Bottom Line: IOM adds House appropriations staffer to defend federal funding

Foreign Affairs

The United Nations’s ​International Organization for Migration (IOM) hired Cornerstone Government Affairs to educate members on the IOM and lobby for “consistent core funding in the FY 2025 appropriations cycle,” according to a new disclosure. Congress barred funding to the U.N.’s agency for Palestinian refugees as part of a foreign aid bill earlier this year, putting the agency responsible for “humane and orderly migration” on the defensive.

To aid in that effort, the IOM has enlisted the help of Steve Marchese, who previously spent 21 years working for the House Appropriations Committee.

Defense

Lockheed Martin hired Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to lobby on issues related to defense policy and procurement. Lockheed Martin was the federal government’s largest contractor in 2022, according to the most recent data available on SAM.gov, and was one of the top 20 spenders on federal lobbying last year, according to the money in politics tracking nonprofit OpenSecrets. Former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) will work on the account.

Telecommunications

Comcast hired Miller Strategies to lobby on issues related to telecommunications, broadband policy, internet regulation, intellectual property and competition policy. One of the lobbyists on the account is Ashley Gunn, who was previously special assistant to the president and senior director of Cabinet affairs during the Trump administration.

Trade

The Canadian American Business Council hired Burke Consulting to lobby on issues related to U.S.-Canada trade and commerce. The lobbyist on the account is Elizabeth Burke, who previously worked for Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Education

Atlanta Public Schools hired Holland & Knight to lobby on K-12 policy and federal grant funding. Robert Bradner, whose resume includes a stint as chief of staff and counsel to former Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.), former chair of a House Appropriations subcommittee