Crypto interests drop $13M on lobbying in first half of 2024

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Jul 31, 2024 View in browser   By Caitlin Oprysko Presented by  With Daniel Lippman CRYPTO MONEY FLOWING ALL OVER: As some of the digital asset industry’s top executives flood political action committees with cash in the hopes of sending a more crypto-friendly crop of policymakers to Washington next year, key businesses and trade associations have poured almost $13 million into federal influence efforts through the first half of 2024, according to a PI analysis of lobbying disclosures. — That puts the same collection of industry players on track to spend slightly less than their lobbying expenditures in 2023, which neared $29 million — but it’s a remarkable ascent for an industry that had virtually no presence in the nation’s capital just a decade ago, and which suffered what looked like a potentially fatal implosion with the collapse of crypto firm FTX just a year before. — The 2023 number also included one of the industry’s former top lobbying spenders, Binance and Binance.US, which are no longer lobbying after their former CEO was sentenced to prison earlier this year on charges of enabling money laundering at the crypto exchange. — Nevertheless, the crypto world has found itself on the verge of major victories on the legislative and political fronts this year, winning House passage of a landmark regulatory framework back in May and hosting a major party’s presidential nominee — former President Donald Trump — at an industry gathering over the weekend. — Coinbase was by far the industry’s biggest spender through the first six months of this year with $1.9 million in lobbying outlays. The crypto exchange was followed by one of the industry’s main trade groups, the Blockchain Association, which spent $980,000, and bitcoin miner Riot Platforms, which spent $950,000 — more than double what it spent all of last year. SCALISE APPLAUDS CHAMBER’S NEW LOBBYING CHIEF: One of the top critics of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the last four years is praising the business group’s latest hire to lead its lobbying efforts on the Hill. The Chamber tapped former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) earlier this week as its new head of government affairs, a move House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — one of Davis’ former colleagues — told PI is a step in the right direction. — “While the Chamber has lost their way and broken the trust of Congressional Republicans, Rodney Davis is a trusted former member of Congress who is respected by people on both sides of the aisle,” Scalise said in a statement. — The majority leader predicted that Davis will “bring a much-needed voice that represents traditional business interests and understands the policy and coalition building necessary if the Chamber is going to reestablish their place on the Hill.” — That vote of confidence from Scalise is about as close to a love poem that the Chamber is gonna get from a member of House leadership whose chief of staff told The Hill back in 2021 that “if the U.S. Chamber sent me a meeting request right now, I wouldn’t even staff that meeting out to an intern, and I don’t see that changing.” Happy Wednesday and welcome to PI. The House may be gone until September, but we’re still pumping out newsletters over here, so keep your lobbying tips coming: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko.   A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance: Small business owners depend on credit cards to grow sales and expand their reach. Studies show businesses earn more when customers use credit cards, receiving 220% more on average from credit card transactions compared to cash. Credit card transactions guarantee payment and avoid costs and risks associated with cash, while granting access to e-commerce channels. That’s why Small Business Payments Alliance members oppose the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Bill that would threaten security, access, and benefits.   K STREET’S ELECTION FORECAST: 2024 is already shaping up to be an election cycle for the ages, but a new forecast from Husch Blackwell Strategies chief executive Andy Blunt asks whether, for all the tumult of the last few months, the race for control of Washington has “fundamentally changed.” — Andy Blunt, the son of former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), concedes that it’s almost certainly too early to tell how the change atop the Democratic ticket and the assassination attempt against Trump will bear out in November. But “this cycle is the Senate Republicans’ to lose,” while Trump — for now — has maintained a slight polling edge over Democrats. The electoral map looks certain to guarantee razor-thin majorities in Congress, even if control of both chambers flips, he argues. — “The House outlook has changed the most in recent weeks,” Blunt writes. “Earlier, it appeared Democrats had the inside track to reclaiming the majority they lost in 2022, but the second round of redistricting did not result in the type of projected gains that most observers believed would occur.” ICYMI — A NEW GIG FOR DUNN: “Anita Dunn, a top adviser to President Biden and architect of his 2020 campaign, will leave the White House next week to advise the largest super PAC supporting Vice President Harris,” The Washington Post’s Michael Scherer reports. — “The decision, which has long been discussed as a possibility inside Biden’s inner circle, marks the first major exit from Biden’s core team since he decided to step aside from the presidential campaign and endorse Harris … Dunn will be a senior adviser to the independent group Future Forward, which has committed at least $300 million to support Harris, and an adviser to its partner organization Future Forward USA Action.” — “Dunn will work on super PAC efforts that can coordinate with the Harris campaign, meaning she will not be able to consult on independent ad placement or message strategy, say people familiar with the arrangement.” — Scherer reports that Dunn doesn’t plan on rejoining SKDK, the powerhouse Democratic political and consulting firm she helped start, or any other consulting firm for that matter. Meanwhile, our Eli Stokols reports that Jordan Finkelstein, one of Dunn’s top aides and a senior member of the White House comms shop, will follow Dunn to serve as an adviser at Future Forward. CLEAN UP ON AISLE FTC: “Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, who recently pledged $10 million to elect Kamala Harris, insisted in an awkward interview Tuesday that he is not buying influence with the vice president after he urged her to fire a top federal official investigating some of his business ventures,” the Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross writes. — The LinkedIn co-founder and venture capitalist “last week called on Harris to fire Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Lina Khan, whom the billionaire accused of ‘waging war on American business’ through aggressive anti-merger actions. ‘And so I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her,’ said Hoffman.” — Hoffman was asked about the outcry sparked by his comment by CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday. Tapper “asked Hoffman whether his comments are an example of ‘rich people getting to buy levels of influence.’ But Hoffman insisted that isn't the case and claimed he is able to ‘separate my role as a donor and expert.’” — “‘I totally agree with not buying levels of influence,’ said Hoffman, who organized a call for Harris with a group of major donors days before she launched her presidential campaign. ‘I've never had a conversation with Kamala Harris about this.’ Tapper appeared unconvinced by Hoffman's argument.”   A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance:   Jobs report — Alex Catanese is now vice president of congressional relations at the American Bankers Association. He previously was director of advocacy at America's Credit Unions. — Veterans Guardian has added John Blomstrom as manager of government and public affairs and Hank Boatright as a junior associate. Blomstrom was most recently at Diageo and Boatright was previously with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). Veterans Guardian has also promoted Brian Johnson to executive vice president. — Ebony Twilley Martin, Greenpeace USA’s executive director, has left her role with little public explanation, POLITICO’s E&E News reported. Greenpeace campaign director Rolf Skar and deputy general counsel Deepa Padmanabha are serving as acting co-executive directors. — Diana Erani of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers is joining the National Association of Community Health Centers as chief operating officer in September. — Olivia Perez-Cubas is now a director of corporate communications in the D.C. office of the Walt Disney Company. She most recently was managing director of strategic communications for Bullpen Strategy Group and is a Nikki Haley and Marco Rubio alum. — Jamie Geller is now vice president of corporate communications at Invenergy. She previously was senior director at Purple Strategies and is a Chris Murphy and Joaquin Castro alum. — Lucas Agnew has joined Van Ness Feldman as policy counsel. He previously served as staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. — Josh Zumbrun is joining Mercer Advisors, a wealth manager and financial planning firm, as director of external communications. He previously was an economics reporter and “The Numbers” columnist at WSJ. — Jesse Roach is now senior vice president of government relations at the National Kidney Foundation. He previously was chief medical officer for CVS Kidney Care and is a CMS alum.   A message from the Small Business Payments Alliance: A new report from the Small Business Payments Alliance demonstrates the value of the current electronic payments system to small businesses. Debit and credit card transactions are two to four times larger than cash transactions – in 2022, the average credit card transaction was $95, compared to $39 for cash transactions. When small businesses switch to accepting credit card payments, they feel the impact: businesses experience a 10 to 15 percent increase in average transaction size after starting to accept cards. Small businesses know the value of credit cards, which is why Small Business Payments Alliance members oppose the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill. Learn more about how credit cards impact small businesses and get involved in efforts to protect our electronic payments system.   New Joint Fundraisers Brown-Domenici Victory (Sam Brown for Nevada, Duty First PAC, NLD PAC, Nella for Senate, NRSC) New PACs A BETTER STL (Super PAC) Brentwood Families First (PAC) INDEPENDENT PAC (Super PAC) Midwest Majority PAC (Hybrid PAC) Rail Moves America PAC, Inc. (PAC) Stop Project 2025 (Hybrid PAC) Together Houston (Super PAC)   Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat.      New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Adomi Advisory Group Pllc: Haitian Bridge Alliance Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLP: Suffolk County, Ny Netapp, Inc: Netapp, Inc Steptoe LLP: Digital Currency Group New Lobbying Terminations Association For Professionals In Infection Control And Epidemiology: Association For Professionals In Infection Control And Epidemiology Mr. Joe Miklosi: Partners Of The Americas Paul Hastings LLP: Panama Colon Container Port, Inc.   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. 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