John Buscher is a Senior Policy Advisor for Holland & Knight's Government Section. Mr. Buscher has more than 15 years of experience working on Capitol Hill and in the field of government relations. He served as a legislative assistant for two Democratic Senators from Illinois – Alan J. Dixon and Carol Moseley-Braun, and was tasked with locating federal funding for local projects in the State of Illinois.
In 1996, Mr. Buscher became the Director of Governmental Affairs for United Airlines and spent over seven years representing the airline before members of Congress and federal agencies. Mr. Buscher focused on aviation policy during three different FAA Reauthorization bills, proposed mergers, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, new security requirements, competition guidelines, environmental regulations and the bankruptcy process. Mr. Buscher also dealt extensively in securing appropriations for airports, air traffic control and aircraft technology improvements to the aviation system.
Since joining Holland & Knight in 2003, Mr. Buscher has expanded his practice beyond the aviation realm to include representing major corporations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, hospitals, security companies, technology companies, railroads and universities. Mr. Buscher served as part of the Holland & Knight team that represented two Illinois communities that fought to preserve their Air National Guard bases from closure during the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Process.
Due to his background, Mr. Buscher has maintained longstanding relationships with members of the Illinois delegation, including the two Senate offices. He has worked closely with members and staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Senate Commerce Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Through his career working on the Hill and in government relations, Mr. Buscher has solidified his relationships with Democratic leadership in the Senate and House of Representatives.