TRP’s Paul Bock was cited in a recent POLITICO article that discussed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s pledge to crack down on the “improper influence of lobbyists” should he defeat President Donald Trump in November. While the piece notes that Bock has previously argued against banning the participation of those “who might be able to help facilitate a more efficient transition,” he astutely points out that the Biden team must strike an effective balance between experience and public perception in the event there’s a change in power following the 2020 election. “I understood then — and understand now — that the added experience has to be weighed against the perception that the new Administration might be too close to the interests represented by lobbyists,” said Bock.

For immediate release: September 1, 2020

Contact: Andrew Rosenberg, (202) 247-6301

arosenberg@thornrun.com

Thorn Run Partners (TRP) (www.thornrun.com) announced today the addition of Paul Bock as Partner in their Washington, DC office.  After working at senior level positions for nearly two decades in the Senate, Mr. Bock has most recently been downtown, where he’s provided a broad range of clients with expertise and support at working with the Senate Democratic caucus.

In the lead story of today’s “Influence” newsletter — a leading government relations beat in Washington, D.C. — POLITICO broke the news on the addition of Paul Bock as TRP’s 15^th partner. A former Senate Chief of Staff, Bock joins TRP following stops at Capitol Hill Strategies and Holland & Knight where he helped clients achieve success in a wide range of policy areas. “Paul’s been a friend to many of us at the firm for years, and we’re confident that his reputation, relationships, and insights will add considerable value for our clients in a changing political environment,” said TRP’s Andy Rosenberg.

In an article for Inside Health Policy, TRP Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy shared his insight on the heated debate over the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) fiscal year (FY) 2021 physician fee schedule (PFS). With payment reductions of up to 11 percent imminent as a result of the proposed FY 2021 PFS, McCarthy pointed out that Congress may start to take the option of waiving the budget neutrality requirements underpinning the E/M pay bumps seriously. “Between reductions in patient volume and a hiatus on elective procedures, COVID-19 is already putting a massive strain on America’s healthcare system — and lawmakers are increasingly recognizing that many providers will struggle to keep their doors open if these drastic cuts are implemented,” said McCarthy.  

In today’s Washington Post “The Finance 202” newsletter — a top financial services beat in Washington, D.C. — TRP’s Jason Rosenstock offered his commentary on the shifting political dynamics within the Democratic party, as well as the impact this could have on the financial services industry moving forward. Following progressive activist Cori Bush’s defeat of 10-term Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), a member of the House financial Services Committee, Rosenstock points out that stakeholders are working to game out both the implications of different election outcomes as well as the effect that the “newly assertive left” could have on the overall direction of the Democrats’ policy priorities. “The financial services industry is perpetually going to be attacked by the far left,” said Rosenstock. “The question is, ‘How far does that bleed into the general ethos of the Democratic Party?’”

In an article for Modern Healthcare, TRP Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy shared his insight on the current state of the push for action on surprise billing as the negotiations on the next COVID-19 relief package continue. The article highlighted a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that argues Congress should act on surprise bills, as the COVID-19 and transparency-related measures the administration has pushed are not sufficient. In discussing this report, McCarthy astutely pointed out that by not favoring a specific legislative proposal, the Trump administration is essentially not supporting any of the three main approaches that have emerged in Congress thus far. “Instead, the latest report from HHS has simply added more confusion to the debate on how to address this politically sensitive issue,” said McCarthy.

In the May 12 edition of the POLITICO Influence — a leading government relations beat in Washington, D.C. — TRP’s newest memo outlining the next few months of Congressional activity in the era of COVID-19 was highlighted as the lead story. The memo contains a short- and long-term outlook for activity on Capitol Hill during the pandemic, including additional pandemic response legislation, fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), among other things. You can read this memo in its entirety here.

Thorn Run Partners is proud to have been listed as a “top firm” for the first quarter of 2020 by POLITICO Influence — the leading government affairs beat in Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2010, TRP has consistently ranked among Washington’s fastest growing lobbying firms according to analysis from Politico, The Hill, Bloomberg Government, and others. In the writeup of this announcement, TRP’s Andy Rosenberg was cited for his perspective on the current landscape for lobbying activity in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. “The current rush of lobbying activity will probably be followed by some degree of economic downturn, and that’s never good for anyone’s business,” said Rosenberg. “However, the fact that every public and private entity now realizes the importance of the federal government to their economic future should cut the other way for the better government affairs firms.”

In today’s POLITICO “Morning Money” newsletter — a leading financial services beat in Washington, D.C. — TRP’s Jason Rosenstock provided an overview on the current state of play for the timing of Congressional action to replenish the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Rosenstock noted that as of this past Saturday, SBA has approved 725,000 loans totaling more than $189 billion. He also citing the increased urgency for Congress to address additional funding for the program as the applications continue to pour in.  “Increasing the pool of eligible lenders via the inclusion of fintech and other non-bank lenders last week may accelerate the PPPs burn rate,” said Rosenstock. “However, it is unclear whether it will do so at a speed that forces Congressional Democrats and Republicans to finalize a deal this week.”