The unpredictability that has come to embody the past month on the Hill, with surprising events such as Speaker Boehner’s (R-Ohio) decision to resign from Congress, appears to have been replicated on K Street during the third quarter producing a mixed bag of Q3 results. Some major firms such as Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Capitol Counsel and K&L Gates saw reduced fees compared to Q3 2014. According to The Hill, “the third quarter this year brought K&L Gates a 3 percent decrease compared with 2014’s third-quarter numbers. Brownstein’s fees took a 1 percent dip, and Capitol Counsel’s fell 8 percent.” However, this was not a trend across the board. Taking advantage of the Republican Party’s control of Congress, two all-Republican firms saw Q3 increases when compared to the same period last year. CGCN Group and Fierce Government Affairs saw 37% and 11% boosts, respectively.

Moreover, a successful third quarter was not solely limited to Republican aligned firms. The Hill reports that “Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld …took in its highest third-quarter numbers ever. The firm earned $9.73 million in lobbying fees over the last three months, a 10 percent increase compared with the same period last year.”  Similarly, Van Scoyoc Associates, BGR Group and Holland & Knight also all saw modest growth during 2015’s third quarter.

Despite a mixed bag of results for Q3 on K Street, many remain optimistic with a busy winter ahead of Congress including activities related to trade, cybersecurity and the budget. As previously reported by Lobby Blog, the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been a major focus for those on K Street with 56 of the top 100 lobbying spenders since 2008 have lobbied on TPP at least once during that period. According to Stu Van Scoyoc, the president and chief executive at Van Scoyoc Associates “We continue to be optimistic and continue to work with our clients. Despite all the turmoil and all the chaos at the moment, we’ll find the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Below is a list of the third quarter’s top 10 biggest lobbying registrants in terms of revenue and clients in terms of spending as reported by Politico.

Biggest registrants:

1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($16.02 million)
2. Akin Gump ($9.7M)
3. National Association of Realtors ($7.52M)
4. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck ($6.26M)
5. Squire Patton Boggs: $6.13M
6. National Association of Manufacturers ($5.98)
7. Podesta Group ($5.75)
8. Van Scoyoc Associates ($5.22M)
9. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform ($5.07M)
10. Holland & Knight: ($5.045M)

Biggest clients:

1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($16.02 million)
2. National Association of Realtors ($7.52M)
3. National Association of Manufacturers ($5.98)
4. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform ($5.07M)
5. American Medical Association ($4.28M)
6. American Bankers Association ($4.26M)
7. PhRMA ($4.24M)
8. American Hospital Association ($4.02M)
9. National Association of Broadcasters ($3.93M)
10. Google ($3.65)

After years of intense negotiations a deal between the U.S., Japan and 10 Pacific Rim nations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement was finalized on Monday, Oct. 1, 2015. The New York Times reports that for “Mr. Obama the accord could be a legacy-making achievement, drawing together countries representing two-fifths of the global economy, from Canada and Chile to Japan and Australia, into a web of common rules governing trans-Pacific commerce. It is the capstone both of his economic agenda to expand exports and of his foreign policy “rebalance” toward closer relations with fast-growing eastern Asia, after years of American preoccupation with the Middle East and North Africa.”

However, the work on the trade agreement is far from over as the deal must first be sent to Congress to consider, likely in early 2016. President Obama is required to give Congress a legally mandated 90-day notice that he intends to sign the deal. Gaining support from Congress will be no easy feat for President Obama who will have to assemble a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers with opposition to TPP coming from both Democrats and Republicans. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders has already come out against the trade agreement saying, “”I am disappointed but not surprised by the decision to move forward on the disastrous Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that will hurt consumers and cost American jobs,” according to Politico.  Similarly, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has opposed TPP saying, “The only entities to benefit from this trade deal will be other countries, particularly China and Japan, and big corporations in America,” reports Breitbart. President Obama relied on support of a similar bipartisan coalition, leaning heavily on Republicans, to grant him fast-track trade authority, which enables the accord to be voted on in a simple up-or-down vote without threat of amendments or filibusters.

Since negotiations began the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been a major focus for those on K Street. According to a report by Open Secrets, “Clients who reported lobbying on TPP accounted for nearly thirty percent of all lobby spending. And a lot of that work was concentrated among Washington’s power players: 56 of the top 100 spenders since 2008 lobbied on TPP at least once during that period.” Moreover, Open Secrets reports that since 2008 when the negotiations began, “487 clients paid lobbyists to meet with or contact lawmakers and administration officials to discuss the trade pact” and that TPP was “mentioned 4,875 times in lobbying filings since 2008,” not including third-quarter 2015 lobbying reports, which are due to Congress on Oct. 20 and could further increase this figure.

As Congress considers TPP lobbying will continue to play a significant role for sides both supporting and opposing the trade agreement and Lobby Blog will continue to monitor the results of these efforts.