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Government Affairs

Overview

Crowell’s Government Affairs Group has decades of experience helping clients:

  • Create and execute success government affairs strategies to achieve business goals.
  • Introduce clients to key U.S. decision makers and educate and advocate on behalf of our client’s business and industry.
  • Draft, negotiate, and advocate for new legislation and oppose problematic bills for clients.
  • Advocate for clients and track and advise on major government decisions and programs in health care, energy, financial services, infrastructure, technology, and other sectors.
  • Represent clients in Congressional investigations and help respond to related crises and related issues.
  • Provide in-house training to government affairs and business teams.

Our clients include domestic, foreign, and multinational Fortune 500 enterprises, mid-size and regional corporations, trade associations, and other stakeholders across the country and abroad. Recent examples of our work include helping clients identify and participate in programs and projects resulting from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, and similar legislation.

Experience where it counts, and at every step

An effective government affairs practice blends bipartisan experience with firsthand knowledge of key decisionmakers, their priorities and goals, and their negotiation styles. Our team includes former congressional staffers, executive branch officials, in-house lobbyists for industry trade groups, and individuals who have worked on numerous congressional and presidential campaigns.

Quick and responsive

We recognize that legislative and regulatory advocacy is time sensitive, and work closely with clients to develop strategic, multifaceted government relations initiatives that accommodate and align business timelines, legislative calendars, and economic cycles. As legislation progresses from debate and passage through rulemaking and investment spending, we help clients pivot appropriately.

Cross-disciplinary collaboration, across the policy and project lifecycle

As a core practice within our full-service law firm, we have access to the resources of the hundreds of Crowell lawyers practicing worldwide, more than half of whom are based in Washington, D.C. Our government affairs professionals can connect directly with leading industry lawyers, no matter the nature of the client’s issues.

We regularly work with members of the firm’s national energy, environmental, financial services, government contracts, health care, infrastructure, intellectual property, international trade, privacy and cybersecurity, and tax practices. When agency audits, law-enforcement inquiries, or congressional investigations arise, we collaborate with Crowell’s experienced white collar and regulatory enforcement practices to help clients respond to queries from offices of the inspector general (OIGs), manage ongoing oversight, prepare for testimony before relevant committees, and handle media relations.

Industry focus, market-wide results

Our team has developed specific, in-depth knowledge and a strong record of success in the following areas:

  • Health care. We regularly advise and represent clients in health care and life sciences issues before the White House, Congress and key agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We also work with law-enforcement officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to help our clients understand and comply with complex legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, the Drug Quality and Security Act, the Safe Doses Act and more. Several of our team members have decades of in-house experience in the health policy and government relations units of leading global pharmaceutical and health care companies.
  • Energy. We have represented mining companies, refiners, energy companies, utilities, trade groups, and other entities in a broad range of matters, including new source performance standards, power from traditional and renewable sources, LNG exports and fracking. We have lobbied for and won changes to the Energy Policy Act, Energy Independence and Security Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, and a number of farm and transportation bills, regularly engaging Congress, the EPA, the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of Interior, and numerous other federal and state agencies.
  • Financial services. From before the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act to the current, rapidly expanding discussions on cryptocurrency, blockchain, distributed ledger technology (DLT), FinTech, and InsureTech, we have pursued the interest of banks, investment advisors and brokers, commodity traders and advisors, commodity pool operators, public pension funds, price aggregation services, and other financial services companies. In addition to helping shape legislation, we have worked with clients to understand, implement and comply with issues under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and related agencies.
  • Infrastructure. Members of our team have decades of experience working on federal appropriations and government contracts matters in the transportation and infrastructure sectors. We have helped shape key components of recent infrastructure bills and provided follow-on counsel to help clients identify and participate in federally sponsored projects across the country. We have also advised on legislation and policy designed to address post-COVID supply chain issues.
  • Technology. We have helped software developers, hardware and semiconductor manufacturers, outsourced technology providers, and many other companies influence and respond to technology-focused legislation such as the CHIPS Act, pandemic-related spending, reimbursements and emergency use authorizations (including approvals of vaccines developed outside the United States), telemedicine and more. We have also advised clients on intellectual property matters, including U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) policies and decisions.

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Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 07.29.25

Protecting Information in Congressional Investigations: The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Privilege

Current political priorities in Congress will continue to push many industries under the microscope of Congressional investigations, including universities, tech companies, entities that receive federal funds, and energy-sector companies. When the chambers of Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party, Congressional oversight of the executive branch is less intense and instead public and private sector, state, and local entities are more likely to find themselves in the crosshairs. If a chamber of Congress changes hands in the midterm elections, the focus of the oversight may shift to reflect the policy priorities of the moment and include more executive branch oversight, but even the executive branch is often contending with requests for information that may implicate their dealings with third parties; for example, there is a risk that agency oversight triggers requests for privileged material belonging to a government contractor or grantee. The topics and industries of highest interest may play musical chairs, but entities across sectors would do well to incorporate a few best practices that will mitigate their risk should they end up in the hot seat, either directly or through a government partner....

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Representative Matters

  • Assisted Fortune 15 health care company in addressing government affairs issues related to COVID-19, pharmaceutical drugs and medical device supply and logistics.
  • Participated in the creation of a multibillion-dollar fund for U.S. victims of terrorism.
  • Recovered $500 million for a private equity fund based in Dubai.
  • Worked with industry stakeholders to win repeal of a medical device sales tax that was part of the Affordable Care Act.
  • Increased funding to provide free vaccines for dependents of US military personnel.

Contact

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Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 07.29.25

Protecting Information in Congressional Investigations: The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Privilege

Current political priorities in Congress will continue to push many industries under the microscope of Congressional investigations, including universities, tech companies, entities that receive federal funds, and energy-sector companies. When the chambers of Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party, Congressional oversight of the executive branch is less intense and instead public and private sector, state, and local entities are more likely to find themselves in the crosshairs. If a chamber of Congress changes hands in the midterm elections, the focus of the oversight may shift to reflect the policy priorities of the moment and include more executive branch oversight, but even the executive branch is often contending with requests for information that may implicate their dealings with third parties; for example, there is a risk that agency oversight triggers requests for privileged material belonging to a government contractor or grantee. The topics and industries of highest interest may play musical chairs, but entities across sectors would do well to incorporate a few best practices that will mitigate their risk should they end up in the hot seat, either directly or through a government partner....

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Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 07.29.25

Protecting Information in Congressional Investigations: The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Privilege

Client Alert | 8 min read | 06.30.25

AI Companies Prevail in Path-Breaking Decisions on Fair Use

Client Alert | 3 min read | 06.26.25

FDA Targets Gene Editing Clinical Trials in China and other “Hostile Countries”

Firm News | 3 min read | 06.24.25

Senior DHS Cyber and Emerging Technology Official Matthew F. Ferraro Joins Crowell & Moring

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Professionals

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Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 07.29.25

Protecting Information in Congressional Investigations: The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Privilege

Current political priorities in Congress will continue to push many industries under the microscope of Congressional investigations, including universities, tech companies, entities that receive federal funds, and energy-sector companies. When the chambers of Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party, Congressional oversight of the executive branch is less intense and instead public and private sector, state, and local entities are more likely to find themselves in the crosshairs. If a chamber of Congress changes hands in the midterm elections, the focus of the oversight may shift to reflect the policy priorities of the moment and include more executive branch oversight, but even the executive branch is often contending with requests for information that may implicate their dealings with third parties; for example, there is a risk that agency oversight triggers requests for privileged material belonging to a government contractor or grantee. The topics and industries of highest interest may play musical chairs, but entities across sectors would do well to incorporate a few best practices that will mitigate their risk should they end up in the hot seat, either directly or through a government partner....

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Practices

Industries

Contact

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Insights

Client Alert | 7 min read | 07.29.25

Protecting Information in Congressional Investigations: The Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Privilege

Current political priorities in Congress will continue to push many industries under the microscope of Congressional investigations, including universities, tech companies, entities that receive federal funds, and energy-sector companies. When the chambers of Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party, Congressional oversight of the executive branch is less intense and instead public and private sector, state, and local entities are more likely to find themselves in the crosshairs. If a chamber of Congress changes hands in the midterm elections, the focus of the oversight may shift to reflect the policy priorities of the moment and include more executive branch oversight, but even the executive branch is often contending with requests for information that may implicate their dealings with third parties; for example, there is a risk that agency oversight triggers requests for privileged material belonging to a government contractor or grantee. The topics and industries of highest interest may play musical chairs, but entities across sectors would do well to incorporate a few best practices that will mitigate their risk should they end up in the hot seat, either directly or through a government partner....

View All Insights