Rubio staffer leaves for tech lobbying group

Longtime Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) adviser Alex Burgos is leaving Capitol Hill to work for the technology lobbying group TechNet, Politico reports.

Burgos had previously been Rubio’s deputy chief of staff and communications director, and was the Florida senator’s longest-serving paid staffer. In his new role, Burgos will serve as TechNet’s vice president of federal policy, government relations and communications.

“Alex played a key role in helping me win my supposedly un-winnable 2010 U.S. Senate campaign and has been a fixture in my organization ever since,” Rubio said in a written statement to Politico.

{mosads}In Rubio’s office, Burgos worked on key policy areas to tech, including tax policy and immigration. Both issues, significant areas of focus for both TechNet and Rubio, are slated for reform attempts.

Immigration policy was vaulted back into the national political spotlight when President Donald Trump signed his “Buy American and Hire American” executive order on Tuesday. The order’s specific details are vague, but the order signals forthcoming policy changes on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, which are critical for the technology companies that TechNet represents.

Tax reform is also poised to make its way back into national political discourse. During his speech announcing the executive order on Tuesday, Trump said that he is working with Congress on tax reform and simplification and said that he would be announcing his plan sometime after the GOP finished with its planned ObamaCare repeal and replace plan.

“TechNet’s members include breakthrough startups and the most storied, life-changing technology companies on the planet, and I am excited to join the TechNet team to help keep America’s innovation economy growing and creating more good-paying jobs,” Burgos said in a statement.