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April 29, 2021
This week in money-in-politics
Biden proposals spurred Q1 lobbying blitz
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Washington lobbyists remain a hot commodity under President Joe Biden, whose massive spending packages are attracting an influx of lobbying activity.
Lobbying spending totaled $886 million from January through March, according to OpenSecrets’ initial review of lobbying reports filed with Congress.
That figure — which will rise after firms file late reports — is a slight increase from the $868 million spent in the first months of Donald Trump’s presidency in 2017. It’s down from the record $942 million spent in the first quarter of 2020, when firms in every industry scrambled to influence the government’s COVID-19 response.
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** Texas special election will test Trump’s GOP legacy
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Voters in Texas’ 6th Congressional District will head to the polls on Saturday to choose a successor to former Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas), who died after contracting the coronavirus in February. And the contest may prove to be a referendum on former President Donald Trump. A whopping 23 candidates — 11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, one Libertarian and one independent — are on the ballot. If no single candidate wins more than 50 percent, voters will return to the polls later to decide a runoff between the top two candidates. Wright’s widow, Susan Wright, picked up a key endorsement from Trump earlier this week.
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** Former Biden aide sees green as renewable energy lobbyist
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Renewable energy companies are deploying a former aide to President Joe Biden to lobby the White House on the specifics of its proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package that would provide huge windfalls for the industry. Christopher Putala, a former Biden staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1989 to 1998, more than doubled his client list and lobbying revenue under the new president. Putala’s one-man lobbying firm raked in $770,000 in the first three months of 2021, up from $310,000 during the same period last year. That first-quarter haul was a personal best for Putala, who primarily represented telecom companies before Biden’s win.
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** FEC explores measures to expose ‘scam PACs’
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The Federal Election Commission is exploring ways to tackle so-called “scam PACs,” committees that route donors’ cash to their own operatives while spending relatively little on actual political activity. The commission is considering adding new data categories to the FEC website showing what percentage of a committee’s spending goes to supporting candidates and the proportion of spending going to each vendor. Those measures are meant to educate donors on how much political activity a given PAC really engages in, and whether their money is being funneled to one or a few political firms. Scam PACs are increasingly popular amid historically expensive elections.
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
* ** Nunes tops Ways and Means fundraising as GOP weathers PAC ‘pause’ (Roll Call) ([link removed])
California Rep. Devin Nunes (R) says he’s worked hard to build a national donor network that he keeps informed through podcasts. The 31 podcasts he’s done since the November elections included such themes as election security, the “Russia Hoax” and the wave of “socialist” spending by Democrats.
* ** Big money again pouring into NH House special election (New Hampshire Union Leader) ([link removed])
Still in its early stages, a special election for the New Hampshire state House has already has attracted the attention of some big national money.
* ** Qatar Adds U.S. Lobbying Muscle After Saudi Rift, Trump’s Snub (Bloomberg) ([link removed])
Since January, the nation of Qatar has hired seven prominent firms to do lobbying and consulting work in Washington at a combined rate of $186,000 per month.
** The Washington Post ([link removed])
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** New Jersey News Network ([link removed])
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** The Ledger ([link removed])
** New Jersey Advance ([link removed])
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** Business Insider ([link removed])
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4 star rating for 8 consecutive years
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