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October 26, 2023

ByteDance sets new lobbying record amid scrutiny of TikTok’s China ties

New lobbying disclosures reveal that TikTok parent company ByteDance has ramped up its lobbying amid mounting efforts to crack down on the video-sharing app, pouring record sums of money into federal lobbying.

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Senator Joe Manchin grows $11 million war chest as he mulls uphill reelection bid

Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.V.) political future is unclear. With a campaign committee sporting $11.3 million on hand, the 76-year-old Democrat is weighing his options, ranging from retirement to an independent presidential run.

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Defense contractors spent $70 million lobbying ahead of annual defense budget bill

Companies in the defense sector spent a combined $70 million on lobbying the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act and poured $3 million on contributions to federal candidates and their leadership PACs during the first half of 2023.

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One of the largest coordinated lobbying efforts regarding the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act was centered around the procurement of F-35 combat aircrafts, which is the most expensive U.S. military project to date. Analysts project the program will cost the federal government $1.7 trillion over its 60-year duration.

F-35 aircraft are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, one of the top defense contractors in terms of both revenue and lobbying expenditures.

Lockheed Martin’s in-house lobbying contract cost about $6.9 million in the first two quarters of 2023. The defense contractor’s president of legislative affairs, Kristine Fauser, signed off on their lobbying disclosure and lobbied on behalf of the company in the first half of 2023.

Before working for Lockheed Martin, Fauser served as the defense and national security advisor to the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’s ranking member, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Prior to that, she worked for eight years as a Logistics Management Specialist for Naval Sea Systems Command.

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OpenSecrets in the News

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

Fossil fuel firms spent millions on US lawmakers who sponsored anti-protest bills (The Guardian)

In addition, 25 fossil fuel and energy companies have contributed more than $5m to state anti-protest bill sponsors in this timeframe, data from political finance trackers OpenSecrets and Follow the Money shows.

'I am a Zionist': How Joe Biden's lifelong bond with Israel shapes war policy (Reuters)

During his 36 years in the Senate, Biden was the chamber's biggest recipient in history of donations from pro-Israeli groups, taking in $4.2 million, according to the OpenSecrets database. As vice president, Biden often mediated the testy relationship between Obama and Netanyahu.

Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX allies secretly poured $50 million into ‘dark money’ groups, evidence shows (CNBC)

Bankman-Fried registered over $36 million in donations to Democratic campaigns and outside groups that disclose the names of their donors during the 2022 cycle, according to data from the nonpartisan OpenSecrets. He was a vocal and major financial supporter of charities promoting the concept of effective altruism, which argues people should work and use their money to better the world.

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