| | | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With Daniel Lippman PFIZER ADDS 2 MORE OUTSIDE FIRMS: Pfizer added two new outside lobbying firms last month as negotiations over drug pricing measures heated up in Washington, including TheGROUP DC, the lobbying shop that includes a former staffer to President Joe Biden and alumni of some of his top administration officials. Sudafi Henry, Biden's former legislative affairs director from his time as vice president; Eriade Williams, a deputy chief of staff to former Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.); and Kwabena Nsiah, a former staffer for now-HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and top aide to now-White House aide Cedric Richmond, will all lobby on general health care and manufacturing issues for the drugmaker. — Newly filed lobbying disclosures show Pfizer also retained Federal Health Policy Strategies at the start of September to lobby on drug pricing, a major proposed source of revenue for Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. On the contract are Cookab Hashemi, a former top House Democratic aide; Dan Elling, a former staff director for the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee; and Colin Roskey, a former HHS official and ex-Senate Finance counsel. — The hires add to Pfizer's already substantial bench of outside lobbying firms, which includes Subject Matter, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Williams & Jensen, Empire Consulting Group, NVG, BGR Government Affairs, Ogilvy Government Relations, Lincoln Policy Group and about a dozen more, as the company and its industry fellows look to chip away at Democrats' plans to have the government directly negotiate the prices for medicines — an effort that appears to have had success. (But it's always nice to have a Plan B in the event your company's rank and file don't mount a convincing enough case.) MORE NEW BUSINESS: Pfizer is just the latest new client for TheGROUP, which has seen its business explode since last year's election. The firm has disclosed seven new clients this week, all of which it has signed since mid-August. Others who've signed with the firm recently include insurance giant UnitedHealth Group, Cisco Systems, the Vinyl Institute, the Center for Policing Equity, Advocates for Community Health and Harris County, Texas' Precinct One. NVM: Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar has parted ways with former Bill Clinton aide Lanny Davis and former House GOP leader Bob Livingston just weeks after inking a nearly $1 million contract with the pair, according to new Justice Department filings. An amendment filed with the Justice Department says the agreement was terminated on Thursday but offers no additional details. — Haftar, who launched an attack in 2019 against Libya's United Nations-backed government, is widely expected to run for president in the country's elections this December. Earlier this month, Davis and Livingston, who said they'd only agreed to represent Haftar because of his categorical denials that his forces were guilty of war crimes, signed on to help Haftar make connections with U.S. officials ahead of the vote. — In a statement to Playbook today , Davis and Livingston offered Haftar "our best wishes that he can carry out the commitment he made to us leading us to represent him under FARA and as stated in our mission statement in our contract: That he will continue to support the UN-supervised free and fair elections as scheduled on 24 December 2021, with the objective of a unified and peaceful Libya that respects the rule of law and the human and political rights of all Libyans, men and women." Happy Friday and welcome to PI — and October! Send lobbying tips and your best guess on when the House will finally vote on the infrastructure bill: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko. | | A message from HCA Healthcare: HCA Healthcare has treated more COVID-19 inpatients than any other health system in the U.S. By analyzing our vast repository of COVID-19 data, we have a unique ability to leverage and share learnings to improve patient outcomes and public knowledge. The insights gained from our research and collaborations with the CDC and NIH will greatly accelerate the discovery of new approaches to care. See how we show up for our patients, communities and each other. | | | BERGNER STRIKES OUT ON HIS OWN: Jon Bergner has left the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies after nearly fourteen years to launch his own firm, Exigent Government Relations . Bergner previously headed up the trade association's federal advocacy and public policy teams, and at the new firm will offer clients a range of services from political intelligence and direct advocacy to policy development and strategic communications consulting. It's just him for now, but Bergner told PI he'll hopefully be able to grow the practice and add more employees soon. He's already signed one client, Liberty Mutual Insurance. BABY PICTURES, YOUR AUNT'S INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND CLIMATE LOBBYING: "The ads appear on Facebook millions of times a week. They take aim at vulnerable Democrats in Congress by name, warning that the $3.5 trillion budget bill — one of the Biden administration's biggest efforts to pass meaningful climate policy — will wreck the United States economy," The New York Times' Hiroko Tabuchi reports. "'Some politicians including Rep. Houlahan are setting their sights on pushing for tax hikes on U.S. energy producers,' reads an ad attacking Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania that started running Sept. 15. 'Tax hikes on U.S. energy producers is equal to risking U.S. energy jobs. Call Rep. Houlahan now!' — "The paid posts are part of a broad attack by the oil and gas industry against the budget bill, whose fate now hangs in the balance. Among the climate provisions that are likely to be left out of the plan is an effort to dismantle billions of dollars in fossil-fuel tax breaks — provisions that experts say incentivize the burning of fossil fuels responsible for catastrophic climate change." — The Houlahan ad, which appeared on behalf of a front group funded by the American Petroleum Institute, is part of nearly half a million dollars in spending on hundreds of Facebook ads "since Aug. 11, when the Senate passed a budget resolution, according to advertising data analyzed by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank that tracks corporate influence on policymaking. Those ads, which include at least 286 that targeted individual members of Congress, have been viewed at least 21 million times. API's average daily spending on Facebook ads attacking the budget has surpassed the group's previous peak spending, set after then presidential candidate Joe Biden announced his climate plans in July 2020, the data show." TOP FTC PRIVACY STAFFERS DEPART: The Federal Trade Commission lost two top privacy staffers this week, with one set to go to a law firm that represents Silicon Valley companies like Google, people familiar with the move told POLITICO's Emily Birnbaum. "The departures come as some of the FTC's 1,100 employees have expressed discontent under the leadership of new FTC Chair Lina Khan , who has pushed the agency to shake off its decades of 'unduly permissive' treatment of growing corporate power. Maneesha Mithal, associate director of the FTC's privacy unit, and Daniel Kaufman, deputy director of the FTC's consumer protection bureau, notified the agency of their resignations on Wednesday," Emily reports. — "Both are veteran FTC staffers with decades of experience: Kaufman started at the agency in 1998 while Mithal has been there since 1999. Mithal is moving to Wilson Sonsini, Google's go-to law firm and a top Silicon Valley player, according to one source familiar with the move." | | | | A message from HCA Healthcare:   | | | ICYMI — WHY THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS CARRIED INTEREST FELL OUT OF BILL: "Fierce lobbying by the private equity industry is the reason the carried interest tax rate is not included in President Joe Biden's planned tax hikes, top White House economist Jared Bernstein told CNBC on Thursday," the network's Christina Wilkie writes. Pressed by "Squawk Box" anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin on why Democrats' reconciliation bill thus far does not close the so-called carried interest loophole, by taxing the fees taken in by private equity as income rather than at the lower capital gains rate, Bernstein pointed to K Street. — "This is a loophole that absolutely should be closed," he told the anchor. But "when you go up to Capitol Hill and you start negotiating on taxes, there are more lobbyists in this town on taxes than there are members of Congress." Fact check: true. "Indeed, last year 4,108 individual lobbyists formally registered to lobby Congress and the Executive Branch on the issue of taxes, according to the Open Secrets lobbying database. Hundreds more likely worked to influence federal tax policy on behalf of clients but did not formally register as lobbyists." | | | — Jake Oken-Berg is joining Summit Strategies as a lobbyist working on state and federal matters. He previously served as a senior business adviser to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore). — Elizabeth Rojas Levi is now senior vice president for communications at the Paley Center for Media. She most recently was head of global communications at Nokia Enterprise. — Sujata Mitra has been promoted to be executive vice president and head of earned media strategies for Edelman's D.C. office. She previously was senior vice president and head of earned media strategies for that office. — DISH Network has hired Christina Mary Mason as a senior manager for government affairs. She was most recently vice president for government affairs at WISPA - Wireless Internet Services Provider's Association and is an Agora and Bennett Ridge LLC alum. — Anne Gearan will be a partner at Finsbury Glover Hering. She previously was a White House correspondent at The Washington Post. — Elliott Long is joining Public Private Strategies as an adviser. He most recently has been senior economic policy analyst at the Progressive Policy Institute. — Linda Delgado has been appointed as a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary at USDA. Delgado was most recently director of government affairs at Oxfam America. — Marni Karlin has been appointed as USDA senior adviser for organic and emerging markets. Karlin previously served as vice president of government affairs and general counsel of the Organic Trade Association. | | | None. | | | Better Solutions (Super PAC) | | New Lobbying Registrations | | Bell & Lindsay, Inc.: The Livingston Group, LLC (For Sikhs For Justice)
Capitol Tax Partners, LLP: Sb Energy Devco Holdings Limited
Capitol Venture LLC: Zeroeyes, Inc.
Constantinople & Vallone Consulting LLC: National Council Of Textile Organizations
Desimone Consulting, LLC: We Work For Health
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Grand Rounds Health
Green Capitol LLC: Western Organization Of Resource Councils
J M Burkman & Associates: Gauntley Holdings
Klink Campaigns, Inc: We Work For Health
Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, LLC: Charter Communications Operating, LLC
Larry Puccio, LLC: Sandy Bay Partners, LLC
Liz Williams And Company: Shield Ai, Inc.
Lobbyit.Com: Emergency Roadside Service Coalition Of America
Morrison Public Affairs Group: American Immigrant Investor Alliance
S-3 Group: Austal USa
Students For Sensible Drug Policy: Students For Sensible Drug Policy
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Pfizer, Inc.
Thegroup Dc, LLC: Unitedhealth Group, Inc.
The Raben Group: Cpd Action
Van Heuvelen Strategies, LLC: Carbon Geocapture Corp
Van Heuvelen Strategies, LLC: Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc.
Winning Strategies Washington: Verde Environmental Technologies, Inc. | | New Lobbying Terminations | | Bose Public Affairs Group: Phrma, On Behalf Of We Work For Health
Chaitman LLP: Marsha Peshkin
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Friends Of The Falls
Jake Perry + Partners: Smartmatic USa Corp.
Jamison Group, LLC: Josephine County, Oregon
Mr. Gary Elmestad: Consolidated North County Levee District
Park&K Public Affairs LLC: St. Louis Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council
Randolph E. Cloud & Associates: Phrma(On Behalf Of We Work For Health)
Scrivner Leon Group LLC: Arent Fox LLP On Behalf Of Qualcomm, Inc.
The Consilio Group: Quiet Professionals LLC
The Consilio Group: Remote Health Solutions | | A message from HCA Healthcare: HCA Healthcare has treated more suspected and positive COVID-19 inpatients than any other health system in the nation. We are taking the learnings and insights we have gathered from these encounters and sharing them with prominent research institutions to accelerate the discovery of new approaches to care, improve patient outcomes and, ultimately, save lives.
Our innovative partnerships with governments, technology companies and other health systems allow us to pool resources, expertise and capabilities to improve the national COVID-19 response. By collaborating with the CDC, government agencies and other healthcare organizations, HCA Healthcare is supporting hospitals and caregivers around the world — not just our own — in the fight against COVID-19.
Through patient-centered care, collaboration, research and innovation, we are showing up for our patients, our communities and each other. Learn more about HCA Healthcare's COVID-19 response. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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