The new group, Next American Era, is seemingly indistinguishable from the many other centrist, billionaire-funded groups that have popped up in the past year.
Centrist Democrats aligned with Ezra Klein’s deregulatory push have launched a new group according to reporting by Axios. The organization, Next American Era, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit will reportedly be a “hub for center-left policy and advocacy.” The organization is going to be led by former DCCC chair Cheri Bustos, who is currently a partner at one of the most Trump-connected lobbying firms in the beltway, Mercury Public Affairs. It is unclear if she intends to resign her position at the firm in order to lead the new abundance group, though as of publication, she is still listed as an active partner on Mercury’s website.
Bustos left the House of Representatives at the end of the 117th Congress and found a job at Mercury just weeks later, even registering as a lobbyist that same year despite most members of Congress being forced to wait one year before formally engaging in lobbying. Since then, Bustos has lobbied on behalf of a number of corporate clients. Some are particularly supportive of the deregulatory policies Klein’s “abundance movement” has been encouraging the Democratic Party to adopt, particularly Silicon Valley giants seeking to rapidly build data centers.
Bustos’ Clients Include:
- OpenAI
- The AI giant has been requesting government backstops for data center construction and for the Trump administration to eliminate supposed regulatory hurdles that are slowing data center construction, a position that aligns closely with much of the abundance critique. OpenAI has also been vocally supportive of the SPEED Act, a permitting reform proposal pushed aggressively by fossil fuel groups like the American Petroleum Institute and abundance groups like the Foundation for American Innovation and Institute for Progress. Bustos was a registered lobbyist for Open AI as of 2025.
- Oracle
- Oracle is a large tech firm closely tied to the AI industry, offering cloud computing services for hire and working closely with OpenAI to build data centers around the country. In September, Oracle and OpenAI signed a historically large $300 billion contract to provide cloud computing services for the AI firm’s ever-growing demand. The company is led by Trump ally Larry Ellison, who financed his son’s recent takeover of CBS news. Bustos was a registered lobbyist for Oracle in 2024 and 2025.
- Solana Policy Institute
- The public affairs arm of the Solana cryptocurrency platform, the Solana Policy Institute hired Bustos to lobby on “issues related to a decentralized financial platform.” Solana has close ties to Trump, as the company donated to his inaugural committee and was listed as among the cryptocurrencies that would be hed by his “crypto-strategic reserve.” The $TRUMP Memecoin, off of which the president profited an estimated $315 million, is hosted by Solana Blockchain. Bustos was a registered lobbyist for the Solana Policy Institute as of 2025.
- Fossil Fuel Companies
While we don’t yet know who else will be involved in Next American Era, or who all will be funding it, it seems safe to assume that AI-friendly billionaires enchanted by Klein’s vision for the world might be the ones backing the project. If SuperBowl ads were any indication, AI has plenty of money to throw around. Perhaps Bustos’ new project will be their next PR blitz.