Penn spent $180,000 lobbying the federal government on issues related to international student visas, financial aid, and research in the third quarter of 2026.

The disclosure, filed earlier this month, brings the University’s total lobbying expenditures for the year to $750,000. Penn’s spending this quarter fell sharply from the $280,000 reported in the second quarter of 2026 and was down 50% from the same period last year.

According to the report, Penn lobbied on the “Save Healthcare Workers Act” and Medicaid funding under 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Other listed issues included workplace violence prevention, National Institutes of Health research, and “international students and visas.”

A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson. The University’s first disclosure, filed on Oct. 19, indicated $100,000 in spending during the third quarter of this year. On Wednesday, Penn filed an amendment to its initial posting.  

Associate Vice President for Federal Affairs William Andresen and Penn Medicine Corporate Director for Government and Community Relations Kristen Molloy were named as the University’s lobbyists.

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Between July 1 and Sept. 30, Penn allocated $130,000 to retain two external lobbying firms: BGR Group and Mehlman Consulting.

Penn first contacted BGR Group — one of the largest lobbying firms in Washington — in May 2025 to advocate on its behalf with federal policymakers. The University paid the firm $80,000 this quarter for “strategic counsel and advocate on issues related to higher education and research appropriations.”

Six BGR Group lobbyists represented Penn, including Managing Director David Urban, who graduated from Penn in 1994. Urban also served as a senior advisor to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Sean Cooksey, who formerly served as Vice President JD Vance’s chief legal and policy adviser, is also a member of the firm.

Penn paid $50,000 to retain the services of Mehlman Consulting, which lobbied the federal government on “health issues impacting academic medical systems,” Medicare and Medicaid, and the “Tax Exempt Hospital Transparency Act.”

The University’s lobbying efforts have shown a marked decline since the fourth quarter of 2025, when Penn posted a record-high $510,000 in spending.