Your weekly money in politics newsletter.

January 4, 2023

Lawmakers spending hundreds of thousands bankrolling political allies

As 2024 elections draw closer, OpenSecrets analyses show that top lawmaker-to-lawmaker contributors are using their candidate committees and leadership PACs to steer hundreds of thousands to fellow members of Congress to bolster party lines and develop political allies.

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Federal lobbying on artificial intelligence grows as legislative efforts stall

More organizations than ever are lobbying the federal government on artificial intelligence as legislative efforts to regulate stall. Over 350 organizations reported lobbying on artificial intelligence issues in the first nine months of 2023.

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Chart of the Week

Dive deeper into the data behind the headlines

Last year saw an explosion of competing consumer generative AI products, and significant advancements in the field have prompted attempts at regulation. The tranche of lobbyists working on AI issues has grown throughout 2023 as well.

From the first quarter of 2023 to the second quarter, the number of groups lobbying the federal government on AI jumped from 129 to 235, an 82% increase. The third quarter saw 323 groups doing the same, a 37% increase.

And there’s a lot to lobby on. Congress introduced at least 48 distinct bills regulating AI in 2023 alone, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit law and policy institute. None of the bills have been voted on by either chamber, and they can still be considered this year.

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OpenSecrets in the News

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

Watch What People Do, Not What They Say About the Economy (The New York Times)

It’s worth mentioning that the National Federation of Independent Business is very Republican; OpenSecrets reports that G.O.P. candidates have received over 99 percent of its contributions so far this election cycle.

Ronna McDaniel's challenger for RNC chair says after losses like midterms, leaders 'typically move on' (Fox News)

Republicans spent nearly twice as much money as Democrats on fundraising efforts during the 2022 midterm elections, according to OpenSecrets. However, Democrats outspent the GOP by more than $100 million in media while Republicans spent $93.4 million on campaign strategy and communications consulting.

Joe Biden’s reluctance to call for ceasefire may leave him at odds with his party (The Guardian)

From 1990 to the present, Biden was the Senate’s biggest ever recipient of donations from pro-Israeli groups with more than $4m, according to the OpenSecrets database, well ahead of fellow Democrats Robert Menendez and Hillary Clinton at just under $2.5m each.