| | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | Presented by Tyson Foods | With Theodoric Meyer and Daniel Lippman FIRST IN PI — HALLER WILL HEAD FRANCHISE ASSOCIATION: The International Franchise Association has tapped Matt Haller , its top lobbyist, as the trade group's next president and chief executive. He'll succeed Robert Cresanti, who stepped down in March. — Haller has worked for the trade group for more than a decade and is also an alum of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Catherine Monson , the trade group's board chair, praised Haller in an email to staff this afternoon announcing the move, which was obtained by PI, for lobbying to ensure "the Paycheck Protection Program and other relief efforts included eligibility for franchise businesses." — The pandemic hit the trade group hard, forcing it to lay off a dozen staffers last year. In an interview, though, Haller said IFA was hiring again and looking to bring on nine people. "We have recovered in a major way," he said. "Member engagement is higher than it's ever been," and member revenues have almost returned to their pre-pandemic levels. The trade group's top priorities moving forward include fighting the union-backed Protecting the Right to Organize Act and ensuring a potential infrastructure package doesn't raise taxes on its members, he said. | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO will feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2021 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators who are turning lessons learned from the past year into a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. Covid-19 threatened our health and well-being, while simultaneously leading to extraordinary coordination to improve pandemic preparedness, disease prevention, diversity in clinical trials, mental health resources, food access and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY to receive exclusive coverage from June 22-24. | | | | | COMCAST SPIKES ADS TARGETING CHAMBER MEMBERS: Liberal watchdog group Accountable.US, which has been spearheading a campaign to pressure companies that have spoken out in defense of voting rights to sever ties with the Chamber over its opposition to Democrats' voting and ethics reform bill H.R. 1 (117), is crying foul after Comcast rejected ads targeting three such companies in their hometown media markets. — The group has been calling on corporations , especially those who signed on to a full-page ad in the New York Times earlier this year in response to Republican efforts in statehouses across the country to enact restrictive new voting laws, to drop the Chamber, which said it would key-vote the bill. The Chamber "strongly opposes" the Democratic bill because of its lack of GOP support (an issue Sen. Joe Manchin, who opposes it as well, has cited) and provisions to more strongly regulate political advocacy groups. — Accountable.US announced a six-figure ad buy this week centering on Microsoft, Salesforce and Target in their hometowns of Seattle, San Francisco and the Twin Cities. The ads feature a clip of MSNBC host Rachel Maddow asserting that the companies' public statements denouncing restrictive voting laws are at odds with the Chamber's lobbying on the expansive bill. After first receiving the greenlight from Comcast, the group says the cable provider then reversed course and rejected them based on their use of an NBCUniversal personality (Comcast owns NBCUniversal) and the ads' "attacks on individual organizations," according to an email from the company sent to Accountable.US and obtained by PI. The email notes that a more general ad urging "corporate CEOs" to leave the Chamber could be accepted if the footage of Maddow is dropped from it. — The company's advertising content guidelines bar ads containing an "attack of a personal nature, a direct attack on an individual business or comment on a private dispute," though they say ads targeting businesses "in the public forum" or relating to issues "of public concern" may be accepted. "We've determined it doesn't fit with the guidelines," Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice said in an interview, refusing to elaborate further but reiterating the company would review the spots again if Accountable.US removed Maddow and the "personal individual attacks." — "Considering Comcast's strong ties to the U.S. Chamber, its refusal to air ads questioning member corporations' commitment to voting rights reeks of self-interest — an apparent effort to keep consumers in the dark and corporations from abandoning the U.S. Chamber over its ongoing support of voter suppression," Accountable.US President Kyle Herrig argued in a statement, though the Chamber contends the group "blatantly distorts the Chamber's position." Fitzmaurice roundly dismissed the notion that the rejections had anything to do with Mike Rose, Comcast's vice president for external affairs who was named chair of the Chamber's political action committee for the upcoming election cycle. — Even if the group's ads remain off the air for most Comcast customers, Accountable.US said this afternoon CNN had agreed to run a general version of the ad on their network nationwide, contending "it raises more questions about the excuses Comcast is hiding behind for not running it," while the group will also be running digital and print ads in Seattle, San Francisco and the Twin Cities. Good afternoon and welcome to PI. PI will be off tomorrow in observance of Juneteenth, but I'll be back in your inboxes Monday. Until then, send K street tips and gossip: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | FORMER MANCHIN, COONS ADVISER HEADS DOWNTOWN: Jon Kott, a longtime aide to Manchin who most recently served as a senior adviser to Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), has left the Hill and joined Capitol Counsel as a partner. Kott will register to lobby, and noted in an interview that while ethics rules bar him from lobbying Coons for now, he will not similarly be barred from lobbying Manchin, who's taken an outsize role as a key swing vote in the evenly divided Senate. RESTAURANTS URGE SBA TO COME UP WITH EXTRA CASH AFTER THOUSANDS HAVE GRANTS RESCINDED: The National Restaurant Association today pleaded with Small Business Administrator Isabella Guzman to come to the aid of 2,965 restaurants who last week were informed that grants they received as part of the agency's pandemic relief program were being rescinded following a federal court ruling in Texas. — "These 2,965 restaurants received a commitment from the SBA for federal relief, and they deserve every effort to achieve this," Sean Kennedy, the group's top lobbyist, wrote in a letter to Guzman. "The acceptance letter they received from the SBA represented a commitment to provide not only federal funding, but also a needed bit of hope that they would survive to serve their community. The announcement that their grants will be awarded to others has left them confused, frustrated, and afraid they will have to close their doors for good." Kennedy urged Guzman "to review all pandemic relief programs under your control for the prospect of any appropriate reprogramming of federal dollars to fulfill your prior commitments to them." The grants, given out during a three-week period prioritizing woman and minority-owned restaurants, were put on hold by SBA after white restaurant owners, with the backing of the legal group founded by Trump aides Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows won an injunction ruling that the priority period amounted to unconstitutional discrimination. WHAT WILL A DONATION TO MIKE CRAPO GET YOU?: "The four-term senator's campaign committee provided prospective donors a detailed list of pay-to-play deliverables at three price points, according to documents obtained by" Insider's Dave Levinthal (a PI alum). "For a $15,000 'Gold Benefits Package' contribution, lobbyists, financiers, and representatives of other special interests are entitled to no fewer than seven exclusive events with Crapo, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Republicans' chief deputy whip." — A "gold" contributor could have gone on a "Crapo fishing trip in Solomons Island, Maryland, or a golf outing in Bradenton, Florida, according to the documents," while "silver" donors "who donate $10,000 receive the same benefits, save for the potato-fest reception, for which they receive one ticket instead of two. For a $5,000 'Bronze Benefits Package; contribution, donors may select one out-of-town Crapo event plus a reception in Washington, or opt for access to a limited package of receptions and Zoom calls and a ticket to the potato fest." PARTY'S OVER: "President Biden's decision to name the progressive antitrust crusader Lina Khan to lead the Federal Trade Commission is a stark display of how far Silicon Valley has fallen out of favor in the nation's capital," The Wall Street Journal's Brody Mullins and Julie Bykowicz write. — "For years, Amazon and Facebook — along with Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google — were some of the most influential companies in Washington. They initially found a foothold there during [former President Barack] Obama's administration by showing politicians how to use the internet to raise money and spread their messages." The party's relationship with Silicon Valley "soured after the 2016 election of Mr. Trump. To many Democrats, the companies now looked like adversaries," while Republicans developed their own gripes. — Now lawmakers are weighing bills, some with bipartisan support, aimed at reining in some of the largest tech companies, applauding antitrust suits and issuing their own calls to break the companies up, while Biden "has shunned job applicants with ties to large technology companies. His decision to appoint Ms. Khan as FTC chairwoman Wednesday made one thing clear: There is to be no sequel to the tech industry's glory days during Barack Obama's eight years in the White House." FITNESS INDUSTRY, BUSINESS GROUPS ASK CONGRESS TO PASS RELIEF BILL: More than a dozen fitness industry and other business groups wrote to congressional leadership today to ask that relief for gyms be included in any economic recovery package. The groups, which include the Community Gyms Coalition, International Franchise Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Academy of Sports Medicine and more pitched aid for fitness studios as "key pieces to restoring America's fiscal, physical, and mental health," as the country comes closer to emerging from the pandemic. — The GYMS Act, which has nearly 150 co-sponsors in the House and Senate, would create a $30 billion rescue fund similar to the one created for restaurants and live entertainment venues. The immense demand for both of those programs demonstrates the industry's need for aid despite health restrictions being lifted across the country, Jeff Perkins , vice president of government relations at the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association, which signed the letter, said in an interview, adding that he'd begun to hear lawmakers change their tune on whether more relief is necessary in light of the demand. FIREHOUSE MARKS 5 YEARS: Firehouse Strategies, the public affairs firm that began " based on the premise that [former President Donald] Trump has rewritten the rules of modern communications strategy," celebrated its fifth anniversary this week, marking the milestone by emailing clients a timeline chronicling the firm's major moments along with its staff growth, the number of beer taps in the office and the number of Nats season ticket holders. "We really wanted to bring a fresh approach to public affairs," founding partner Alex Conant told PI. "And basically what we started doing five years ago, which is a real focus on results, and what actually moved our targets, is what we're still doing." | | | | A message from Tyson Foods: Leading global protein company, Tyson Foods announced its ambition to achieve net-zero emissions globally by 2050. "Achieving net zero emissions has to be more than just words. It must be done together, rooted in science, so that we can truly make an impact," said John R. Tyson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tyson Foods. Learn more about the company's primary focus areas to get there here. | | | | | | — Stefania Yanachkov joined Waymo's federal policy team, where she'll manage third-party constituency engagement and congressional outreach. She most recently spent five years building the government affairs and stakeholder engagement program for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. — Dao Nguyen, a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs, will be executive director for the Coalition for Workforce Innovation, which fights to keep gig workers classified as independent contractors. She'll represent the coalition on the Hill while Evan Armstrong, the Retail Industry Leaders Association's vice president of workforce policy, will serve as coalition chair and Brian Bennett, vice president for government affairs at the Direct Selling Association, will be vice chair. — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association elected Johnson & Johnson President for U.S. Self Care Michelle Wang Goodridge as the new chair of its board of directors. — Brock Murphy is now an executive assistant at SpaceX. He most recently was a confidential assistant at OMB. — Bob Robertson is now chief marketing officer at Jackson Lewis. He most recently was a senior consultant at PP&C Consulting. — Tony Jewell is now executive director at Neurocrine Biosciences. He most recently was the founder of Boardwalk Public Relations and is also a Bush 43 HHS alum. — Oliver Silverton-Peel, legislative correspondent and scheduler for Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), is moving over to the Conrad Group (a campaign finance firm in D.C.) where he will serve as deputy finance director. | | | Defend the Majority (Reps. Tom O'Halleran, Jahana Hayes, Carolyn Bourdeaux, Steven Horsford, Cindy Axne, Andy Kim, Susan Wild, Lauren Underwood, Sharice Davids, Vicente Gonzalez, Jared Golden, Ron Kind, Chris Pappas, Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher, Colin Allred, Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger, Susie Lee)
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| | | Americans for Border Security PAC (Super PAC)
DentaQuest, LLC Political Action Committee (DentaQuest PAC) (PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | None. | | New Lobbying Terminations | | None.
| | | | A message from Tyson Foods: Tyson Foods announced its ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally by 2050. The move to net zero is an expansion of the company's current science-based target of achieving a 30% GHG emissions reduction by 2030.
"Achieving net zero emissions has to be more than just words. It must be done together, rooted in science, so that we can truly make an impact." said John R. Tyson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tyson Foods.
As a first step, the company will be focusing in on key areas including:
• Updating baseline emissions target to align with the Paris Agreement by 2023.
• Establishing a pathway to using 50% renewable energy in the U.S. by 2030.
• Expanding land stewardship targets and grazing lands program by 2025.
• Eliminating deforestation risk globally by 2030.
Learn more about how the company plans to get there here. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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