Japan, Saudi Arabia ink new K Street contracts

Apr 12, 2024

Presented by

With Daniel Lippman

FARA FRIDAY — There has been some recent activity among the foreign government advocacy crowd, so let’s get into it.

— While Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was preparing for his visit to D.C. this week, the government of Japan was inking a $12,000 per month contract with lobbying and strategic communications firm Navigators Global. The firm is being paid to advise the embassy about legislation on Capitol Hill and consult them about the “actions and policies” of the Executive Branch. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.

— Over the last few weeks, Japan has been renewing many of its Washington-based lobbying and public affairs contracts, records filed with the Justice Department show. Japan’s government and some of its consulates in Boston and New York have more than two dozen firms on retainer, including Forbes Tate, Tiber Creek Group, Alignment Government Strategies, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and APCO Worldwide.

— SPEAKING OF: APCO Worldwide added Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism to its client roster this week and is helping to drive the strategic communications, media relations and “stakeholder engagement” around Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb’s visit to the U.S. this month. The country has been ramping up its public affairs efforts to boost its image as a top-tier travel and investment destination. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.

— Driving tourism is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a government program launched in 2016 to diversify the Kingdom’s economy. It’s been ramping up its investments in entertainment and sports — including signing a 10-year contract with WWE, the American professional wrestling organization, to host events in the country.

— Although some K Street firms dropped Saudi Arabia as a client following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi government entities now have roughly more than 20 firms working on their behalf.

Welcome to PI, everyone. My name is Megan Wilson, POLITICO’s health care influence reporter, and I’m filling in for Caitlin today. It’s Friday, the sun is back out, and I saw an Amgen lobbyist (lead singer of the band Cue the Deer) do an incredible rendition of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” last night, so I’m fully ready for the weekend. Send tips, gossip and drink orders to mwilson@politico.com.

A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:

THE DURBIN-MARSHALL CREDIT CARD BILL IS A WINDFALL FOR MEGA-STORES: Small business owners oppose the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill because new credit card mandates would deliver billions of dollars to the 5 biggest mega-stores and cost $1 billion in lost rewards. Read the new study here: https://smallbusinesspaymentsalliance.com/2024/02/07/small-business-owners-oppose-durbin-marshall-windfall-for-mega-retailers/

FIRST IN PI: UBER JOINS BRT — Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has joined the Business Roundtable, the advocacy group whose membership is comprised of chief executive officers from top companies.

— It marks the first head of an app-based platform company to join the organization, whose other members include the CEOs of Amazon, Boeing, Nike, Walmart, Intuit and the Coca-Cola Company. BRT spent nearly $20 million on lobbying last year, according to disclosures.

GOOGLE PRESSES PAUSE ON NEWS ACCESS — Google is temporarily blocking California-based news outlets’ content for some state residents, POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White reports.

— It’s an escalation in the company’s fight against a landmark state bill aimed at forcing tech giants to pay online publishers. The industry has used the tactic before in an attempt to derail similar bills in places like Canada and Australia.

— Those in favor of the legislation “argue companies like Google and Meta have helped decimate already flagging newsroom revenues through their control over digital advertising, and outlets deserve compensation for content that users may see on their platforms for free.”

— “The companies counter that these laws could stifle vital sources of information — and they’ve fought back by attempting to preview what they say that would look like.”

— “In California, the company has lobbied heavily against the measures currently before the California Legislature, channeling more than $1 million to an organization that ran an ad campaign decrying the bill as a ‘link tax.’”

FOREIGN ACTORS LIKELY CULPRIT OF HERITAGE BREACH — The cyberattack that targeted the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday likely came from Chinese or Russian nation-state actors, an official from the conservative think tank told Daniel.

— Early Wednesday morning, Heritage’s cybersecurity system identified an incoming attack and an investigation by their security vendor found that it was likely hackers from one of those countries, the official said.

— Two people familiar with the matter said that the cyberattack may have been aimed at Project 2025, the conservative think tank’s transition project. The effort includes gathering resumes and formulating policy positions in the event that Donald Trump wins back the presidency.

— However, one official said that Project 2025’s database is on a separate network from Heritage’s main network that was breached. The official also said that no donor information was compromised.

GOP CHAIR TARGETS STATE ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS — House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) wants to add a provision to the farm bill — sprawling legislation that authorizes federal agricultural and nutrition assistance programs — that would block California’s Proposition 12 and other state animal welfare laws, our Marcia Brown reports.

— It’s an issue that has drawn fierce opposition from animal rights groups and divided Republican lawmakers, but Thompson has been trying to strike a compromise to include at least some language addressing Prop 12 in the farm bill draft he hopes to mark up before Memorial Day.

— That ambitious timeline gives him just a few weeks to garner support on an issue that has sparked intense lobbying from influential interest groups on both sides.

THE RETIREMENT TAX PROJECT: Congress has passed a series of retirement bills since 1996 that have gradually expanded tax breaks for retirement savings, which has ultimately cost the government hundreds of billions of dollars.

— Perhaps because these bills are so bipartisan, and so chock full of eye-glazing pension provisions, no one has really taken a hard look at how they come about, what they actually do and whether they’ve been truly effective. Our Benjamin Guggenheim is out with a report looking at the lobbying and campaign finance project that has driven these massive pieces of legislation.

— “The 401(k) industry owns Congress,” Daniel Hemel, a professor and tax law scholar based at NYU School of Law, told Benjamin. “Either lawmakers were trying to pull a fast one on the American people or lobbyists were trying to pull a fast one on Congress. I don’t know which story is better. I don’t know which one I should want to believe.”

— A key finding: The data is mixed as to whether the tax breaks enacted over nearly three decades have made a dent in helping retirement savers who need it the most, or getting the nearly half of Americans who still don't have employer-provided plans into them.

Access New York bill updates and Congressional activity in areas that matter to you, and use our exclusive insights to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more.

FIRST IN PI: BROWNSTEIN FETES HEINRICH — Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s PAC is having a fundraiser on Tuesday for Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) at their office, with suggested contribution levels between $1,000 and $5,000, according to an invitation Daniel obtained.

— Some of their clients include Barrick Gold and Nevada Gold Mines, who have been asking the federal government to loosen cleanup standards at a New Mexico uranium mine that the EPA labeled a Superfund site. The firm also represents ExxonMobil, which Heinrich has attacked for price gouging, and the industry’s trade association, the American Petroleum Institute.

— The firm has long had a relationship with Heinrich; its PAC has given $11,500 to him since he came to Congress, according to Federal Election Commission records. A Heinrich spokesperson declined to comment while a Brownstein spokesperson had no comment.

MEDINA OUT — Monica Medina, former assistant secretary of State and lead U.S. plastics treaty negotiator, left her new role last week as head of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society after less than a year on the job, reports POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman.

— “I will step away from my role as WCS President and CEO to return home to Washington, D.C., where I will continue to work on policy and advocacy focusing on the critical issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, oceans, and plastic pollution," she said in a statement.

— The organization’s executive vice president and COO, Robb Menzi, will serve as interim president and CEO.

MARITIME GROUPS SAIL IN — More than 120 maritime industry leaders — including representatives from the American Maritime Partnership and the domestic shipping industry, the State Maritime Academies, the USMMA Alumni Foundation — came to Washington this week and met with more than 125 congressional offices.

TRUCKING INDUSTRY PULLS UP — The American Trucking Association had 23 trucking industry leaders from Georgia, Minnesota, and South Dakota come to Washington to meet with lawmakers — including Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) — about workforce development, tort reform targeting frivolous lawsuits and tax reform aimed at repealing the federal excise tax.

SPOTTED at a Thursday night party celebrating the 25th anniversary of lobbying firm Jeffrey J. Kimbell & Associates at Pearl Street Warehouse on the Wharf: Music from Cue the Deer, a rock group led by Bill O’Brien, Amgen‘s head of federal affairs, and the Nashville band Spazmatics; Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio); PhRMA’s Steve Tilton, David Lehman and Alex Schriver; Capitol Counsel’s Lyndon Boozer; Crossroads Strategies CEO Mat Lapinski; Eli Lilly’s Shawn O'Neail; Spark Therapeutics’ Jeremy Allen; Ed Reno of Forbes Tate; Adrienne Elrod; Tim Homer of Glaukos; Organon’s Nick Schemmel; Alexion’s Katie Jones, Del Lebel and Weston Kirby; Jordan Chapman of Ionis Pharmaceuticals; Drew Keyes from Speaker Mike Johnson’s office; Patrick Dumas from the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee; Seth Gold, Grace Graham, and CJ Young from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

SPOTTED at a reception LG Electronics held on Thursday to celebrate the company’s growth in the U.S.: Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Todd Whiteman, Huizenga’s chief of staff; LG’s BD Lim, Joe Hagin, Patrick Clifton and Colton Hotary; Edelman Global Advisory’s Lindsay Clifton; Alliance For Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella; Temasek’s Anne Brady Perron; Amanda Blunt at General Motors, and Honda’s Jennifer Thomas.

SPOTTED at the Fraternity and Sorority PAC dinner Wednesday night: Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas).

Jobs Report

— Amy Strope has joined Madison Services Group as a director of government relations. She previously worked at Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

— Clif Gaus, the longtime president, co-founder and CEO of the National Association of ACOs, will retire this fall.

— William “Chip” Rogers is now a senior adviser at Ervin Graves Strategy Group. He previously was president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

— Dakota Jackson is joining SHEIN as director of government affairs and stakeholder engagement. Jackson most recently was political director at the National Retail Federation. The company has also hired Meghan Check as policy adviser. She most recently spent seven years in Home Depot’s government relations shop.

— Jessica Gail is now senior director of media and communications at American Trucking Associations. She most recently was comms director for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

— Beacon Global Strategies’ Indo-Pacific practice added Meghan Harris, formerly of GlobalFoundries, as a senior vice president and Ann Kowalewski, a former Indo-Pacific staffer at HFAC, as an associate vice president.

— Rancher Government Solutions named Brian Shimkaveg as the senior director of Department of Defense and intelligence community sales. He is an alum of Falkory, Red Hat and Boeing.

— Lance Jungmeyer has joined the board of directors of Farmers for Free Trade. He is president of Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.

— Carol Walsh is joining the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors as senior vice president of operations. She most recently was COO for the National Association of School Nurses.

A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:

New Joint Fundraisers

Durbin Majority Fund (Prairie PAC, DSCC)

Sisters Saving Lives (Rashida Tlaib for Congress and Cori Bush for Congress)

New PACs

The Granite State PAC (Leadership PAC)

Commonwealth Unity Fund (Super PAC)

New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

LMH Strategic Solutions: Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America

LMH Strategic Solutions: Avadel Pharmaceuticals, Plc

LMH Strategic Solutions: Orchard Therapeutics North America

Crowell & Moring LLP: Uncornered, Inc.

Miller Strategies, LLC: Stephens Shared Services, LLC

LNE Group: Williamson Board Of Parks & Recreation

Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC: Evergreen Nephrology

Kadesh & Associates, LLC: League Of Conservation Voters

Capitol Counsel LLC: Southcentral Foundation

Capitol Counsel LLC: Cook Inlet Housing Authority

Congressional Insights Group L.L.C.: Transcend Company Inc.

Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Xcf Global Capital, Inc.

Grove Climate Group: New York Association Of Public Power

Oxford Strategies LLC-Md: Stonington Global On Behalf Of Maxsip Telecom

Capitol Counsel LLC: Bridge Street Group, LLC On Behalf Of Save Our Standards

LNE Group: Mountwest Community & Technical College

The Prenda Group LLC: Association Of Insurers For Research

Thorn Run Partners: Ara Partners

LNE Group: Split Second Foundation

LNE Group: Nextstep Raleigh

Sidley Austin LLP: Lifescience Logistics, LLC

Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc.: The Phoenix

Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Government Affairs Obo R4 Technologies, Inc.

Dinino Associates, LLC: Cornerstone Obo The Phoenix

Exigent Government Relations: American Property Casualty Insurance Association

Desimone Consulting, LLC: Port Of Skagit County, Wa

Gallatin Public Affairs: Shanda Asset Management

Guidepoststrategies, LLC: Walmart Inc.

The Normandy Group, LLC: Rider University

Invariant LLC: Sharda USa

Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC: University At Albany, Sunny

The Raben Group: American Association Of Colleges For Teacher Educationf

Orlando Health: Orlando Health

Hollier & Associates: Boston Scientific

Strategic Capitol Group, LLC: Ascent On Behalf Of Sentriqs

Strategic Capitol Group, LLC: Ascent On Behalf Of Sbir Advisors On Behalf Of Outpost Space

Strategic Capitol Group, LLC: Ascent On Behalf Of Sbir Advisors On Behalf Of Renu Robotics

Strategic Capitol Group, LLC: Ascent On Behalf Sbir Advisors On Behalf Of Wallaroo.Ai

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of Dylan'S House

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of City Of Struthers

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of Ywca Of Alliance

Covington & Burling LLP: Bentley Systems, Incorporated

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting On Behalf Of Golden String, Inc.

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of Weathersfield Local School District

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of City Of Girard

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Potential Development School For Student With Autism

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Ko Consulting LLC On Behalf Of Medwish International

Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Butler Institute Of American Art

Mcallister & Quinn: The Port Of Cincinnati

Mcallister & Quinn: St. Mary'S County Health Department

Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC: Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Maynard Nexsen Pc: Pilot Catastrophe Services, Inc.

Maynard Nexsen Pc: Cfi Custom Military Solutions

Mcallister & Quinn: Northshore Community Health

Maynard Nexsen Pc: Feeding Alabama

Lucas | Compton: Legacy Community Health

Lucas | Compton: Quanta Services

DLA Piper LLP (US): Pathai

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New Lobbying Terminations

Tiber Creek Group: Delfi Diagnostics

Dentons US LLP: Holland & Knight (On Behalf Of Astranis Space Technologies, Inc)

Dentons US LLP: Holland & Knight (On Behalf Of Ionq, Inc.)

Cgcn Group, LLC: American Petroleum Institute (Api)

The Livingston Group, LLC: Innovative Materials & Processes

Tiber Creek Group: U.S. Chamber Of Commerce - C_Tec And Ccmc

Lavender Consultants: Jones Walker, LLP On Behalf Of Baldridge Foundation

Hettinger Strategy Group LLC: Telesto Group LLC

The Prenda Group LLC: American Unity Inc.

Keefe Singiser Partners, Fka Keefe Strategies LLC: Omidyar Network Services LLC

Porter Group, LLC: Dpif3 Acquisition Co LLC

Horizons Global Solutions LLC: Kdf Enterprises LLC

Enel North America, Inc. And Its Affiliates: Enel North America Inc And Its Affiliates

Invariant LLC: Flexa Inc.

The Prenda Group LLC: Anthem One, Inc

Rosslyn Partners: Edenred

Dentons US LLP: Trucklabs

Hogan Lovells US LLP: Airbus Americas, Inc. (Formerly Known As Airbus Group, Inc.)

The Livingston Group, LLC: Covisus Corporation

Dentons US LLP: Capital Southeast Connector Joint Powers Authority

Mjwt Consulting: Wellmed Medical Management Inc

Dentons US LLP: Bullish US LLC

Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, LLC: National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Gorshein Public Policy LLC: Sinclair, Inc.

The Picard Group, LLC: Fast Trac Transportation, LLC

Lucas | Compton: Nossaman On Behalf Of Williamson County Conservation Foundation

Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Kiepe Electric LLC

Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Tcci Manufacturing

Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Lyondellbasell

Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Xcel Energy

Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Jacobs Engineering

Alexander, Borovicka And O'Shea Government Solutions (Fka Alexander & Borovicka Government Solutions): Bluebird Network, LLC

Holland & Knight LLP: Cyanco International, LLC

A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OPPOSE DURBIN-MARSHALL WINDFALL FOR MEGA RETAILERS: A new report reveals that the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill would “disproportionately benefit the top five businesses in the U.S.” and that any proposed changes to the payment routing system “is demonstrably a favor to large—not small business.” The report, “Imposing Alternative Payment Networks on Credit Cards Will Likely Hurt Low Income Households and Small Merchants,” from the Chair of the Finance Department at the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School, found that: “The intent of the proposed Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) is to reduce routing fees for credit card transactions to save merchants–and hence consumers–money. However, this analysis suggests that almost all of those savings will accrue to retailers with $500 million or more in annual sales, with little going to small businesses. Learn more: https://smallbusinesspaymentsalliance.com/2024/02/07/small-business-owners-oppose-durbin-marshall-windfall-for-mega-retailers/