McGuireWoods Consulting

09/03/2026

Joshua Canter, vice president on our national advocacy team and an advisor on AI strategy for companies and organizations, focuses on a shift many teams are only beginning to recognize:

It is not just about how to use AI.

It is about how to operate in a world that already does.

Most conversations still center on text and image generation.

The larger issue is that AI systems now:

• Scrape and summarize websites
• Shape AI-driven search visibility
• Influence how policy positions are interpreted
• Act as intermediaries between organizations and stakeholders

That changes communication strategy.

Websites must be structured for AI discoverability and accurate interpretation. Content must anticipate machine summarization. Credibility must be protected in an AI-shaped information environment.

The competitive advantage is no longer adoption.

It is a strategic adaptation.

On March 11, Josh will discuss how communications and public affairs teams can move from experimentation to everyday practice while responding to these structural shifts.

Public Affairs Council

02/03/2026

Yesterday, Spiro Amburn joined 11Alive ’s The Georgia Vote for a roundtable discussion with hosts Zach Merchant and Faith Jessie.

During the roundtable, Spiro analyzed the State of the Union address and weighed in on the continued race to become Georgia’s next governor, offering insight into the political dynamics shaping the state.

Great to see Spiro bringing thoughtful perspective to important conversations across Georgia.

Watch the segment here: https://www.11alive.com/video/news/live_stream/the-georgia-vote/85-52b20501-d504-4cce-b3a3-7d3b886dad8f

26/02/2026

On Feb. 24, Fran Bradford, senior vice president of Virginia government relations, attended the Virginia21 Leadership Awards Reception. The event brings together college student leaders from across the state alongside policymakers, nonprofit and business professionals, and community partners.

McGuireWoods Consulting is proud to have sponsored this year’s event. Fran and our education team actively engage with organizations like Virginia21 to better serve students across the commonwealth.

26/02/2026

On Feb. 18, 2026, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his annual State of the State and budget address, outlining successes under his leadership and detailing the state’s fiscal year 2027 priorities.

The governor revised his fiscal year 2026 revenue forecast to $55.22 billion and proposed a $56.05 billion General Funds budget for fiscal year 2027, a balanced plan that includes $589 million in revenue adjustments, full funding of the state’s pension obligation and targeted investments in education, health care and housing. The proposal also addresses significant federal funding uncertainty, including potential impacts to SNAP and Medicaid.

Henry Mohn and Lauren Hund break down the topline figures, key policy proposals and what comes next as the General Assembly works toward a May 31 budget deadline.

Read the full recap and analysis on our website: https://mwcllc.com/2026/02/26/gov-j-b-pritzker-fy-2027-budget-proposal/

25/02/2026

McGuireWoods Consulting federal team has successfully secured over $20 million in congressionally directed spending. This funding spans across 16 projects highlighted below.

Education
$2.5 million for a center for building and construction trades education at a major higher education system in Virginia.

State Government Relations
$1.2 million for a creek flood mitigation project in a city in Virginia.
$1 million for a biotechnology accelerator for a city in Virginia.

Health Care
$2 million for a senior center modernization and upgrade at countywide senior center facilities in a Georgia county.

Transportation
$2 million for a mobility hub at a transportation regional commission in North Carolina.

This round of wins reinforces McGuireWoods Consulting’s commitment to delivering measurable results and advancing projects that make a tangible difference on the ground.

Read the full article on our website: https://mwcllc.com/2026/02/25/federal-affairs-team-secures-federal-funding/

Contact: Scott Binkley and Clayton Cox

24/02/2026

Joshua Canter, vice president on our national advocacy team, advises communications and public affairs teams on how artificial intelligence is reshaping strategy, visibility and influence in the public information war.

AI is no longer just making funny images online.

It is:
• Synthesizing complex policy environments in real time
• Powering AI-driven search results
• Scraping and summarizing website content at scale
• Influencing how organizations and policy positions are described
• Acting as an intermediary between stakeholders and primary sources

Many teams are still thinking about AI as a productivity tool.

The more strategic shift is this:

Advocacy professionals must now operate in a world where AI systems are actively shaping narrative terrain.

Websites are being scraped. Bills are being summarized by machines. Visibility is increasingly mediated through AI-generated responses.

That requires more than experimentation.

It requires intentional website structuring, content clarity and credibility safeguards designed for an AI-interpreted environment.

On March 11, Josh will discuss what has materially changed in the past year and what advocacy teams must consider now as AI becomes embedded in both workflow and information ecosystems.

Public Affairs Council

24/02/2026

On Dec. 29, 2025, Virginia was awarded $189,544,888 in health care funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The funding is aimed at remedying rural health care inequities in the commonwealth.

Our team breaks down the details and what this means for providers, policymakers and stakeholders across Virginia.

Read the full analysis on our website: https://mwcllc.com/2026/02/04/virginia-receives-189-million-in-health-care-grant-funds/

McGuireWoods Consulting closely tracks state and federal health care policy developments nationwide. For more information on Virginia’s evolving health care landscape, please contact one of the authors below.

Pictured (L to R): Fran Bradford, Travis Blankenship

17/02/2026

Thank you to John Reiten, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Executive Director of the National Energy Dominance Council, for visiting our Washington, D.C. office to discuss the Administration's energy priorities for 2026.

It was great to bring together our McGuireWoods Consulting team, McGuireWoods LLP attorneys and energy clients for this candid conversation.

27/01/2026

In 2025, McGuireWoods Consulting’s site selection & incentives negotiation team delivered results for clients navigating complex location, investment and expansion decisions across the United States.

Across industry sectors including data centers; banking and finance; food and beverage manufacturing; wood and forestry products; real estate and land use; solar; battery energy storage systems (BESS); and warehouse and logistics, the team helped clients secure more than $1.2 billion in announced capital investment, support 800-plus direct jobs, and advance projects in 10 states through strategic site selection, incentive negotiations and coordination with state and local partners.

A key success in 2025 was data centers. The team supported more than $186 billion in announced data center capital investment and 4,000-plus direct data center jobs, reinforcing its role in one of the nation’s most competitive growth sectors.

These results reflect the team’s skill, market knowledge, and strong relationships, led by Chris Lloyd, Ford Graham, Steven Pearce and Joseph Beasley, and the trust clients place in McGuireWoods Consulting to move complex projects forward.

View the 2025 Year in Review below.

View the report on our website: https://mwcllc.com/2026/01/27/mcguirewoods-consultings-site-selection-incentives-negotiation-2025-year-in-review/

23/01/2026

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Announce Rural Health Transformation Program Funding

On Dec. 29, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all 50 states would receive funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program, which is mandated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Read more about how this significant federal investment will impact rural communities across the country: https://mwcllc.com/2026/01/15/centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-announce-rural-health-transformation-program-funding/

Author: Mimi Bair

On Dec. 29, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all 50 states would receive funding under the Rural Health

23/01/2026

Executive Order Targets State AI Regulation Through Federal Preemption

On Dec. 11, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order asserting broad federal authority over the regulation of artificial intelligence and directing federal agencies to take steps to discourage, challenge or override state-level artificial intelligence (AI) policies. The final order formalizes a significant federal intervention into ongoing state efforts to legislate in areas such as automated decision-making, algorithmic transparency and data governance.

Read the full breakdown here: https://mwcllc.com/2026/01/20/executive-order-targets-state-ai-regulation-through-federal-preemption/

Author: Mimi Bair

On Dec. 11, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order asserting broad federal authority over the regulation of artificial intelligence and directing

16/01/2026

Spiro Amburn, senior vice president on our Georgia government relations team, appeared last night on “Lawmakers” on Georgia Public Broadcasting, a live, weeknight program airing during the legislative session.

The discussion focused on the governor’s State of the State address and the Democratic response, alongside Antrell Tyson, Esq. of Paramount Consulting Group.

View the program here:

GPB's Lawmakers provides nightly, in-depth coverage of the Georgia General Assembly.