ICYMI OVER THE WEEKEND: Prior to Sunday’s Republican presidential primary in D.C., former President Donald Trump’s campaign issued a blunt ultimatum to GOP lobbyists in the city, warning that K Streeters who sat out the primary would be doing so at their own risk, per our Alex Isenstadt. — “If you don’t bother voting, don’t bother calling” the former president, one campaign official told Alex. Mercury Public Affairs’ Bryan Lanza, who served on Trump’s 2016 campaign and transition team, added that Trump’s campaign “is very cognizant of who makes up the GOP primary voters in D.C.” and that “the worst thing for them would be not showing up.” IVF COMPANY REGISTERS TO LOBBY: “An IVF company facing lawsuits for destroying embryos has registered to lobby Washington for the first time, the latest example of a reproductive health company going on the offensive after the reversal of Roe v. Wade,” our Hailey Fuchs reports. — The filing from CooperSurgical “comes after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos were legally considered children, prompting new calls for federal protections for fertility treatments” and setting off a political scramble after some clinics in the state paused in vitro fertilization treatments. — “CooperSurgical hired the Washington firm Thorn Run Partners, which registered to lobby on ‘Fertility’ and ‘Maternal Health’ effective Friday. … The case in Alabama centered around the destruction of embryos, which the court ruled was criminal under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. CooperSurgical faces lawsuits in multiple states on a similar issue, with families seeking unspecified damages over claims that the company caused the loss of their embryos.” — The company “enlisted three veteran Hill aides to lobby on its behalf, including Jessie Brairton, a former staffer to former Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) who formerly lobbied for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The other two lobbyists are Andrew Rosenberg, a former aide to Sen. Ed Kennedy (D-Mass.) who co-founded the firm, and Jacky Usyk, a longtime Democratic Senate aide.” Adeena Fried, a spokesperson for CooperSurgical, told Hailey the company hired lobbyists to ensure IVF remains accessible nationwide. GETTING COLD FEET: “Donors to No Labels are starting to fear that the third-party group missed its window for launching a much-hyped presidential bid and are questioning whether to make future financial commitments to the organization,” Daniel and Shia Kapos report. — “Those fears have intensified after two high-profile No Labels candidate targets — former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat — passed on the chance to run for president, and as the party’s planned April presidential nominating convention approaches without a clear ticket in place.” — “‘No Labels just missed one heck of an opportunity to potentially be viable, and now I don’t know that they can be viable,’ said Jim Teague, the CEO of a Texas oil and gas company and a No Labels donor. ‘I don’t know who they can possibly get to run that would generate excitement that Joe Manchin would have generated,’ he said, adding that it’s ‘pretty doubtful’ he will donate to the organization in the future.” — “No Labels officials say they are continuing to move forward with plans to launch a presidential run and are looking at ‘sometime after Super Tuesday to determine if we offer our line and who would be on it,’ spokesperson Maryanne Martini said.” ZOOMING IN ON A NEW CONSERVATIVE BENEFACTOR: “From the Ambien and Dramamine in millions of bathroom medicine cabinets, to the sugar substitute that makes diet sodas sweet, to the first-ever birth control pill, some of America’s most common medicines and supplements can be traced back to the G.D. Searle pharmaceutical company,” CNN’s Casey Tolan writes. — “Now, more than a century after the company’s founding, the massive family fortune built from those scientific advances has emerged as a major benefactor of the right, mostly out of the public eye.” — “The Searle Freedom Trust, a foundation funded by the company’s former chairman, has doled out more than $200 million in grants over the last decade, sending more money to conservative non-profits than nearly any other private foundation in recent years, according to a CNN analysis.” — “This year, the Searle trust is poised to play an even bigger role as it empties out its coffers. Following the wishes of its founder, the late Daniel C. Searle, the trust is closing down in 2025 and planning to award most of its last major grants in 2024. That means a potential windfall during a key election year for groups that push conservative policies: As of the beginning of 2023, according to its most recent tax return, the trust had more than $59 million left to spend.” PBM ‘DISRUPTORS’ HEAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE: “The White House on Monday is holding a listening session on pharmacy benefit managers, but the industry's biggest players are miffed they were not invited,” our Megan Wilson reports. — “The attendees include HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and private-sector players, such as billionaire Mark Cuban, who founded an online pharmacy aimed at circumventing the conventional PBM model. White House officials — National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard and Neera Tanden, director of the Domestic Policy Council — will also participate.” — “The Biden administration wants to demonstrate that it’s working to tackle high health care costs, which is a top issue for voters in a presidential election year. … But the three largest industry players — UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx, CVS Health’s Caremark and Cigna’s Express Scripts — were not invited, according to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a PBM trade group, which said that not being included makes it appear as if the Biden administration is ‘promoting one business model over all others.’”
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