| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | | With Megan Wilson, Daniel Lippman DOWNTOWN PRESSES D.C. LEADERS ON CRIME: Dozens of Washington’s most prominent trade groups have reluctantly dipped their toes into local politics, imploring D.C.’s local leaders to get a better handle on rising crime in the city that the coalition said poses a threat to “the safety and prosperity of not only our community but also our employees and their families.” — “Our organizations are primarily based in the downtown business district, where there have been horrifying acts of violence over the past several months,” the groups wrote in a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of the City Council this morning. They pointed to the carjacking spree last month that left the Housing Policy Council’s Mike Gill and one other victim dead, as well as the recent murder of a tech executive and numerous other victims of “seemingly random acts of violence.” — The letter was signed by 70 trade associations representing a broad cross section of the business community, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America, the American Petroleum Institute, the Bank Policy Institute, CTIA – The Wireless Association, the Consumer Bankers Association, the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Manufacturers, Edison Electric Institute, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. — American Investment Council President and CEO Drew Maloney, a longtime friend of Gill’s, spearheaded the letter after discussions with others in the downtown community in the wake of Gill’s death. — The Chamber circulated the letter to other members last week, Maloney said, and “by Tuesday, we had 70 different trade associations that all … locked arms with a message to the city government that ‘You need to start paying more attention to the safety and security of our colleagues.’” — “We share his deep concern about the alarming increase in violent crime across our city,” a Chamber spokesperson told PI. — Matt Haller, who leads the International Franchise Association, told PI it was a “no-brainer” for his organization to sign on to the letter. “I was kind of like, ‘Wow, why hasn't somebody done this before?’ Given we're all mostly employers in the city, and pretty influential employers, since … we’re in the business of influence,” he said in an interview. — IFA has no plans to leave the city, but “there's just no doubt that this is a major problem for my staff members who … don't feel as safe as they felt pre-pandemic,” Haller said, adding, “I hear about it from my members when I go out around the country, and when they consider coming to D.C. for events people ask, like, ‘Is it safe?’” — The letter from the business community comes ahead of an expected Council vote on a public safety bill aimed at addressing the crime surge, and the letter notes its signatories stand “ready to collaborate with the City Council to ensure the implementation of effective measures to reduce crime and enhance the overall safety of our city.” — It goes on to note that mitigating public safety concerns would also go a long way toward addressing one of Bowser’s top priorities. “Our organizations are committed to bringing our employees back to work in our physical office locations downtown and across the District, which will contribute to the city’s tax base and give a boost to the local economy,” the letter says. — “The mayor and the city council have an opportunity to do something about” crime, Haller said. “Our hope is that the business community can be part of the solution.” Happy Thursday and welcome to PI, Leap Day edition. Let me know how you’re celebrating: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on the platform formerly known as Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
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FIRST IN PI — LOCAL CHAMBERS ASK BIDEN TO RECONSIDER BASEL III: The business community continues to pelt the Biden administration with complaints about a proposal to increase capital requirements for large banks, with more than 100 state and local business groups from across the country writing to the White House today to highlight their concerns about the so-called Basel III Endgame proposal.
— The local chambers of commerce and U.S. Chamber asked President Joe Biden to reconsider the proposal, arguing that the rule could cause banks to tighten up their lending and in doing so hurt smaller businesses that “are more reliant on bank financing than other sectors of the economy.” If enacted, the groups wrote, “the Basel III Endgame rule would make financing prohibitively expensive for businesses in the midst of an already challenging environment.” — “One of the main reasons small businesses take on loans is to hire and retain workers. Higher capital requirements will likely lead to increased borrowing rates for privately held businesses, hurting their ability to hire workers and make investments,” the chambers wrote, warning that “these costs could in turn be passed on to consumers and put downward pressure on economic growth and employment.” — The letter comes as Fed Chair Jerome Powell prepares to head to the Hill next week for a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, where he is sure to be grilled on Basel III not only by Republicans but also by some Democrats who have expressed concerns with the proposal. BEUTLER’S NEW GIG: Former Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), who left Congress last year, joined eHealth's public policy advisory committee. The company, a digital health insurance marketplace, leans on advice from the panel to help guide its policy decisions. Other members include former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Susan Kennedy, who served as chief of staff to former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. RAIMONDO THREATENS CHINA BAN OVER DATA THEFT: “Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is open to banning any Chinese company that accesses U.S. data from doing business in America,” she told our Alex Ward and Maggie Miller. — “Raimondo said she would ‘consider’ barring the operations of certain Chinese firms in the U.S., an escalation in the tit-for-tat between Washington and Beijing over technology and industry. But she would need relevant legislation, backed by Democrats and Republicans, to wind its way through Congress and give Commerce the ability to make such judgments.” — “It was her strongest statement yet on potential limits on Chinese companies — from automakers to social media companies — in the American market. Raimondo told lawmakers in October she was supportive of ‘attacking’ the issue of data theft by Chinese companies in the U.S. but did not get specific.” — “The secretary’s proposal would mark another expansion of existing Biden administration efforts to crack down on Chinese-owned companies that collect U.S. data. Her remarks come after the Biden administration on Thursday announced a probe into connected vehicles made with Chinese parts that U.S. officials fear could capture sensitive personal data from Americans — and just one day after President Joe Biden issued an executive order to protect sensitive personal data in the U.S.” ACCOUNTABLE USES IVF TO GO AFTER PROJECT 2025: Liberal watchdog group Accountable.US is launching a new campaign to target Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation’s effort to stand up a second Donald Trump administration-in-waiting, starting off with the initiative’s platform on reproductive rights. — The watchdog group provided PI with a preview of the campaign, which includes a mobile billboard that will drive around Capitol Hill and the Heritage Foundation’s Hill headquarters tomorrow. “Abortion. IVF. Project 2025 groups will ban it all,” the ad warns. Accountable.US has pointed to the reaction from Alliance Defending Freedom, which is a member of Project 2025’s advisory board and celebrated last week’s Alabama IVF ruling. Accountable.US is also wheatpasting their ad around the Hill, and plans to launch a paid ad buy using the same messaging in the coming weeks. — The campaign’s broader goal is to shed light on the key players working on Project 2025, the authors of its policy road map for the first 180 days of a second Trump administration, and the entities funding the effort, through a new microsite. — “Project 2025 threatens to undermine our democracy on every level by dismantling our institutions, gutting checks and balances, and giving the executive branch overwhelming authority to carry out radical policies that everyday Americans don’t support,” the group’s executive director Tony Carrk argued in a statement, adding that the campaign will “work to expose the dark network, key funders, and far-right figures responsible for Project 2025, helping shed light on the MAGA blueprint project aiming to roll back progress and strip Americans of fundamental rights and freedoms.”
| | | | A message from Sallie Mae®:   | | | | | — Vanessa Saenz has joined Solidarity Strategies. She was previously at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC. — Justine Turner is now political director at End Citizens United/Let America Vote. She previously was vice president of political and advocacy for iHeartMedia, leading Democratic outreach efforts, and is a DLCC and Elizabeth Warren campaign alum. — Patrick Corvington will be the first-ever chief of staff at the Center for Law and Social Policy. He previously was CEO of Minds Matter National and is a Corporation for National and Community Service alum. — Bethany Torstenson is now director of communications and media management at America First Works. She previously was digital manager at the John Locke Foundation. — Chris Lomauro and Mary Grace Downey are joining Politicoin as senior associates. Lomauro previously was a copywriter at Campaign Inbox and Downey previously was a political project manager at POOLHOUSE.
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| | New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS | | Advanced Policy Consulting, LLC: Kingsberry Fuel Cell Power Corporation Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Fossil Group, Inc. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP: Fwc2026 US, Inc. Ballard Partners: Miami-Dade County Boundary Stone Partners: Hellenic Cables Americas Co Cardinal Infrastructure LLC: Regional Transportation Authority Of Central Oklahoma Dinino Associates, LLC: Waverly Group Obo Northwest Hardwoods Ds2 Group, LLC: S&C Electric Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C.: Guthrie Clinic Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: Ceva Animal Health, LLC Moran Global Strategies, Inc.: Systems Innovation Engineering LLC Public Strategies Washington, Inc.: Rwe Offshore Wind Services, LLC Public Strategies Washington, Inc.: Shipt Scarlet Solutions, LLC: Pbm Accountability Project Sobba Public, LLC: American Financial Exchange Sovereign Global Solutions, LLC: Aid To The Church In Need International Splitoak Strategies LLC: Chiesi USA, Inc.
| | | | YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | New Lobbying Terminations | | | Ligado Networks: Ligado Networks National Council Of Higher Education Loan Programs, Inc: National Council Of Higher Education Loan Programs Inc Odonnell & Son LLC: Clean Affordable Reliable Electricty Coalition (Care Coalition) Splitoak Strategies LLC: Amryt Pharma Torres Consulting And Law Group: Ua Local 598 | | A message from Sallie Mae®: As a responsible private lender, Sallie Mae advises students and families to explore free money like scholarships and grants before borrowing. The gateway to much of this aid is through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), which provides access to more than $100 billion in scholarships, grants, state-based, and federal financial aid. Recent delays and complications accessing the form point to broader issues with the federal financing system for higher education, but it’s still critical that students and families complete the FAFSA to maximize the free money available. See how Sallie Mae helps students and families navigate and complete the new FAFSA. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
