WHO’S MEETING WITH HOGAN — SPOTTED at Charlie Palmer's restaurant having lunch with former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan fresh off his GOP Senate primary victory, per a tipster: Nile Elam of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, Michele Stanley of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Sean O’Neill of Portland Cement, John Hay of CRH Americas, Andrew Tyrrell of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Paul Sass of Cassidy and Associates, Katie Hays of Caterpillar, Daniel Fisher of the Associated Equipment Distributors and Gary Johnson of Granite Construction Company. SIGN OF THE TIMES: “A decade ago, a Republican committee chair investigating Washington’s biggest business advocacy organization would have been unthinkable. But times have changed,” The Hill’s Taylor Giorno writes of House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) opening a probe into the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its charitable arm over donations from a liberal donor-advised fund. — “A GOP chair investigating the Chamber and its foundation is a major shift from the historically close alignment between the group and Republicans. The probe also comes as the Chamber gears up for a massive lobbying blitz around the expiration of former President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, a fight in which Smith and Ways and Means Republicans will have heavy influence.” — “If Republicans hold the House, Smith is expected to retain the Ways and Means gavel and run the House committee charged with tax policy. A sour relationship with Smith could compromise the Chamber’s ability to sway the 2025 tax fight and other priorities that fall before the panel.” — The probe, which the Chamber has said was based on a “false and misleading” article from Breitbart News, “represents a new phase in well-reported tensions that erupted after the 2020 election between the Chamber and an increasingly populist Republican Party, some members of which were unhappy with the Chamber’s efforts to improve its relationships with Democrats.” CHINA BIOTECH BILL ADVANCES: A group of China-based biotech companies faced a setback on Wednesday as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee overwhelmingly advanced legislation that has them in the crosshairs, Megan reports. — The bill, called the BIOSECURE Act, would effectively ban the operations of Chinese “companies of concern” in the U.S. by prohibiting them — and any businesses that use their products — from receiving federal contracts, grants or loans. — One of those companies, WuXi AppTec, is used by many large drugmakers to help develop and bring medicines to market. In the leadup to the markup, WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics, which have China-based parent companies, had been urging lawmakers on the House panel to remove them from the bill. — The companies have been pushing back on lawmakers’ accusations that they have ties to the Chinese government and pose a national security risk. WuXi AppTec flew executives, including Richard Connell, the company’s U.S. and EU president, to Washington as part of the push. Elizabeth Steele, who recently registered as one of WuXi Biologics’ first in-house lobbyists, said the company has been working to “educate legislators on what our company does and doesn’t do.” — Last month, a spokesperson for Complete Genomics, a California-based company owned by MGI Tech, said its inclusion in the bill “is based on misunderstandings and representations about the company.” The BIOSECURE Act has continued to gain momentum since a Senate committee approved its version in March. MORE COMING HILL ATTRACTIONS: The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday approved a bill from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to block the Pentagon and other federal agencies from hiring consulting firms like McKinsey & Co. that work for both the U.S. government and Chinese and adversarial government-linked entities, Daniel reports. — The bill directs the federal government to cease any existing contracts and prohibit new ones with the firms unless they give up contracts with entities that have ties to the governments of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea and also would penalize firms that hide or misrepresent such contracts. The bill passed 10-1, with only Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting against it. — “If a big consulting firm wants a U.S. government contract, they shouldn’t be able to also make millions working for foreign adversaries,” Hawley said in a statement to PI. “Companies like McKinsey have been gaming the system for years and have taken billions from taxpayers while working with China. It’s time for them to choose whose side they are on. I’m proud my colleagues in the homeland security committee agree.” ALL ABOUT THE PERKS: “Former President Donald Trump’s top donors are to be rewarded for supporting him while they attend the Republican National Convention in July,” per CNBC’s Brian Schwartz. — Trump’s joint fundraising vehicle with the GOP, state parties and the PAC that’s been footing Trump’s legal bills is offering “major investor convention benefits” for donors who bundle more than $2.5 million or personally write checks for between $24,000 and $844,600. — Donors at the highest end of the spectrum “will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the Fiserv Forum, where the convention will be held, as well as VIP tickets to private convention events and selective seating in the arena,” according to a pamphlet for fundraisers, while those “who raise or give at least $50,000 will get a tour of the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee, the document says. There will also be a private reception for those donors.” IN MEMORIAM: Democratic pollster and strategist Greg Schneiders, who founded Prime Group LLC and led Jimmy Carter’s White House speechwriting office and the project that resulted in the creation of FEMA, died last week at his home in Key Largo, according to an obituary shared by representatives of his family. He was 77. There will be a memorial held at The Palm, where Schneiders was a frequent guest, in late June by invitation. In lieu of flowers, his family requests contributions to No Kid Hungry.
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