Bottom Line: Cannabis industry calls in Trump transition alum

The ​US Cannabis Council hired Mercury Public Affairs to lobby on issues related to the cannabis industry. The lobbyist on the account is Bryan Lanza, who served as communications director for President-elect Trump’s first transition team.

The cannabis industry is at a pivotal period. The Biden administration in May initiated the formal rulemaking process to reschedule marijuana to a Schedule III drug with low or moderate potential for abuse from Schedule I, alongside heroin and LSD in a category of drugs with a high risk of addiction and no medical use. 

The incoming Trump administration will have a hand in shaping the next phase of cannabis rescheduling and the burgeoning industry. Trump expressed support for rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III this fall, and both his Department of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz have vocally supported marijuana legalization.

Transportation

​NLX Railroad hired DGA Group to build a profile in Congress and the federal government “to grow support for a large-scale rail project in Minnesota and pursuit of federal grant funding.” The lobbyist on the account is Brett Scott, a former senior official at the Department of Transportation and House Energy and Commerce Committee alum.

Uber hired TheGroup DC to lobby on “issues related to the future of work and the on-demand economy” as well as transportation safety and international tax. One of the lobbyists on the account is Jorge Aguilar, former press secretary and director of Hispanic media for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Copyright

The ​Recording Industry Association of America hired Iggy Ventures to lobby on issues related to the Anticounterfeiting Protection Act, the 1996 law that cracks down on counterfeit trademark goods. The lobbyist on the account is Patrick Lane, a 21st Century Fox and U.S. Chamber of Commerce alum.

Trade

The clothing company Quince hired The Smith-Free Group to lobby on issues related to import duties. Trump has vowed to implement tariffs of 10 percent to 20 percent on all imports to the United States, as well as a harsher 60 percent tariff on imports from China, a plan that has companies rushing to enlist K Street to help navigate the potential supply chain scrambling. One of the lobbyists on the account is Max Becker, former coalitions coordinator for the House Republican Conference.