David Skillman advises firms on the development of federal law and legislation at the nexus of tax and trade, particularly with regard to areas of key national interest, such as semiconductors, intellectual property, critical minerals, and clean energy. He brings to his practice a deep understanding of the federal legislative and regulatory environment, having served for more than a decade as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Chairman of the Trade Subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means.
During the pandemic, David counseled numerous clients across industries as varied as education, travel and hospitality, performing arts, healthcare, and energy, and secured meaningful legislative changes to extend a lifeline to industries battered by the public health emergency.
On Capitol Hill, he led Chairman Blumenauer's negotiations for the House Democrats' Trade Working Group, as it sought changes necessary for Congressional approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. He also authored portions of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, played a key role in the enactment of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, and led Rep. Blumenauer’s work on the Timber Annex to the Peru FTA.
David also developed and secured enactment of legislation supporting renewable energy incentives—including extensions of the production tax credit, the investment tax credit, payment mechanisms such as transferability for clean energy credits, and the creation of the investment tax credit for distributed wind energy—as well as a variety of other changes to corporate, individual, and excise taxes. He also supervised the creation and expansion of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus and Cannabis Working Group and drafted key provisions of the MORE Act and other leading cannabis legalization measures.
Perspectives
Recognition
Credentials
Education
- J.D., University of Oregon School of Law, 2006, Fellow, Senator Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics
- Coro Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University
- B.A., Colorado College, 1999
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Supreme Court of the United States
Government & Military Service
- Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Chairman of the Trade Subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means
Activities
- Lecturer, George Washington University, Graduate School of Political Management