FARM BILL SPARKS PLANT-ON-PLANT SPAT: Our Natalie Fertig reports that a dustup over the next farm bill “is pitting hemp against its closest cousin: marijuana. The fight centers on intoxicating hemp products, which have developed into a multi-billion-dollar industry subject to few rules and regulations.” — “Some marijuana companies and trade groups are pushing Congress to close a loophole that allows the production and sale of intoxicating substances derived from legal hemp. The hemp industry has a very different ask for lawmakers: leave the federal definition of hemp unchanged.” PI METRO SECTION: As the D.C. office market continues to try and rebound from post-pandemic vacancies, downtown has the influence industry to thank for not only bucking the trend of office desertion but fueling further demand for office space, per WTOP’s Jeff Clabaugh. — “‘We just looked at the big three — that’s the lobbyists for hire, the corporate government affairs groups, and associations,’ said Tammy Shoham, research director at commercial real estate firm JLL, which focuses on the D.C. market. ‘And of those three groups, there are over 1,500 entities here in D.C.’” — a number that doesn’t include other entities like think tanks, universities and corporations with government affairs shops in D.C. — “Government affairs leasing in D.C. is expected to grow between 2024 and 2026, regardless of who wins the next election. Government affairs leasing grew by 19% during the first two years of the Trump administration, and by 43.2% during the first two years of the Biden administration. Small government affairs groups that are new to D.C. also tend to not only stay, but grow their operations and office space needs over the years.” COMPLETE GENOMICS PUNCHES BACK: California-based biotech company Complete Genomics wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to push back on claims by lawmakers that its parent company makes it a national security risk to the U.S., reports our Megan R. Wilson. — It’s part of the genomics company’s larger lobbying effort to convince policymakers and the Biden administration that it’s fully separate from its China-based parent company, MGI, and has no connections to the Chinese government. — The letter aims to rebut a missive earlier this spring from the House Select Committee on China sent to the Pentagon arguing that Complete Genomics should be among the companies added to the so-called 1260H entity list, which bans Pentagon purchases of items made by “Chinese military companies.” BGI, another genomics company that operates in China, is already on the 1260H list. — In April, lawmakers argued that MGI and Complete Genomics are subsidiaries of BGI “which has been implicated in human rights abuses, illicit collection of genetic data,” and that “MGI uses Complete Genomics in the U.S. market to compete, often obscuring Complete Genomics’ ties to MGI, BGI, and the [Chinese Communist Party].” — The co-founder of Complete Genomics fired back last week: “The letter [from lawmakers] offers no explanation regarding the meaning of a direct affiliate, but the clear and unfounded implication is that Complete Genomics is owned by BGI. That is entirely false,” Rade Drmanac, who also serves as chief science officer of MGI, wrote to Austin. — They’re also trying to fight back bipartisan legislation, known as the BIOSECURE Act, gaining momentum on Capitol Hill that targets companies including BGI, MGI and Complete Genomics. THE NRA’S NEW GUARD: “On Monday, the NRA board voted to install reform candidates across three of its top four leadership positions,” per Stephen Gutowski of The Reload. “That includes the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President position filled by Wayne LaPierre until his resignation during the group’s corruption trial. Doug Hamlin, who ran the NRA’s publications and ran on a reform platform, defeated Ronnie Barrett in a 35-to-31 vote.” — “Reform candidates also won the first and second vice president positions, with Bill Bachenberg defeating Blaine Wade and Mark Vaughn defeating Tom King. That gives the reformers a significant say over the NRA’s day-to-day and strategic decisions moving forward. It comes shortly after a jury found the organization failed to safeguard its charitable assets as LaPierre and others diverted millions of NRA dollars toward their personal expenses.” — “The fresh blood combined with a change in operations and legal tactics, which the reformers can enact now that they control two of the three positions on the committee overseeing legal strategy, could bolster their odds of avoiding a court-appointed monitor.” DGA LAUNCHES AUKUS OFFERING: Dentons Global Advisors-Albright Stonebridge Group has launched a new practice group aimed at helping the private sector capitalize on the flagship submarine pact struck in 2021 by the U.S., U.K. and Australia. — “Private sector opportunities under the AUKUS framework are significant, including defense contracts, technology transfer, investment in research & development, supply chain integration, and new export markets, but companies need to be prepared to manage regulatory risk, political volatility, and cost pressures,” the firm said in an announcement. — Among those involved in the new offering are Biden administration alums Philip Reeker, a former diplomat who served as chargé d’affaires to the U.S. Embassy in the U.K., and Spencer Boyer, who served as deputy assistant secretary of Defense for European and NATO policy. Meredith Miller, David Castagnetti, Jason Attermann, Jaemin Baek and Trump White House alum Nicole Frazier will round out the AUKUS group’s U.S. staff. CRYPTO TARGETS BLACK LAWMAKERS: A group of Black crypto founders is appealing to the Congressional Black Caucus to back the landmark package of crypto legislation coming to the House floor this week, our Jasper Goodman reports. Crypto offers “a significant opportunity to enhance economic access and reduce inequalities,” the founders argued in a letter to CBC members, adding that they’re looking to “address common misconceptions and to illuminate the transformative potential of these technologies.” SPOTTED last night at a reception for the Tax and Trade Staff Association hosted by the Associated Equipment Distributors and National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association on GrayRobinson’s rooftop: Reps. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), NSSGA’s Michele Stanley, AED’s Daniel Fisher and GrayRobinson’s Chris McCannell and other tax and trade staff.
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