Jimmy Sapp Joins Ballard Partners as Washington Partner

September 2, 2026

Contact: Justin Sayfie
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202.800.5620 T

Jimmy Sapp, Former Acting Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg, Joins Ballard Partners’ Washington Office as Partner

Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Legislative Affairs Brings a Decade of Pentagon and Capitol Hill Experience to the Firm

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ballard Partners, a leading international government relations and public affairs firm, today announced that Jimmy Sapp, former Acting Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Legislative Affairs, is joining the firm as a Partner in its Washington, D.C. office.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jimmy to Ballard Partners,” said Brian Ballard, President and Founder of Ballard Partners. “Few people in Washington understand the inner workings of the Pentagon, the legislative process, and the national security priorities of this Administration as well as Jimmy does. His judgment, his relationships across the aisle, and his firsthand experience translating the Department of War’s priorities into legislative results will be an enormous asset to our clients.”

Sapp most recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Legislative Affairs, where he advised Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg, Under Secretaries, and other senior officials on legislative matters, from January 2025 to September 2026. During this time, he directed strategic guidance on all legislative matters affecting the Department of War. He additionally served as Acting Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg, managing the daily operations of that office and its national security initiatives from March to July 2026.

During his tenure, Sapp led the team that implemented the Department’s congressional engagement strategy, overseeing more than 3,700 congressional engagements and helping secure an unprecedented pace of Senate confirmations, with more than 50 Presidentially Appointed, Senate-confirmed civilian officials confirmed within the administration’s first year. He was instrumental in securing more than $150 billion for the Department of War in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and led the legislative effort to codify the Department of War’s name change into Title 10 of the U.S. Code, passing out of both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Sapp also chaired the Department’s Executive Resources Board, overseeing merit-based Senior Executive Service hiring in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management.

“Ballard Partners is widely recognized as one of the most effective and respected government relations firms in the country, and I am honored to join such a talented team,” said Sapp. “Having spent the last several years working to advance the Department of War’s priorities on Capitol Hill, I look forward to bringing that experience to bear for Ballard’s clients as they navigate an increasingly complex national security and defense landscape.”

Prior to his service at the Department of War, Sapp was a Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Judiciary Committee, where he advanced legislative initiatives on national security and led congressional oversight investigations into the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also served as a senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, and in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, where he managed national security and international affairs appointments. Earlier in his career, Sapp held roles at the Pentagon and in the White House Liaison Office and Office of Public Affairs and worked on numerous state and national political campaigns.

Sapp is a graduate of Troy University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences with a minor in Psychology.

The addition of Sapp further strengthens Ballard Partners’ Washington office and the firm’s advocacy on behalf of clients navigating the Department of War, Capitol Hill, and the broader national security policy process.