In this week's newsletter: Behind the AI boom lies a surge of corporate lobbying and quiet policy deals that could determine who pays for America’s next energy revolution. Plus, the lobbying behind the end of Direct File. |
|
|
Data centers are fueling the lobbying industry, not just the growth of AI |
From the farmlands of Northern Virginia to the industrial parks of New Jersey, massive new data centers are popping up across the country to power America’s artificial intelligence revolution. The energy needed to power these data centers is driving national energy usage to record levels, and these costs are falling on American households as soaring electricity consumption has translated into higher home utility bills, as well as health and environmental risks.
As the demand for computing power increases, the technology, utility and finance industries have poured millions into supporting the policies and resource allotment they need to expand data centers, Carolyn Neugarten reports. Tech companies are campaigning for faster approvals and weaker regulatory roadblocks; utilities are working to pass off the costs of grid expansion to American households. Meanwhile, Wall Street executives are investing billions into private-debt deals.
These firms’ lobbying and campaign contributions are discreetly influencing the trajectory of the AI age, in the midst of a new “digital gold rush.” The four largest cloud providers — Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta — have reported tens of millions of dollars in federal lobbying expenditures in 2025 alone.
|
-
The electric manufacturing and equipment sector, including firms like Microsoft and Oracle, has poured more than $226 million into lobbying activity in 2025, in part to support the rapid growth of data centers and to address the resulting strain on the nation’s power grid. The sector is on pace for its biggest lobbying year ever.
-
Additionally, 53 percent of lobbyists for the electric manufacturing sector have gone through the revolving door, meaning they are former government officials and employees who have taken jobs with lobbying firms and private sector organizations that, in some cases, they used to oversee. Much of the electrical manufacturing sectors’ policy work focuses on how the costs of expanding power generation and transmission will be divided between consumers, corporations and government.
-
The number of lobbyists per data center developer has also increased; Meta hired 21 more lobbyists this year than last year, and OpenAI increased its lobbyist population nearly seven-fold, reporting three lobbyists in 2023 and 18 lobbyists in 2024. This expansion correlates with the surge in data center construction.
-
The Data Center Coalition, a trade association representing the interests of data center developers, spent $123,000 on lobbying during the first quarter of 2025 and $125,000 in the second quarter — and then more than doubled those numbers, spending $360,000 in the third quarter. DCC is located in Leesburg, Virginia, along what’s known as Data Center Alley, and engages with state and federal officials to promote policies favorable to the industry.
-
Fossil-fuel companies and investment firms have joined the effort too. The largest electricity supplier for Data Center Alley, Dominion Energy, has lobbied extensively, to the tune of $2.4 million so far this year. BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has lobbied for “clean-energy finance” while sponsoring Meta’s $27 billion private-debt deal for a Louisiana data-center complex; this will be the largest private-debt transaction in U.S. history when completed. Blackrock’s lobbying expenditures in the renewable energy sector totaled $60,000 in the first three quarters of 2025.
|
|
|
Direct File is ending. Intuit lobbying has been rising. |
The federal government informed states this week that it will no longer offer Direct File, the free tax filing platform launched in 2024. The battle between professional tax preparation services and advocates for free tax filing software has been going on for years, but Intuit has been stepping up its lobbying activity.
Intuit Inc., the market leader in tax prep software thanks to its popular TurboTax platform, is on pace to surpass its 2024 lobbying total, which was already an all-time high for the company. |
Want to know who’s funding the candidates and causes shaping our democracy? With our Donor Lookup tools, you can quickly and easily: |
-
Search millions of federal campaign contributions by name, employer, or location.
- See who’s giving to which candidates, parties and PACs.
- Explore patterns of political giving that help explain the forces behind elections.
|
Whether you’re a concerned voter, journalist, researcher, or just a curious citizen, Donor Lookup puts transparency at your fingertips. |
|
|
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week: |
US Utility Lobbying Jumps 14% Amid AI Boom, Clean Energy Turmoil (Bloomberg)
US utilities are on track to spend $150 million on lobbying this year, reaching the highest level in more than a decade, according to fresh data from nonprofit OpenSecrets. The figure would be about 14% more than the $132 million spent last year and would be the most since 2010, according to the nonpartisan OpenSecrets, which tracks lobbying and political spending. |
NRA furloughs staff as it prepares to rebuild ahead of 2026 (The Washington Post)
The NRA spent $11 million in the 2024 elections, according to campaign data tracker OpenSecrets — about one-third of its 2020 spending and less than one-fifth of what it spent in 2016, when the organization helped elect Donald Trump and other Republicans with a record-setting $55 million budget. |
This Republican Mega-Donor Is Changing Local Elections In Pennsylvania (NOTUS)
“Most of these folks are pretty much strictly giving at the federal level,” said Brendan Glavin, the director of insights at OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan organization that tracks political spending. “For something that’s going on in a state, this is an incredibly large amount. It’s made him a very big player in what’s going on in Pennsylvania.” |
Election Day to start Nancy Pelosi’s countdown clock (San Francisco Examiner)
Pelosi is hardly a backbencher. By all accounts, she remains fully functional. Staffers half her age — some half a century her junior — marvel at her stamina and work ethic. Perhaps not the fundraising juggernaut she once was, Pelosi's campaign committee and political action committee combined to raise nearly $18 million in the last election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. She also appeared at events that raised tens of millions more. |
Crypto lobbying surges as industry gains political footing in Washington (Cointelegraph)
“We really saw, I’d say, in 2021 is where we really started to see really jump up,” said Brendan Glavin, director of insights at OpenSecrets. “Prior to that, the industry … hadn’t spent more than like $2.5 million in a year, then in 2021 jumped up to eight and a half.” Glavin said it’s been climbing exponentially since. |
|
|
The OpenSecrets merch store is here! |
|
|
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the OpenSecrets Merch Store! Now, you can support our mission while looking good doing it. Every purchase helps us provide comprehensive and reliable data, analysis and tools for policymakers, storytellers and citizens.
Our collection — initially featuring a hoodie, crewneck, t-shirt and hat — is designed to spread awareness and make a difference. Whether you're treating yourself or finding the perfect gift, every item you buy helps fuel our cause. And every item in our store was manufactured by a certified ethical and “sweat-free” company. Join us in wearing your support — transparency has never been more comfortable! |
|
|
OpenSecrets
1100 13th Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States |
|
|
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe. |
|
|
|
