Why It Matters
RTI International filed a first-quarter 2026 in-house lobbying disclosure on May 6, reporting $200,000 in lobbying expenditures, a sharp increase from the $120,000 it reported each quarter throughout 2025. The filing lists no specific issues or legislation, leaving the agenda undisclosed at a moment when the North Carolina-based research nonprofit is navigating what news reports have described as an existential federal funding crisis.
RTI International has been among the hardest-hit organizations from the Trump administration's cancellation of federal research contracts. News reporting from the Raleigh News & Observer and Science/AAAS describes 170 terminated federal grants and contracts, roughly $1.1 billion in lost revenue, and a workforce reduction of approximately 35 percent.
With that backdrop, the organization's lobbying activity (and the jump in spending) reflects an effort to engage Congress on issues that could affect its core business. Prior filings from RTI's external lobbying firms point to issues including international development, health appropriations, federal funding, and public health, suggesting those remain the likely terrain of engagement, though the current filing discloses nothing specific.
By The Numbers
The first-quarter 2026 in-house filing reports $200,000, compared to $120,000 in each of the prior three quarters. That represents a 67 percent increase quarter over quarter on the in-house side alone.
RTI's lobbying operation runs across three separate channels. The in-house team (Marie Spear, James Hunter, and Samantha Porter) has filed consistently since at least mid-2024, with each quarterly disclosure reporting $120,000 until this latest filing. Across eight in-house filings dating back to the second quarter 2024 report, the in-house team has reported a total of $1,040,000.
Simultaneously, RTI has retained two external firms. Cornerstone Government Affairs Inc. filed a first-quarter 2026 report disclosing $40,000, with a team that includes Mike Smith, Jim Richards, John Crumbliss, Erik Fatemi, Todd Webster Jr., and Susan Sweat. Checkmate Government Relations LLC filed a separate first-quarter 2026 report disclosing $60,000, with lobbyists including Ches McDowell IV, Caitlin Koury, Chris LaCivita Jr., Usman Rahim, and Miles Johnson.
Taken together, RTI's disclosed first-quarter 2026 lobbying spend across all three registrants totals $300,000.
The Agenda
The current in-house filing lists no specific issues lobbied and cites no legislation. This is a departure from prior in-house filings, which described work on defense innovation, health statistics, U.S. foreign assistance, and global health programming.
The two external firms have consistently described their work in broader terms. Cornerstone's filings have cited international development, health appropriations, federal funding, and public health. Checkmate's filings have described engagement on healthcare funding issues, with no specific bill cited in any quarter.
No legislation appears in any of RTI's lobbying disclosure records across the past year, from any registrant.
Broader Context
The backdrop for RTI's escalating lobbying activity is well-documented. Reporting from Axios Raleigh, WRAL, Business North Carolina, and EdNC describes an organization that has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs. Business North Carolina reported a third round of cuts involving 170 U.S.-based employees, including 76 in North Carolina. EdNC noted RTI filed a formal WARN notice of mass layoff. WRAL reported the workforce has been reduced by roughly 35 percent.
The funding disruptions stem from the cancellation of federal research grants and contracts. Science/AAAS reported that 170 of RTI's grants and contracts were terminated in fiscal year 2025, spanning global health and climate research. The Assembly NC characterized the scale of the cuts (approximately $1 billion in lost contracts) as a political flashpoint heading into the 2026 election cycle.
Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-2) weighed in directly in October 2025, writing on X: "The research done at RTI is valuable and vital, and the economic output benefits both the Triangle and the rest of North Carolina. There is simply no reason to punish the workers of our state for a political agenda."
The in-house lobbying team has some relevant congressional background. James Hunter previously served as Legislative Director for Rep. David E. Price (D-NC-4) and interned on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Marie Spear has prior experience with the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Those backgrounds align with the international development and health programming issues RTI has described in past filings.
Cornerstone's team includes lobbyists with appropriations experience. Erik Fatemi previously served as professional staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Todd Webster Jr. served as Chief of Staff for Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE) and in communications roles for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). Susan Sweat previously worked in the office of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS).
Checkmate added Miles Johnson to its RTI team in the fourth quarter of 2025. Johnson's disclosed background includes roles as Special Assistant to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Legislative Aide to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).
The Bottom Line
RTI International's lobbying disclosure for the first quarter of 2026 shows a notable increase in spending at a moment when the organization is under significant pressure from federal funding cuts. The absence of disclosed issues in the current in-house filing makes it difficult to assess what specific legislative outcomes RTI is seeking.
Prior filings point toward health appropriations, federal research funding, and international development as the likely areas of focus, but the current record leaves the specific agenda opaque. With three lobbying registrants active simultaneously and total quarterly spend rising, RTI's Washington engagement is clearly intensifying.
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