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June 4, 2020

This week in money-in-politics

Renewed calls to demilitarize police set the stage for familiar union fight

Clashes between protesters and law enforcement around the country have led to a bipartisan call from congressional lawmakers to demilitarize America’s police.

Several lawmakers have focused that effort on amending or repealing the Department of Defense’s 1033 Program, which allows local law enforcement agencies to request military-grade surplus equipment from the federal government. That equipment ranges from high-powered weapons to armored vehicles.

The calls for demilitarization are familiar, but lobbying efforts by police unions, most notably the National Fraternal Order of Police, appear to have hampered proposed legislation in the past.

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Election spending boosted by secret money tops $100M as IRS ends donor reporting rules

Political groups that don’t fully disclose their sources of funding have already spent more than $100 million to influence 2020 races, a figure that is sure to rise as “dark money” backed super PACs unload their unprecedented cash reserves. Dark money groups such as political nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors have spent nearly $14 million to influence 2020 races.
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Super PAC with ties to Georgia Senate candidate reveals donors after OpenSecrets report

The super PAC Undivided Purpose has spent $91,000 on ads supporting Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson over her competitors in the extensive Democratic primary field in Georgia's Senate race. Around an hour after OpenSecrets reported on the group's lack of donor disclosure, it filed a report revealing its donors to the FEC long after the deadline.
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Tech giants named in Trump’s executive order lobbied against similar laws for years

On Thursday President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed to strip long-standing legal protections for internet platforms, including social media sites, that protect tech companies from litigation over content posted by users on their sites. The order also follows years of accusations from Republicans of anti-conservative bias.
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Following the money on COVID-19 lobbying

As Congress scrambled to develop a legislative response to the pandemic that had already grown out of control, major companies and trade associations were already asking for billions in government aid.

Feeling they needed government assistance to ride out the pandemic, some companies and nonprofits found themselves dispatching well-connected lobbyists to Washington for the first time. Some clients pushed Congress to give their industry direct aid, while others lobbied the federal government over its guidance on which businesses should remain open amid the pandemic.

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OpenSecrets in the News

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

Iowa Rep. Steve King, Known For Racist Comments, Loses Reelection Bid (NPR)
After years of controversy, Iowa Rep. Steve King has lost his bid for reelection to a primary challenge by state Sen. Randy Feenstra, who led him in fundraising by a significant margin.

Virus-Test Stampede Bypasses 10,000 U.S. Urgent-Care Facilities (Bloomberg)
Compared with companies like CVS Health Corp., Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. that the Trump administration turned to to lead the country's testing push, the urgent care lobby's presence in Washington, D.C., is meager.

Georgia Senate: Ossoff clashes with Tomlinson over new super PAC (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Undivided Purpose, a super PAC which has spent at least $91,000 boosting Georgia Senate candidate Teresa Tomlinson, initially didn’t file a pre-primary report with the FEC revealing its donors. It did shortly after OpenSecrets' report (see above) was published.

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Election spending boosted by secret money tops $100M as IRS ends donor reporting rules

Super PAC with ties to Georgia Senate candidate reveals donors after OpenSecrets report

Tech giants named in Trump’s executive order lobbied against similar laws for years

OpenSecrets in the News

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

Iowa Rep. Steve King, Known For Racist Comments, Loses Reelection Bid (NPR) After years of controversy, Iowa Rep. Steve King has lost his bid for reelection to a primary challenge by state Sen. Randy Feenstra, who led him in fundraising by a significant margin.

Virus-Test Stampede Bypasses 10,000 U.S. Urgent-Care Facilities (Bloomberg) Compared with companies like CVS Health Corp., Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. that the Trump administration turned to to lead the country's testing push, the urgent care lobby's presence in Washington, D.C., is meager.

See more here

Iowa Rep. Steve King, Known For Racist Comments, Loses Reelection Bid (NPR)
After years of controversy, Iowa Rep. Steve King has lost his bid for reelection to a primary challenge by state Sen. Randy Feenstra, who led him in fundraising by a significant margin.

Virus-Test Stampede Bypasses 10,000 U.S. Urgent-Care Facilities (Bloomberg)
Compared with companies like CVS Health Corp., Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. that the Trump administration turned to to lead the country's testing push, the urgent care lobby's presence in Washington, D.C., is meager.