| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | | Presented by |  | | | With Daniel Lippman ONTARIO PREPS FOR NOVEMBER: Ontario’s government is turning to K Street for help deepening ties to U.S. lawmakers — with separate plans for before and after the U.S. elections. The Canadian province’s Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs inked a yearlong contract with Capitol Counsel worth up to $1.3 million, according to a copy filed with the Justice Department. — The firm’s marching orders are divided into a pre-election period — during which Capitol Counsel will provide “strategic advice and tactics for securing meetings with key government representatives and other stakeholders” as well as longer-term engagement goals while building out “an initial repository of key U.S. government and business contacts for Ontario to leverage” — and a post-election period. — After the elections, the firm will readjust its strategy as needed to reflect the outcome of the elections at both the federal and state levels while identifying policy issues relevant to the province, crafting white papers and conducting polling as requested and shaping Ontario’s messaging on its priorities for the appropriate audiences, DOJ filings show. — Capitol Counsel will also devise a plan for the first 100 days of the new Congress and administration, “including identifying any U.S. engagement opportunities for Ontario, during the first 100 days and beyond.” — The hire also comes ahead of a key deadline for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement in 2026 to determine whether to extend the trade pact for 16 years or open it up for changes. As part of Capitol Counsel’s work for Ontario, the firm will offer advice on such a prospect. — The Capitol Counsel lobbyists working on the account are roughly split between parties. The Republicans are Jason Scism, a former aide to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.); David Bridges, a former tax counsel for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.); Nick Bouknight, former top aide to former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.); and Clint Robinson, a former George W. Bush administration official. — The Democrats working on the account are Jeff Carroll, a longtime aide to House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.); Rob Diamond, a former Obama White House and Biden 2020 official; and Jonathan Kott, a former aide to Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.). — Ontario isn’t the only Canadian province for whom Capitol Counsel works; the firm has lobbied for Alberta since 2015, DOJ filings show. Capitol Counsel is the only D.C. firm employed by Ontario’s government, though the province’s tourism promotion agency and several Canadian government agencies and the Liberal Party retain lobbying or PR firms in the U.S. TGIF and welcome to PI. Heading to the Democratic National Convention next week? While your host won’t be on the ground in Chicago, PI still wants to hear all the hot gossip from the convention floor to the party circuit and everywhere in between. Send tips, event reviews, spotteds or anything else — we’ll keep you anonymous! — to coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | WELCOME TO THE CNN-POLITICO GRILL AT THE DNC! If you are in Chi-Town next week, join us at the CNN-POLITICO Grill just steps from the United Center for daily events and live programs. Featuring an all-star lineup of the most influential Democrats including Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, the Honorable Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Laphonza Butler, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and many more surprise guests. Don’t miss out on the buzziest conversations and newsworthy events hosted by POLITICO’s top reporters and editors. RSVP HERE. | | | | | HERITAGE VIBE CHECK: NOTUS’ Ben T.N. Mause brings us inside the Heritage Foundation, where “the internal atmosphere … has been uneasy since Project 2025 began receiving outsized attention. In the words of the person familiar with the organization, what started as a ‘fun’ targeting by Democrats and the media took a nightmarish turn for staff when the project earned Trump’s public wrath. Now, there’s nothing ‘fun’ about the situation.” — “‘People are legitimately worried,’ the source said. While Heritage shrugged off the initial blowback, the group seemed to pivot toward downplaying the plan once it became clear the ramifications were no laughing matter. But ignoring the problem also hasn’t been working.” — “Sources suggested that while Heritage may have been prepared for some repercussions, hardly anyone anticipated that Trump would have to disavow the project so directly … The episode concluded with the downfall of Project 2025 Director Paul Dans, who some see as a scapegoat for Heritage President Kevin Roberts’ decision-making.” — “‘Hindsight is 20/20,’ a current Heritage staffer told NOTUS. ‘Nothing is perfect, and — when you look back — there are always mistakes you could fix or stuff you could’ve done better.’ But Heritage has been on a collision course with Trump for some time. And much of the blame is currently falling on Roberts, whose leadership decisions have at times frustrated the Trump campaign.” BANK ON IT: “Federal regulators are at odds over how to advance a sweeping plan to require the nation’s biggest banks to strengthen their financial resilience — and they’re running up against a presidential election that could jeopardize the entire project,” our Michael Stratford and Victoria Guida report. — “Officials at the Federal Reserve and other regulators, which jointly unveiled the proposal in July 2023, have been negotiating for months over how to move forward with the draft rules in the face of a furious lobbying effort by Wall Street.” — “But they have been unable to reach a consensus on what their next steps should be, according to people familiar with the discussions, further complicating efforts to agree on revisions to the proposal, which would sharply increase banks’ capital requirements. That means further delay — a victory for the banks — and a high likelihood that the rules won’t be completed until the next president takes office.” — “Even if the rules move forward, the industry looks poised for success. Agency officials have broadly agreed to dial back at least some parts of the proposal, which critics say would unfairly penalize banks for less-risky activities like wealth management and make it harder for lower-income people to access some forms of credit.” DEPT. OF TEA LEAF-READING: Our Meridith McGraw writes that today’s announcement by the Trump campaign of the team who will lead his transition effort signals that the America First Policy Institute “could have an influential role in shaping a second term for the former president.” — Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO who served as Trump’s small business chief and now chairs AFPI’s board, will serve as the transition team’s co-chair alongside Cantor Fitzgerald chief executive Howard Lutnick. — “AFPI, often described as a Republican ‘White House in waiting,’ is led by former domestic policy council director Brooke Rollins and is home to several top Trump administration officials,” Meredith writes. “In a statement, Rollins praised McMahon as ‘a leader who knows how to build and lead large organizations.’” — “McMahon and Lutnick will be tasked with overseeing the vetting and hiring of political appointees and of crafting policy proposals and executive orders Trump could implement starting on day one of his administration,” an effort that has been underway within conservative groups for months — culminating in Heritage’s Project 2025 effort that Trump’s campaign has worked feverishly to distance itself from in recent weeks.
| | A message from Sallie Mae®: As a responsible private lender and education solutions company, Sallie Mae’s free tools and resources help power confidence as students and families navigate their unique higher education journeys. Learn more about how Sallie Mae is helping students and families make informed decisions about higher education financing. | | | | | — Chartwell Strategy Group is adding Sanjeev Yadav and Nate Miller as senior advisers. Yadav is founder and CEO of Banyan Tree Global and was previously with the British Consulate General Boston and U.K. Trade and Investment, and Miller was previously with the National Security Council, National Economic Council and International Development Finance Corporation. — Neil Gormley, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, is departing to launch Wild Potomac, a nonprofit focused on conservation along the Potomac River. — Tess Peterson will be a senior legislative assistant for Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas). She previously was a senior consultant at FTI Consulting. — Jeff Micklos will be the next president and CEO of the National Association of ACOs. He currently is executive director of the Health Care Transformation Task Force. — The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum has added Fajer Saeed Ebrahim as senior policy manager, Sydelle Barreto as policy manager for economic justice and the HEAL Coalition, and DJ Large as a policy associate. — Jason Wallace is now chief marketing officer at aircraft startup Natilus. He most recently was vice president of global marketing at Hesai.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | | BRITT SENATE VICTORY (Sen. Katie Britt, Tim Sheehy for Montana, Rogers for Senate, Bernie Moreno for Senate, Friends of Dave McCormick, NRSC) Iowa Victory Fund 2024 (Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn, Randy Feenstra, Republican Party of Iowa, NRCC) Lyerly Schultz Victory Fund (Kristin Lyerly for Congress, Jennifer Schultz Volunteer Committee) Prescott Vicory Fund (Prescott for Congress, Good for New Hampshire) Tillis Victory (Sen. Thom Tillis, Together Holding Our Majority PAC, NRSC)
| | | Disrupt Project 2025 (PAC) Good for New Hampshire (Leadership PAC: Russell Prescott) Last Stand Political Action Committee (Super PAC)
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| | New Lobbying Terminations | | Alignment Government Strategies: Amk Professional Services On Behalf Of Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission Forbes-Tate: Block, Inc Lobbyit.Com: Anbex Inc. The Mathis Harple Group: Altria Client Services LLC Fka Altria The Mathis Harple Group: Building And Construction Trades Council Of Greater New York The Mathis Harple Group: Grail, Inc The Mathis Harple Group: Nuclear Energy Institute The Mathis Harple Group: Phrma The Mathis Harple Group: Pilma Wanner Associates: Delaware County Community College Wanner Associates: Rajant Corporation
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