TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK: “Rep. Mike Gallagher, the lead author of new bipartisan legislation directed at TikTok, said that the bill isn’t intended to ban the popular app, but to disconnect it from China’s influence by forcing Beijing-based owner ByteDance to sell it — and is written to clear legal hurdles that have stalled previous efforts,” per our Rebecca Kern. — “‘This is not a ban. Think of this as a surgery designed to remove the tumor and thereby save the patient in the process,’ Gallagher (R-Wis.) said at a press conference Wednesday discussing the bill, which gained momentum Tuesday night with backing from the White House.” — “Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, disputed Gallagher’s claims the bill wasn’t a TikTok ban bill. ‘They can try to dress it up however they want, but this is a bill to ban Tiktok and give unprecedented power to take apps off your phone,’ he told POLITICO. He also said ByteDance has no ties to the Chinese Communist Party.” — Still, “the legislation got the endorsement of the Biden administration Tuesday night, with a statement from the NSC spokesperson saying it was ‘an important and welcome step’ to address the risks that ByteDance’s ownership poses to Americans’ sensitive data and national security.” — “Gallagher told reporters he thinks the bill has a path forward and that he has been working with the administration for six months to ensure the legislation holds up constitutionally. He also said the bill is his top priority during his last few months before retiring from Congress.” HICKS WORKING FOR SHEIN: Former senior Trump aide Hope Hicks is doing strategic communications consulting for fast fashion retailer Shein, which has attracted recent attention in Washington for its ties to China, two people familiar with the matter told Daniel. — The company has faced intense scrutiny over claims that some of its clothes are made with the forced labor of Chinese Uyghurs (claims that the company has pushed back on) and also over its reliance on the “de minimis” tariff exemption. — Shein, which was founded in China, relocated to Singapore from Nanjing in 2021, and began lobbying up in Washington a year later, with its lobbying expenditures surging to more than $2.1 million in 2023. Earlier this year, the company tapped veteran retail lobbyist Kent Knutson to lead Shein’s government affairs operation. — Hicks has a small consulting firm with several corporate clients that she advises on strategic comms. She has consulted for Shein for about a year, according to one of the people, but her consulting contract with the clothing company has never been publicly reported. Hicks and a spokesperson for Shein declined to comment. ON THE AIRWAVES: The American Petroleum Institute is rolling out a new ad ahead of tomorrow night’s State of the Union address hitting President Joe Biden for his administration’s energy policies. The ad is part of an eight-figure campaign launched by the oil and gas trade group earlier this year, and features a clip of Biden arguing during last year’s State of the Union that “we're still gonna need oil and gas for a while.” — It looks to draw a contrast between that assertion and Biden’s efforts to move away from fossil fuels, including Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline in 2021, the recent pause on new gas export permits, an aggressive push to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, and curbs on oil and gas leases. — “It’s time for the president to put forward bipartisan solutions to harness all of America’s vast U.S. oil and natural gas resources, bolster our infrastructure, and strengthen our security,” API President Mike Sommers said in a statement. — Meanwhile our friends over at Morning Energy report that another major industry group, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, is introducing two new ads today as part of its $7 million campaign in seven presidential and Senate swing states rebuking EPA’s forthcoming car and truck emissions rules as effective “car bans.” — “The Biden administration is rushing to ban new gas-powered cars. They've made it clear, it's their way or the highway,” says one spot. The other ad warns about Biden’s “allies in California,” accompanied by a picture of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seeking authority from EPA to ban sales of fossil-fuel-powered cars by 2035. — Environmental Defense Fund Action, which has clashed with AFPM over the “mandate” language, is out with its own new ad today promoting EVs in Michigan, ME reports, which is part of a $700,000 campaign to boost EVs. SHOWTIME OVER SEC CLIMATE DISCLOSURES: “Wall Street’s top regulator green-lighted a groundbreaking rule aimed at uncovering new climate-related information from corporate America, capping a pressure campaign that has fractured Washington for two years,” our Declan Harty writes. — “The Securities and Exchange Commission voted along party lines Wednesday to order thousands of public companies to begin divulging more details about the climate risks they face, the costs of severe weather events and, in some cases, their greenhouse gas emissions. The nearly 900-page rule represents one of the biggest overhauls of U.S. corporate reporting in years and is a legacy-defining effort for SEC Chair Gary Gensler.” — That’s despite a vigorous lobbying campaign and litigation threats that ultimately “resulted in a scaled-back final rule that lacks many of the sweeping disclosure requirements that were in the original proposal of March 2022 and rankled the business world.” — Still, “the SEC is still expected to face legal and legislative challenges over the rule. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is likely to sue, and Republicans in Congress are vowing to try to overturn it. The changes in the rule could also fan friction on the left for Gensler’s SEC, with many backers already expressing dismay.” FLY-IN SZN: The parade of various advocacy groups to Capitol Hill this week continued today with the arrival of several dozen members of Customized Logistics and Delivery Association, which represents the customized logistics and delivery industry. — The trade group will focus its advocacy on efforts to block the Biden administration’s new worker classification rule for independent contractors, including the push from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) to overturn the rule via the Congressional Review Act, and a measure from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to change the underlying statute the independent contractor rule relies on. — MAPPS, which represents the geospatial industry, is flying in today as well to meet with officials from the U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, FEMA, USDA, the Army Corps, and lawmakers and staff from key committees, like House Natural Resources, Senate Energy and Natural Resources and the appropriations panels. MAPPS members will discuss federal programs that use geospatial data for a number of objectives, from infrastructure development to emergency preparedness and response, and climate change. — Tomorrow, dozens of advocates from the trade group representing private school bus companies will bus into town. Members of the National School Transportation Association will look to lay the groundwork for reauthorizing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and will hear from Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.) about his work on an illegal school bus passing bill inspired by the late Rep. Jackie Walorski. — Boys & Girls Clubs of America will close out its fly-in tomorrow, which has focused on funding cuts announced over the weekend for the National Youth Mentoring Program as well as increasing funding for after school and summer learning programs. SPOTTED at a fundraiser last night hosted by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which raised over $500,000 for the NRSC, according to a PI tipster: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Lamar Smith, Hunter Bates, Brendan Dunn, Geoff Verhoff, Zach Rudisill, Anna Abram and Jamie Tucker of Akin Gump.
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