On the town

WASHINGTON, D.C.—D.C. lobbying is a $3 billion-a-year industry employing 11,000 people. The relationships of politicians, staffers, and lobbyists aren’t always glamorous or nefarious. But they start with an introduction, usually over food, and to get a sense of that I didn’t spend a dime on eating during four days in October. Here’s how it went:

TUESDAY LUNCH: Missed breakfast, but for lunch dropped by PhRMA’s fifth annual Research & Hope Awards to innovators in mental health: herb and butter marinated chicken, roasted red-skinned potatoes and asparagus, mixed green salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing, mixed berries with yogurt.

Mike Allen, executive editor of the news website Axios and quintessential Washington insider, emceed the lunch for PhRMA, which was a founding funder of Axios in 2017, along with Wal-Mart, Bank of America, and several other major corporations. Allen walked around and introduced himself to attendees who already knew his name. PhRMA spent nearly $20 million on lobbying Capitol Hill last year, and $8 million in the first quarter of 2017, with part of it going for events like this that bring together PhRMA lobbyists with congressional staffers and consultants. This particular lunch reception highlighted PhRMA’s new focus on mental health.

TUESDAY DINNER: The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) late afternoon discussion on welfare policy options for the Trump administration featured platters of cheese, crackers, fruit, and nuts, washed down by glasses of red and white wine—but only for those who stayed to the end. AEI is one of the largest of the 50-plus think tanks in Washington that conduct research on public policy and give scholars a platform for commentary. AEI, with a spacious new auditorium in DuPont Circle that has an elevated white stage flanked by jumbo flat screens, takes in more than $77 million each year—and spends part of it on daily events like this.

WEDNESDAY BREAKFAST: The Hudson Institute sits across Pennsylvania Avenue from the ornate Trump International Hotel. Ilya Zaslavskiy told 50 attendees about his new report, “How Non-State Actors Export Kleptocratic Norms to the West,” but all the think tank offered was tea, coffee, and bottles of water.

WEDNESDAY LUNCH: The American Coatings Association (ACA) brought together ACA members, paint lobbyists, manufacturing representatives, and congressional staffers over a spread that included chicken Caesar, steak, and veggie flour tortilla wraps, along with sliced green melon, baked potato chips, walnut brownies, and chocolate chip cookies. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who received $1,500 from the ACA last year, cracked a few jokes, then explained the GOP’s tax reform plan, which he claimed would benefit small businesses and U.S. manufacturers. Shimkus pointed around the room searching for approval: “You’re the coating industry, so you know.”

WEDNESDAY DINNER: Twelve members of Congress and 200 staff members gathered for the second annual American Humane Lois Pope K-9 Medal of Courage Awards, honoring five military pooches. House staffers circled around the bar for free alcohol: bottles of Stella Artois, Budweiser, and both red and white wine. In between bites of sesame chicken on a stick and coconut-crusted shrimp, they snapped selfies with the award-winning dogs.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., walked in with an aide. She bent down to pet Alphie, a 7-year-old Black Lab who completed two tours in Afghanistan on the Explosive Detection team. U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., snuck up behind Ros-Lehtinen to give her a squeeze.

American Humane, a nonprofit based in Northwest D.C., lobbies against animal cruelty. In 2016 it paid lobbyists nearly $100,000 to influence legislation, including $60,000 to a firm run by former Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston.

THURSDAY BREAKFAST: As 20 attendees ate Chick-fil-A biscuits courtesy of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), a five-man panel talked through the nuts and bolts of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), and why Americans should care. “Ducts suck and blow, but they mostly suck,” joked ACCA consultant Chandler von Schrader.

Three GOP members of Congress—Randy Weber of Texas, Daniel Webster of Florida, and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma—owned ACCA businesses, and each received ACCA campaign donations in 2014. Mullin, the guest of honor, slipped in 30 minutes late and said regulations continue to burden small businesses, which he saw firsthand while working in HVAC before entering Congress.

THURSDAY LUNCH: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) provided for each of 25 attendees a choice of three different boxed lunches: turkey, roast beef, or tuna sandwiches. My turkey sandwich on rye came with tomato, lettuce, and swiss cheese. Additional treats: chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies, along with Aquafina and Coca-Cola products to wash it all down. Each year Congress gives about $700 million to NIEHS to provide research and data that help lawmakers draft bills, adapt regulations, and stage briefings. Today’s topic was autoimmune disease.

THURSDAY SNACKS: PayPal provided chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies in the Rayburn House Office Building. The online payment company hosted a discussion with CEO Dan Schulman, who arrived in true Silicon Valley fashion: frayed light blue jeans, alligator-skin boots, and a plain brown long-sleeve shirt rolled up to his elbows. PayPal invited House Majority Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., to hear Schulman explain the importance of financial technology, but he didn’t show. PayPal spent close to $1 million last year lobbying D.C. on three bills related to commerce and financial regulation.

THURSDAY DINNER: As Mariachi Huenachi, a band from Wenatchee High School in Washington state, performed in the House Ways and Means Committee room, hungry staffers loaded appetizer-sized plates with mini turkey sandwiches, beef sliders, jalapeno poppers, and guacamole. Within 30 minutes only celery remained.

The concert and reception synced with National Hispanic Heritage Month. The high-school students raised their own funds for the trip, and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the Country Music Association Foundation helped sponsor the reception. Their congressman, U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., served as their host in the nation’s capital. NAfME, based in northern Virginia, paid lobbyists $54,000 last year. It also contributed $1,500 to re-elect U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., and donated $203 to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The 10th- to 12th-graders donned charro suits, wide belts, and sombreros while strumming guitars, bowing violins, and blowing trumpets. Hundreds of young congressional staffers locked up their offices and followed the music to the committee room. House of Representatives votes typically wrap up for the week by Thursday evening and members are on their way to the airport. U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., stopped by in a gray T-shirt, green shorts, and crocs to snap a video on his camouflaged iPhone.

FRIDAY: Skipped breakfast and found Chick-fil-A sandwiches, fruit, chocolate chip cookies, and bagged waffle fries at a Faith & Law lecture in the Russell Senate Office Building. Faith & Law meetings started on the Hill in 1983 and are a place for Christians, usually ensconced in politics, to share their life experience and Biblical worldview with young congressional staffers. The nonprofit relies on volunteers and outside donors. David Barton, the founder of WallBuilders, delivered a lecture on American exceptionalism.

LESSONS: A muffin can be very filling but a sandwich is better. Cookies are always good but hardly a substitute for breakfast. If you want a meal, attend a mealtime event. The early bird gets the worm. Man cannot live by coffee alone.

This story has been updated to note the correct party affiliation of U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici. She is a Democrat.