Joe Crowley, Bill Shuster decamp to K Street
Former members setting up at Squire Patton Boggs

Ex-Reps. Joseph Crowley, the New York Democrat who lost his primary race to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Republican Bill Shuster, who retired after the 115th Congress, are setting up shop on K Street.
The bipartisan duo is joining the global public policy practice at lobbying and law firm Squire Patton Boggs — home of other former lawmakers including House Speaker John A. Boehner and Sens. Trent Lott and John Breaux. The firm also had a now-severed strategic affiliation with Michael Cohen, the former attorney to President Donald Trump, who has since pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations.
“Joe Crowley and Bill Shuster have been leaders in their respective parties and are two of the most effective legislators of their generation,” said Breaux and Lott, who co-chair Squire Patton Boggs’ public policy practice, in a news release. “The skills and experience Bill and Joe bring will be an asset for clients all over the world who are seeking to navigate the challenges of modern-day Washington. They are a blockbuster addition to our global, bipartisan public policy practice.”
A spokesman for the firm said Shuster and Crowley were not available for interviews Tuesday.
Squire Patton Boggs was the fourth largest federal lobbying practice in 2018 with publicly reported revenue of $24.2 million, according to congressional lobbying disclosures tabulated by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The firm’s recent clients include many in the South, including the Coca-Cola Co., the Gulf Energy Alliance, University of Miami and the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Crowley, a 10-term lawmaker, was viewed as a potential future contender for speaker of the House until his surprise loss in June 2018 to Ocasio-Cortez, a star of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and a sharp critic of the K Street lobbying corridor that Crowley now joins.
“Serving in Congress was an honor of a lifetime and I look forward to working on many of the same issues in this new role,” Crowley said in the firm’s news release announcing the moves. “It’s exciting to be joining a firm with such a storied history, great people and to be doing so with a dear friend.”
Shuster served as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and spent eight full terms in Congress as well as finishing part of the term of his father, ex-Rep. Bud Shuster, who resigned during the early days of the 107th Congress.
“I am proud of my service in Congress, especially the last six years as Chairman of the T&I Committee,” Shuster said in the release. “Joining Squire Patton Boggs gives Joe and me an opportunity to work with the best in the business on tackling some of our nation’s most pressing needs, including prioritizing an infrastructure agenda.”
Several other lawmakers who left Capitol Hill after the 115th Congress have also decamped to K Street gigs.
Former Sen. Jon Kyl, the Arizona Republican who rejoined the Senate last year to temporarily fill the late Sen. John McCain’s seat, returned to his previous job at the lobbying and law firm Covington. Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Lamar Smith of Texas joined the law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as senior adviser and senior consultant, respectively,
Some notable members of the 115th Congress still have not announced new gigs, including Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin.