Amid the Trump administration’s ongoing higher education reform efforts, Penn spent $360,000 on in-house federal lobbying this quarter — its highest single-period expenditure on record.
According to a recently filed disclosure, Penn lobbied the federal government on multiple issues, including topics related to the National Institutes of Health, research, international student visas, and student financial aid. The University spent and additional $260,000 during this fiscal quarter retaining the services of several external lobbying firms: BGR Group, Mehlman Consulting, and Cassidy & Associates.
Penn listed Associate Vice President for Federal Affairs William Andresen and Penn Medicine Corporate Director for Government and Community Relations Kristen Molloy as individuals who lobbied on behalf of the University in its disclosure report.
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
The quarter — which spans from July 1 to Sept. 30 — included a tumultuous time for the University, which has remained a continued target for the Trump administration.
In July, Penn entered into a resolution agreement with the White House to settle its Title IX violations and recoup $175 million in frozen funding. The University removed 2022 College graduate and former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas’ individual records and issued a public statement specifying that Penn Athletics “will adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump’s Executive Orders.”
Earlier this year, an analysis conducted by The Daily Pennsylvanian projected that the University would spend record amounts on federal lobbying during the 2025 fiscal year. So far, in this fiscal year Penn’s internal lobbying expenditures have totaled $810,000.
Penn has continued to retain BGR Group — one of Washington’s largest lobbying firms — which it first contracted in May to advocate on its behalf with federal policymakers.
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According to a form filed in May, the four BGR lobbyists representing Penn were David Urban, Daniel Murphy, Remy Brim, and Bob Wood.
Urban — who serves as a managing director at BGR and also received a Master of Public Administration from Penn in 1994 — was a senior advisor to 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and is credited with securing Trump’s victory in Pennsylvania.
“Penn regularly engages with policymakers and diverse partners to advance work that helps power economic opportunity, drive medical and scientific breakthroughs, and expand access to learning and wellness for communities across the country,” a University spokesperson wrote to the DP at the time.
Penn paid the firm $140,000 this fiscal quarter.
Mehlman Consulting, another prominent Washington consulting firm, and Cassidy & Associates were paid $40,000 and $80,000 by Penn respectively.
