With Daniel Lippman DEVELOPING: President-elect Donald Trump this afternoon endorsed an emerging GOP deal to avert a government shutdown, removing a key obstacle one day after tanking the bipartisan stopgap package negotiated with Democrats amid a conservative backlash over unrelated policy add-ons, our Hill colleagues report. — The GOP proposal, which reportedly caught congressional Democrats by surprise, would fund the government into March, suspend the debt limit for two years, extend the farm bill and expiring health provisions and include a disaster aid package previously agreed to by Democrats. It would strip out a slew of other provisions, including a crackdown on pharmacy benefit managers. BALLARD CASTS KILCUR: Patrick Kilcur, the top lobbyist at the Motion Picture Association, is leaving the trade group after 11 years to join Ballard Partners, where he’ll be a partner and focus on Senate Republican outreach. Ballard has represented the MPA since 2018. — The trade association represents the biggest names in entertainment and is a major player in every Washington debate over media issues — which most recently have included how to handle copyright and intellectual property issues when it comes to artificial intelligence, as well as the evolution of the TV and movie market due to the rise of streaming services. — At Ballard, which recently opened an office in Los Angeles, Kilcur is expected to work closely with clients across industries on trade and tax policy — issues he was heavily involved in at MPA, but of course reach far beyond the entertainment industry and which will both be front and center for K Street during the Trump administration. (To wit: At least two of the clients Ballard has signed since the election explicitly mention tariff lobbying.) — Before joining MPA, Kilcur spent nearly two decades working for Senate Republicans, including as a floor assistant for the chamber’s GOP leadership — a constituency with whom Ballard lacks significant relationships, at least relative to its deep ties to the incoming Trump administration and the House. Happy Thursday and welcome to PI. Time is running out to send me your best influence tips before our post-Christmas break: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.
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READING TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY TEA LEAVES: As Trump’s foreign policy team continues taking shape, veteran diplomat Paul Jones and former Trump economic adviser Everett Eissenstat of Squire Patton Boggs sent a memo to clients today handicapping the potential implications of Trump’s burgeoning foreign policy agenda on the business community. — The upshot, they write, is that “while Trump’s ambitions are bold, his preference for selective engagement and discretionary use of force — designed to maximize negotiating flexibility — may diminish the long-term dominance of US alliances.” What’s more is that “many world leaders are comfortable with Trump’s transactional diplomacy and are already engaging him and his inner circle on proposed business deals.” — Trump’s foreign policy principals will face an uphill battle “maintaining coherence,” especially given the plethora of special envoy roles and outside advisers like Elon Musk and Jared Kushner. — Policy-wise, while “uncertainties abound,” they write, a focus on tariffs — both targeted and broad — and a hard line on China policy are virtually guaranteed, thanks to Trump’s team of tariff advocates and China hawks, respectively. — Though less of a sure thing, “traditional foreign aid could take a backseat to public-private investment initiatives to counter China” during Trump’s second term, the memo predicts, with “prominent investors close to the Administration” slated to play “pivotal roles.” Strategic economic corridors established during President Joe Biden’s presidency, especially those related to energy projects, could be the exception to this trend, the pair writes. FIRST IN PI — THE BROOKINGS REBELLION AGAINST ROUSE: An anonymous letter that was recently sent to Brookings Institution trustees complaining about the leadership of president Cecilia Rouse accused her of foisting a return-to-office policy on employees without proper consultations and being dismissive toward colleagues, Daniel reports. — Last week PI reported on the letter being sent to trustees, after which a copy of the missive was seen by PI. The letter says that in “the opinion of the Brookings Institution community,” Rouse “is not leading the Institution in a constructive, effective, or sustainable manner, and that she has repeatedly and profusely breached the terms of her employment by violating the Brookings Code of Conduct and Ethics and perverted the spirit of Brookings ideals.” — It alleges that Rouse did not inform the Brookings union about the RTO policy, which it says numerous VPs and other advisers were against, and that she didn’t have satisfactory answers to questions about the issue at a town hall in late October. She told a colleague recently at the office that one reason she mandated the policy was because she had trouble focusing when people appear on a screen in meetings, according to a Brookings employee who overheard the conversation. — The letter also says she’s exploring a “radical restructuring of the organization, including to the research programs which have been and continue to be the heartbeat of the Institution” and alleges that she’s trying to change the think tank to do “soft lobbying” using the 501(h) part of the tax code. It also criticizes her leadership and communications styles, saying she has “created an environment of fear” and has been known to use terms like “dense,” “meh” or “insane” when referring to staff or their work. — Rouse, who previously chaired Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, didn’t respond to requests for comment, nor did Brookings. But a person close to Brookings said in an email: “Here’s what’s going on--changes are afoot at this amazing institution, under a strong leader. That’s what you’re seeing.” ICYMI — RIVERA HIT WITH NEW FARA CHARGES: “A federal grand jury in Washington has returned an indictment against former Congressmember David Rivera for failing to register as a foreign agent of a sanctioned Venezuelan media tycoon on whose behalf the Miami Republican allegedly lobbied the Trump administration,” per The Associated Press’ Joshua Goodman. — “The indictment is the second set of criminal charges to examine Rivera’s relationship with Raúl Gorrín, a billionaire businessperson charged in 2018 and again in 2024 with bribing senior Venezuelan officials in corrupt deals to embezzle state funds from Nicolas Maduro’s administration.” — “The indictment unsealed on Wednesday alleges that Rivera, between June 2019 and April 2020, lobbied U.S. officials, including an unnamed senior official in the executive branch, to remove sanctions against Gorrín.” Prosecutors allege he did so with the help of another unnamed former U.S. official and covered up the scheme by creating a series of fake shell companies intended to appear as legitimate and associated with the former official. — “Rivera was arrested in 2022 in another illegal lobbying case, out of federal court in Miami, tied to a $50 million consulting contract his firm, Interamerican Consulting, signed with a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA. Prosecutors say the 2017 contract was a ruse to hide a secret campaign by Maduro’s government to curry favor with the incoming Trump administration.” FIRE(ARM) SALE: “The National Rifle Association is liquidating investments as it bleeds cash amid legal turmoil, internal tumult, and dwindling membership revenue, according to an independent audit,” Dave Levinthal writes for Rolling Stone. — “The investment liquidation — $45 million in all — represents more than three-fifths the value of the NRA’s investment portfolio, which stood at more than $72 million at the end of 2023, according to the audit. Prior to the liquidation, stocks and other equity securities represented the majority of the NRA’s investment portfolio, with fixed income securities accounting for most of the rest.” — “The audit also indicates that total NRA member dues fell from more than $83 million during 2022 to $62 million during 2023. Membership income routinely topped nine figures even a few years ago.” The financial troubles for the powerful gun lobby come “at a time when it should be ascendant, considering Donald Trump — a staunch gun rights advocate — is returning to the White House with promises of protecting the 2nd Amendment no matter his opposition.” SPOTTED on the roof of the Riggs Hotel on Tuesday for a holiday reception for Applecart, per a tipster: Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.), the Herald Group's Matt Well, Healthcare Distribution Alliance's John Parker, BP's JP Fielder, Burson's John Randall, Bayer’s Mike Parrish and Amber Lyons, FTI Consulting’s Jay Dunn and Lauren Crawford Shaver, Todd Strategies' Dan Todd, Environmental Defense Fund’s Jack Pratt, Capital One’s Sarah Craighill, Avoq's Steve Elmendorf, Uber’s Michael Falcone, the Commerce Department's Sean Sweeney, AdFero's Amos Snead, AT&T's Joe Eyer, General Motors' Omar Vargas, MPA's Rachel Alben, Blackstone's Alex Katz, Heidrick & Struggles’ Julian Ha, Forbes Tate Partners’ Erik Rapprich, Narrative Strategies’ Erin Bergmeister, Meta's Jonathan Lee, Glen Echo Group's Davey McKissick, McKesson’s Rich Buckley, Rokk Solutions’ Rachel Winer and Weber Shandwick's Tim Ryan. — And at a holiday reception the Black, Hispanic and Asian American congressional staff associations hosted by Fulcrum Public Affairs, AHIP and Nielsen, per a tipster: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), incoming CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Reps. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Erica Lee Carter (D-Texas); Fulcrum’s Dana Thompson and Oscar Ramirez, AHIP’s Sohini Gupta, Aron Griffin and Anthony Mitchell; Nielsen’s Kenny LaSalle, Boston Scientific’s Whitney Craig, March of Dimes’ KJ Hertz, JPMorgan Chase’s Omair Mirza, Johnson & Johnson’s Larry Camm and Leif Brierley, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Sean Burns, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Marco Davis, New Mexico State Rep. Javier Martinez, the Business Roundtable’s Matthew Spikes and Building Back Together’s Javier Gamboa.
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— Brian Conlan has joined Federal Hall Policy Advisors as a partner. Conlan spent the past 14 years with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), most recently as deputy legislative director. — Todd Malan is joining Talon Metals as chief external affairs officer and head of climate strategy. He was previously vice president for corporate relations for Canada and the Americas for Rio Tinto. — Matthew Kastner has been promoted to senior director of media relations and rapid response in the American Chemistry Council’s plastics division. He’s currently director of media relations in the plastics division. — Glen Echo Group has promoted Anne Keeney and Davey McKissick to senior vice presidents, Andrea O'Neal and Christopher Shannon to vice presidents and Kieran Henstenburg and Isabela Kent to senior associates. — Ben Mosely is joining the Farm Credit Administration as director of its Office of Congressional and Public Affairs. He was previously a principal at the Majority Group. — Julia Pursley is now director of industry relations at Harris Data Integrity Solutions. She was previously senior director of knowledge practice at the American Health Information Management Association. — Anna Massoglia is launching a Substack, called “Influence Brief,” and will also work as an independent consultant for various groups. She previously was editorial and investigations manager at OpenSecrets. — Lobbyist and former Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) was appointed by Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries to co-chair the congressional Commission on the Future of the U.S. Navy alongside AEI's Mackenzie Eaglen, who was appointed by Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. — Anatole Jenkins, Brandon Thompson and Jose Nunez are launching Contrast Campaigns, a new strategic comms organizing firm. The trio all met while working on then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign and have already been advising clients such as Harris’ 2024 campaign, the DNC, League of Conservation Voters and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis’ Californians for Choice.
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