Administration lobbying and faculty donations support diverse causes
Data from OpenSecrets shows that the University of Notre Dame spent approximately 540,000 dollars in 2024 on congressional lobbyists, almost three times the 200,000 dollars Notre Dame spent in 2023. Since 2010, Notre Dame has spent approximately 4.1 million dollars on lobbyists, as shown by OpenSecrets filings.
320,000 dollars of the university’s lobbying spending was to the BGR Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm. Joseph Lai, a BGR Group lobbyist, is listed as also lobbying for JinkoSolar, a Chinese solar technology manufacturer. JinkoSolar was investigated by the U.S. government for allegedly using Uyghur slave labor in China. In May of 2023, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided JinkoSolar’s offices in Florida in connection with the investigation, although no charges were filed.
Two university-paid BGR Group lobbyists, Jennifer Lukawski and Fred Turner, also lobbied for the Emerson Collective in 2024. Founded by the wife of the late Steve Jobs, the Emerson Collective operates in a range of “philanthropic” causes and venture capital, including increasing access to abortion and contraceptives.
BGR Group represented Xiaomi Inc., a Chinese technology company, in 2024. The first Trump administration listed Xiaomi as being under the control of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, a designation reversed under the Biden administration.
Another lobbying firm, Cornerstone Government Affairs, was paid approximately 220,000 dollars by Notre Dame in 2024. One Cornerstone lobbyist, Steven Marchese, also represented Care in Action, a political advocacy group that endorsed both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, claiming they almost exclusively endorse only candidates that are women of color. One of Cornerstone’s principals, Shanetta Paskel, serves as a board member for Planned Parenthood of Maryland.
Michael Goodman, another lobbyist for Cornerstone, represented the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America, a trade group of more than 350 alcohol manufacturers. Michael Smith, also of Cornerstone, represented the American Gaming Association, the largest trade association of gambling groups in the U.S.
Students and parents alike expressed concerns about the university’s spending on lobbying.
The mother of a sophomore business analytics major told the Rover, “Notre Dame and all universities need to be aware of the inner workings and relationships of the organizations they are funding,” adding that the university should “prevent inadvertently funding groups or individuals in direct contrast with their mission statement and fundamental beliefs.”
A freshman in Siegfried Hall was deeply concerned about Notre Dame’s lobbying. “I don’t think Notre Dame should be associated with groups being accused of both slave labor and lobbying for the PLA.” Questioning the ethics of Notre Dame’s lobbying choices, the freshman continued, “On a moral level, it not only feels wrong but there are national security issues to consider.”
In addition to university-contracted lobbyists, individual employees of Notre Dame have made substantial contributions themselves to a diverse array of political candidates, per data from the Federal Elections Commission.
Daniel Costello, the Bettex Chair Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, has donated more than 175,000 dollars to pro-life and conservative political action committees (PAC’s) and political candidates since 2020.
Filings also show that since 2020, Professor Emeritus of English Stephen Fredman has donated more than 56,000 dollars to a variety of Democratic and left-leaning organizations. Fredman contributed to several House and Senate races, including Democratic Senators Mark Kelly in Arizona, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, and Joe Donnelly in Indiana. Donnelly, a Democrat appointed by Biden as the Ambassador to the Holy See, was formerly a professor in the Keough School of Global Affairs. Fredman also donated 4,200 dollars to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden in 2020.
Julia Thomas, a professor in the Department of History, donated 6,000 dollars to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign. She additionally gave 670 dollars to Friends of Bernie Sanders. Maura Policelli, Executive Director of the Notre Dame Washington Program and Professor of the Practice in Global Affairs, donated 4,000 dollars to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Parents also took issue with some of the donations. “Faculty donations to Democratic and left-wing groups represent a stark contrast with the university’s Catholic mission,” said the father of a junior in Keough Hall. The father of a sophomore in Howard Hall found the contributions to be “both disappointing and inconsistent with Catholic values.”
The university’s Office of Public Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
Sam Marchand is a sophomore studying political science and finance from Beaumont, Texas. He squanders much of his spare time by reading the Current Events section of Wikipedia preparing arguments for ND Speech & Debate, of which he serves as president. He can be reached at smarcha3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: University of Notre Dame
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