A guide to Kay Granger’s alumni on K Street

Delivered daily, Influence gives you a comprehensive rundown and analysis of all lobby hires and news on K Street.

Jan 13, 2023 View in browser   By Caitlin Oprysko With Daniel Lippman Programming Note: We'll be off this Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Jan. 17. WHO'S CLOSE TO THE NEXT HOUSE APPROPS CHAIR: GOP Rep.Kay Granger of Texas is the new top appropriator in the House as head of the House Appropriations Committee. With funding the government widely expected to be a slog in the new Congress, after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised conservatives a vote on a budget to slash spending across the board, including potentially for the Pentagon, lobbyists with ties to the new chairwoman — of which there are many — are sure to become a hot commodity downtown. Here is a (non-exhaustive) guide. — Granger has at least a dozen former chiefs of staff downtown — many of whom remain close with the 14-term lawmaker, according to Darin Gardner, one of those former chiefs who now lobbies for clients with the Conafay Group. — Other Granger alumni aren't registered to lobby but are still part of the broader Washington influence community. Barrett Karr is another former Granger chief who remains close with her despite leaving Granger's office nearly two decades ago. More recently, she was a top aide in McCarthy's leadership office, and she's now a government relations manager at the Silicon Valley investment firm Silver Lake. — Kasey Pipes, one of Granger's first communications directors, who eventually worked in the George W. Bush administration, co-founded Corley Pipes Consulting, where he does crisis comms, issue management and media relations. — Matt Leffingwell of Tiber Creek Group is another longtime Granger chief, as are Leidos' Spencer Freebairn and Lockheed Martin's Robert Head, who's still close with his former boss. Still other onetime Granger aides downtown include Craig Albright, now with BSA | The Software Alliance; Barry Brown, now with the Alpine Group; Chelsey Hickman, now at Winning Strategies Washington; Krister Holladay, now with APL; Darrin Kayser, now at Edelman; Shannon Meade, now at the National Restaurant Association; Cole Rojewski, now at RBW Group; Jordon Sims, now at Imperium Global Advisors; Chad Heflin, now at the International Air Transport Association; Zach Howell, now at Hill East Group; KKR's Ken Mehlman; and Ted Monoson, now at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. — There are also a number of folks downtown who worked under Granger on the Appropriations Committee or its Defense subcommittee, which the congresswoman previously chaired. They include Allison Deters, Megan Milam, Jennifer Miller and Brian Potts, who lobby in-house for Northrop Grumman, Anduril Industries, Raytheon and General Dynamics, respectively; Alpine Group's Cornell Teague and Thorn Run Partners' B.G. Wright. Happy Friday and welcome to PI. Send lobbying tips or requests for K Street guides to any other incoming House chairs: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     MCCARTHY'S K STREET FUNDRAISERS KICK INTO GEAR: K Street is getting its first chance to fête the new House Speaker and his Republican majority next month at a high-dollar fundraiser hosted by some of his closest allies downtown, according to an invite obtained by PI. — The Feb. 7 dinner at the Waldorf Astoria — yes, the same night as the State of the Union — will be McCarthy's first K Street fundraiser since becoming speaker, and is set to feature every member of McCarthy's new leadership team along with the chairs of every House committee. Organizers expect the event to be his biggest in D.C. this year, and are projecting a haul of anywhere from $10 million to $20 million. (Flashback: A similar set-up a year ago at what was then the Trump International Hotel saw the then-House Minority Leader bring in $9.5 million from the influence community.) — Miller Strategies' Jeff Miller will host the event, while Miller Strategies' George Caram, Ashley Gunn, Jonny Hiler and Jessica Mandel; CGCN Group's Sam Geduldig, Tim Pataki, John Stipicevic and Mike Catanzaro; Duberstein Group's Ben Howard and Cornerstone Government Affairs' Jim Richards are listed as co-hosts. — "The last two years was all about winning a majority under Kevin McCarthy's leadership," Miller told PI in a statement. "We're proud to be part of Speaker McCarthy's effort to build on that victory. House Republicans are already meeting their commitments to voters, and now we're excited to help add to their ranks." — For those looking to rub shoulders with House leaders, getting in the door won't come cheap — tickets start at $50,000, according to the invitation, with requested contributions of $100,000 and $250,000 to be named a co-host or host, respectively. The cash will benefit the McCarthy Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee composed of McCarthy's campaign committee, leadership PAC and the NRCC. ACROSS THE POND: "KPMG U.S. tax expert Manal Corwin will become the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's new tax chief as it continues to shepherd the implementation of a global corporate tax overhaul," our Bjarke Smith-Meyer and Brian Faler report. — "Corwin is well known in international tax circles and has worked for years on multilateral tax initiatives, both in the Treasury Department and as a corporate consultant," while the departure of Pascal Saint-Amans, who was key to securing the 2021 accord and who Corwin will replace, "shocked EU policymakers, who fear that governments outside of Europe, notably the U.S., will fall short of implementing the agreed tax reforms." — "The OECD facilitated years-long talks that led to an agreement by more than 130 countries, including the U.S., to impose a 15 percent minimum tax on multinational corporations in hopes of keeping them from shopping the world for the lowest tax rates. Implementation of the deal has stalled in the U.S., though, amid opposition in Congress, mostly from Republicans." — "Corwin was the deputy assistant secretary for international affairs at the Treasury Department during the Obama administration, where she was a driving force behind FATCA, a program aimed at Americans skipping taxes by stashing money overseas." — "U.S. business groups welcomed Corwin's appointment to the OECD post. 'There has never been an American in this position, and we look forward to working with her as we advocate for a reliable and consistent international tax system,' said Cathy Schultz, vice president for tax and fiscal policy at Business Roundtable." WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO CHAMBER BARBS: The White House today pushed back on criticism leveled by the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its regulatory agenda. In a news briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre downplayed assertions from Chamber President and CEO Suzanne Clark that the business community is "fed up" with new rules from the administration that advance an "ideological agenda" and lack "transparency, accountability or clarity," pointing to the administration's record on jobs over the past two years and easing inflation numbers. — Jean-Pierre also seized on Clark's calls in her "State of American Business" address for policymakers in Washington to move past polarization and gridlock while highlighting several legislative priorities on which the Chamber and White House overlap, including immigration, permitting reform and raising the debt ceiling. — "Our administration is leveraging every available tool to advance the president's ambitious agenda for the country and to deliver for the American people," she added while doubling down on President Joe Biden's calls for higher taxes on large corporations and arguing that legislation like the infrastructure bill and manufacturing investments are "supported by [the] business community." Jobs Report — Spencer Katterhagen has joined the Financial Services Forum as a manager of government affairs. Katterhagen previously served as a legislative assistant to former House Ways and Means ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas). — Anna Taylor has joined Deloitte's Washington National Tax practice, where she'll be deputy managing principal of the tax policy group. She was most recently the longtime tax counsel for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. — Ryan Davis will be the new head of public relations at Carlton Fields. He was most recently public relations manager at Covington & Burling. — Alex Vargo is now senior policy adviser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He most recently was vice president of policy at the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce and is a Mitt Romney and Ted Budd alum. — Sue Bettman is joining Brunswick Group as a partner in the Chicago office. She was most recently an independent director at Alliant Credit Union. — Courtney O'Hara Taylor is joining the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as Democratic staff director. She previously was senior vice president at ML Strategies and is an Environmental Defense Fund, Interior Department and DOJ alum. — Will Devine is now a senior associate at Civitas Public Affairs Group. He previously was associate vice president at A10 Associates. — Colleen Castle will be deputy director of federal policy at the Council for a Strong America. Castle was most recently legislative director for Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.). New Joint Fundraisers MAJORITY MAKERS FUND (NRSC, MT SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2024, WV SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2024, OH SENATE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FUND 2024) New York Majority Fund Women Senators Making History (Sens. Tammy Baldwin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Mazie Hirono, Jacky Rosen)   JOIN NEXT TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading "majority minority" cities, reshaping who is at the nation's power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they're responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE.     New PACs Every Vote PAC (Leadership PAC: John Fetterman) Ohio Accountability PAC (Super PAC) Spire Inc. Federal Political Action Committee (Spire Federal PAC) (PAC) Unleash America PAC (Super PAC) New Lobbying Registrations Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: Antimicrobials Working Group Broydrick & Associates: Chabad-Lubavitch Of Wisconsin Caprock Strategies, LLC: Mclane Group International, Lp Quincy Institute For Responsible Statecraft: Quincy Institute For Responsible Statecraft The Bridge Advisory Group: Appddiction Studio Thegroup Dc, LLC: Cognizant Technology Solutions Wheat Shroyer Government Relations LLC: American Registry Of Radiologic Technologists New Lobbying Terminations Access Partnership Corp: Telecom Infra Project Agm Consulting Services, Inc.: Aegis Technologies A Bluehalo Company Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Bose Corporation Association Of Fundraising Professionals: Association Of Fundraising Professionals Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz /The Daschle Group: Aecom Bramer Group LLC: Ducommun Inc. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Pc: Myaderm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Pc: Regency Integrated Health Services Butterfly Network, Inc.: Butterfly Network, Inc. Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Bridger Photonics Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Center For American Progress Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Firstelement Fuel Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: New York Cruise Lines End Sud, Inc. Dba End Substance USe Disorder: End Sud, Inc. Dba End Substance USe Disorder Forbes-Tate: Alclear LLC Dba Clear Gordley Associates: Ceres Gordley Associates: Meridian Implementation Fund Gordley Associates: Plant Based Foods Association Grant Consulting Group: Mopec Grant Consulting Group: The North Group Holland & Knight LLP: Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Holland & Knight LLP: Mantech International Corporation Holland & Knight LLP: The Spaceport Company Kae Strategic, LLC: Dyncorp International Katherine Oh: Demand Progress Action Mehlman Consulting, Inc. (F/K/A Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, Inc.): Freedom For All Americans Mehlman Consulting, Inc. (F/K/A Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas, Inc.): Pgm Of Texas, LLC Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Aspen Systems, Inc. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Comcast Corporation Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Mercury Systems, Inc. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: S12 Technologies, Inc. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Red Maple Consulting, LLC: Research!America Richard J. Leidl, P.C.: City Of Abilene, Texas Squire Patton Boggs: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Squire Patton Boggs: Dexcom, Inc. Van Scoyoc Associates: International Program Group (Ipg)   Follow us

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