NAVIGATING TRUMP’S WASHINGTON: The Republican lobbying firm Navigators Global is bringing Jim Carter on as a principal. Carter, who most recently was at the America First Policy Institute as a senior fellow and director of the Center for Prosperity, served on the transition team for President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration. — He previously was senior vice president of government affairs for manufacturing company Emersons. Carter also served as the deputy undersecretary of internal affairs in the Labor Department during the George W. Bush administration and advised lawmakers as a senior staff member on the Senate Budget Committee. — “Jim brings a powerful and unique tax, budget and economic policy and advocacy experience to the firm,” Navigators Global President Phil Anderson said in a statement. “At AFPI, Jim played a role in defining the new Trump economic policies that will dominate Washington during the next four years. With budget reconciliation and tax policy on the horizon, he will bring invaluable insights on the Trump administration’s policy agenda for our clients.” — Carter joins fellow principals with deep connections in the incoming Trump administration, including Navigators Global co-founders Cesar Conda, who was chief of staff to secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio, and Chris Cox, who served as Trump’s deputy assistant for legislative affairs in 2020. FIRST IN PI — The Republican Capitol Hill networking group Senate Working Group increased its revenue by more than 40 percent from 2022 to 2023 after it raised membership dues, Daniel reports. In 2023, it reported revenue of $2.8 million, a jump from the $1.9 million it reported in 2022, according to a new IRS 990 form. — “We made the decision to adjust our membership dues to support the expansion of our programming,” James Kimmey, SWG’s executive director, said in a statement to PI. “This allowed us to successfully host a variety of educational summits tailored for chiefs of staff, deputy chiefs of staff, legislative directors, committee staff, and all Senate staffers.” — In late September, the organization announced it was merging with the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, whose president and CEO Brooke Rollins has been picked as Trump’s agriculture secretary. SWG also attracted attention earlier this year when it was reported that the organization had cut short comedian Rob Schneider’s performance last year at a SWG holiday gala after he made inappropriate and offensive jokes. — The 2023 tax form shows that Robert Walther, VP for federal affairs at biofuel company POET, continued as a board member of SWG in 2023. While SWG is a Republican organization, Walther earlier in his career worked as deputy director of moderate Democratic group Third Way and a professional staff member for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee under then-Chair Brian Baird (D-Wash.), according to his LinkedIn profile. — Another SWG board member was Brent Robertson, the chief of staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). POET has been the second-largest contributor to Marshall during his political career, according to OpenSecrets. Kimmey said that after the organization announced its merger with AFPI, it is in the process of dissolving its board and no longer accepts corporate contributions. The merger takes effect Jan. 1. — “Rob was an invaluable member of our Board of Directors, offering thoughtful oversight and guidance to our team and our decision-making processes,” Kimmey said. “His party affiliation is irrelevant to us—we were simply grateful and proud to have him on our side.” Walther didn’t respond to a request for comment. Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI. Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Hanukkah! We’ve made it to our final edition of 2024. What a year it’s been! We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday, Jan. 6. Any tips, gossip or unique holiday traditions? Send them my way at dnickel@politico.com or @delizanickel on X. BILL, INTERRUPTED: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his company Meta this year went up against a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk and a coalition of parents who pushed Congress to pass legislation to protect kids online — and Zuckerberg won, our Ruth Reader reports today. — Though Congress came closer than ever before to passing the Kids Online Safety Act, lawmakers left the Hill without passing the legislation. The act would have imposed rules on social media to curb mental health harms and addiction that the sites are largely considered to cause. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and photo-sharing site Instagram, led the opposition charge against the act. “Zuckerberg can thank House Speaker Mike Johnson for closing the door on it this Congress,” Ruth writes. “Once reviled for kicking Trump off Facebook, the outcome shows how well Zuckerberg and Meta have restored a rapport.” — Federal lobbying disclosure forms indicate that a team of 14 lobbyists was employed directly by Meta and outside firms to work the issue. “The advocates included past aides to House Republicans, including Greg Maurer, a former staffer to then-House GOP Leader John Boehner; Christopher Herndon, who worked for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.); and Elizabeth Carroll, who was on the staff of former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.).” INFLUENCING THE INFLUENCER: The New York Times’ Theodore Schleifer, Ryan Mac, Lily Boyce and Kirsten Grind provide an inside look at the people who influence Musk and who stand to gain from their association with him now. — Those include “the backers” like longtime Silicon Valley venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison; “the friends” such as PayPal co-founder Ken Howery and early Tesla and SpaceX investor Antonio Gracias; “the family” like Musk’s first wife, Justine Wilson Musk, and his father, Errol Musk. — In Trump world, Musk’s influencers include the likes of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy, and, most notably, the president-elect himself. “Though they did not know each other well six months ago, the two have appeared to be inseparable since the election. [Trump] tapped [Musk] to be the co-head of the new effort to downsize government, and publicly, they often seem to be mesmerized by each other.” ICYMI: U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford Motor announced Monday their plans to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, reports Reuters’ Nora Eckert and David Shepardson. — This announcement comes as the incoming administration considers policies on tariffs and electric vehicles that would affect carmakers in Detroit, such as Ford, which is currently struggling to make money on its battery-powered models. Trump has already proposed killing an EV tax credit that benefits Ford. — “(Given) Ford’s employment profile and importance in the U.S. economy and manufacturing, you can imagine the administration will be very interested in Ford’s point of view,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on Monday. — Ford and GM join corporations such as Amazon and Meta that have already donated to the president-elect’s inauguration fund. ROOTS RUN DEEP: Two prominent Trump advisers are taking roles at an outside group in an effort to bolster his administration’s agenda, Bloomberg’s Stephanie Lai and Bill Allison report. — Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 campaign manager, and Tony Fabrizio, the operation’s lead pollster, will serve as senior advisers for Building America’s Future. “We look forward to helping guide BAF and their efforts to promote President Trump’s America First agenda so their efforts compliment and augment the president’s team’s efforts,” they said. — “The move, which was first reported by Fox News on Monday, ensures a high-profile role for two people who were instrumental in helping Trump achieve a stunning political turnaround — returning him to power with a Republican House and Senate and with ambitious plans to reshape the U.S. economy and its international commitments.” TOO SWEET: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to head the Health and Human Services Department, signaled he wants to remove sugary drinks from federal programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also known as food stamps, reports Laura Cooper and Kristina Peterson for the Wall Street Journal. — “Soda companies are more concerned now about the prospect of restriction on SNAP benefits because Trump has adopted Kennedy’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda. Kennedy also has argued for restricting consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and certain dyes.” — The American Beverage Company, an industry group representing Coke, Keurig, Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, is planning to donate to Trump’s inauguration, as it has for previous presidents. Coke is also looking to hire additional lobbyists from a small group who have close relationships with Trump. — “Lobbyists for the big soda companies are also trying to get in front of people close to Kennedy and Brooke Rollins, Trump’s nominee to head the Agriculture Department, which administers SNAP benefits. Rollins hasn’t endorsed Kennedy’s agenda, and it is unclear where she stands on the idea of making sugary drinks and foods ineligible for food stamps.”
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