Bottom Line: Israeli spyware firm adds trade lobbyist

Taylor Giorno
·2 min read

Trade

The NSO Group, the Israeli firm behind the controversial Pegasus spyware, hired Steptoe & Johnson to address national security and export control issues. In November 2021, the Commerce Department blacklisted the NSO Group after governments allegedly used the military-grade tool to target journalists, dissidents and diplomats around the world. The company has denied the allegations and sought to overturn the decision. One of the lobbyists on the account is Jeff Weiss, former deputy director for policy and strategic planning at the Commerce Department.

World Cup

Another 2026 FIFA World Cup host committee, the ​Dallas Sports Commission, hired Foley & Lardner to lobby on issues related to tournament needs. The firm has now registered to help nine of the 11 U.S. host cities secure federal funding and raise awareness ahead of the tournament, which the U.S. will host alongside Mexico and Canada. Former Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) will work on the account.

Weight loss drugs

​Pfizer hired Todd Strategy Group to lobby on issues related to Medicare, Medicaid, pharmacy benefit managers and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included provisions to lower prescription drug prices. Lobbyists will also focus on Medicare coverage for “Anti-obesity Medications,” which is currently prohibited but could be expanded under the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA).

The bill has stalled each time it’s been reintroduced over the past decade, but a lobbying blitz spearheaded by Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind popular weight loss injections Wegovy and Ozempic, has given the legislation new momentum. Jeff Lucas, former health policy adviser to TROA co-sponsor Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), will work on the account.

Agriculture

The ​New Venture Fund, a prominent liberal “dark money” group that does not voluntarily disclose its donors, hired GWC Public Affairs to lobby on issues related to the Colorado River Basin and the farm bill. Grant Colvin, a former Senate Agriculture Committee staffer and senior adviser to Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), will work on the account.

Olsson, Frank, Weeda, Terman & Matz registered to lobby on behalf of the ​Southwest Meat Association on issues related to the farm bill, food safety and international trade. Phil Karsting, a former USDA Foreign Agricultural Service administrator, will work on the account.

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