Bottom Line: George Washington University lobbied up amid campus protest pressure

Higher education

Amid scrutiny of its handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus earlier this month, George Washington University hired Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman to work on “higher education issues.” Work began May 6, according to the new registration, two days before police cleared the encampment and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee canceled its hearing on the demonstrations with the Washington, D.C., police chief and mayor.

Lobbyists on the account include former Reps. Greg Laughlin (R-Texas) and Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) as well as Yvette ​Cravins, a former staffer and lawyer for the House Oversight Committee. This also marks the first time the university has brought on outside lobbyists since 2009, according to the Lobbying Disclosure Act database.

Health care

Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk hired Arnold & Porter to lobby on issues related to “manufacturing capacity and supply chain resilience.” There is currently limited availability of certain injections for the weight-loss drug Wegovy, according to the Food and Drug Administration, although availability has rebounded after shortages of both Ozempic and Wegovy last summer.

The Danish drugmaker has boosted its federal lobbying spending as it pushes Congress to pass a bill that would remove restrictions on Medicare coverage of weight management treatments: the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. One of the lobbyists on the account is Eugenia ​Edwards Pierson, a former clerk on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where the House version of the bill has been sitting since it was introduced last summer.

Streaming

Streaming giant Fubo has hired TeleMedia Policy Corp., its first outside lobbyist, to work on competition and communications issues impacting distribution. Fubo is part of the Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition, which has been pushing back on efforts to try to apply broadcast rules to streaming platforms. 

The lobbyist on the account is Justin Lilley, a former staffer and counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is responsible for setting communications and technology policy.

TikTok

The TikTok Coalition, which describes the popular video-sharing application as a “threat to National Security” on its website, hired Iggy Ventures to lobby on the so-called “TikTok bill” in early April. The lobbyist on the account is Rick Lane, a 21st Century Fox and Chamber of Commerce alum.

Biden signed the bill, which would force China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a U.S. ban, as part of a broader foreign aid package late last month. TikTok sued to block the law earlier this month, arguing its 270 day timeline to find a new owner was unrealistic and calling the bill “an extraordinary and unconstitutional assertion of power.”