Cornell, Yale lead Ivy League K Street rush

Politico

24-07-2025

With Daniel Lippman, Victoria Guida
K STREET'S IVY LEAGUE PAYDAY: Ivy League universities in President Donald Trump's crosshairs poured record sums into lobbying during the first six months of Trump's second term, according to a PI anaylsis of disclosures filed this week. Cornell University led the Ivies with $444,000 in lobbying expenditures last quarter — a 90 percent increase from what the university spent from January through March of this year, and the most ever for the school in a single quarter.
— Cornell's lobbying outlays last quarter included $140,000 paid to Miller Strategies, which lobbied the DOJ, Education Department, Executive Office of the President, National Economic Council and both chambers of Congress on behalf of the university, according to a filing.
— The Ivies' second-biggest spender, Yale University, reported $320,000 in lobbying expenditures last quarter — nearly double what it spent during the same period a year ago. It's a nearly 30 percent increase compared to Yale's lobbying outlays during the first three months of the year.
— Yale's lobbying effort included bringing on two of K Street's most prominent lobbying shops, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The firms supplied Yale with a roster of hired guns that includes a former GOP member of Congress, one of Trump's former personal lawyers and a top Republican fundraiser.
— Columbia University, which has brought on three new outside lobbying firms since Trump's election, dropped $280,000 on federal lobbying in Q2. That's the most ever spent by the school in a single quarter, eclipsing the previous record of $270,000 set in Q1 of this year. For comparison, Columbia reported $80,000 in lobbying outlays during the second quarter of 2024.
— The school, which had become a particularly ripe target for criticism in Washington over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus, announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement with the Trump administration that will see the school pay more than $200 million in exchange for unfreezing the vast majority of the $400 million in federal funds held up by the administration earlier this year.
— Columbia hired Republican lobbyist Jeff Shapiro of Tiber Creek Group in November and retained Dan Murphy of BGR Group days before Trump was inaugurated. Through the first half of the year, the university has paid $280,000 to BGR Group alone, disclosure filings show.
— Harvard University dropped $270,000 on federal lobbying in the second quarter — also a record for the school. The school, which is in the midst of multiple legal battles with the Trump administration over the freezing of federal grants and the suspension of visas for foreign students, has spent half a million dollars on influence efforts so far this year.
— Brown University also boosted its lobbying spending in the first half of the year, going from $120,000 in expenditures during Q1 to $210,000 from April through June, while Princeton University increased its Q2 spending to $290,000 from $150,000 the previous quarter. During the same time a year ago, Brown reported spending just $70,000 in federal lobbying in each of the first two quarters, while Princeton spent $100,000 in Q2 and $120,000 in Q1.
— Dartmouth College rounds out the bottom of the Ivy lobbying rankings with $188,000 in expenditures last quarter, though that is still up from $77,000 during the beginning of the year and around $40,000 during the same period last year.
— Trump's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, this month became the first Ivy League school to make a deal with the administration, and was the only Ivy League school that saw its lobbying spending dip last quarter. Penn Trustees reported spending $200,000 on lobbying efforts in Q2, down from $250,000 the previous quarter (though both totals are up from the $150,000 spent by Penn during each of the first two quarters of 2024).
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WHAT THE PENTAGON'S TRAVEL OFFICE IS READING: 'The Pentagon has suspended participation in all think tank and research events until further notice, according to an email sent Thursday to staff and obtained by POLITICO, a major shift in engagement from the country's largest federal agency,' Jack Detsch reports.
— 'The decision comes a week after the Defense Department pulled out of the high-profile Aspen Security Forum citing 'the evil of globalism' and indicating the event did not align with the Trump administration's defense policies.'
— 'The Pentagon's public affairs office is also reviewing the agency's participation in other top security conferences, according to the email. It specifically banned attendance at the Halifax International Security Forum, which takes place in Nova Scotia each winter and where the Pentagon chief is usually a top guest. It was not immediately clear why that forum had been singled out.'
— 'The move would sideline the Pentagon from national security dialogues that it has used for decades to advance its policy and explain the department's rationale. Former Defense Secretaries Jim Mattis, Mark Esper and Lloyd Austin have also used think tank events, such as the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Shangri-La Dialogue and the Reagan National Defense Forum, to give major policy speeches and hold sideline meetings with both allies and adversaries.'
FINTECHS URGE TRUMP TO TAKE ON BANKS: The Financial Technology Association, American Fintech Council, Chamber of Progress Crypto Council for Innovation, The Digital Chamber and the Financial Data and Technology Association have sent a letter to Trump asking him to direct his administration to push back on a lawsuit filed by banks to block a new open banking rule. The government must file a brief on the lawsuit by July 29.
— Banks 'are exploiting regulatory uncertainty to preserve their market position and block competition, undermining your agenda and denying Americans access to the future of finance. This risks the future of fintech, digital assets, and America's financial innovation and global leadership,' they wrote. 'You can right this wrong.'
USDA PROBING FOREIGN FUNDING: 'The Agriculture Department is applying more scrutiny to research done by its employees alongside noncitizens,' per NPR's Ximena Bustillo. 'The directives, laid out in a memo which went out to USDA employees and research institutions earlier this month, are part of a broader effort to increase security measures around the U.S. food supply — especially when it comes to foreign adversaries like North Korea, China, Russia and Iran.'
— 'The sweeping instructions require recipients of USDA funding to disclose contracts associated with 'foreign entities and certify they are not party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.' As a result of the policy, USDA also laid off 70 researchers earlier this month who were from 'countries of concern' — which included Syria, South Africa, Cuba and Venezuela.'
HOLLYWOOD IN D.C.: 'Entertainment companies and associations together spent millions of dollars during the second quarter of 2025 to press, placate and otherwise communicate with Congress, the White House and federal agencies' on everything from tariffs to intellectual property and Republicans' megabill, Dave Levinthal writes in The Ankler.
— 'Several leading players, including Netflix and Paramount, spent significantly more lobbying money than they ever have in any previous year's second quarter. Paramount had at stake not only the same issues that affect the entire industry — AI, IP protections, etc. — but also its own future as a company, with its owner, Shari Redstone (via holding company National Amusements) awaiting approval of her sale of the company to David Ellison's Skydance.'
Jobs report
— HB Strategies is adding Jay Perron as managing principal and Rachael Taylor as principal on its federal team. Perron most recently was a partner at Prism Group Public Affairs. Taylor most recently was chief of staff to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
— The Crypto Council for Innovation has named Ji Kim as its new CEO. Kim has been leading CCI as acting CEO since January.
— Michael Ahrens is joining FGS Global as managing director in its strategic comms division. He most recently was managing director at Bullpen Strategy Group, and is an RNC and Marco Rubio alum.
— Colleen Farley has joined Utz Brands as vice president of government relations and external communications. She previously served as director of advocacy and general counsel at SNAC International.
— Danielle Sassoon is now a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. She previously was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, from which she resigned in protest of Justice Department leadership.
— Acting Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea Lucas has named Amanda Smith as director of the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs. Smith most recently co-led government affairs comms at Lockheed Martin, and is an RNC alum.
— Megan Smith Thorpe is joining the Digital Chamber as comms director. She most recently was at Kraken, and is a Roy Cooper alum.
New Joint Fundraisers
Deluzio Stelson Victory Fund 2026 (Rep. Chris Deluzio, Friends Of Janelle Stelson)
New PACs
Emergency Committee To Save NYC (Super PAC)
For The Future Victory Fund (PAC)
League of Labor Voters (Hybrid PAC)
Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. Political Action Committee (Prolacta PAC) (PAC)
New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS
9Th Street Strategies: Pennymac Financial Services
Allen Control Systems: Allen Control Systems
Axadvocacy Government Relations: Sh130 Concession Company
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Pc: The Guthrie Clinic
Butler Snow LLP: Lynch Regenerative Medicine, LLC
Db3, LLC (Fka The Daschle Group): Semi (Fka Flextech Alliance)
Dutko Government Relations: Accenture Federal Services LLC
Experience Matters, LLC: American Hydraulic Services
Federal Hall Policy Advisors, LLC: Investment Company Institute
Government Affairs Solutions, LLC: Associated Builders And Contractors
Grayrobinson Pa: Hillsborough County Board Of County Commissioners
Grayrobinson Pa: Nuview
Grayrobinson Pa: Verituity
Hb Strategies: Build America Mutual
Javelin Advisors LLC: Greg E. Lindberg
Jtr Strategies LLC: Rohde & Schwarz USa, Inc.
Key Impact Strategies: Nola Education, LLC
Merchant McIntyre & Associates, LLC: Eastern University
Merchant McIntyre & Associates, LLC: North Caddo Medical Center
Merchant McIntyre & Associates, LLC: Richland Parish, La
Pauley Management Inc.: Arkel International
Reform Action Fund: Reform Action Fund
The Farley Group, Inc.: National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
The Ferguson Group: Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority (ENMWUA)
The Nimitz Group LLC: Purple Jay LLC
The Raben Group: Tides Network
Todd Strategy Group: Pmi US Corporate Services Inc. (Fka Pmi Global Services Inc.)
Townsend Public Affairs: City Of South Pasadena
Venable LLP: Pearson Education
Zero Mile Strategies: OnebriefA Learned Hand, LLC: Communications Workers Of America
Forethought Advisors, LLC: Northwest Side Community Development Corporation
Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP: Danimer Scientific
Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP: Freeman Capital
Law Offices of Donald A. Barnes, PLLC: Associated Equipment Distributors
Law Offices of Donald A. Barnes, PLLC: Association of Equipment Manufacturers