Laura A. Friedel

• Secured new bill language in applicable appropriations bills to ensure the Administration could not change the indirect cost rate for non-university research institutions. Initial bill language excluded independent research institutions.
• Advised the majority of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world on appropriations and legislative activities.
• Advised clients on the federal vaccine policy landscape and strategies for working with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Placed and prepared clients to voluntarily testify at House and Senate hearings.
• Guided patient advocacy organizations on working with the National Institutes of Health and other federal research agencies to protect current funding and research programs.
• Drafted legislative language, appropriations requests, and regulatory comment letters to further client priorities.
• Advised clients on the tariff and “Buy American” regulatory landscape.

Laura Friedel provides strategic counsel on policy and appropriations solutions to a diverse array of health care clients, including patient advocacy groups, multinational corporations, biotechnology firms, trade associations, and provider organizations.

Laura brings more than 20 years of experience from her tenure in the United States Senate, including 12 years as clerk and staff director for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. In this capacity, she led the development of the largest non-defense appropriations bill, overseeing allocations exceeding $215 billion in discretionary funding and $1.3 trillion in mandatory funding. She played a pivotal role in crafting and negotiating every LHHS bill for over a decade, as well as supplemental packages addressing pandemic response, disaster recovery, and refugee resettlement.

Her leadership contributed to a 60% increase in NIH funding, the establishment of ARPA-H, expansion of mental health and substance use programs, and advancements in medical countermeasures and drug development. Laura was instrumental in negotiating five bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills in 2020, securing more than $320 billion for HHS, and facilitating the launch of Operation Warp Speed and NIH’s RADx initiative.

Education

• Johns Hopkins University (M.A., 2003)
• Bucknell University (B.A., 2000)

Memberships