In its attempt to acquire US Steel, Japanese-owned Nippon Steel has invested over $6.1 million in federal lobbying, employing a plethora of powerful politicians, some of whom have close relationships with President Donald Trump.
Just days after the purchase announcement in December 2023, Nippon Steel brought in lobbying company Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The corporation has international clients, including the governments of KSA, the UAE, and Japan, as shown by their registration documents. According to a Washington Examiner review of disclosure data, Nippon Steel has since paid Akin Gump more than $5.5 million, which represents around 90% of its lobbying expenses used to advance the US Steel acquisition.
The lobbyists at Akin Gump arguing Nippon Steel’s case in the nation’s capital include Hunter Bates, former chief of staff for former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Reginald Babin, former chief counsel to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); and Brian Pomper, who advised the Senate Finance Committee on international trade matters.
During the last election campaign, Geoffrey Verhoff, another Akin Gump lobbyist hired to help Nippon Steel, was by far the biggest known money bundler for Trump. According to a Federal Election Commission report, Verhoff, who served as vice chairman of the Republican National Committee’s financial arm from 2017 to 2021, bundled at least $3.6 million for the Trump 47 Committee. While lobbying for Nippon Steel, Bates also personally donated $10,000 to the Trump 47 Committee, according to campaign finance reports.
While the main lobbying firm on Nippon Steel’s roster is Akin Gump, a few other powerful figures in the business with strong ties to Capitol Hill have been enlisted to assist in influencing public opinion on the merger issue.
Akin Gump hired the Trump-affiliated lobbying company Ballard Partners, a foreign agent for the Japanese Embassy, as a subcontractor on the Nippon Steel team last year in exchange for a $25,000 monthly fee. According to lobbying activities disclosed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Ballard Partners reportedly arranged a phone conversation between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to examine the U.S. election one day following the 2024 presidential contest.
Brian Ballard, a prominent Trump donor and the agency’s namesake president, leads his Florida firm’s efforts on the Nippon Steel client. He is joined in lobbying by other Trump associates: Daniel McFaul, a member of Trump’s transitional team, and Hunter Morgen, a Trump White House policy consultant with expertise in manufacturing and trade.
Ballard and Morgen both made direct contributions to Trump’s 2024 campaign; the founder of the business sent cheques to the Trump 47 Committee and Trump Save America PAC totalling $250,000 and $11,600, respectively.
Through Akin Gump, the Gephardt Group’s government affairs branch, strategic communications agency VOX Global, and government affairs consultancy Valiant Strategies LLC also advocated on behalf of Nippon Steel.
James Baril, a former senior staffer to Sen. John Cornyn and current chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, led VOX Global’s just-ended Nippon Steel assignment.
According to disclosure filings, Nippon Steel’s agents have pushed for the planned purchase through the White House, Congress, and several government departments that have jurisdiction over international transactions, including the Department of Commerce, the State Department, and the U.S. Treasury.
In the second half of 2024, Nippon Steel significantly increased its lobbying expenditures, spending $1.45 million in Q3 and $1.71 million in Q4, more than doubling the total amount spent by the company during the first two quarters. A Washington Examiner analysis of quarterly activity records indicates that Nippon Steel has already disbursed an extra $1.83 million this year as it tries to finalise a contract.
