Restaurants fly in with more pandemic aid up in the air – POLITICO

FLYING IN: The National Restaurant Association this week is holding its first in-person fly-in since before the pandemic began, which comes at a crucial time for industry advocates as lawmakers try to rally support for a small-business Covid relief package that would send restaurants additional funding.

More than 500 industry advocates are set to hold 200 meetings with lawmakers of both parties in the House and Senate to push for passage of more pandemic assistance, as well as maintaining the industrys tip credit, progress on labor issues, and the reinstatement of a the Covid-era employee retention tax credit.

MORE FLY-INS: Restaurant advocates arent the only ones getting face time with lawmakers this week. Member companies of the Portland Cement Association, which represents the majority of U.S. cement producers, will be in Washington this week to lobby policymakers on policies to help the cement industry cut carbon emissions, especially with a construction boom expected as a result of the infrastructure bill.

The trade group will discuss its recently released Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality, which includes the expansion of a tax break to install carbon capture equipment, funding for the Energy Department for research and development of carbon capture technologies and more.

Tomorrow, FMI - The Food Industry Association will kick off its fly-in with business leaders and other representatives from the food retailer, wholesaler and supplier community hitting the Hill to discuss inflation and supply chain challenges stemming from the war in Ukraine, as well as workforce shortages.

Not all of the fly-ins scheduled for this week will be in person. The PKD Foundation is keeping virtual its annual event, which is set to kick off Wednesday. The foundation has more than 100 virtual meetings planned with members, including Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Reps. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.) Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Donald Payne (D-N.J.) and Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), and dozens of other offices to call for more funding opportunities and legislation to benefit kidney disease patients.

Good afternoon and welcome to PI. Whats going on out there? Let me know: [emailprotected]. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

JONES RETURNS TO ARENT FOX: Former Sen. Doug Jones has returned to ArentFox Schiff following his stint as the sherpa for incoming Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jacksons confirmation process. Jones and a top aide landed at the firm about a year ago, working with the firms government relations and government enforcement and white-collar groups as counsel.

Jones had taken a temporary leave of absence from the firm to oversee Jacksons confirmation, and now that hes returned will continue advising clients on a variety of public policy issues and legal matters, particularly in the National Security, Health Care, and Financial Services industries, ArentFox said in a statement.

NEW TWITTER OWNER NO STRANGER TO WASHINGTON BRAWLS: Elon Musk has publicly ridiculed the Securities and Exchange Commission, scrapped with federal airwaves and car-safety regulators and sued the Pentagon to gain access to military space contracts. But with his Twitter acquisition, the billionaire who founded Tesla and SpaceX has cast himself as a central player in Washingtons most contentious political battles a role that could bring him a whole new level of blowback, our Emily Birnbaum writes.

Emily and several other POLITICO policy reporters recount some of Musks most contentious clashes with the halls of power in Washington to game out how Musk might approach his new role as Twitters owner. In his new position helming the favorite social media network of politicians and political journalists, Musk will face a hotter spotlight than ever both giving him a position of power over the regulators hes criticized for years and putting himself in their line of fire, they write.

Musk has made a reputation for himself as a bombastic political player, unafraid to poke his finger in the eye of regulators. And hes likely to continue that approach at Twitter, where Congress could subject him to the same scrutiny targeted toward social media CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg.

PR FIRMS CONTINUE TO WAGE CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF KREMLIN-TIED CLIENTS: Leonard Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born businessman whose name graces Harvard Medical School and a part of Carnegie Hall, amassed his wealth, in part, from the privatization of oil and aluminum after the fall of the USSR. Over time, he worked alongside a number of oligarchs currently sanctioned by the EU or the U.S. for their ties to the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, POLITICOs Hailey Fuchs reports.

But as Russia has launched a bloody and internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, Blavatnik has gone to some lengths to ensure that his name isnt dragged into the matter, working through a public relations firm to make sure the press corps does not tie him to the Kremlin or describe him as an oligarch.

Blavatnik is one of several wealthy businessmen who have turned to public relations professionals to help navigate press coverage emanating from Russias assault on Ukraine. It has created a unique business opportunity for Madison Avenue and beyond.

Whereas K Street and some law firms have worked to distance themselves from Russian interests cutting connections with Kremlin-tied businesses PR professionals have stepped in to help illuminate the distinctions between those businessmen tied to Putin and those who want nothing to do with him, according to interviews and emails.

FIRST IN PI NATIVE AMERICAN GROUP ASKS CHAMBERS CLARK FOR SIT-DOWN: A Native American group that advocates for eliminating stereotypical Native American mascot caricatures and iconography while preserving culturally appropriate American Indian names, logos, and imagery in pop culture says it wants to meet with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark after Clark apologized for posting a photo last month standing beside two people in what appeared to be Native American headdresses.

We at NAGA, along with most American Indians, find Ms. Clarkes (sic) indiscriminate promotion of our sacred bonnet to be highly offensive, Native American Guardians Association board member Eunice Davidson Wicanhpiwastewin (Good Star Woman) said in a statement, adding that Clarks actions are inconsistent with many of the principles of the Chambers Fortune 500 members.

Tony Henson, another board member for the group, which has defended the Redskins name for the Washington football team, argued that while American Indians have overwhelmingly expressed their views that the use of powerful and beautiful native names and images in the public sphere are not offensive, the organization has an issue with the lack of Native Americans in the Chambers leadership ranks and what Henson called a complete lack of philanthropic support for American Indians.

We encourage Ms. Clarke and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to meet with NAGAs leadership in order to discuss the steps its organization can take to promote the positive and inspiring culture of American Indians, he added.

A Chamber spokesperson said that Clark continues to stand by her apology last month in which she said she was deeply sorry for posting the photo. The spokesperson added that Clark would absolutely consider such a meeting when a request is made.

Maria Bowie is joining SMI as a vice president, where she will be registering to lobby. She was previously a director of government affairs at Leidos and is a Tom Cole and Ken Calvert alum.

Cristina Marcos has joined ROKK Solutions as a senior account director. She was most recently a congressional reporter at The Hill.

Evelyn Farkas will be the next executive director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. She was a deputy assistant secretary of Defense in the Obama administration and a congressional candidate in 2020.

Bullpen Strategy Group is promoting Christian Hertenstein to partner, promoting Michael Ahrens to senior vice president and adding Chris Martin as vice president in the communications practice. Martin most recently was deputy executive director of America Rising PAC.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has hired Lauren Diekman as a senior policy adviser. She was most recently senior director of energy, infrastructure and environment at the Chambers U.S.-India Business Council.

Daniel Sepulveda is joining Platinum Advisors government relations team. He most recently was at Wiley, and is a former U.S. ambassador for telecommunications and media issues and a USTR and Senate alum.

Joe Hoellerer is now director of government affairs at the Information Technology Industry Council. He previously was senior manager of government relations at the Security Industry Association.

Craig Martell is joining DoD as chief digital and artificial intelligence officer. He most recently was head of machine learning for Lyft.

Jeann Lewis will be interim CEO of Faith in Public Life. She currently is vice chair of the board of directors, and works as vice president and chief engagement officer at the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Lewis will replace the founding CEO, the Rev. Jennifer Butler, who will become founder in residence.

Maria Pica Karp will be vice president of global government relations at ADM. She previously spent 18 years at Chevron, including seven leading its global government affairs.

Alex Mitchell is now director of external relations for the Institute for the Study of War. He previously was vice president at Vox Global.

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Restaurants fly in with more pandemic aid up in the air - POLITICO