Kate Ackley
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Articles by Kate Ackley
K Street Trump Whisperer Predicts Little Change in Divided DC
Exclusive Oct. 22, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC President Donald Trump will still dominate as the center of power in Washington, even if Democrats win in the midterms, said a rising lobbyist with close ties to the administration. “For the last two years, Republicans have had the House and the Senate, and how much has that actually mattered?
Coinbase, Crypto Lobbies Cut Spending in Q3 After Bill Fails Original
Oct. 21, 2026, 11:55 PM UTC The cryptocurrency industry blanketed Washington this year to push its agenda, but key players in the sector tapered off their federal lobbying expenditures as a signature legislative priority collapsed in September, new disclosures show. Coinbase and some of the largest crypto groups spent more than $4 million on federal lobbying in the third quarter, marking the sixth consecutive quarter they’ve surpassed that threshold, a Bloomberg Government analysis found.
Realtors Top K Street Spending, AI Companies Smash Records (1) Original
Oct. 21, 2026, 12:58 PM UTC; Updated: Oct. 21, 2026, 2:14 PM UTC The National Association of Realtors ousted the US Chamber of Commerce as the top spender on federal lobbying this year through the third quarter, while some of the most dramatic growth on K Street came from artificial intelligence companies that disclosed record sums.
Nvidia Boosts Federal Lobbying Cash in Q3 While AI Debates Surge Original
Oct. 20, 2026, 3:19 PM UTC Nvidia Corp. shelled out nearly $2.2 million on federal lobbying in the third quarter, the chipmaker’s biggest investment in disclosed influence efforts to date, new filings show. The world’s most valuable company, with a market cap of more than $5 trillion, makes chips that power artificial intelligence and has been at the center of rising fights in Washington and on the midterm campaign trail over the technology, data centers, and potential risks stemming from AI.
Investment Company Institute CEO Eric Pan to Exit Lobbying Group
Oct. 19, 2026, 2:00 PM UTC Eric J. Pan, who has led the Investment Company Institute for six years, will exit the financial lobbying group following reports of turmoil and turnover during his tenure. ICI said in a statement Monday that Pan would leave his role as president and CEO by June 2027 as the group launches a search for his replacement.
AI Super PAC’s Cash Haul Dip Casts Doubt on Lasting Influence Original
Oct. 19, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Leading the Future’s own future appears in question. The year-old super PAC funded by artificial intelligence industry insiders didn’t collect any new donations in the second or third quarters of 2026, its latest filings show. The organization is far from broke, with almost $24 million on hand Sept. 30, according to its latest Federal Election Commission filing.
Lightview Capital Inks Deal With Top 10 K Street Firm Thorn Run Original
Private equity firm Lightview Capital is buying a slice of K Street, investing in Thorn Run Partners as the lobbying shop eyes expansion into state capitals and other services. Andrew Rosenberg, a co-founder of Thorn Run, said the deal would position his bipartisan lobbying firm for long-term growth, including with new hires and potential acquisitions in Washington and beyond the Beltway.
House Democrats’ Campaign Arm Pleads for Cash in the Final Weeks
Oct. 9, 2026, 6:44 PM UTC House Democrats’ campaign arm said the party risks losing winnable races because Republicans hold more cash in the bank, according to a memo sent Friday and obtained by Bloomberg Government. In a plea to donors, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s executive director Julie Merz said the party was confident about winning the House majority in the November midterm elections but noted a cash imbalance that favored Republicans nationwide.
Two New Hires at Invariant Boost Influencer, Communications Ties
Oct. 8, 2026, 10:41 AM UTC K Street firm Invariant is expanding its communications team, bringing on Elizabeth Thorp and Chantal Stephenson. Thorp, whose work includes advising influencers and content creators, joined Invariant as a principal in the firm’s public affairs practice. Stephenson, who will counsel C-suite and senior leaders, joined as a director on the executive engagement team. The firm shared the hires first with Bloomberg Government.
Nasdaq-Listed Lobbying Firm Launches Capitol Hill Oversight Unit Original
Oct. 8, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC FTP, a lobbying and public affairs shop that’s part of Nasdaq-listed Public Policy Holding Co., said it’s launching a congressional oversight service as corporate America gears up for Capitol Hill investigations after the midterm elections. The group will offer preparation for congressional inquiries — including mock hearings — as well as communications strategy and rapid response, plus “AI reputation audits,” among other services, the firm’s leaders said.
Attack Ads Over Lobbyist Ties Roil Pivotal Senate, House Races
Oct. 7, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Attacks on federal candidates for their past influence work and lobbyist ties are dominating midterm campaigns in competitive Senate and House races that will help determine control of the next Congress. Candidates, party committees, and super PACs from both parties are deploying these hits, in campaign ads and stump speeches from Alaska to Maine, railing against their opponents for taking trips through the revolving door or for close family ties to lobbyists.
Messaging Firm Rebrands as Storyline Group Before Midterm Flux Original
Chris Frates, a former reporter in Washington, started out a decade ago as a one-person communications shop. Now, ahead of the midterm elections, he’s relaunching his firm Monday with six others and plans to expand its services.
Ex-Top Tax Treasury Official Joins EY After Controversial Exit Original
Ken Kies, the former top tax official at the Treasury Department, will be joining EY in its lobbying and tax practice ranks, after an unexpected exit at the agency earlier this year. Kies, who served as both the assistant secretary for tax policy and the acting top lawyer at the IRS, left in July after serving just over a year in the government.
Ex-Treasury Official Kies Joins EY After Controversial Exit (1)
Oct. 2, 2026, 5:49 PM UTC; Updated: Oct. 2, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC Ken Kies, the former top tax official at the Treasury Department, will be joining EY’s lobbying and tax practice ranks after an unexpected exit at the agency earlier this year. Kies, who served as both the assistant secretary for tax policy and the acting top lawyer at the IRS, left in July after serving just over a year in the government.
Tech Sector Split Over White House AI Pact With Company Leaders Original
Oct. 1, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Technology lobbyists, executives, and artificial intelligence safety advocates are divided over President Donald Trump’s agreement with CEOs on safeguards for the technology. The White House struck an accord with tech industry titans on super intelligence, the administration’s new term for AI, signing on to a document that backs internal company controls and independent external auditors to prevent AI-related threats.
Crypto Advocacy Rolls Out Bipartisan Endorsements in Key Races
Election 2026 Sept. 30, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC Stand With Crypto, an advocacy group aligned with the cryptocurrency industry’s agenda on Capitol Hill, endorsed a bipartisan slate of candidates in Senate and House races Wednesday. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who is running against former Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown, is getting the group’s backing. The endorsement comes as the industry super PAC Fairshake launched a $30 million spending blitz against Brown.
Corporate PAC Attacks Skyrocket in House, Senate Campaign Ads Original
Election 2026 Sept. 30, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Politicians’ attacks on corporations and corporate PACs are surging in midterm campaigns, signaling rocky turf ahead for business interests in the next Congress. The number of broadcast ads invoking corporate political action committees or corporations has skyrocketed this cycle, already outpacing those in 2022 and 2024, according to an analysis from AdImpact.
Former Rep. Eric Cantor to Take Top Job at Drug Lobby PhRMA
Former Rep. Eric Cantor, a GOP leader who lost his Virginia seat in a 2014 primary, will take the helm of the drug industry’s top lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Cantor will replace Stephen Ubl as CEO and president, who announced earlier this year he would leave the organization. Ubl’s compensation package was valued at $7.6 million, according to PhRMA’s publicly available tax filing.
Former Rep. Eric Cantor to Take Top Job at Drug Lobby PhRMA
Sept. 29, 2026, 5:19 PM UTC Former Rep. Eric Cantor, a GOP leader who lost his Virginia seat in a 2014 primary, will take the helm of the drug industry’s top lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Cantor will replace Stephen Ubl as CEO and president, who announced earlier this year he would leave the organization. Ubl’s compensation package was valued at $7.6 million, according to PhRMA’s publicly available tax filing.
Crypto Group Shakes Up Leadership After Clarity Act Collapse Original
Sept. 25, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC A leading crypto lobbying group is shaking up its leadership less than two weeks after the industry’s top legislative priority failed in the Senate. The Blockchain Association said Chief Executive Officer Summer Mersinger, a former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), will step down Oct. 16, but will remain as an adviser through the year’s end.
Rep. Troy Carter Launches Bid to Lead Congressional Black Caucus Original
Rep. Troy Carter, the vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, told his colleagues that he’s formally running to lead the group in the next Congress. “I will listen carefully. I will work hard,” the Louisiana Democrat wrote in a letter viewed by Bloomberg Government. “I will act when action is needed.
Crypto’s Ad Blitz on Sherrod Brown Fuels Political Cash Fight Original
Sept. 21, 2026, 9:41 PM UTC The crypto industry’s $30 million onslaught aimed at keeping Democrat Sherrod Brown from returning to Capitol Hill is sparking new attacks over the role of money in politics in Ohio’s tossup Senate contest and in Washington. Fairshake, the pro-cryptocurrency super PAC, began scooping up ad buys Monday, less than a week after the industry’s top legislative priority, dubbed the Clarity Act, failed in the Senate.
Locust Street Group to Spin Off New C-Suite Advisory Company Original
Locust Street Group, a bipartisan Washington-based messaging and strategy firm, is spinning off a sister company to advise corporate executives, LSG’s Chief Executive David Barnhart shared first with Bloomberg Government. Barnhart said he’ll have an ownership stake in Beam Strategy Group, which recent LSG partners Hayley Zachary and Tara Rush will lead. Zachary will serve as CEO and Rush as chief strategy officer of the new company.
Cryptocurrency Bill Demise Schools Industry in Washington’s Ways Original
The cryptocurrency sector, a nascent industry with an accelerating Washington influence operation, just got a taste of an age-old lobbying gospel — it’s a lot easier to block a bill than to get one signed into law. It got priority legislation, a regulatory structure bill known as the Clarity Act, through the House, only to see the measure falter in the Senate. Senators tanked it on a procedural vote Tuesday.
AI Lobbying Leaps as Washington, Industry Weigh New Guardrails Original
Deep Dive Sept. 16, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Federal lobbying on artificial intelligence is surging to an all-time high, as the debate over its regulation grips Washington and dominates campaign messaging ahead of the midterm elections. K Street lobbying firms disclosed nearly $112 million in revenue from a range of clients with a stake in AI policies in the first half of the year, a Bloomberg Government analysis of federal lobbying disclosures found.
Crypto Lobbies Take Clarity Act Fight, War Chest Into Midterms Original
Cryptocurrency lobbies vowed to keep fighting after spending millions of dollars pushing the industry’s top legislative priority through Congress, only to see it fail a pivotal Senate hurdle Tuesday with the midterms approaching. The industry aligned super PAC Fairshake held more than $112 million as of July 31, according to campaign finance filings, and is expected to unleash that war chest ahead of the November elections.
Democrats Reject Senate Crypto Bill Text Over Ethics Language Original
Sept. 15, 2026, 1:00 AM UTC Senate Democrats are panning the latest text of a bill meant to regulate cryptocurrency. Top Senate Republicans released a revised draft of the Clarity Act (H.R. 3633;BGOV Bill Analysis) with new ethics language that they say reflects more than a year of bipartisan talks and 126 changes requested by Democrats. The Senate is scheduled to take a procedural vote on the bill Tuesday.
Trump Economic Aide Heads to Lobbying, Messaging Firm Invariant
Sept. 10, 2026, 4:01 PM UTC Paige Willey, a senior economic policy adviser in President Donald Trump’s White House and a former aide to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, will join the bipartisan lobbying and messaging firm Invariant next month. Willey will come aboard as a principal after leaving the Trump administration where she’s deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, Invariant and Willey said Thursday.
Hakeem Jeffries’ Ascent to Speaker Would Boost K Street Allies
Sept. 8, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC If Rep. Hakeem Jeffries wins the speaker’s gavel next year, the New York Democrat’s rise will elevate a select club of lobbyists and his K Street allies. Those lobbyists will run point, as the nation’s business community navigates a Democratic caucus with a growing faction hostile to corporate influence.
New Data Center Messaging Group Aims to Counter Public Backlash Original
Exclusive Sept. 2, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Data center developers are trying to turn around public perception that has grown hostile to building the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom. Infrastructure for America, a new 501(c)(4) nonprofit group, will begin working Wednesday at a pivotal time for the industry with Republicans and Democrats calling for new limits, or outright bans, on data center construction.
BGOV Power Play
Data centers have a PR problem. A new group launching today will work to turn around public hostility to the facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom. Infrastructure for America, a new 501(c)(4) nonprofit group, starts at a pivotal time for the industry, with Republicans and Democrats calling for new limits, or outright bans, on data center construction.
Hemp Industry Sees Narrow Window to Enact Federal Regulations
Aug. 28, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC A short-term government funding bill moving through Congress could give the hemp industry a final, narrow window to persuade lawmakers to replace a looming federal crackdown with a new regulatory framework — but some lobbyists say there may not be enough time to pass a new bill. The Senate passed a continuing resolution (H.R. 6500; BGOV Bill Analysis) Aug. 8 by a 90-6 vote that would keep the government funded through Dec.
Nvidia Starts PAC as AI Chip Maker Builds DC Influence Force
Nvidia Corp. launched a political action committee Thursday to dole out donations to federal candidates, the company’s latest move to build a high-powered influence apparatus in Washington.
Nvidia Starts a PAC as AI Chip Maker Builds Influence Force in DC Original
Exclusive Aug. 27, 2026, 3:30 PM UTC Nvidia Corp. launched a political action committee Thursday to dole out donations to federal candidates, the company’s latest move to build a high-powered influence apparatus in Washington. As lawmakers and the Trump administration wrangle over an artificial intelligence regulatory framework and voters express concerns about the technology ahead of the midterm elections, Nvidia has been building its influence footprint in the nation’s capital.
K Street Preps for ‘Political Camp’ at Dallas Midterm Convention
Aug. 26, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC Republicans, looking to spark their voters’ enthusiasm, kick off the party’s first-ever midterm convention in two weeks. Plans for it are still in the works, GOP lobbyists and party donors say. K Street will represent in Dallas for the two-day confab, an effort by President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee aimed at boosting presidential-year turnout figures to buck voting trends that are typically brutal for the party in power during midterm years.
BGOV Power Play
K Street will represent in Dallas for Republicans’ first-ever midterm convention in two weeks, but lobbyists say the schedule is still murky. “We’ll see a lot more details closer to the date,” said GOP lobbyist and donor Ozzie Palomo, a founding partner of Chartwell Strategy Group, who’s heading to Dallas. “It’s almost like you’re going to political camp,” he added. Many lobbyists and industry groups that typically show up for the quadrennial presidential nominating conventions are skipping.
Breakdown in US-Canada Trade Talks Fuels New Lobbying Campaigns Original
Aug. 24, 2026, 8:29 PM UTC The collapse of US-Canada trade negotiations is pushing industry lobbyists who now are ramping up pleas to both governments — with one sector even considering launching new trade associations. Distilled spirits, aluminum imports, dairy, lumber, and automobile sectors are being pulled into the fight that could plop new tariffs on their goods, and stall the lifting of current barriers.
Manafort Mentee to Reveal K Street ‘Misadventures’ in New Memoir
Lobbyist K. Riva Levinson kept most of her early-career story private: working for Paul Manafort, traipsing the globe on behalf of oftentimes shady foreign clients, getting caught in literal crossfire. Until now.
Hemp ‘Loophole’ Lobbying Brawl Thwarts Swift Senate Stopgap Bill
Competing lobbying campaigns, stocked with unusual allies, ramped up Thursday over a delay in cracking down on hemp-derived products that senators put in a stopgap funding bill. As senators wrangled over a provision aimed at extending a so-called hemp loophole for an extra month, dueling lobbying campaigns launched new letters, messaging, and mobilization. The fight has split some in the hemp and pot sectors and drawn in other industries and advocacy groups.
Hemp ‘Loophole’ Lobbying Brawl Thwarts Swift Senate Stopgap Bill
Competing lobbying campaigns, stocked with unusual allies, ramped up Thursday over a delay in cracking down on hemp-derived products that senators put in a stopgap funding bill. As senators wrangled over a provision aimed at extending a so-called hemp loophole for an extra month, dueling lobbying campaigns launched new letters, messaging, and mobilization. The fight has split some in the hemp and pot sectors and drawn in other industries and advocacy groups.
Hemp ‘Loophole’ Lobbying Brawl Thwarts Swift Senate Stopgap Bill
Competing lobbying campaigns, stocked with unusual allies, ramped up Thursday over a delay in cracking down on hemp-derived products that senators put in a stopgap funding bill. As senators wrangled over a provision aimed at extending a so-called hemp loophole for an extra month, dueling lobbying campaigns launched new letters, messaging, and mobilization. The fight has split some in the hemp and pot sectors and drawn in other industries and advocacy groups.
Crypto Treasury Official Exits for Hogan Lovells Lobby Practice Original
Tyler Williams, counselor for digital assets to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, joined Hogan Lovells Cadwalader’s government relations and public affairs practice in Washington as a senior adviser, the firm said Thursday. Williams, who was previously the global head of public policy and regulatory counsel at Galaxy Digital, was a point-person at Treasury on crypto and blockchain policy, helping to implement last year’s stablecoin law, known as the Genius Act.
Lawmakers Head for PAC Trips as Anti-Corporate Pledges Swell
Lobbyists and lawmakers are getting ready for an August recess filled with fundraising stops from Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard to Alaska and Aspen. The planned fundraising jaunts attended by corporate executives or those representing company political action committees come as more candidates bash business PACs on the campaign trail, especially on the Democratic side, where it’s a signature cause in high-profile primaries this week and next.
BGOV Bill Analysis: Fiscal 2027 Stopgap Funding to Dec. 11 Original
Federal funding would be extended through Dec. 11 under a bipartisan Senate amendment to H.R. 6500, a continuing resolution for fiscal 2027. The stopgap funding measure would generally extend current fiscal 2026 appropriations levels for federal agencies and programs past Election Day on Nov. 3, preempting a possible funding fight in September or a government shutdown in the final weeks of campaigning.
Cannabis, Hemp ‘Loophole’ Fight Creates Unusual Lobby Alliances
A proposal to delay a crackdown on hemp-derived products that senators are debating tucking into legislation to keep the government open through the November midterm elections, has prompted dueling lobbying campaigns and unusual alliances. The fight has drawn in other industries, with convenience stores backing hemp businesses and marijuana legalization opponents in some cases siding with the pot companies they typically oppose.
Top DC Lobbying Firm Ballard Partners to Open Venezuela Office Original
Ballard Partners, Washington’s top lobbying firm known for its ties to the Trump administration, will open an office in Caracas, the firm said Wednesday. It comes as corporations eye investments in Venezuela after US military strikes early this year. Ballard Partners’ Scott Wagner will be managing partner of the Caracas outpost while remaining a partner in the Washington office, the firm said.
Open-Weight AI Rift Morphs Into Hot Topic for K Street Lobbyists Original
A fast-shifting, high-powered debate over freely downloadable artificial intelligence models is gripping Capitol Hill and K Street, quickly becoming a top lobbying issue that few heard of just weeks ago. , , and other mega players in AI are on Capitol Hill this week to press lawmakers on the benefits — or risks — of making the recipes behind models available for anyone to download. Those that are publicly available are known as open-weight AI models. , , .
BGOV Hill Watch Live: Washington Update — Get Ready for Recess
Senators are scheduled to be in Washington through next week without their House counterparts, who left for August recess. Before their departure, House lawmakers set up a busy fall by advancing a budget resolution to unlock reconciliation (H. Con. Res. 113), a bill to keep the government open to start the next fiscal year on Oct. 1 (H.R. 9770), and the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800).
Darline Graham Gets K Street Fundraiser for Senate Campaign
Sen. Darline Graham’s campaign will raise money from Washington lobbyists next week at an event with fellow GOP Sens. Katie Britt and Tom Cotton, according to an invitation and people familiar with the plans. The Aug. 5 event is slated to take place in Washington, a week after funeral and memorial services in the nation’s capital and South Carolina for Graham’s brother, the late-Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) whom Darline Graham seeks to replace long-term.
DLA Piper Stands Up Internal Congressional Investigations Unit Original
DLA Piper, a global law and lobbying firm, will launch a congressional investigations practice this week, the latest K Street move as clients gird for an expected oversight deluge in the new Congress. Brandon Rios, former counsel to Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Jake Greenberg, who was general counsel on that panel for Republicans, will co-lead the unit, they shared first with Bloomberg Government.
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