Bill Himpler

Many professional lives have more than one chapter. My second career as a public affairs expert, fortified by a first in journalism, began with a leap to Washington DC. I landed as the press secretary for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee under Chairman Joe Biden. A seasoned public servant, he was admired for many reasons; the most surprising to this former Beltway outsider was how he embodied the principle that partisan politics stops at the water’s edge. A previous SFRC chair, Michigan Republican Arthur Vandenberg, coined that maxim and modeled it by working with President Harry Truman, a Democrat, on some of the biggest issues of their day, including support for NATO and the Marshall Plan. No stranger to domestic partisan issues and no shrinking violet on the campaign trail, Chairman Biden was committed to inter-party collaboration in international affairs – on the dais with the gavel, in the anteroom twisting arms to seek legislative consensus, and as a member of the loyal opposition during the George W. Bush presidency.    This lesson in steady professionalism during trying times, including 9/11 and its aftermath, served me well later as senior staff with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, at the State Department, and in subsequent roles. A year into my career’s third act – consulting on communications, government relations and public affairs – I often see how crucial that bipartisan bedrock can be. The notion that foreign policy should be immune to politics may now seem naive. Partisan divisions infiltrate every aspect of our lives, from the media we follow to the products we purchase to where we choose to live. Our political affiliations even shape our perceptions of fundamental facts. But if you speak with some of my clients at Citrus Strategies or Perceptual Advisors LLC, you’ll detect a common thread: Amid all the noise, politics matters far less than making your authentic voice heard with conviction and clarity. From the non-profit association supporting national security to the human rights advocacy group to the global company facing gale-force political and business headwinds during a U.S. election year, these clients would agree that embracing their principles and making their case forthrightly, free of partisan bias, is the best path to making an impact. President Biden will keynote the Democratic National Convention tonight. It’s a political event, yes, so he’ll make some pointed observations that will irk the opposition. But listen too for that approach so familiar to those who’ve had the honor to get to know him: He truly wants to bring together as many Americans as possible for the greater good, especially when it comes to our leadership role in this often-chaotic world. Joe Biden took a chance and moved this recovering journalist from an observer’s front-row seat to a master class in how big things get done behind the scenes. I’ll always be grateful for that. https://lnkd.in/em2r5heS

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The White House recently published "Trust Regulation' for federal statistics. The regulation will further codify and clarify the responsibilities of U.S. agencies to produce relevant, timely, credible, accurate, and objective information. Boosting public trust in our country's statistics is essential for meeting the information needs of our citizens, data users, and policymakers. If we can't trust our government's information, how can we trust them at all!? This is a great development. #policy #regulations #governmentregulations

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ICYMI — 5️⃣ federal financial #regulatory agencies, the #FinCEN, and state financial #regulators issued a statement last week on practices that may be effective in combatting #elderfinancialexploitation. Some of the recommendations — 👉 #Training employees on recognizing and responding to elder financial exploitation (‼️AARP’s #banksafe training program is a great option!) 👉 Using #transaction #holds and disbursement delays, as appropriate, and consistent with applicable law (‼️AARP has worked to pass “report and hold” laws in a number of states and banks surveyed by the American Bankers Association find these laws very helpful) 👉 Establishing a #trustedcontact designation process for account holders 👉 Filing #suspiciousactivityreports to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, US Treasury in a timely manner (at a recent conference it surprised me how many banks only report to #APS and don’t always file #SARs in these instances) 👉 Reporting suspected #elder #financial #exploitation to law enforcement, Adult Protective Services, and other appropriate entities 👉 Engaging with #elder #fraud prevention and response #networks 👉 Increasing #awareness through consumer #outreach (‼️AARP’s Fraud Watch Network does great work on this front!)

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Kamala is brat -- but we don't know yet if she'll be president in 2025. Now is a good time to prepare your organization for the new presidential administration, whichever one it is! This takes time and planning. We rounded up a checklist of ways you can prepare, from thinking through audiences and key risks to honing your messaging. Follow Cascade Advisory so you can stay up to date on our latest!

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🌐 Exploring the Origins of Public Affairs Consulting 🌐 The field of public affairs consulting has evolved significantly over the years, driven by complex political, economic, and social factors. Here’s a quick overview of its origins and growth: 🔹 Post-WWII Complexity: As the world recovered from WWII, organizations needed sophisticated strategies to navigate evolving political landscapes. 🔹 Rise of Lobbying: In the US and beyond, lobbying became a key method for influencing legislation, leading to the establishment of specialized public affairs firms. 🔹 Globalization: As businesses expanded internationally, the demand for expert management of global public and political relationships surged. 📚 For those interested in delving deeper, check out these insightful reads: "The Art of Lobbying: Building Trust and Selling Solutions" by Bertram J. Levine "Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why" by Frank R. Baumgartner & Beth L. Leech "The Business of Lobbying in the United States" by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum "Public Affairs: A Handbook for Practitioners" by Roger C. Haydock & Gregory D. Daugherty Understanding these developments can offer valuable insights into today’s public affairs strategies and practices. 📈💼 #PublicAffairs #Consulting #Lobbying #GlobalBusiness #PolicyChange #BusinessStrategy #PublicRelations

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This morning, the US Government Accountability Office released a long-awaited report on implementation of 21st Century IDEA, which was signed into law nearly six years ago. As you might imagine, the report shows inconsistent implementation of the law across government, including a number of agencies who failed to report progress annually as required or in some cases decided not to do it at all over the 5-year period. In my opinion, and the report backs this up, the inconsistency in implementation and reporting can be tied back to OMB's failure to release implementation guidance in a timely manner -- it took almost 5 years to get guidance out the door on something (CX) that everyone at OMB admits is a top 2 or 3 priority. As we look forward, we need to find ways to better hold agencies accountable for their CX progress, including ensuring the someone at OMB and at each agency is responsible for coordination of customer-focused efforts, as required by the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act, which passed the House in May and cleared Senate HSGAC a couple weeks ago. Thanks goes to Rep. Gerry Connolly and others who pushed GAO to conduct this needed review. For those of you that want to look deeper into this, here's a link to the GAO Report -- https://lnkd.in/eaPSayK9

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Thank you David Rader for these insightful slides on economic statecraft.

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Congratulations to the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy team led by Ambassador Nathaniel Fick, Liesyl Franz, and especially Adam Segal for today's publication of the inaugural United States International Cyberspace & Digital Policy Strategy. I truly appreciate the opportunity to collaborate and inform on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's international cyber, digital, trusted telecommunication, and emerging technology priorities and the call out for enhanced collaboration with the private sector. Four Action Areas Outline in the Strategy include: (1) Promote, Build, and Maintain an Open, Inclusive, Secure, and Resilient Digital Ecosystem (2) Align Rights-Respecting Approaches to Digital and Data Governance with International Partners (3) Advance Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace and Counter Threats to Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure by Building Coalitions and Engaging Partners (4) Strengthen and Build International Partner Digital Policy and Cyber Capacity https://lnkd.in/eCivPSpm

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My comments in Politico ahead of the hearings on the President's trade policy agenda in the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees today and tomorrow:

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You may not see flashy headlines about an upcoming decision from the U.S. #SupremeCourt regarding #ChevronDeference, but this ruling will have major consequences on how companies do business in highly regulated industries. Need to catch up? Check out our short backgrounder video below and then let us know what your thoughts are on this issue in the comments.

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[Webinar] December 17 @ 1 pm EST: A Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for SBA's Federal Small Business Certifications https://zurl.co/oXx5 This webinar provides a step-by-step guide to applying for federal small business certifications through the SBA's "MySBA Certifications" portal. It covers the full application process, including determining eligibility, gathering required documentation, and avoiding common pitfalls that could delay approval. Participants will learn how to apply for certifications like HUBZone, Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned, and 8(a) designations, empowering them to navigate the certification journey with confidence. #Govology #sba #federalcontracting #govcon #governmentcontracts

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One of the federal government’s core functions is deploying significant resources to address national crises and support the American people. However, we've lacked a structured approach to help leaders improve how these major programs are implemented. That’s why the Partnership for Public Service created the Framework of Implementation Excellence—to provide agencies with the insights they need to execute these programs effectively and deliver better outcomes. This framework outlines the key elements essential for successful implementation of major investments, incorporating insights we've gathered from conversations with over 30 government leaders, experts and contributions from our Major Investments Community. Our aim is simple: to provide leaders with the information they need to make better decisions and create impactful programs. This framework is just the beginning, and we will continue to refine it as we learn more. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every dollar of taxpayer money is administered responsibly and that federal agencies deliver on their commitments. Read the full report below.

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A new monster report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s in-house think-tank, shows that “Open Topic” awards in the $4 billion Small Business Innovation Research program draw a larger number of technology companies to apply for funding, promoting competition and increase innovation. Open Topics enable businesses “to define problems and pitch innovative solutions... rather than soliciting only solutions to predefined problems,” GAO wrote. But, as technology companies have been complaining for years, GAO found that many of the “Open Topic” SBIR solicitations are actually just conventional topics in disguise, “narrowly defining needs and suggesting potential solutions.” GAO’s report says the Defense Department should clarify for its components what open topics actually are and how they differ from conventional topics, ensuring the awarding agencies “consistently release open topics that are more broadly defined than their conventional topics.” “We found that DOD may define some open topics too narrowly and miss opportunities to collect innovative proposals,” GAO wrote. The $4 billion SBIR program, run by the Small Business Administration and participating government agencies including DoD, HHS and DHS, acts in essence as a seed fund for technologies with the highest potential impact in the commercial and defense markets. Open Topics invite bidders to describe problems they have discovered and solutions they have developed, and augment and often surpass in impact the priorities the DoD advances on its own. Conventional topics, meanwhile, typically focus on well-understood problems in existing systems and can suggest a preferred technical approach targeted toward a favored potential bidder. That format gives preference to incumbents and SBIR mills, which are operations that treat SBIR funding as a perennial source of revenue, against commercial innovators. To quote Warren Katz, chairman of The Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government: “Open topics enable new ideas the DoD did not think of to be evaluated against things they thought they needed. Almost half of SBIR funding is now awarded via open topics, proving that the innovation ecosystem is coming up with surprise ideas DoD evaluated as superior to their own preconceived notions.” The Alliance represents startups in the commercial tech sector and advocates for policies that expand the government’s base of technology vendors, improve our government services, strengthen our national security. If you want to know more, contact me, Warren or Eric Blatt, the group’s executive director.

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How do policy failures lead to technology failures? In Episode 4 of the Policy Chats series Technolgy vs. Government I talk with former CPUC Commissioner Catherine Sandoval and technology policy expert Patrick E. Lanthier. We look at how a failure to keep policy current with technology and a lack of a regional and jurisdictional technology policy approach lead to a catastrophic result. UCR School of Public Policy Emerald Publishing University of California, Riverside #GovTech #TechnologyVsGovernment #UCRPolicyChats

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Updating a policy is one part careful analysis to identify opportunities for improvement and two parts ensuring that all the administrative matters in place. Generative AI can help tremendously with the latter, but also with the former. LIGER will level up the LMI Way of Policy!

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The U.S. Small Business Administration's proposed rule change regarding size requirements for multiple award contracts highlights a critical tension in federal procurement: how do we encourage small business growth while maintaining set-aside program integrity? Companies qualifying as small at proposal submission can continue performing on multiple award contracts even after outgrowing size standards. The SBA's proposed change would end this practice, potentially disrupting government operations and industry planning. While program integrity concerns are valid, this solution may create more problems than it solves. The federal government, particularly the United States Department of Defense, faces a shrinking industrial base. The government needs more companies in federal procurement, not fewer. Small businesses often require access to capital and operational expertise to scale effectively. When they succeed and grow—whether through organic means or strategic partnerships—we should celebrate this as a win for the industrial base, not penalize it. What seems to be missing are some possible solutions that could better serve all stakeholders: ✅ Implement a graduated system with a "mid-tier" category, providing a smoother transition path from small to large business status. ✅ Align procurement policies with economic goals by maintaining reasonable certainty about contract rights and post-growth events. ✅ Probably most important is establishing a regular, structured dialogue between government and industry when developing policies to ensure practical implementation. Focus on performance-based criteria alongside size requirements. If a growing small business delivers value, disrupting that relationship serves no one's interests. The government's goal should be fostering a robust, diverse industrial base where small businesses can confidently invest in growth. As we await the final rule, stakeholders must remain engaged in this discussion. The solutions exist - we just need the wisdom and flexibility to implement them. #GovCon #SmallBusiness #FederalContracting #Procurement #DefenseIndustry #GovPolicy #BusinessGrowth #SBAPolicy #AcquisitionReform Professional Services Council Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs Zachary Prince

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“…[M]arket entrants could find themselves swept up in mounting litigation and enforcement.” - Latest sweepstakes market analysis from Vixio Regulatory Intelligence: “Sweepstakes casinos in the U.S. are rapidly evolving and are projected to at least double the current $3.4bn value by 2025. Although sweepstakes may present an accessible and attractive market-entry opportunity, it also presents significant risks. Operators already face a complex legal landscape, but now also face increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators, as is the case in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan and Washington, among other states. Operators and suppliers in the space should expect further surveillance, particularly around consumer protection, fair play and responsible gaming…. Without a clear understanding of the legal and regulatory landscape, market entrants could find themselves swept up in mounting litigation and enforcement.”

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