By Caitlin Oprysko

With help from Daniel Lippman

AKIN GUMP SIGNS 2: Illumina has added Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to its growing stable of outside lobbying firms, following a recent leadership shakeup at the genome sequencing company over its acquisition of the early cancer detection startup Grail. Illumina is battling antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic over the deal, which prompted a proxy fight with activist investor Carl Icahn that saw the departure of Illumina’s CEO earlier this summer.

— A team of eight lobbyists at Akin Gump will lobby on competition policy and issues related to this year’s NDAA for the biotech company, according to newly filed disclosures.

— Akin Gump has also signed the Tim Tebow Foundation, the anti-human trafficking and child exploitation nonprofit led by the onetime NFL and MLB hopeful. Ed Pagano, Casey Higgins and Chris Treanor will work on issues related to child trafficking and abuse for the foundation, which until now had never hired federal lobbyists, according to a PI analysis of disclosure filings.

DLA PIPER LAUNCHES A SPACE PRACTICE: With the private sector increasingly in the driver’s seat of the global space race, DLA Piper is standing up a new practice group to capitalize on the surging demand for help navigating the global web of legal and regulatory hurdles that go along with the shift.

— Christian Ford, a former DOJ and Pentagon official now based in Houston, will chair the firm’s space exploration and innovation practice, which aims to formally bring DLA Piper’s existing work on space issues under the same umbrella. Analysts project the sector will grow into a more than $1 trillion market by 2030.

— “Twenty years ago, government funding accounted for more than 75 percent of space R&D — driven through government grants, contracts, and other state sources,” Ford told PI in an emailed response to questions. “Today, that number is around fifty percent, and that landscape continues to shift toward private investment.”

— Demand for consulting services is coming from a wide range of entities, Ford added, but “emerging growth companies are taking on this market in an aggressive way. Five years ago there were only 250 space start-ups in the market. Today, there are approximately 600. By 2030, we should see more than 1,000. Competition is growing at a significant pace.”

— The globalization of the space supply chain and the rise of national space programs adds a new layer of complexity to the regulatory and business landscape for the industry, making DLA Piper’s global footprint all the more valuable, Ford argued. In addition to Ford, clients of the practice will also benefit from the expertise of former Senate Intelligence Chair Richard Burr, who joined DLA Piper earlier this year.

Happy Tuesday and welcome to PI. I’ll be out until next Tuesday, but huge thanks to the incomparable Hailey Fuchs, who’s pinch hitting for me the rest of this week, and Megan Wilson, who’ll be filling in on Monday. Send them your Influence tips: [email protected] and [email protected]. And send me your Sin City recs: [email protected]. And be sure to follow all of us on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: @Hailey_Fuchs, @misswilson, @caitlinoprysko.

A message from Children's Hospital Association:

What makes children’s hospitals different? Designed to meet children's needs, with care provided by specially trained experts, children's hospitals are the primary facilities for specialized care for children and teens – no matter their financial situation. Across the country, children’s hospitals are making it possible for children and their families to experience life’s important moments – from the everyday to the extraordinary. To find out more about the work children’s hospitals are doing, visit madepossible.org.

WHO’S PREPPING OPENAI: “When OpenAI’s Sam Altman swept into Washington this May for the Senate’s blockbuster hearing on artificial intelligence, he dazzled lawmakers from both parties with his ‘genuine and authentic’ willingness to work with Congress. But Altman’s polished performance was no accident — behind the scenes, the celebrity tech executive was being coached by inside operators at DLA Piper, a globe-spanning law firm with deep ties to official Washington,” POLITICO’s Brendan Bordelon reports.

— “According to two people with knowledge of the relationship, DLA Piper has been advising Altman on how to testify before Congress and charm lawmakers since at least the spring of 2023. The two people said the firm is now coaching Altman ahead of his appearance at Wednesday’s first AI Insight Forum, a CEO-studded confab being convened by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and featuring a slew of other tech executives.”

— “DLA Piper spokesperson Geneva Youel confirmed to POLITICO that the law firm ‘has a business relationship with OpenAI and provides strategic advice to the company on a variety of topics,’ but declined to elaborate or to disclose what OpenAI is paying DLA Piper.”

— “Altman is the most prominent of the new cast of characters thrust into the Washington maelstrom by the congressional effort to write new rules for AI” but despite his “increasingly frequent visits to Washington, the company’s official footprint in the capital remains light.

— “OpenAI is now hiring for a U.S. congressional lead, a sign that it hopes to soon boost its D.C. presence. Until OpenAI stands up its own operation, it’s likely to rely on DLA Piper as its sherpa in Washington.”

WALL STREET SENDS UP A WARNING FLARE: “The banking industry is arguing that independent regulators broke the law by not providing enough information about the reasoning behind elements of a recent proposal raising capital requirements,” our Victoria Guida writes.

— “In a letter to the federal banking agencies, six trade groups said the draft rule ‘repeatedly relies on data and analyses that the agencies have not made available to the public,’ in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act,” which means that the agency potentially needs to release an updated proposal, the groups argued.

— “The letter is signed by the Bank Policy Institute, American Bankers Association, Financial Services Forum, Institute of International Bankers, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

— “Banks and their allies are waging an intense lobbying campaign against the new regulatory proposal, which is based on international standards agreed to in 2017 at the Basel Committee [on] Banking Supervision. The letter is a signal that financial institutions might consider suing over the rule after it is finalized.”

FLYING IN: Hundreds of franchisors and franchisees are in town this week as part of the International Franchise Association’s annual fly-in, which kicked off on Monday. The trade group is set to hear from Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), as well as former FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson, Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Commerce Department official Jessica Cavazos.

— The group is scheduled to huddle with more 250 members of Congress or their offices, including member-level meetings with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) and more. IFA will ask members to sign on to a letter to the FTC, as well as sign on to a push seeking to overturn the NLRB’s forthcoming joint employer rule through the Congressional Review Act.

— Members of the beauty industry are in town as well as part of a fly-in organized by the Personal Care Products Council and the Professional Beauty Association. Executives from Henkel, L’Oréal, Mary Kay, the Estée Lauder Companies and Unilever will hit the Hill to lobby for full funding for FDA to implement last year’s Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, as well as legislation to ban animal testing, and the SHOP SAFE Act to crack down on counterfeit products.

— Industry leaders are set to meet with Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), and will also be on hand for the launch of the Congressional Cosmetics Caucus, which Sanchez and Malliotakis will co-chair, and will aim to promote initiatives to support the cosmetics industry.

CRITICAL MINERALS STAKEHOLDERS TEAM UP: Organizations throughout the critical minerals supply chain have launched a new coalition to represent stakeholders in policy fights around Washington. The American Critical Minerals Association will advocate for policy to boost domestic processing, refining, and recycling capacity of critical minerals — a key component of the transition to electric vehicles and electrification that takes place largely outside of the U.S.

— The association also aims to ensure the involvement of stakeholders across a widening cross section of the economy. Cornerstone Government Affairs will manage the association, which for now is declining to disclose the names of its members. Former FERC official and Manchin aide Sarah Venuto and former John Shimkus and Energy and Commerce staffer Chris Sarley will oversee the coalition.

MPA ADDS HARRIS, MCCONNELL AIDES: The Motion Picture Association is adding Alivia Roberts and Katherine Grayson as directors of federal government affairs and Charlie Schonberger as a manager of federal affairs and trade policy. Roberts previously was with Vice President Kamala Harris’ office. Grayson previously was with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office. Schonberger previously was with the National Governors Association. 

A message from Children's Hospital Association:

— The Alpine Group is adding Patrick Satalin as vice president and Helen Treadway as staff assistant. Satalin previously was chief of staff for then-Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and helped oversee his Senate campaign.

— Brian Hale has joined Booz Allen Hamilton as vice president of public relations. He was most recently a managing director for cybersecurity at FTI Consulting.

— Ali Rubin, Andrea Riccio and Kate Meissner have launched Velocity Partners, a public affairs firm. Rubin is a Hillary Clinton, Clinton Foundation, Axios and Pinterest alum. Riccio was previously a principal at Michael Best Strategies. Meissner previously was an executive vice president at Edelman and is an Axios alum.

— Molly Conway has launched a boutique public affairs firm, Conway Capitol Consulting. She previously was head of public affairs and comms for the Adecco Group and is a Labor Department alum.

— Christianna Barnhart is joining the Entertainment Software Association as senior vice president of government affairs. She most recently was senior counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee and is a Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and FCC alum.

— J.A. Green & Co. is adding a trio of former Pentagon officials: retired Lt. Gen. Dave Furness and retired Brig. Gen. Robert Lyman as executive vice presidents of defense programs and Leonor Tomero as vice president of government relations.

— Graham Davies will be the next president and CEO of the Digital Media Association, which represents music streaming companies. Davies previously led The Ivors Academy, an association for the U.K.’s music creators.

— The International Code Council has added Jordana Rubel as general counsel. She was previously assistant general counsel in the U.S. Copyright Office.

A message from Children's Hospital Association:

Children’s hospitals play a central role in advancing the health of all children – from prevention to critical care. Of the 6,000 hospitals across the country, only 200 are children’s hospitals and these specialized hospitals and health systems educate and train the majority of pediatricians and pediatric specialists.

Children’s hospitals are where the most complex pediatric care happens and are often the only location in an entire state or region of the country where the sickest children can receive the lifesaving care they need.

Because of children’s hospitals, key moments are made possible in our children’s lives – from first dances to family camping trips, birthdays to graduations – children’s hospitals are on the front line of children’s health care, treating children across the country regardless of circumstances or ability to pay. Learn more.

Lexington Victory Committee (Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Diana Harshbarger, Erin Houchin, Julia Letlow, Nicole Malliotakis, Lisa McClain, Andy Barr, NRCC)
Riedel Victory Committee (Craig Riedel For Ohio, DEFIANCE BUCKEYE FREEDOM PAC)
Sam Brown Victory Fund (NRSC, Sam Brown for Nevada, Duty First PAC)

DEFIANCE BUCKEYE FREEDOM PAC (Leadership PAC: Craig Riedel)
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. Political Action Committee (Sarepta PAC) (PAC)
SAVE AMERICA VOTE REPUBLICAN (Hybrid PAC)
TRIO PAC (PAC)

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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Illumina, Inc.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: The Tim Tebow Foundation

Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: Bastille Networks, Inc.

Alpine Group Partners, LLC.: The Aluminum Association

Capgov, LLC: Lincoln County, New Mexico

Emmer Consulting, Inc. (Formerly Known As Emmer Consulting, P.C.): American Postal Workers Union

Fgs Global (US) LLC (Fka Fgh Holdings LLC): Wuxi Biologics USa LLC

Government Relations Group, LLC: Bioteqq, Inc

Holland & Knight LLP: Agnc Investment Corp.

Marshall & Popp, LLC: Abbvie Inc.

Ocal Lobbying Group: Deftech USa LLC

Patel Partners: National Grocers Association

Putalastrategies: 2U, Inc.

The Duberstein Group Inc.: Alliance Of Dedicated Cancer Centers

The Nia Vizyon Project: National Organization For Women

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