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May 13, 2021
This week in money-in-politics

Stefanik’s rise irks conservative groups that battled her in 2020

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House Republicans are set to elevate Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to the No. 3 spot in leadership, going against conservative groups that rate her as one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress.

Stefanik won support from former President Donald Trump and GOP leaders to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as House Republican conference chair after Cheney continued to criticize Trump’s election fraud falsehoods. Trump’s endorsement makes it highly likely Stefanik will win support from the caucus.

Her rise to GOP leadership represents a blow to conservative groups that enjoy influence with House Republicans but cannot match Trump’s grip on the party. Stefanik battled these groups during her time in Congress, even directly competing with them during 2020 primaries.

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** FARA filings spotlight Giuliani’s foreign entanglements amid probe
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Federal investigators executed search warrants as part of an investigation into Rudy Giuliani and whether he may have acted as an unregistered foreign agent while serving as the personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump. The search warrants suggest that the criminal investigation is honing in on his dealings in Ukraine, including whether he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Giuliani has previously come under scrutiny for “shadow lobbying” for a number of foreign clients but never registering as a foreign agent. Investigators are reportedly looking into Giuliani’s efforts pushing Trump to remove Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine.
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** GOP senators swear off ‘woke’ corporate PAC dollars
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Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) renounced corporate PAC contributions, several months after nearly 100 corporations announced plans to sever PAC support for the pair of lawmakers following their objections to the legitimacy of November’s presidential election. The GOP senators’ no-corporate PAC pledges are the latest manifestations of the growing rift between corporate America and the Republican party it historically supported. In early January, a long list of businesses announced that they would pause their PAC contributions to lawmakers, including Hawley and Cruz, who voted against certifying the presidential election following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
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** Pharma-backed ‘dark money’ group hits House Dems on drug pricing plan

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The American Action Network is pouring millions of dollars into a TV, digital advertising and phone campaign attacking House Democrats’ proposal to lower prescription drug costs. H.R. 3, the legislation championed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), would let Medicare negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs and set a $2,000 maximum for out-of-pocket spending. Only two Republicans voted in favor of the bill when it passed the House in 2019. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the largest U.S. pharmaceutical trade association, gives millions of dollars to AAN annually and donated $4.5 million in 2019 — PhRMA’s top political donation that year.
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McConnell and his allies lead opposition to S1

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The Senate Rules Committee gridlocked on nearly 40 proposed amendments to the For the People Act during a hearing Tuesday. Democrats were unable to strike a compromise with Republicans, dooming the bill to near-certain defeat on the Senate floor.

Democrats have prioritized the bill’s passage. It would make a wide range of changes to federal elections, including implementing a public financing system for all federal candidates, expanding vote-by-mail programs and instituting automatic voter registration.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a longtime proponent of “dark money” and corporate spending, leads Republican opposition to the bill. During the hearing, he proposed an amendment to neutralize a provision requiring 501(c)(4) political nonprofits to disclose the identities of donors giving more than $10,000. The amendment failed by vote of 9-9.

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OpenSecrets in the News

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

* ** Ted Cruz bets big on Facebook (Politico) ([link removed])
The Texas Republican has spent more than all but one other senator on Facebook ads in recent months. He isn't up for reelection until 2024.

* ** The Bench Has Grown, So Why Aren’t More Women Running for High Office in Md.? (Maryland Matters) ([link removed])
Female leaders and organizers of Emerge Maryland, an organization dedicated to electing more Democratic women, do not take this as a bad omen. The reason there are not more women running for higher office is more a matter of timing rather than a lack of talent.

* ** China increases spending 500% to influence America (Axios) ([link removed])
Why it matters: Propaganda is central to China fulfilling its geopolitical aspirations, and its efforts to sow discord and disinformation in the U.S. have very real consequences for the American business, political and social climates.

** Reuters ([link removed])

** Bloomberg ([link removed])

** Financial Times ([link removed])

** The Hill ([link removed])

** The Daily Beast ([link removed])

** Business Insider ([link removed])

** Voice of America ([link removed])

** E&E News ([link removed])

** The Connecticut Post ([link removed])

** Colorado Politics ([link removed])

** Patch - Dallas, TX ([link removed])

** El Tiempo Latino ([link removed])

** Forbes España ([link removed])



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