Whether you are navigating a complex regulatory challenge, seeking to shape pending legislation, or responding to a congressional investigation, our federal government relations team combines legal counsel with strategic advocacy to protect and advance your interests in Washington.

Our bipartisan team of practicing attorneys and policy professionals provides strategic counseling and direct advocacy before Congress, federal agencies, and the White House. We coordinate across the firm’s legal practices to deliver seamless counsel on our clients’ most consequential issues—from shaping legislation on Capitol Hill and engaging the White House and its policy councils, to navigating agency rulemaking and responding to executive action. The same team providing legal counsel on a regulatory challenge is also the team providing advice on legislative strategy, engaging decision makers across the executive branch, and advising on the impact of presidential directives.

We assist in the drafting of legislative text and know why statutory language takes the form it does. We prepare regulatory filings and understand the administrative process from proposed rule through judicial challenge. We have briefed and argued environmental cases before the DC Circuit and the US Supreme Court. We have testified before Congress and routinely briefed members and staff on matters ranging from data privacy and cybersecurity to labor policy. And we maintain the bipartisan relationships that give advocacy both reach and credibility.

Our Team

Our team includes a former Chief Counsel to the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee who served as a key negotiator in the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; the former Vice President and Senior Policy Counsel of the world’s largest retail trade association, with more than two decades of recognized leadership on federal and state data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI policy; former counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee for investigations and legislative hearings; former counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee; a former Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, confirmed by the US Senate; a former judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit who previously served as Senate Legal Counsel; a former Deputy General Counsel and Chief Counsel at the US Department of Transportation; and a former Chair of the Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.

Areas of Focus

Energy, Environmental, & Climate Policy. We work on a variety of issues involving federal environmental and energy law, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Superfund law, the Toxic Substances Control Act, NEPA, the Federal Power Act, and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. Our experience includes carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration legislation; the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act and HFC phasedown; greenhouse gas regulation; PFAS remediation policy; and implementation of energy tax provisions under the Inflation Reduction Act and subsequent legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Our team has been directly involved in the drafting and enactment of major environmental and energy laws—including as the lead negotiator on the USE IT Act, the AIM Act, and key provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—and has served as named counsel in landmark Clean Air Act litigation, including Michigan v. EPA, 576 U.S. 743 (2015).

Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, & Artificial Intelligence. Retailers, their trade associations, technology companies, and other consumer-facing companies rely on us for advocacy on data and technology legislation and regulations. We have public policy leaders focused on consumer data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and related ecommerce issues, providing strategic policy advice and engaging in advocacy efforts on behalf of companies, trade associations, and industry coalitions. Our team brings more than two decades of dedicated privacy and data policy work at the federal and state level, including prior service as lead counsel for privacy and technology issues on the US Senate Commerce Committee. We understand the life cycle of technology policy—from early debates that frame legislation, through drafting and enactment, to regulation, compliance, and enforcement—and apply that perspective to the rapidly expanding landscape of state privacy and AI laws. Our state-level capabilities include coordinating multijurisdiction advocacy campaigns across dozens of state legislatures—a critical resource as states continue to enact and expand privacy and AI legislation.

Trade & Tariff Strategy. We help energy, manufacturing, and industrial clients navigate the increasingly complex landscape of trade policy, including Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs and Section 301 trade-related actions. We mitigate tariff exposure, identify opportunities to onshore production, and help clients to pursue relief that protects supply chains and competitive positioning. Our approach coordinates advocacy across multiple federal agencies, the White House, and Congress to develop integrated legal and advocacy strategies.

Permitting and Streamlining Transportation and Infrastructure Development. We advise clients on energy, transportation, and industrial infrastructure development, including the environmental permitting processes that frequently create project delays. Our team has direct experience with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and with DOT modal agency advocacy before PHMSA, FMCSA, FHWA, NHTSA, and FTA. We counsel on transmission and pipeline development, surface transportation reauthorization, and strategies for resolving permitting challenges that impede project timelines for power generation, manufacturing expansion, and data center development. We identify roadblocks and come up with solutions so job creators can advance development and construction plans in a timely manner.

Tax, Appropriations, & Federal Funding. We counsel clients on available federal assistance and tax credit eligibilities to identify creative, novel ways to finance capital expenditures and manage operational costs. Our team helps clients to navigate the implementation of major tax legislation, including provisions enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Hunton is a recognized leader in counseling clients on energy tax credits—including 45Q, 45X, and 45V. We have direct experience with the budget reconciliation process, including application of the so-called Byrd Rule under the Congressional Budget Act before the Senate Parliamentarian. We also advise on federal appropriations, grant programs, and other financial assistance mechanisms.

Congressional Investigations & Oversight. Our team provides experienced counsel grounded in firsthand committee experience—including managing all oversight for a major Senate authorizing committee and serving as counsel for House committee investigations involving criminal referrals and significant reputational risk. We prepare witnesses for testimony, manage legal and reputational exposure, and advise on the interplay between congressional investigations and parallel regulatory or enforcement proceedings. As energy, technology, and industrial companies face the prospect of increased congressional scrutiny, we bring the perspective of professionals who have conducted and managed investigations from the inside, an advantage that allows us to anticipate committee strategies and advise clients accordingly.

Coalition Management & Industry Strategy. We have deep experience building and operating multiorganization advocacy coalitions at the federal and state level, including national policy coalitions of 20 or more major trade associations, cross-sector industry groups, and state-level advocacy networks spanning dozens of jurisdictions. We design tiered membership structures, develop consensus policy positions, coordinate multistate campaigns, and serve as executive directors managing day-to-day coalition operations.

State Attorneys General. Our practice before state AGs addresses and guides clients as they face increased judicial challenges and investigations by state attorneys general, often in coordination with the plaintiffs’ bar and by competitors. Our professionals provide long-range strategic planning assistance to clients in pervasively regulated industries.