By Lee Towns
January 2021 brought Democratic control of all three branches of government, which means that Washington is a vastly different place than it has been over the past four years under former President Donald Trump. The Biden Administration will likely be composed primarily of Obama-era cabinet picks like Denis McDonough, former Chief-of-Staff and Biden’s new Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Susan Rice, who will serve as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.” Democrats maintained control of the House, although by slim margins, while the Georgia runoffs put the Senate at a 50/50 split, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tiebreaker.
The question on everyone’s mind is if you’re an advocacy group looking to have influence in this new administration, do you have a fighting shot? Veteran DC lobbyists are publicly expressing that if you want to get in on the action, it’s not too late!
What we’ve seen so far is the Biden Administration governing almost solely unilaterally, without consulting Congress, resulting in over three dozen executive orders in his first week. His agenda has focused on reforming government protocols around diversity and inclusion, reversing Trump-era policies, and instituting broad and aggressive environmental policies that has some unions concerned they aren’t getting what they bargained for.
In addition, this administration inherited the global COVID-19 pandemic and the polarizing debate over the third economic stimulus. From the sounds of it, Biden’s team looks to be attempting to split his $1.9 trillion ask into two bills with smaller price tags. We have yet to see how his administration will facilitate bipartisan negotiations, but some democratic political strategists are optimistic this divided Congress will resemble that of the 2001 Congress in which compromises were made across the aisle. Timing wise, it normally takes three to four weeks for freshmen members of Congress and staff to learn to navigate not only the buildings themselves, but also general office dynamics, as each office operates a little differently.
At The Zoldak Agency we always suggest laying the groundwork for campaigns early! Start building those new relationships and identifying potential targets – both friend and foe, gathering your owned audience to activate on a particular issue, and thinking through creative assets to educate voters on dynamic issues. That way when the time is right to strike, you’re ready!
Another pro-tip is to think through what reforms have taken place locally and statewide to mitigate harm caused by the pandemic and decide what you’d like to make permanent, whether it be school choice, telehealth, Certificate of Need (CoN) reform, etc. This is the time to strategize how you might approach these issues. Lawmakers are under pressure to address policies from a Covid angle, so let that be your lens when framing an issue too.
COVID and security issues at the Capitol have complicated efforts to plan and prepare for in-person meetings, the ideal way for most groups and lobbyists to reach their elected officials. Hill staff and congressional members have different preferences when it comes to virtual versus in-person meetings. Not to mention, there’s some confusion as to what will be allowed. If your efforts are going to center around virtual meetings, make sure you reach out to individual offices and learn how they prefer to facilitate these meetings ahead of time as to not waste their time. It’s now also more important than ever to have a powerful digital presence (website, landing pages, petitions, social channels, etc.) that clearly and concisely explains your issue and demonstrates public support. In addition, don’t be afraid to have advocates send handwritten notes or emails to congressional offices at this time, as they’ve communicated that their staff actually has more time to dive into this type of correspondence with less in-person meetings.
Last thing we’ll mention, there is still a ban on Facebook political advertising with no clear end in sight, but we can help you with alternative ways to acquire new advocates! We’ve been riding this wave with our clients and have found success that’s attainable in the near and long-term.