LegiStorm

The Senate Budget Committee has brought on an economics and unemployment lobbyist.

Elizabeth Pancotti joined the committee last week as a senior analyst under chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). This is the Texan's first job on the Hill.

She comes from Employ America, a think tank that advocates for progressive economic policies. There, she was policy director and a registered lobbyist. She previously worked for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Walmart's massive public-policy division has turned to the Joint Economic Committee for its latest hire.

Beila Leboeuf joined the retail behemoth this month as director of global public policy. Walmart shelled out $6.4 million on its federal lobbying program last year and employs around 40 in-house lobbyists.

Leboeuf spent the last four years with Joint Economic Committee, most recently as a senior economist to the Republican side. She holds a PhD in economics from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

A pro-choice medical trade group has hired from the office of a consistently pro-life congressman.

Drew Hatter is now a federal-affairs strategist for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG routinely lobbies on abortion, according to disclosures, and considers the procedure "an essential component of women's health care." If Hatter registers as an ACOG lobbyist, he would be the trade group's only current lobbyist with a GOP work background.

An unrelated organization, the American College of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, does not disclose any federal lobbying activity.

Hatter comes from the office of Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and was a legislative assisant handling health care, among other issues. NARAL Pro-Choice America has for several years given Stivers a score of 0 percent for his consistently pro-life voting record.

Science-industry provisioner Thermo Fisher has added a congressional Senate aide to its Washington team.

Kyle Christian moved to Thermo Fisher this month as senior manager of federal government relations. Thermo Fisher, whose products include COVID-19 tests, had revenues of more than $32 billion in 2020.

He was most recently an LA handling health care, education, labor and appropriations issues for Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). Moran has cozied up to Thermo Fisher in the past, taking part last summer in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a new Thermo Fisher manufacturing plant in his home state of Kansas.

Big Pharma has won over a Democratic chief of staff with 25 years of House experience.

Askia Suruma joined Eli Lilly this month as a senior adviser. Eli Lilly, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, spent $5.4 million on its federal lobbying strategy last year.

Suruma comes from the office of Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), where he spent the last four years as chief of staff. He spent a large chunk of his Hill career with the Ways and Means Committee, working his way up to Democratic staff director. The Louisiana native has also worked for George Washington University's federal-relations team.