{"id":2227812,"date":"2024-04-23T04:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T08:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-tammy-baldwin-profits-from-the-dc-lobbyist-revolving-door-she-often-slams\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T04:53:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T08:53:50","slug":"how-tammy-baldwin-profits-from-the-dc-lobbyist-revolving-door-she-often-slams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-tammy-baldwin-profits-from-the-dc-lobbyist-revolving-door-she-often-slams\/","title":{"rendered":"Tammy Baldwin&#8217;s Gain from the Lobbyist Revolving Door She Criticizes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-tammy-baldwin-profits-from-the-dc-lobbyist-revolving-door-she-often-slams%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2227812&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary provides insights into Senator Tammy Baldwin&#8217;s\u200b criticism of the\u200d revolving door between government and special interests.\u2064 It highlights \u200bher concerns about conflicts of interest and the flow of taxpayer-backed staffers to private industry. Despite her advocacy \u200dto slow \u2063the revolving door, she faces\u200d scrutiny for accepting campaign donations from lobbyists linked to her office. The summary delves into \u2062Senator Tammy Baldwin&#8217;s stance on the government-special interests \u2063revolving\u200c door, emphasizing \u2064her conflict of interest\u2063 concerns. Despite advocating to curb the revolving door, she faces scrutiny over campaign donations\u200d from lobbyists tied to her office.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>To Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tammy-baldwin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tammy Baldwin<\/a> (D-WI), who is running for reelection in the swing state of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Wisconsin<\/a> in 2024, the \u201crevolving door\u201d between government and K Street is \u201cspinning out of control as billionaires and special interests rig the system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baldwin, the Badger State\u2019s junior senator since 2013, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tammybaldwin.com\/issues\/special-interests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>says<\/a> the constant flow of taxpayer-backed staffers to private industry, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/Financial%20Services%20Conflict%20of%20Interest%20One-Pager%20FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>and<\/a> vice-versa, poses conflicts of interest and results in working families getting left behind. The revolving door, she previously argued in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/wall-street-revolving-door_b_8064504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>op-ed<\/a> with Hillary Clinton in <em>HuffPost<\/em>, prompts the public to \u201cstart worrying that the foxes are guarding the hen house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the Wisconsin Democrat\u2019s criticism of the revolving door could place her in a tough spot this election cycle. Baldwin has accepted thousands of dollars in campaign donations from lobbyists at influential firms who earned their stripes as aides in her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/capitol-hill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Capitol Hill<\/a> office over the last two decades, according to a <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> review of Federal Election Commission filings.<\/p>\n<p>The donations underscore how ambitious employees in Baldwin\u2019s office have decided against heeding her calls to slow the revolving door. A total of 24 of her employees have reportedly come from or gone into lobbying, including on behalf of companies in Wisconsin. Moreover, the cash is an apparent irony that Republicans are aiming to exploit this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-launches-2024-presidential-bid\/\" title=\"Trump Launches 2024 Presidential Bid\">election cycle amid<\/a> the GOP rallying around Eric Hovde, a businessman largely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2967857\/wisconsin-senate-eric-hovde-outraises-tammy-baldwin-majority-of-funds-from-himself\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>self-funding<\/a> his Senate campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter nearly 40 years as a career politician, Sen. Baldwin isn\u2019t for Wisconsin anymore \u2014 she\u2019s for the special interests that have set up shop in her office and that fund her campaigns,\u201d said Ben Voelkel, a spokesman for the Hovde campaign. \u201cWith those priorities, it\u2019s no surprise that she votes with Joe Biden 95.5% of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) poses for a portrait after an interview Dec. 6, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Baldwin has accepted various donations from registered lobbyists who once worked in her congressional office. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On her campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tammybaldwin.com\/issues\/special-interests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>website<\/a>, Baldwin touts that she is \u201cworking to slow [the] revolving door and hold Washington accountable to Wisconsin.\u201d The senator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=revolving%20door%20(from%3Atammybaldwin)&#038;src=typed_query&#038;f=live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>has<\/a> fundraised in recent years off curbing the revolving door and introduced a handful of bills, which have not passed, that seek to reduce certain alleged conflicts of interest stemming from cases in which government officials depart to lobby or did so in the past. <\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the revolving door keeps spinning in Baldwin\u2019s own office. And the ex-staffers have made sure to boost their former boss financially, records show.<\/p>\n<p>One such ex-staffer is Jeremy Steslicki, a registered lobbyist at the firm Strategic Marketing Innovations, congressional filings show. He worked between 2014 and 2019 as Baldwin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-to-pardon-gen-michael-flynn-per-report\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump to Pardon Gen. Michael Flynn, Per Report\">national security adviser<\/a> and director of appropriations, according to his <a href=\"https:\/\/strategicmi.com\/team\/jeremy-steslicki\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>profile<\/a> on the firm\u2019s website. <\/p>\n<p>Since 2021, Steslicki has given $10,500 to Baldwin\u2019s leadership PAC and campaign, including $2,500 in the first quarter of 2024, newly released campaign finance records show. Steslicki lobbies for various Wisconsin-based groups, some of which scored key funding thanks to Baldwin joining other lawmakers to vote in favor of the federal handouts.<\/p>\n<p>Steslicki is listed in congressional records as lobbying since 2021 for the Wisconsin shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which has an office in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Washington, D.C.<\/a> Fincantieri Marinette Marine <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumnews1.com\/wi\/milwaukee\/news\/2024\/01\/08\/defense-bill-wisconsin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>expects<\/a> to take home roughly $1 billion to build warships through the since-passed 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_votes\/vote1181\/vote_118_1_00343.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>which<\/a> Baldwin signed off on.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the ex-aide has lobbied since 2020 on issues related to federal research into water technology and energy for Marquette University, according to congressional filings. In multiple press releases in recent years, Baldwin touted how she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/senator-baldwin-delivers-for-southeastern-wisconsin-in-government-funding-legislation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>has<\/a> secured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/senator-baldwin-delivers-an-additional-50-million-for-community-driven-projects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>funding<\/a> for certain programs at the Milwaukee-based school. The lawmaker also helped push for a $3.8 million Defense Department grant in 2021 to Marquette \u201cto develop novel, sustainable technologies to protect the environment and to provide clean drinking water,\u201d noting at the time she was \u201cextremely proud\u201d to support the effort, according <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240422183418\/https:\/\/www.marquette.edu\/news-center\/2021\/marquette-awarded-3-8-million-grant-from-department-of-defense-for-in-defense-of-water-program.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>to<\/a> a press release.<\/p>\n<p>Since leaving Baldwin\u2019s office in 2019, Steslicki has also lobbied for Wisconsin\u2019s Oshkosh Corporation on issues related to military truck procurement and Army training platforms, filings show. In 2023, Baldwin sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230921183920\/https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/letter_to_army_on_jltv_contract.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> to the Army demanding to know why it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/baldwin-questions-armys-decision-to-award-contract-to-private-equity-owned-company-with-very-high-credit-risk-and-no-experience-making-jltv-instead-of-oshkosh-defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>would<\/a> award a five-year contract to AM General instead of Oshkosh.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) speaks before President Joe Biden at the Earth Rider Brewery, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Superior, Wis. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Then there\u2019s David Stacy, who has given $1,000 to Baldwin this election cycle and also directed nine separate checks to her campaign over the years totaling $4,250, according to federal records. <\/p>\n<p>Stacy worked for seven years as a legislative assistant for Baldwin when she was in the House before heading in 2005 to lobby for the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT advocacy firm in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Baldwin has established herself as a key ally of the Human Rights Campaign, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrc.org\/press-releases\/human-rights-campaign-endorses-wisconsin-senator-tammy-baldwin-for-re-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>endorsed<\/a> the Wisconsin Democrat in December 2023 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/democrat-senator-keynote-lgbt-luncheon-honoring-advocates-gender-transitioning-children\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>hosts<\/a> her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zt3TUGp4BXI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>at<\/a> events. Last year, Baldwin introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/baldwin-grijalva-lead-bill-to-include-lgbtq-community-in-federal-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>a<\/a> bill to require federal surveys to include LGBT data collection, a proposal that Stacy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baldwin.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/baldwin-grijalva-lead-bill-to-include-lgbtq-community-in-federal-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>thanked<\/a> Baldwin for in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdog-accuses-three-house-democrats-of-ethics-violations\/\" title=\"Watchdog Accuses Three House Democrats of Ethics Violations\">official press release<\/a> on the senator\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Elizabeth Pika Sharp, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elizabeth-pika-sharp-6578a2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>now<\/a> heads up government affairs and policy at Philips, has donated $5,300 since 2009 to Baldwin. Pika Sharp was the senator\u2019s legislative director from 2003 to 2008. The ex-aide worked in 2013 for the Advanced Medical Technology Association, which lobbied against a medical supplies sales tax that Baldwin, who opposed it, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/archive\/bipartisan-push-scrap-medical-device-tax-cautionary-tale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>voted<\/a> to repeal. <\/p>\n<p>Pika Sharp <a href=\"https:\/\/lda.senate.gov\/filings\/public\/filing\/search\/?registrant=%C2%AEistrant_country=%C2%AEistrant_ppb_country=&#038;client=cook+group&#038;client_state=&#038;client_country=&#038;client_ppb_country=&#038;lobbyist=elizabeth+pika+sharp&#038;lobbyist_covered_position=&#038;lobbyist_conviction_disclosure=&#038;lobbyist_conviction_date_range_from=&#038;lobbyist_conviction_date_range_to=&#038;report_period=&#038;report_year=&#038;report_dt_posted_from=&#038;report_dt_posted_to=&#038;report_amount_reported_min=&#038;report_amount_reported_max=&#038;report_filing_uuid=&#038;report_house_doc_id=&#038;report_issue_area_description=&#038;affiliated_organization=&#038;affiliated_organization_country=&#038;foreign_entity=&#038;foreign_entity_country=&#038;foreign_entity_ppb_country=&#038;foreign_entity_ownership_percentage_min=&#038;foreign_entity_ownership_percentage_max=&#038;search=search#js_searchFormTitle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lobbied<\/a> from 2018 to 2023 for the Cook Group, a medical devices manufacturer that contracts with the federal government, according to lobbying and federal spending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaspending.gov\/search\/?hash=f2ff8009a07b62c3b62517db146c9b72\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>records<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Cook Medical and other companies sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/rarediseases.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/FY23-PDC-Letter_FinalWithSigners.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> to Baldwin and three other lawmakers to press for more funding for a Food and Drug Administration medical devices grant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/industry\/medical-products-rare-diseases-and-conditions\/pediatric-device-consortia-grants-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>program<\/a>. In turn, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefdalawblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/HPM-FDORA-Summary-and-Analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>initiative<\/a> was reauthorized that year until 2027 through President Joe Biden\u2019s signing of the $1.7 trillion 2023 appropriations act, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_votes\/vote1172\/vote_117_2_00421.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>earned<\/a> the approval of Baldwin, chairwoman of a subcommittee under the Senate Appropriations panel.<\/p>\n<p>Another ex-top aide to Baldwin who departed Capitol Hill to lobby and has donated to the senator includes Elissa Levin, now senior vice president of government affairs at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Vicki Hicks, who did a brief stint in 2021 as a special projects aide to Baldwin, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?cycle=2024&#038;data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00326801&#038;contributor_name=vicki+hicks&#038;line_number=F3-11AI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>donated<\/a> over $4,200 to Baldwin\u2019s campaign since 2012. Hicks has lobbied before and after this role for various entities, including the pharmaceutical firm Merck &#038; Co., and financial services companies.<\/p>\n<p>Baldwin is \u201cbeholden to special interests, not the people of Wisconsin,\u201d said Tate Mitchell, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Wisconsin Senate race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in 2024. A Marquette University poll released in April <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/polls\/senate\/2024\/wisconsin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>found<\/a> Baldwin and Hovde tied at 50% among likely voters, while Baldwin held a 5-point advantage among registered voters.<\/p>\n<p>Baldwin\u2019s office and campaign did not reply to requests for comment. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) criticizes the &#8220;spinning out of control&#8221; revolving door between government and K Street, highlighting billionaire and special interest influence. As Wisconsin&#8217;s junior senator since 2013, she voices concerns about taxpayer-backed staff transitioning to special interests. Running for reelection in 2024 in a swing state, Baldwin remains vigilant on the issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2227814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24025718274951.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2227812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/AP24025718274951.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2227814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}