Senate GOP aide joins Delta

A former Republican Senate aide has joined Delta’s lobbying team, the company confirmed on Thursday.

Mimi Braniff, who most recently worked as the Republican special counsel to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee under Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), has become a policy counsel within the government affairs department at the airline.

Delta has spent more than $1.3 million on lobbying in the first half of this year.

{mosads}The company lobbies on a variety of policy matters, including trade, transportation policy, airport security and energy issues, including the renewable fuel standard and policies affecting crude oil exports. 

But perhaps the largest battle the company has been involved in this year has been the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. Delta is pushing for changes to the bank, arguing it helps foreign airlines at the expense of domestic carriers. 

The bank in the past has had broad support in Congress, but is facing fierce opposition from some conservative groups. Nonetheless, House Republicans appear poised to pass an extension of the bank’s charter this month.

Braniff has also worked as a vice president of federal affairs for NRG Energy and an aide counsel to both the Senate Commerce and Appropriations committees. She now must take a “cooling off” period before lobbying any of her Senate colleagues.

The hire was first flagged by congressional research website LegiStorm and confirmed by Delta.