WASHINGTON — A former chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a former chief of staff at the Federal Communications Commission and a former Interior Department assistant secretary are among the onetime federal officials newly registered to lobby, according to registrations filed Tuesday and Wednesday in the congressional lobbying disclosure database.
Registrants must list any “covered” executive or legislative branch positions their lobbyists held in the past 20 years. The Inquisitor reviewed registrations posted from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. (The Inquisitor reported separately Thursday on the registration of Andrew Bremberg, President Trump’s first-term domestic policy chief, for Thales USA.)
Trading and finance
Delta Strategy Group registered to lobby for Optiver Services US on “issues related to the financial services industry.” The filing lists Optiver Holding B.V., the Dutch parent of the proprietary trading firm, as a foreign entity with an interest in the work. Among the lobbyists are Scott Parsons, a former CFTC chief of staff, and Kevin Batteh, a former CFTC counsel.
Health care
ACG Advocacy, working for Monument Advocacy on behalf of ChartSpan Medical Technologies, a chronic-care management company, registered to lobby on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed physician fee schedule for 2027. Its lobbyists include Jamie Susskind, a former FCC chief of staff and legal adviser who also worked for Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Deb Fischer; Cameron Seward, a former intergovernmental affairs director at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office; and Shawn Smeallie, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush for legislative affairs.
Foley & Lardner registered for React Health, a maker of sleep and respiratory products, on Food and Drug Administration issues. Its lobbyist, John Strom, lists service as an associate general counsel at the Department of Health and Human Services and as counsel to House and Senate committees.
Defense, energy and natural resources
| Lobbyist | Prior government role (as disclosed) | Registrant | Client | Issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Flynn | Deputy assistant secretary of defense; deputy assistant to the president and acting White House Cabinet secretary | Steptoe | Forge Nano | Government funding and procurement opportunities (filing) |
| Mark Limbaugh | Interior assistant secretary for water and science, 2005–07; Bureau of Reclamation deputy commissioner | The Ferguson Group | Selah-Moxee Irrigation District (Wash.) | Water infrastructure funding (filing) |
| David Anderson | Senior adviser, Council on Environmental Quality and Commerce Department; OMB program associate director | Natural Resource Results | National Alliance of Forest Owners | Forest owner partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service (filing) |
| Stephen Replogle | Legislative affairs adviser and intergovernmental affairs director, Commerce Department | Capitol Consulting Group | Vertex Energy Operating | Energy issues (filing) |
| Matthew Leggett | Chief counsel posts on the Senate Energy and Environment committees | K&L Gates | Pivotal Manufacturing Partners | Transmission, load interconnection and power generation in the TVA region (filing) |
Pivotal Manufacturing Partners describes itself in its registration as a real estate investment platform supporting the reshoring of U.S. manufacturing. Its lobbying issue is transmission, load interconnection and power generation in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s region.
Why it matters
Hiring former officials is legal and common, and registrations show only that a lobbyist has been retained, not that any contact has occurred. But the disclosures show which agencies’ alumni are in demand: in this batch, the CFTC, the FCC, the Pentagon and White House staff, the Interior and Commerce departments, and the White House budget office.
Requests for comment
The Inquisitor is seeking comment from Steptoe, Delta Strategy Group, ACG Advocacy, Natural Resource Results, K&L Gates and The Ferguson Group, and will update this story with their responses.
Photo: The 1500 block of K Street NW in Washington. Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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