Proven Results

Through various authorization bills, including but not limited to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Mike has achieved significant policy victories for clients across the board.

• When the Air Force refused to move forward on innovative solutions to cost-effectively improve their lodging programs, Mike successfully lobbied to include bill and report language over multiple years pushing for reforms – ultimately leading the Air Force to completely privatize its lodging program.
• Mike was the driving force behind NDAA legislation that became the landmark Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program to reimagine the future vertical lift fleet for all of DOD. Mike drafted the original language that the House Armed Services Committee worked with to create the FVL program.
• As Congress undertook a significant rewrite of the NDAA provisions that created the privatized military family housing program, Mike has been engaged over multiple NDAAs in efforts to protect his client's interests and ensure that the program meets the needs of America's military families and can sustain itself over many years.
• Several years ago, the growing preponderance of small drones across the U.S. threatened the interests of Mike's client (a leading global concert promoter). Mike joined forces with lobbyists from major sports leagues to support common sense Federal Aviation Administration regulations that protected the interests of concert goers and sports fans.
• When the DOD's Other Transaction Authority (OTA) regulations needed updating, Mike successfully lobbied for NDAA bill and report language to refine the program to make it more accessible to more small non-traditional defense contractors.
• As the federal government moved to unwind its involvement in the storage and processing of helium, Mike represented a leading industrial gas company with significant helium interests. Mike was engaged in a years-long effort that ultimately resulted in the successful enactment of the bi-partisan Helium Stewardship Act.
• When the Coast Guard unwisely sought to disband its fleet of drug interdiction helicopters, Mike successfully lobbied to restore the program for multiple years.
• When costly but necessary Positive Train Control policies were mandated for mass transit systems, Mike worked with a national industry coalition to make sure that the new rules were implemented in a way that would not cause undue financial hardship for cash-strapped urban transit systems.

Even as earmarks have come and gone (and then came back again), the Diamond Advocacy team has consistently achieved significant victories for its clients in the annual appropriations process.

• Eleven straight years of increased funding for a university-industry team working on an R&D program to limit the effects of corrosion on Army vehicles and aircraft.
• Ten years of increased research funding for DOD's Future Vertical Lift initiative and various enabling technologies. The FVL program has led to the MV-75 Cheyenne tiltrotor aircraft, set to deploy in 2031.
• Twice staved off the cancellation of NASA's rotary wing research program, and increased funding for two years.
• Successfully restored funding for a major NOAA satellite program.
• When a DOD Center of Excellence program for university rotorcraft research hadn't received additional funding for over 40 years, Mike won millions in new funds for long-overdue infrastructure improvements at the three universities involved.
• Led the effort for hundreds of millions in increased funding to purchase new vertical lift aircraft.
• Successfully lobbied for increased funding for new Navy submarines and improvements to the submarine industrial base.
• Led the effort to increase initial funding for major upgrades to the Army's main battle tank, which completed the upgrades much more quickly and ultimately saved taxpayers millions of dollars.
• Two straight years of funding to purchase emergency generators for health clinics for Native American tribes located in areas prone to power shutoffs.
• Led a multi-year effort to authorize and appropriate initial funds for a new fleet of MARAD training ships.
• Won funding for a day care center on a new junior college campus, which would serve students, staff members and residents of the local community.
• Won funding for a new cloud computing and storage system for DOD based on readily available commercial technologies – saving DOD hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Two years of funding for innovative load stabilization technology for Army and Air Force rescue helicopters.

Sometimes traditional authorization vehicles are not available, and clients need to use the policy provisions (sometimes called "riders") in appropriations bills to achieve policy victories. Mike has years of success to point to in this critical area.

• When NASA planned to eliminate its entire investment in rotary wing research, Mike successfully lobbied for multiple appropriations provisions to restore NASA's role in this cutting-edge area.
• In order to improve child care delivery on U.S. military bases, Mike was able to use appropriations report language to urge DOD to look for private sector solutions to improve day care for our military families.
• When the U.S. found itself without a domestic facility to process a raw material that is critical to America's national security, Mike successfully used report language to push DOD to partner with industry to recreate a domestic capability. Ultimately DOD offered Defense Production Act funds to help industry revive a dormant U.S. facility.
• When a flawed new system at the Department of Education threatened the ability of the Department to service thousands of student loans, Mike successfully lobbied for report language to force the Department to revise its policies in this area.
• When the Department of Energy issued onerous new rules governing the size and power of household ceiling fans, Mike lobbied for a rider rescinding the new rules – including a successful vote on the floor of the House.
• When the Federal Trade Commission unfairly labelled legitimate direct selling companies as "pyramid schemes" Mike successfully included report language that clarified the definition of pyramid schemes.