Generated by Rank Math SEO, this is an llms.txt file designed to help LLMs better understand and index this website.

# CGCN Group

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://cgcn.com/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Pages
- [Winning Tax FairnessFor America’s Salons & Barbershops](https://cgcn.com/case-studies/winning-tax-fairnessfor-americas-salons-barbershops/): For 20 years, salon and barbershop owners tried and failed to secure a tip credit for their industry. Despite repeated efforts, Congress consistently overlooked them and their tax specialist consultant.
- [Case Studies](https://cgcn.com/case-studies/)
- [Associate](https://cgcn.com/join-our-team/associate-2/): Location: Washington, DC
- [Fall 2025 Intern](https://cgcn.com/join-our-team/fall-2025-intern/): Location: Washington, DC
- [Digital Strategist](https://cgcn.com/join-our-team/digital-strategist/): Location: Washington, DC
- [Cookie Policy (GDPR)](https://cgcn.com/cookie-policy-gdpr/)
- [Join Our Team](https://cgcn.com/join-our-team/): Digital Strategist
- [Affiliations](https://cgcn.com/affiliations/): CGCN, in collaboration with Breitbart News and the ALFA Institute, proudly presents an elite speaker series featuring some of the most influential power players in Washington and the Trump administration. This exclusive forum brings together the leaders shaping conservative policy and strategy—delivering insider insights, bold vision, and unfiltered commentary from the top ranks of America’s political and policy leadership.
- [Contact](https://cgcn.com/contact/): Office: 202.628.0028Email: Info@CGCN.com
- [News & Insights](https://cgcn.com/news-insights/): The Firm Power Trusts
- [Press](https://cgcn.com/press/): The Firm Power Trusts
- [Our People](https://cgcn.com/our-people/): The Firm Power Trusts
- [Expertise](https://cgcn.com/expertise/): In the power corridors of Washington, personal connections remain paramount, even in the digital age. Our extensive network of key contacts gives clients an insider’s understanding of policy and political debates.
- [About](https://cgcn.com/about/): CGCN is recognized as Washington's preeminent Republican public affairs firm, specializing in lobbying, strategic communications, and regulatory consulting. Our team of experts and strategists is led by 19 partners with decades of experience working at the highest levels of presidential campaigns, Congress, the White House, and regulatory agencies.
- [Home](https://cgcn.com/): Certain & Steady in an Unpredictable World.
- [Privacy Policy](https://cgcn.com/privacy-policy/): Our website address is: https://www.cgcn.com.

## Posts
- [Netflix, Paramount Duel on Warner Bros. Sparks K Street Interest](https://cgcn.com/2025/12/10/netflix-paramount-duel-on-warner-bros-sparks-k-street-interest/): “It’s massive, and it impacts politics because who owns the culture and Hollywood and news outlets determine the direction of the country in a lot of ways. A lot of politicians on both sides of the aisle will have very strong feelings about this.”
- [Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup Joins Republican CGCN Group](https://cgcn.com/2025/11/06/former-rep-brad-wenstrup-joins-republican-cgcn-group/): "Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup is joining CGCN Group as a strategic partner, adding another big name to the all-GOP lobbying and public affairs firm that’s seen business grow significantly since Republicans won control of Washington" - NOTUS
- [Here’s who else is feeling the Trump bump](https://cgcn.com/2025/10/22/heres-who-else-is-feeling-the-trump-bump/): "While they’re more established in the lobbying world, heavily Republican firms like the CGCN Group have also seen massive surges in business this year. CGCN, which boasts close ties to numerous congressional GOP leaders but also counts several Trump administration alumni among its staff" - Politico
- [Seven months in, Trump’s revolving door reaching full swing](https://cgcn.com/2025/08/20/seven-months-in-trumps-revolving-door-reaching-full-swing/): “As a veteran of the White House, the Trump 2024 campaign, and Capitol Hill, Harrison has consistently excelled at the highest levels of American politics,” CGCN managing partner Matt Rhoades said of Fields’ hire, adding that “his communications experience and deep understanding of the complexities of how Washington, DC really works today will be an invaluable asset to our firm.” - Politico
- [The partisan lobbying firm changing of the guard](https://cgcn.com/2023/02/13/the-partisan-lobbying-firm-changing-of-the-guard-2/): "The proudly all-Republican firm CGCN Group" - Politico
- [GOP lobbyists say corporate America is coming back into the tent](https://cgcn.com/2021/11/08/gop-lobbyists-say-corporate-america-is-coming-back-into-the-tent/): "a powerful Republican firm in Washington" - Politico
- [Digging in as an all-GOP firm in a Democratic town](https://cgcn.com/2021/03/04/digging-in-as-an-all-gop-firm-in-a-democratic-town-2/): CGCN Group and Pataki, with his administration and Hill experience, “is going to be a huge benefit.” - Roll Call
- [Digging in as an all-GOP firm in a Democratic town](https://cgcn.com/2021/03/04/digging-in-as-an-all-gop-firm-in-a-democratic-town/): “CGCN has the trust of their clients and are the ultimate professionals,”
- [Big Tech’s new era begins](https://cgcn.com/2018/04/10/big-techs-new-era-begins/): "The CGCN Group, a well-wired lobbying firm" - Axios
- [K Street Reinvents Itself in the Era of Trump](https://cgcn.com/2018/02/09/k-street-reinvents-itself-in-the-era-of-trump/): "The all-GOP landscape has been a boon to some shops, such as the CGCN Group, whose lobbyists are all Republicans" - CQ Magazine
- [Puerto Rico turns to K Street for help](https://cgcn.com/2017/10/10/puerto-rico-turns-to-k-street-for-help/): "the plugged-in GOP lobbying firm" - Politico

## Issues
- [Class Dismissed II – Secession of the Successful](https://cgcn.com/issues/class-dismissed-ii-secession-of-the-successful/): Read full CGCN analysis here
- [The Working Class, Standing Athwart History](https://cgcn.com/issues/the-working-class-standing-athwart-history/): President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” is not what you think it is. To us, it stands as the preeminent symbol of the new Republican party. To know the main beneficiaries of the bill is to know the party’s overriding political mandate to deliver for its base. Its working-class base.
- [Class Dismissed: Reframing Political Bias In Congress](https://cgcn.com/issues/class-dismissed-reframing-political-bias-in-congress/): The critically acclaimed play, Wicked, offers a reminder that broadly presented narratives are generally too readily accepted, despite the fact that they’re often created to sell a specific agenda on behalf of the person or interest group telling the story. The longer that narrative is unchallenged, the more difficult it is to reframe, even when it’s vital to do so.
- [Navigating Unchartered Waters](https://cgcn.com/issues/navigating-unchartered-waters/): The headline comes from former President Barack Obama. We’re Republicans, but we think the 44th President perfectly described the next one hundred and five days of the 2024 campaign. 
- [And Then There’s Virginia…](https://cgcn.com/issues/and-then-theres-virginia/): “It’s just not a good formula long term,” J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, told The Breeze.
- [The Party They’ll Get, Not the Party They Want](https://cgcn.com/issues/the-party-theyll-get-not-the-party-they-want/): For the business community, the news that President Biden is considering the first major tax increase since 1993 was probably unsurprising.  And maybe not so troubling, given that it will be difficult to pass in a nearly evenly divided Congress. But when that news is juxtaposed to Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-MO) recently announced retirement, it might be time for concern.
- [Advocacy in the Era of Polarization](https://cgcn.com/issues/advocacy-in-the-era-of-polarization/): “Constructive engagement” is a political strategy for polarized times. The idea behind it is that the country has an urgent need to find the political center. For the business community, this means deploying new and innovative means to create bipartisan support for favored policies and programs.
- [7.11.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/7-11-2022-washington-update/): Future House Republican Agenda: With the Beltway engrossed—yet again—in the endless daily speculations about the metaphysical state of Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) mind, we thought we’d take a different tack and provide a possible picture of the next Congress.
- [06.16.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/06-16-2022-washington-update/): Guns - To us, concerning the “agreement in principle” on guns, the most interesting political question is not whether the Senate can, or will, pass the eventual bill that reflects that agreement, but how many Republicans vote will for it.   
- [5.25.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/5-25-2022-washington-update/): “This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang, but a whimper.”  T.S. Eliot
- [05.04.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/05-04-2022-washington-update/): Supreme Court – We knew it was coming, but not now.  In what appears to be an unprecedented breach of Supreme Court protocol, Politico reported an apparent leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.  The reaction from both sides of the aisle was predictable—but just how the potential decision affects the November elections may not be.
- [04.27.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/04-27-2022-washington-update/): Overview - Is politics downstream from culture, or is it the other way around?  Right now, in modern-day America, it’s hard to tell.  One could make a convincing case either way.  After all, politics are part of culture; but culture can easily shape politics.  Just ask Herbert Marcuse or William F. Buckley.
- [4.05.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/4-05-2022-washington-update/): "I am going to be working with Congress where I can to accomplish this, but I am also going to act on my own if Congress is deadlocked.  I've got a pen to take executive actions where Congress won't, and I've got a telephone to rally folks around the country on this mission.” – President Barack Obama, January 20, 2014
- [3.30.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/3-30-2022-washington-update/): Outlook: Presidential approval ratings provide a useful glimpse into the electorate’s often episodic mood about the nation’s chief executive.  With respect to President Biden, Americans seem to have grown more consistent in their views.  And they’re not pretty.
- [03.15.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/03-15-2022-washington-update/): Inflation - Inflation is raging, as consumer prices rose 7.9% in February.  One must travel back to 1982 to see anything like what consumers are experiencing now.  A recent poll showed 50% of Americans say inflation and the economy are the top issues they want the federal government to address.  The same poll also found a significant majority of voters, 63%, disapproved of President Biden’s handling of rising costs.
- [03.08.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/03-08-2022-washington-update/): Overview: As is becoming clear, Russia’s war against Ukraine is no ephemeral incursion, but a protracted war, one that will upend, among much else, the global economic order.  With May futures contracts growing for $200 oil, one cringes at what could ensue. Global recession?  For how long?  Even higher inflation? A broader war in Europe?  China invading Taiwan?
- [02.15.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-15-2022-washington-update/): Culture wars, continued—We will lay this out in a more detailed memo, but safe to say that, notwithstanding omnipresent focus on inflation, energy prices, and Russia-Ukraine, the media may be missing a smoldering political undercurrent with huge ramifications in November.
- [02.09.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-02-2022-washington-update/): China – With the passage of the America Competes Act in the House last week, attention now turns to negotiations with the Senate.
- [02.01.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-01-2022-washington-update/): Overview – “Build Back Smaller”?  “Build Back Smarter”?  New names for President Biden’s revised signature legislation haven’t taken hold.  And neither has a strategy for passing it.  This is not to say, as we’ve said repeatedly, that passing it can’t or won’t happen. Democrats want to pass something, at some point, before it’s too late.  “We need to get it done,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
- [Mike Danylak, Former Senior Staffer To Sen. Barrasso, Joins CGCN Group](https://cgcn.com/issues/mike-danylak-former-senior-staffer-to-sen-barrasso-joins-cgcn-group/): Today, Jan 31, 2022, the CGCN Group, a fully integrated advocacy, policy analysis, and strategic communications firm, announced that Mike Danylak, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee communications director to U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) has joined the firm as a senior vice president and promoted Amanda Horne to a communications associate. A veteran of Capitol Hill, Danylak has helped lead communications efforts in the Senate on major energy, infrastructure, and environmental legislation.
- [01.11.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/01-11-2022-washington-update/): Elections Reform and Senate Rules – Will Rogers said, “you’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes because that’s where the fruit is.”  This week (and not for the first time) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is out on a limb, but it’s not clear where the fruit is.
- [Washington Update 12.14.21](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-12-14-21/): “On the first day of Christmas, Joe Biden gave to me…”  Just kidding.  Yes, there are 12 days until Christmas, but we’ll spare you the spoofed holiday song.  To be sure, President Biden needs more than French hens and partridges in pear trees to get Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) vote for the Build Back Better Act (BBBA).
- [Washington Update 12.07.2021](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-12-07-2021/): “If you’re hanging around with nothing to do and the zoo is closed, come over to the Senate.  You’ll get the same kind of feeling and you won’t have to pay.” – Sen. Bob Dole
- [11.30.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/11-30-2021-washington-update/): With their success in the November elections, Republicans are teeming with optimism about the mid-term elections in 2022.  Democrats continue to bleed retirements in competitive seats, while fretting about President Biden’s poll numbers.  And they face a brutal December of division over the “Build Back Better Act.”  What could go wrong?
- [11.16.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/11-16-2021-washington-update/): Reconciliation – Now that the Congressional Budget Office will finish its score of the House reconciliation bill by COB Friday, will the 5 House Democrats who demanded a full CBO score before voting on it resist pressure from leadership and progressives to vote this week?
- [11.2.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/11-2-2021-washington-update/): Reconciliation & Infrastructure – This week Democrats continue their search for an elusive goal: uniting their respective party factions—with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on one side, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on the other—around the “Build Back Better Act” (reconciliation, or “BBB”) and the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” (infrastructure).
- [The CGCN Group and Matador Announce Merger](https://cgcn.com/issues/the-cgcn-group-and-matador-announce-merger/): “Bringing our teams together will not only expand our stable of award-winning strategic communications experts but provide an even deeper bench of knowledge and expertise for all of our clients”
- [Washington Update 9.21.2021](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-9-21-2021/): Continuing Resolution / Debt Limit – This week, the House will consider a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies until December, provide disaster relief funding, and extend the debt limit until after the midterm elections.  The House is expected to pass the package and send it to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken.
- [09.14.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/09-14-21-washington-update/): Reconciliation – The details of how House Democrats plan to spend and finance their $3.5 trillion spending bill are coming to light. House committees will finish consideration of their respective portions of the reconciliation bill by Wednesday and report final language to the House Budget Committee to be compiled into a single bill.
- [9.08.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/9-08-2021-washington-update/): Reconciliation – The brief respite of (a truncated) August recess is over, and if you thought a few weeks of vacation would replace drama and chaos with clarity and direction, well…who would have thought that?
- [08.09.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/08-09-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will come to a final vote as early as tomorrow morning. Conservative Senate Republicans blocked efforts this weekend to expedite consideration of the bill.  But those came to end last night, as the Senate voted to adopt the Sinema-Portman substitute amendment by a vote of 69 to 28, and invoked cloture on the bill.
- [08.03.2021 Wasington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/08-03-2021-wasington-update/): Infrastructure – With text now in hand, senators are deciding whether and how to amend the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and whether, in the end, they will support it.  Playing oddsmaker is a perilous business in Washington, but if we had our druthers, we’d say the bill is likely to pass the Senate this week.
- [07.27.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/07-27-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure/Budget Resolution –The Senate’s bipartisan “group of 22” spent the weekend trying to finalize the nearly $600 billion infrastructure package—but to no avail. If anything, the package appears to be on life support. Disagreement remains over funding for mass transit, broadband, drinking water, and unspent COVID relief, as well as Davis-Bacon provisions.
- [07.20.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/07-20-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure/Budget Resolution – The fate of more than $4 trillion in new federal spending will be tested on Wednesday, when the Senate takes a procedural vote on the bipartisan infrastructure agreement and talks continue on the Fiscal Year 2022 budget resolution.
- [07.13.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/07-13-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – The bipartisan group of 22 Senators--Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) being the newest member--has been drafting legislative text, based on their infrastructure framework, which they hope to share with Senate colleagues this week.  Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have been spearheading this effort, with the White House and a few Senate committee staffers assisting on some details.  Republicans especially are skeptical of the proposed pay-fors (as they should be); Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said his conference wants to see a Congressional Budget Office analysis “to see whether the proposal is credibly paid for.”
- [06.29.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/06-29-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – Despite a tumultuous week, defined by President Joe Biden’s topsy-turvy performance, the bipartisan infrastructure process continues apace.  Staff to the “gang of 21” are putting pen to paper to flesh out the $953 billion framework, with the goal of completing a draft in two weeks, and hoping the bill hits the Senate floor before August recess.
- [06.22.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/06-22-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – Members of the Senate’s bipartisan working group are conferring with several Senate committees, including Commerce, Finance, Environment and Public Works, and Energy and Natural Resources, to develop more specifics on their infrastructure framework, especially on pay-fors.  The White House has promised to propose alternatives to, among other ideas, indexing the gas tax to inflation and fees on electric vehicles.
- [06.15.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/06-15-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – Last week, a bipartisan group of senators (Cassidy (R-LA), Collins (R-ME), Manchin (D-WV), Murkowski (R-AK), Portman (R-OH), Romney (R-UT), Shaheen (D-NH), Sinema (D-AZ), Tester (D-MT) and Warner (D-VA) announced an agreement on a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure blueprint with several potential pay-fors.
- [6.9.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/6-9-2021-washington-update/): Infrastructure – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has set an ambitious goal of moving a major infrastructure bill through the Senate by July.  To meet that timeline, the next several weeks could see the development of a budget resolution with instructions to committees to begin drafting the reconciliation package.
- [05.25.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/05-25-21-washington-update/): Infrastructure – Senate Republicans provided more specifics last week on their $589 billion infrastructure package, but to no end. The White House’s $1.7 trillion counterproposal, released last Friday, made clear that no deal is in sight.
- [Washington Update 05.18.21](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-05-18-21/): Infrastructure –Senate Republicans will offer a revised infrastructure proposal to President Biden this week.  Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said the new plan will have “more definition, but maybe some different numbers too.”
- [Washington Update 5.11.21](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-5-11-21/): Infrastructure – Work continues this week on the development of a multi-year surface transportation bill in the Senate Environment and Public Works and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. The goal is to produce draft legislation by the end of the month, though this timing could slip into June.  The bipartisan “America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act” from the 116th Congress continues to be the basis of negotiations between EPW Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV).
- [Washington Update 4.27.21](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-4-27-21/): House Republican Conference – At the House Republican Conference retreat yesterday morning, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) rolled out the leadership of the GOP’s new policy task forces. They are:
- [Washington Update 04.19.21](https://cgcn.com/issues/washington-update-04-19-21/): House Republicans – The House Republican Conference convenes next Sunday through Tuesday in Orlando, Florida for its members’ retreat.  In a continuing effort to influence legislation in the narrowly controlled House, members will announce several new policy task forces, covering Health, Economy, Big Tech, Domestic Security, and Freedom and Fairness.  They will be modeled after last year’s China Task Force, which got rave reviews from House GOP members and leadership for crafting substantive policies and reports.
- [04.14.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/04-14-2021-washington-update/): Senate Floor -- The Senate returned from recess this week and Democratic leaders are looking to move forward on several fronts in the next three weeks. There is a strong desire to put the Senate on record regarding H.R. 1, the For the People Act, gun control, and immigration reform—and as a means of testing the political limits of the Senate filibuster.
- [03.23.2021 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/03-23-2021-washington-update/): Senate – This is the Senate’s last week in session before a two-week recess.  It will return to business on April 12th.  The major focus on the floor this week is H.R. 1799, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act, which would extend the program to May 31st. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed cloture on the motion to proceed on the bill last week. The PPP is set to expire at the end of March. The House easily passed the bill 415 to 3.  Senate Democratic leaders hope a clean version of the legislation can pass without consuming valuable floor time.
- [03.16.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/03-16-21-washington-update/): Senate – Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Rep. Debra Haaland (D-NM) as Interior Secretary which kicked off a week of confirmation votes with Isabella Guzman expected to be confirmed as Administrator of the Small Business Administration and Katherine Tai to be United States Trade Representative. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has also filed cloture on Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services as well as Marty Walsh to be Secretary of Labor.
- [03.09.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/03-09-21-washington-update/): Overview—This week, the Senate will confirm Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to be the 18th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Along with the expected confirmation of Rep. Debra Haaland (D-NM) to be Secretary of the Interior, Democrats will be left with just 219 votes in the House.  It will be several months until special elections are held to replace each of them. If anything, this points to a widely overlooked fact: though in the minority, House Republicans really do matter.
- [02.23.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-23-21-washington-update/): Bipartisanship and budget reconciliation don’t always go together.  That fact may have far-reaching consequences for President Biden’s legislative agenda in the 117th Congress.
- [02.09.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-08-21-washington-update/): Overview – Now that Congress has passed a budget, the real fun begins. And it’s called reconciliation.  That lone word has been top-of-mind not only for budget process geeks, but everyone in Washington concerned about the course of policy, spending, and taxes over the next two years. A central question, beyond whether Biden’s COVID package will pass under reconciliation—it probably will—is whether the plan to include raising the federal minimum wage to $15 survives.
- [02.02.21 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/issues/02-02-21-washington-update/): That was fast: President Biden’s unity message has run aground, as both sides revert to their corners on policy. Polarization will only intensify, as Biden’s executive order blitz (this week will be immigration) continues apace, and budget reconciliation appears to be the Democrats’ preferred path to pass Biden’s COVID package.

## Team Members
- [Matt Rhoades](https://cgcn.com/team-members/matt-rhoades/): Throughout his career, Matt Rhoades has worked at the highest levels of political organizations and campaigns. He now applies those insights to the issues most important to his clients. Fortune Magazine described Rhoades as “a diligently low-key, data-oriented operator at the helm of the Romney campaign…”
- [Sam Geduldig](https://cgcn.com/team-members/sam-geduldig/): Sam Geduldig brings unrivaled passion to his work on clients’ behalf, investing personally in their success. That energy and enthusiasm is a big reason Geduldig is a regular in The Hill newspaper’s list of top lobbyists and why National Journal turns to him for its elite Political Insiders Poll. As the Washingtonian noted, his “experiences allow him to offer his clients an exceptionally well-rounded view of the legislative process.” In addition to his work with CGCN Group, Geduldig is also a partner at United By Interest, Washington’s first bipartisan majority minority-owned lobbying firm.
- [Michael Catanzaro](https://cgcn.com/team-members/michael-catanzaro/): Before working in energy policy, Mike Catanzaro began his career as a writer and reporter for nationally syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak. In that role, he edited the Evans-Novak Political Report and helped draft columns that appeared in major newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the New York Post.
- [Tracey Schmitt](https://cgcn.com/team-members/tracey-schmitt/): Veteran communications strategist, Tracey Schmitt founded Matador after nearly two decades of developing winning strategies for high profile leaders in the public, private and political sectors; including the White House, and three presidential campaigns.
- [John Stipicevic](https://cgcn.com/team-members/john-stipicevic/): John Stipicevic understands the inner-workings of the House floor – and what it takes to pass or stop legislation – as well as anyone in Washington. He spent nearly a dozen years in the Capitol, most recently as a top aide to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He helped party leaders and chairmen craft legislative strategies and count votes, as well as playing key roles in a number of contested leadership races.
- [Mike Nielsen](https://cgcn.com/team-members/mike-nielsen/): Mike Nielsen is a highly regarded expert on financial-services issues who had a hand in crafting every major piece of legislation that moved through the Senate Banking Committee from the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 through the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. Nielsen served as the top banking aide to former Utah Sen. Robert Bennett in his capacity as a senior member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. In that post, he dealt with banking, taxes, international trade and other financial-services matters.
- [Steve Clark](https://cgcn.com/team-members/steve-clark/): Steve Clark “set the standard for what a small lobby shop can be,” in the words of The Hill newspaper. As the firm he launched in 2000 continues to grow, Clark has never lost the personal touch that has made him one of the most experienced, reliable and knowledgeable corporate advocates in Washington. That is why The Hill consistently ranks him as one of the top lobbyists in town and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce named him the state’s “most effective corporate lobbyist.”
- [Jill Hamaker](https://cgcn.com/team-members/jill-hamaker/): Jill Hamaker is a seasoned government and public affairs professional with over two decades of experience and trusted relationships across the US Government and the private sector. The Hill newspaper recognized her as a “Top Lobbyist.”
- [Tim Pataki](https://cgcn.com/team-members/tim-pataki/): Tim Pataki has held senior positions in Congress and the White House for over a decade. 
- [Tim Killeen](https://cgcn.com/team-members/tim-killeen/): Tim Killeen has years of experience as a strategic communications professional with a demonstrated history of working with the private sector, nonprofit, and political clients. He has advised Fortune 500 companies on policy issues, including healthcare, energy, and financial services.  
- [Peter Ventimiglia](https://cgcn.com/team-members/peter-ventimiglia/): Pete Ventimiglia has more than twenty years of experience as an advisor to both political candidates and major corporations, and his areas of expertise include corporate communications strategies, advertising development and public policy issue analysis/management.
- [Ja’Ron Smith](https://cgcn.com/team-members/jaron-smith/): Ja’Ron Smith is a policy expert experienced in advocacy, legislating, and policy strategy and negotiation. He specializes in advising clients on a range of issues including regulatory affairs, economic mobility, social justice, finance, banking, and housing and urban development. 
- [Scott Riplinger](https://cgcn.com/team-members/scott-riplinger/): Scott Riplinger is widely regarded as one of the best Republican lobbyists in Washington, DC, recognized by The Hill as a top lobbyist. A Partner at CGCN Group since 2020, he helps Fortune 50 companies, startups, and trade associations develop and execute winning advocacy and strategic communications strategies across financial services, tax, artificial intelligence, technology, judiciary, commerce, trade, and transportation.
- [Merrill Smith](https://cgcn.com/team-members/merrill-smith/): Merrill Smith’s career in public affairs and politics began when she nixed the idea of law school and took leave from her job as a real estate paralegal at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, to volunteer on then-Governor George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign. Following him to the White House in January 2001, she held various positions, ultimately serving as Deputy Director for Public Affairs in the Office of The Vice President, where she was engaged in strategic communications planning and execution for foreign, domestic, and political affairs.
- [John Tanner](https://cgcn.com/team-members/john-tanner/): John Tanner comes to CGCN after working in government for more than twenty-one years, including eighteen years on Capitol Hill and three years at the Department of the Interior. 
- [Travis Cone](https://cgcn.com/team-members/travis-cone/): Prior to joining CGCN, C. Travis Cone served in a variety of roles on Capitol Hill, becoming a respected staffer for energy, environment, infrastructure, appropriations, and financial services policy over a period of 13 years in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
- [Amber Kirchhoefer](https://cgcn.com/team-members/amber-kirchhoefer/): Amber Kirchhoefer is the former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, and a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. As deputy chief of staff, she was responsible for overseeing Senator Roberts’ legislative and political agenda. Prior to serving as deputy chief of staff, Amber spent nine years as Senator Roberts’ legislative director, working issues before nine Senate committees, serving as chief liaison to the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees. Her experience includes passing the 2018 farm bill and biosecurity legislation. From appropriations to health care to tax and trade, Amber is well-versed in U.S. Senate rules and procedures and committee processes.
- [Alex Renjel](https://cgcn.com/team-members/alex-renjel/): Alex brings over a decade of experience working in infrastructure in both the public and private sector. He started his career for Jim Inhofe, then Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where he helped create and pass the transportation authorization, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). Alex most recently spent four years in the private sector working for a global infrastructure developer where he helped the team initiate investments and develop strategic partnerships with private and public stakeholders to develop infrastructure projects.
- [David Weinman](https://cgcn.com/team-members/david-weinman/): David Weinman comes to CGCN with extensive experience leading political, advocacy, and strategic communications campaigns that punch above their weight, recently running Maryland Governor Hogan's campaign for U.S. Senate and running his political operations during his second term. In this role, Weinman managed a team and staff of over 40 people and a budget of over $20 million.
- [Katie Boyd](https://cgcn.com/team-members/katie-boyd/): Katie Boyd is a veteran communications strategist with nearly 20 years of experience in key policy fights, including more than a decade in House and Senate leadership offices.
- [Drew Florio](https://cgcn.com/team-members/drew-florio/): Drew Florio is an accomplished Republican strategist and communications advisor who has been a fixture in national politics for nearly 20 years. He has held senior positions in some of the most high-profile campaigns and offices in the country, including serving as Political Communications Director to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senior Advisor to Governor Rick Perry, and War Room Director for the Romney-Ryan presidential campaign.
- [Susan Griffiths](https://cgcn.com/team-members/susan-griffiths/): Susan Griffiths was the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Hyliion. Before joining Hyliion, Susan was an attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and worked as an Advisor to Commissioner Bernard McNamee and as a Congressional Liaison. She is a graduate of Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Alabama.
- [Harrison Fields](https://cgcn.com/team-members/harrison-fields/): Harrison Fields has built his career at the highest levels of state and federal government, amassing nearly a decade of experience in political communications and strategic messaging. Most recently, he served as Principal Deputy Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the President in the Trump Administration, where he was one of the President’s most senior communicators. In this role, he worked closely with the Secretaries of Treasury, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, the Attorney General, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, helping to lead messaging strategy for major legislation, presidential executive orders, and administration policies.
- [Amanda Horne Spino](https://cgcn.com/team-members/amanda-horne/): Amanda Spino is a Vice President at CGCN Group, where she applies her expertise in public affairs to assist clients in navigating complex policy landscapes and communicating effectively with key stakeholders. Since joining CGCN in 2019, Amanda has played a crucial role in supporting advocacy campaigns and strategic communications for clients across various industries.  
- [Mathilde Sharman](https://cgcn.com/team-members/mathilde-sharman/): Mathilde Sharman is a strategic communications professional who helps clients navigate complex challenges and drive impactful outcomes. She brings a strong foundation in integrated public affairs campaigns. Prior to joining CGCN, Mathilde was a Senior Director at a communications and digital agency based in Washington, D.C., where she executed high-profile initiatives in the healthcare policy and communications space. She has a broad range of experience across coalition building, reputation management, media engagement, thought leadership, executive communications, and event management.
- [Keri McGill](https://cgcn.com/team-members/keri-mcgill/): Keri McGill joined CGCN in 2022, where she supports high-stakes public affairs campaigns, delivering crisis and rapid-response communications and shaping political, policy and executive messaging strategy.
- [Kevin Norton](https://cgcn.com/team-members/kevin-norton/): Kevin Norton helps design and execute strategic communications campaigns at CGCN. He brings his experience across Washington and in state politics to carefully tailor efforts to influence targeted audiences, engage third party trusted voices to bolster efforts, and cut through complex and crowded information environment to position clients for success.
- [Matt Hartwig](https://cgcn.com/team-members/matt-hartwig/): Matt Hartwig has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of public relations, public affairs and public policy.  
- [Anna Mikulska, Ph.D.](https://cgcn.com/team-members/anna-mikulska/): Anna Mikulska is Senior Vice President and Head of Research & Strategic Intelligence at CGCN Group, where she leads a dedicated research and intelligence unit focused on global energy markets, geopolitical risk, and regulatory strategy. With over a decade of experience at the nexus of U.S. and international energy policy, Anna advises senior government officials, corporate leaders and think-tank partners on the energy-security-technology interface. 
- [Janelle Gardner](https://cgcn.com/team-members/janelle-gardner/): Janelle Gardner comes to CGCN with over a decade of experience inside the federal government, serving in roles both in Congress and the Executive branch. Most recently, Gardner was one of the few key members of the President’s beachhead team facilitating the transition at the Department of Labor, laying the groundwork for the President-elect’s agenda before being tapped as the Director of Scheduling for Secretary Acosta, managing a team and the secretary’s daily logistics.
- [Zoe Waller](https://cgcn.com/team-members/zoe-waller/): As the head of the Washington DC office operations, Heather “Zoe” Waller,plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth operations of the day-to-day officeenvironment.
- [Majeda Abu-Alghanam](https://cgcn.com/team-members/majeda-abu-alghanam/): Majeda Abu-Alghanam is an Executive Vice President at CGCN and supports clients in the Energy and Environment practice. She has served various roles on Capitol Hill and in the private sector, specializing in a range of cross-sector issues including energy, environment, agriculture, food, and international trade policy.
- [Tiffany Rose](https://cgcn.com/team-members/tiffany-rose/): Tiffany Rose is a seasoned government affairs expert with over 20 years of experience in public affairs, strategic partnerships, business development, and stakeholder engagement. As Managing Partner of RGS, Inc., she led government relations efforts for a diverse range of clients, leveraging her extensive network and deep understanding of public policy. Previously, as Special Assistant to the President & CEO and Head of Government Affairs at Destination DC, Tiffany successfully helped to secure millions in additional annual funding from the District Government for international promotion, significantly boosting the organization’s visibility and influence. She also spearheaded government engagement initiatives, including collaborating with Members of Congress, the DC City Council, DC Executive Office of the Mayor, the international dignitaries, and more.
- [Martha Miller](https://cgcn.com/team-members/martha-miller/): Martha Miller is an experienced government professional with nearly a decade of experience in the public sector spending her career in the House, Senate, and first Trump Administration. She served as a top aide for Deputy Secretary of Education Mick Zais, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH), a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
- [Linnea Saltz](https://cgcn.com/team-members/linnea-saltz/): Linnea is an experienced political strategist and government relations expert with a proven track record in advocacy, campaign management, and public policy. Most recently, Linnea served as the campaign manager and financial director for the GOP nominee in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District.
- [Kathryn Johnson](https://cgcn.com/team-members/kathryn-johnson/): Kathryn Johnson is an award-winning creative director and designer known for turning complex challenges into compelling visual solutions. She brings over a decade of experience leading concept, design, and execution across both traditional and digital media—shaping campaigns for Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and nonprofits.
- [Courtney Douglas](https://cgcn.com/team-members/courtney-douglas/): Courtney is a jack-of-all trades at CGCN. She oversees CGCN’s finances and accounting process, schedules and coordinates meetings for partners and clients, conducts Hill outreach, and manages the CGCN PAC. Prior to joining the team, Courtney was a brokerage investment professional for Vanguard, where she worked directly with clients to discuss their asset allocation and help meet their investment goals.
- [Lauren O’Donnell](https://cgcn.com/team-members/lauren-odonnell/): Lauren O’Donnell handles new client and new hire responsibilities as well as compliance matters for the firm, including all disclosure filings. She also works with the CGCN Strategic Communications team on firm marketing initiatives.
- [Dakota Meyers](https://cgcn.com/team-members/dakota-meyers/): Dakota Meyers has personally managed more than a quarter of a billion dollars in media placements on behalf of political, B2B, and B2C/e-commerce clients. He has more than a decade of experience in the advertising industry, working in many different roles and functions.
- [Liza Luter](https://cgcn.com/team-members/liza-luter/): Liza Luter is Senior Associate at CGCN, bringing a strong background in political communications, legislative strategy, and client relations. Prior to joining CGCN, Liza served as Press Secretary for Congressman David Kustoff, where she managed all digital and social media platforms, developed strategic messaging, and created content to maximize media coverage of key policy initiatives. In this role, she also contributed to press releases, speeches, op-eds, and interview preparation, ensuring effective communication of legislative priorities.
- [Julia Schofield](https://cgcn.com/team-members/julia-schofield/): Julia Schofield is an Associate at CGCN, bringing a strong background in political strategy, client relations, and event coordination. Prior to joining the firm, Julia served as a Client Success Manager at Trailmapper, where she coached national political candidates, helping them surpass campaign fundraising targets. She led major-donor fundraising sessions, offered strategic insights, conducted in-depth donor research, and optimized fundraising approaches through data-driven strategies.
- [Andrew Gallimore](https://cgcn.com/team-members/andrew-gallimore/): Andrew Gallimore is an Associate at CGCN, bringing robust experience in international relations, strategic communications, and government affairs. Prior to CGCN, he worked in corporate government relations at Boxabl in Las Vegas, developing advocacy strategies, managing government contracts, and building ties with government officials.

## Weekly Updates
- [10.13.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/washington-update-10-13/): “Change-Alley bankrupts waddle out lame ducks!” – David Garrick, prologue, “The Maid of Bath,” 1771.
- [9.20.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/9-20-2022-washington-update/): “I’m certainly not minimizing the impact that inflation, that the cost of food, that the cost of gas and all of those things obviously have a very significant impact on an individual or on a family, but losing your right to reproductive freedom. I mean, once that’s gone, it’s gone.” – Dana Nessel, Michigan Attorney General, September 13, 2022
- [7.11.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-3/): Future House Republican Agenda: With the Beltway engrossed—yet again—in the endless daily speculations about the metaphysical state of Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) mind, we thought we’d take a different tack and provide a possible picture of the next Congress.
- [06.16.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-5/): Guns - To us, concerning the “agreement in principle” on guns, the most interesting political question is not whether the Senate can, or will, pass the eventual bill that reflects that agreement, but how many Republicans vote will for it.   
- [5.25.2022 Washington Update](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-6/): “This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang, but a whimper.”  T.S. Eliot
- [Demo Weekly Memo 4](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-4/): Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
- [Demo Weekly Memo 2](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-2/): Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
- [Demo Weekly Memo 1](https://cgcn.com/weekly_update/demo-weekly-memo-1/): Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

#test-additional-content