| General Motors has made five additions to its roster of outside lobbying firms that will work on topics including electric vehicles. Why it matters: Big companies are positioning themselves to influence policy and legislation as Democrats wield expanded power, but Republicans also hold lots of sway in the narrowly divided Congress. Driving the news: Newly public filings under the Lobbying Disclosure Act show these firms began working for GM last month on a wide array of matters. Of note: Ricchetti Inc.'s head Jeff Ricchetti is the brother of White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, a closer adviser to President Biden. What they're saying: Asked about the suite of new hirings, GM spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan tells Axios: - "We evaluate our consultants on an annual basis to ensure we are well positioned to advocate for policies that support our customers, dealers and employees, help strengthen our manufacturing presence in the United States and advance our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."
The big picture: There's frequent churn in various companies' outside lobbying rosters, especially during power transitions, so we'll be watching automakers and other interests. E&E News noted this month that "A bevy of clean energy companies has registered to lobby the federal government in recent months." * * * Speaking of cars and lobbying, the Associated Press reports: "A coalition of automakers has told the Biden administration it would agree to raise mileage standards to reduce tailpipe emissions but with tradeoffs and at rates lower than those brokered by California with five other car manufacturers." | 
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