General Motors Co. is making several top-level hires to its Washington team as it seeks to influence Democratic policymakers who share its vision for an electric transportation future.
That might come with big taxpayer-funded incentives the auto industry is seeking to help build out electric-vehicle infrastructure. But the federal largesse also comes with a catch: a heavier regulatory hand that experts say is likely prompting the automaker to strengthen its ranks in the capital city.
GM is aiming high. The Detroit automaker hired a former George W. Bush-appointed Department of Justice leader, a former administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appointed by Barack Obama, and, most recently, a niece of President Joe Biden, among others.