July 23, 2020
The overriding subjects consuming Washington are COVID-19, the shutdown that has caused economic distress and hardship for millions of Americans, the development
of vaccines that will lift us out of this fog, and the upcoming elections.
Steve Gordon, Erik Paulsen and Todd Smith cover the beginning of negotiations for the next legislative response to COVID-19 and the first important election in the race for control of the U.S. Senate in Heard on the Hill.
Ramona Lessen covered Tuesday’s hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee entitled ‘Efforts to develop a safe, effective, and accessible COVID-19 vaccine’, and she’s included key portions of the three-hour hearing in her report.
We are pleased to introduce Patrick Robertson. He is new to the Total Spectrum family, but he is not new to Washington, D.C. Patrick is a licensed attorney who served on the staff of former Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) for nine years, the last five as the Senator’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Patrick has now been in Washington’s private sector for more than 12 years representing a range of clients including Fortune 50 companies, small associations, the government of a U.S. territory, and other companies and entities. He is an expert on tax, commerce, trade, telecom, and transportation issues, and we asked him to write his first article for This Week in Washington on independent restaurants – and a way to help them.
Jesse Weathington gives us a look at the latest in Georgia with his Gold Dome Report. As always, make sure to check out the Infographs for an in-depth look at current hot topics.
Given the passing of Congressman John Lewis, I wanted to make a quick observation. One of my first experiences in meeting Mr. Lewis was when I was a young staffer
working for then-Congressman Nathan Deal. It was my first Christmas in Washington. My friend and I, who was also my coworker and housemate, went to one of the more popular Christmas receptions to raid the finger foods, which was to be our supper. We were standing next to the wall eating when a man came up to us and asked if he could do the same. Of course, we said ‘yes’. He began to talk to us and ask about who we were and where we were from. During that time, I noticed several people staring at us as they passed us by. This didn’t faze the gentleman talking to us. In fact, he didn’t even seem to care. He was fully engaged in our conversation. That man was, of course, Congressman John Lewis. Mr. Lewis was a respected Congressman and a civil rights icon. He didn’t have to take the time to talk to a couple of ‘wet behind the ears’ staffers - but, he did. Since that time, every interaction which I have had with him or witnessed others having with him has been with the same demeanor as when my friend and I first met him that night in December.
That friend, by the way, would go on to become the Chief of Staff for then-Congressman Nathan Deal, as well as the Chief of Staff for Governor Nathan Deal. I’m very proud of both of them and grateful for what they have done for Georgia.