Bottom Line: Nutrition advocate lobbies up for SNAP defense

Agriculture

Feeding America hired Corbin Strategies to lobby on issues related to the farm bill including nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Nutrition programs have historically received the biggest share of the farm bill pie, and 2021 revisions to the Thrifty Food Plan — the basket of foods that make up a nutritious diet as designed by the Department of Agriculture — have increased the amount of money needed to fund SNAP since the last farm bill passed in 2018. But in the current budget environment, Congress is unlikely to raise top-line funding for the bill, and some Republicans have proposed cutting SNAP or conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to fund other priorities that could cushion the impact of higher prices and extreme weather on farmers.

This is the second firm that Feeding America has hired since November as it gears up for the farm bill fight. The lobbyist on the account is Kim Corbin, a Capitol Hill alum whose resume includes a stint as legal counsel to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Stabenow, who is retiring when her term ends next January, chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee and is a top negotiator on the farm bill.

Appropriations

GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance hired MWMurray Consulting to lobby for appropriations for the United States’ contribution to the public–private global health partnership. The U.S. is one of the top government donors to the multilateral group, which funds and provides immunization for vulnerable children abroad, according to a report by the health research nonprofit KFF. 

The lobbyist on the account is Mark Murray, a former staffer on the House and Senate Appropriations committees who lobbies for other international and multilateral organizations including UNICEF USA, Kiwanis International and ​American Councils for International Education.

Housing and Urban Development

Paint company ​Sherwin-Williams hired Taft Stettinius & Hollister to lobby on issues related to urban development and municipalities. The lobbyist on the account is Clifton Williams, who previously held several roles in the office of former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), who has served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development since 2021.

Health care

​Johnson & Johnson hired Todd Strategy Group to lobby on a range of issues including pharmacy benefit managers, the health care supply chain, the 340B program and the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. Paul Edattel, former chief counsel for health to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will work on the account.