Tag: lobby

Categories
Health

Sen. Warren presses PhRMA foyer group on efforts to dam vaccine patent waivers

Sen. Warren presses PhRMA lobby group on efforts to block vaccine patent waivers

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., conducts a news conference outside the Capitol to reintroduce the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.

Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing the CEO of a major pharmaceutical trade group on its lobbying efforts against a proposal to waive intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines that would help boost production of the shots for poorer nations.

Warren and other lawmakers asked how much money the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, and its member companies spent this year lobbying Congress and White House officials in opposition to the waiver, in a letter sent Wednesday to PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl that was obtained by CNBC.

The Biden administration said in early May it would support waiving the World Trade Organization’s Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPs, agreement. PhRMA, whose members include Covid vaccine makers AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, is trying to block the waiver.

Removing patent protections on Covid vaccines would allow other drug companies to manufacture the lifesaving shots. Drugmakers worry that could set a precedent for future products and end their lucrative monopolies over sales of their new medicines.

Warren also asked the trade group about its attempts to block a bill from House Democrats that would allow Medicare to negotiate directly with manufacturers for lower drug prices.

“PhRMA and other pharmaceutical companies have pushed the Biden Administration to oppose the TRIPS waiver, arguing that it would “undermine the global response to the pandemic,”‘ Warren and other lawmakers wrote. The industry also said drug pricing provisions of the American Rescue Plan would “lead to fewer new cures and treatments,” and it opposed Medicare Part D price negotiation, the letter reads.

“While taking credit for the development of new COVID vaccines — which were developed with massive infusions of federal funds — the pharmaceutical industry has not backed off of its efforts to block drug pricing proposals and maintain the status quo,” the lawmakers added.

The lawmakers gave the trade group until June 30 to respond.

In a statement to CNBC, PhRMA spokesman Brian Newell said the trade group was reviewing the letter.

“We will continue our efforts to work with policymakers on solutions to lower what patients pay out of pocket for prescription medicines and ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.

Warren’s letter comes as global groups, including the World Health Organization, are urging wealthy countries and drugmakers to get Covid shots to low-income and lower-middle-income countries, some of which are witnessing an increasingly worrying rise in new infections.

Ken Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck & Co., from left, Stephen Ubl, chief executive officer of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and Robert Hugin, chairman of Celgene Corp., arrive to a news conference outside the White House following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, not pictured, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Many countries and drugmakers have made pledges to share millions of doses around the world. President Joe Biden announced last week that his administration would donate 500 million vaccine doses produced by Pfizer to other nations.

The pharmaceutical industry has previously said the TRIPS waiver would compromise safety, weaken supply chains and sow confusion between public and private partners.

In the first three months of this year, pharma companies have spent a record $92 million on lobbying, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign finance research group in Washington. PhRMA spent $8.6 million this year on lobbying after spending $25.9 million in 2020, according to its data.

Categories
Politics

AT&T employed ally of Commerce Secretary Raimondo to foyer Biden infrastructure plan

AT&T hired ally of Commerce Secretary Raimondo to lobby Biden infrastructure plan

John Stankey, CEO of AT&T

Mike Segar | Reuters

Telecom giant AT&T hired an ally of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to lobby officials over President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan.

A lobbying registration report shows that AT&T hired Jon Duffy, the president of Rhode Island-based marketing firm Duffy & Shanley, in April. The document doesn’t say whether he will lobby congressional lawmakers or administration officials.

Duffy was a co-chair of Raimondo’s transition team after she was first elected in 2014 to be governor of Rhode Island. Records show that Duffy had never registered to lobby until his recent agreement with AT&T.

The lobbying report says that AT&T hired Duffy to focus on “issues related to broadband and The American Jobs Plan.”

Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal includes a $100 billion investment in expanding broadband access. The Senate Republicans’ most recent counteroffer included $65 billion for broadband.

The infrastructure lobbying comes during a pivotal time for AT&T. The company announced a $43 billion deal this month to merge its WarnerMedia division with Discovery.

AT&T so far in 2021 has spent just over $2.6 million on lobbying expenditures, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. AT&T lobbyists have engaged with the Commerce Department, the Executive Office of the President and the Vice President’s Office, among other agencies.

In response to questions about the Duffy hire, AT&T told CNBC on Friday that it plans to focus lobbying efforts in part on working toward “accessible, affordable and sustainable broadband connectivity.”

“During the pandemic, U.S. networks performed much better than other countries,” a company spokesman said. “The country’s broadband networks rose to the challenge due to policies that promoted private sector investment in multiple technologies and networks. Americans are paying less and getting more.”  

Duffy’s public relations company already lists AT&T as a client on its website. Other corporate clients listed include Intel, Dunkin’ Donuts, Hallmark and Staples. Duffy did not respond to a request for comment.

AT&T announced in April a $2 billion commitment to help make broadband more affordable.

Raimondo has been a fierce advocate for investments into expanding broadband access.

“We need transformational investments in broadband to ensure that all Americans finally have access to affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service. During the pandemic we have seen that high-speed broadband service is not a luxury, but a necessity for jobs, education, and health care,” Raimondo said at an April hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced earlier this month a $288 million grant program for wide-scale broadband infrastructure.

Categories
Politics

Cuomo privately calls on enterprise leaders to remain in NY, foyer on SALT

Cuomo privately calls on business leaders to stay in NY, lobby on SALT

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media at a press conference in Manhattan on May 5, 2021 in New York City.

Spencer Platt | AFP | Getty Images

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is privately encouraging some of the state’s richest business leaders to stay in the Empire State and is campaigning for lawmakers to lift the federal limit on state and local tax deductions known as SALT.

Cuomo took the opportunity to discuss the matter with a small group of executives who, during a call on Thursday, included Wall Street financiers, said someone with direct knowledge of the matter.

This person declined to be named in order to speak freely about what was considered a private conversation.

“As business leaders, we should tell people to stay in New York and try to include SALT in the new tax bill,” said the person knowing the call, describing Cuomo’s message to the participants.

The Biden government wants to withdraw parts of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax reform law in order to finance the infrastructure. Some Democrats, including Cuomo, are calling on the White House to remove the $ 10,000 ceiling Trump has imposed on SALT deductions as part of changes.

A Cuomo press representative did not return repeated requests for comments.

In the state budget recently signed by Cuomo, New York’s richest executives would likely see higher combined local and state income tax rates than those for wealthy California residents.

Within the more than $ 200 billion state budget, the top tax rate will be raised from 8.82% for single applicants earning more than $ 1 million to 9.65%. Those making between $ 5 million and $ 25 million would be taxed around 10.3%, and those making more than $ 25 million would be taxed at 10.9%. Wealthy earners are expected to experience these new taxes in the next tax season. The tax rates expire in 2027.

Wealthy New Yorkers previously signaled to CNBC that they could leave New York altogether and travel to Florida with taxes on the verge of hitting the historic levels of the wealthy in the Big Apple.

Cuomo’s commitment to these executives comes from being besieged for alleged sexual harassment and his government’s handling of nursing home death dates during the Covid pandemic. Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo has also previously said that he plans to run for a historic fourth term in 2022 and that it could help build support for another run if large corporations along with their leaders are discouraged from leaving New York. A recent poll by the Siena College Research Institute found that 33% of those polled would vote for Cuomo to run for re-election next year, compared to 57% who would prefer “someone else”.

Cuomo previously requested that the SALT cap be removed.

“The repeal of SALT would lower the effective tax rate for the state’s top earners by 37%,” Cuomo said in April. “The state’s new tax rate of 10.9% becomes an effective tax rate of 6.9%,” he said. Cuomo was part of a group of governors who sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling for the SALT cap to be lifted.

Taxpayers, particularly wealthy people in New York and other high-tax countries, including New Jersey and California, saw the greatest benefits when there was no cap on SALT deductions, including state and local property and income taxes.

New York executives, including the New York City Partnership Head, have urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and Biden’s team to bring the full trigger back.

Representative Tom Suozzi, DN.Y. and Josh Gottheimer, DN.J., are among those Democratic lawmakers who say they will oppose changes to tax law unless SALT is brought back.

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said in April that the SALT withdrawal was “not a revenue boost” and it was unclear whether the Biden administration would include the cap lifting in its infrastructure plan.

Biden plans to raise taxes to pay for his $ 2 trillion infrastructure proposal. Biden has stated that he is open to raising the corporate tax rate to 25% to 28% to pay for his infrastructure plan and has vowed not to levy taxes on those earning less than $ 400,000.

Categories
Politics

Congressional fundraisers foyer corporations that suspended donations after Capitol riot

Congressional fundraisers lobby companies that suspended donations after Capitol riot

The supporters of US President Donald Trump gather in front of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Probal Rashid | LightRocket | Getty Images

Fundraisers for congressional candidates and party campaign groups are campaigning for companies to resume political donations after many have suspended their contributions, according to those familiar with the matter.

Dozens of companies have at least temporarily suspended donations from their political action committees following the January 6 uprising in the Capitol that resulted in at least five deaths. That day, more than 145 Republican lawmakers – encouraged by then-President Donald Trump – voted to contest the results of the electoral college that certifies Joe Biden as the next president.

Most companies have since stated that they are reviewing the policies of their PACs that they will be giving money to in the future. Some companies decided to pause indefinitely posts for GOP lawmakers who questioned election results. Other companies chose to suspend donations to candidates across the political spectrum.

These corporate PACs can typically give up to $ 5,000 to a candidate and around $ 15,000 to a national party committee.

CNBC policy

Read more about CNBC’s political coverage:

Fundraisers for individual candidates running for reelection in Senate and House races – along with fundraisers for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Senatorial Democratic Campaign Committee, the National Republican Congress Committee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee – have turned to corporations encouraging them to resolve their restrictions to pick up and make contributions again, people said.

They spoke on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely about ongoing private conversations.

The NRCC recently put together a list of corporate donation guidelines that fundraisers are expected to use as a tool to persuade companies to donate again, one respondent said.

People and groups with ties to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell have actively reached out to companies to get them to donate again, another person said.

Representatives of the congressional committees did not return a request for comment. Some companies did not deny being contacted by political fundraisers.

However, computer giant Dell Technologies said it has no plans to change its mind.

“We have no intention of re-examining the decision to suspend contributions to members of Congress whose statements and activities during the post-election period did not comply with Dell Technologies principles,” a company spokesman told CNBC. “Our employee-run PAC Board meets regularly to review current events and vote on important decisions such as changes to PAC submissions. All PAC submissions are publicly known so you can stay informed of future updates.”

JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup officials said they are continuing to review their policies and refuse to comment. Both banks took a break and began reevaluating their PACs’ contributions.

A Goldman Sachs spokesman said the bank hadn’t heard from anyone when they could make contributions again. A UPS spokeswoman said the company’s stance on post interruption was unchanged and, to the best of her knowledge, the company had not heard from anyone on the matter.

Some other companies, including Amazon, Facebook, AT&T, and Marriott, haven’t returned requests for comments.

The candidates are preparing for the 2022 mid-term elections, in which a third of the Senate and all of the House’s seats will be up for grabs. The elections are expected to be expensive, and fundraisers believe they will need corporate money to replenish the campaign fund.

The Democrats, who have the smallest majority in the Senate, have 14 seats for re-election in that chamber. Republicans have 20 Senate seats up for re-election, including Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, who questioned the 2020 election results. Cook Political Report rates its seat as a “solid Republican”. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Ted Cruz, R-Texas and other Senators who pushed back the 2020 election results will not stand for re-election next year.

Axios reported on March 7th that the NRSC had the greatest success in collecting digital donations using Hawley’s name compared to any other Senator except the chairman of the committee, Senator Rick Scott of Florida.

Democratic fundraisers are urging companies to resume donations, citing their determination to oust Republican lawmakers who encouraged and advocated the false election narrative that sparked the uprising.

Republican fundraisers, on the other hand, have warned donors of the Democrats’ intent to raise the corporate tax rate.

Since the January uprising, some companies and groups of companies have announced their plans for the interim campaign.

Microsoft announced last month that its PAC will “suspend contributions for the duration of the 2022 election cycle to all members of Congress who have voted against the certification of voters.” The company added that the PAC would “suspend contributions for the same period of time to government officials and organizations that supported such objections or suggested that the election be overturned”.

The Chamber of Commerce said in a March memo it would not continue its ban on contributions to lawmakers who questioned election results. The Business Advocacy Group said it would “evaluate our support for candidates – Republicans and Democrats – based on their position on issues of concern to the Chamber and their demonstrated commitment to government and the rebuilding of our democratic institutions.”

“We do not believe that it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely by their votes on the election certificate,” said the chamber.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect a UPS spokeswoman said the company’s stance on political contributions was unchanged. In a previous version, the company name was incorrectly specified.

Categories
Politics

Biden allies foyer White Home to search out alternative for finances nominee Tanden

Biden allies lobby White House to find replacement for budget nominee Tanden

Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s nominee for Director of the Office of Administration and Budget (OMB), attends a hearing with the Senate Committee on Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 10, 2021.

Anna Moneymaker | Pool | Reuters

President Joe Biden’s administration is being asked to search for possible replacement candidates for Neera Tanden, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter as the decision to head the bureau of administration and budget is on the verge of not passing the Senate.

Numerous Biden allies, including those in the business community, are working for the White House, these people added.

Two names cited as potential replacements are Gene Sperling, who has ties to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and Ann O’Leary, who has ties to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Biden’s allies are encouraging his advisors to prepare for the possibility the Senate will not approve Tanden, according to the people.

Many of these allies are also warning the White House of another possible scenario: if Tanden doesn’t have the votes to get through the Senate, she could simply withdraw from the nomination herself.

Those who described the lobbying did so on condition of anonymity, as these consultations were private.

Sperling was director of the National Economic Council under Clinton and Obama. O’Leary was the 2016 campaign advisor to Hillary Clinton, who later became Chief of Staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

O’Leary has publicly praised Tanden. The White House continued to stand by Tanden, including at the press conference on Monday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at the briefing that the government had urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to support Tanden’s nomination.

“We spoke on the phone with Democrats and Republicans and their offices over the weekend,” said Psaki.

White House and Center for American Progress officials, the Tanden think tank, did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

Democrats currently control the Senate by a slim majority, but three lawmakers have come forward to say they will vote no to Tanden’s confirmation. One of those who have said they will not support Tanden is Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va. Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah and Susan Collins, R-Maine also have no plans to vote for them.

Each of the three senators cited Tanden’s report on the demolition of federal officials on both sides of the aisle, including Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, who is currently reviewing her nomination.

During her confirmation hearing, Sanders targeted Tanden’s story of “vicious attacks” against progressives and Sanders himself. In a CNN interview on Friday, Sanders did not say whether he would vote for Tanden, but rather that he would speak to her “early next week” .