Arshi Siddiqui Quoted by Media on Lobbying Efforts Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Akin Gump public law and policy partner Arshi Siddiqui has been quoted in the Bloomberg Government article “Coronavirus Response Legislation Spurs Hiring Spree on K Street,” regarding the potential uptick in lobbying efforts during the coronavirus crisis.

Siddiqui said she thinks, “people will definitely want to explore reinforcing their lobbying teams. If you ever wanted to have all your bases covered in the advocacy space, it would be now.”

Following the passage of an initial $8.3 billion aid package in response to the pandemic, the article says the White House and Congress are now finalizing a separate $1 trillion-plus package with at least two additional aid bills on the horizon. Siddiqui said, “There is speed and urgency to act, days will literally make a difference for some of these small businesses across the country. This is still playing out and the biggest challenge with lobbying is the uncertainty.”

Meanwhile, CQ Weekly, in its article “Democrats plot post-Trump era on domestic issues,” discusses the need for Democrats to begin their K Street preparations ahead of the 2020 presidential election and notes that if a Democrat wins in November, that person will need to support the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.

From a lobbying perspective, Siddiqui said, “Any groundwork the business community needs to lay will be this year. Getting late to the game is a recipe for failure.” She added that clients are mapping out their priorities and sketching out “the landscape of the art of the possible.”