Federal Focus
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Lobbying, Public relations |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Thorne G. Auchter, James J. Tozzi |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Key people | Thorne G. Auchter, James J. Tozzi |
| Products | Lobbying services, Public relations |
Federal Focus, Inc was a lobbying and public relations agency established circa 1986 by Thorne G. Auchter, the former OSHA administrator, and James J. Tozzi, who previously led the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the Reagan administration.
About
Following their departure from government positions due to potential conflicts of interest, Tozzi began consulting for a Washington-based law firm that represented tobacco industry clients. Around 1990, Tozzi and Auchter launched Federal Focus, soon followed by the creation of Multinational Business Services, with Auchter primarily serving as its public face. They also managed the Institute for Regulatory Policy, an organization with a facade of scientific credibility.
Their early collaborations included working with the Formaldehyde Institute and chemical sector entities, aligning themselves with tobacco companies in opposition to regulatory bodies such as the EPA, FDA, and OSHA. By 1993, both Tozzi and Auchter were engaged in lobbying activities on behalf of cigarette manufacturers, reportedly generating revenues exceeding one million dollars over several years.
In 1992, Tozzi authored a report challenging the EPA’s evaluation of risks associated with secondhand smoke. This initiative was part of a larger tobacco-sponsored campaign involving multiple organizations and researchers advocating for risk assessment methodologies outside traditional biomedical frameworks.
Operating as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity, Federal Focus received annual funding of approximately $200,000 to continuously provide analyses on governmental Risk Assessment and Risk Management policies. It also exercised control over additional front groups including the Center for the Study of Environmental Endocrine Effects, the Center for Epidemiological Studies, and the Health Policy Institute.
Tozzi and Auchter transparently utilized these nonprofit organizations to offer profitable lobbying services to tobacco corporations such as Philip Morris, as well as presumably other companies within the chemical industry.