc2026 US, Inc. K&L Gates, LLP: H.Q. Energy Services (U.S.) Inc. K&L Gates, LLP: Portland State University Maven Advocacy Partners LLC: National Wildlife Federation Michael Best Strategies LLC: Gray Media, Inc. Off Hill Strategies L.L.C.: Altria Client Services LLC Off Hill Strategies L.L.C.: American Efficient LLC Penn Avenue Partners: Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. Platinum Advisors Dc, LLC: Microsoft Corp. Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Aurubis Ag Saxa Innovation LLC: Rev Group, Inc. Sparacino Pllc: Sparacino Pllc Squire Patton Boggs: Moet Hennessy USa Strategies 360: Hawaii Foodbank Strategies 360: Homeaid Hawaii Thorn Run Partners: Ufa, Inc. Thorn Run Partners: Xiphos Partners Yc Consulting, LLC: Locked Brands, LLC New Lobbying Terminations Inline Policy Inc.: Skyscanner Limited Justice Action Network: Justice Action Network Mr. Mark Kopec: Motorola Solutions
