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March 25, 2021
This week in money-in-politics
Defense contractor PAC donations dry up after Capitol riot
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Virtually all of the nation’s top defense contractors are avoiding making PAC donations so far this year, a significant shift as they freeze political giving following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Through the first two months of 2021, the leading defense firms made less than $150,000 in PAC donations to federal political committees. Industry giants such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman — which depend on close relationships with Washington lawmakers — have yet to make any political donations.
That’s a stark departure from tradition. With the start of each calendar year, PACs get the green light to make new maximum donations, and defense contractors typically make their investments early. At the same point after the 2016 election cycle, these defense PACs had already given $1.4 million to federal committees. As of March 2019, they had already donated nearly $1.7 million.
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** Senators spar over For the People Act
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Members of the Senate Rules Committee questioned expert witnesses and debated the merits of the For the People Act during a contentious hearing Wednesday. The bill would make sweeping changes to current election laws, tackling what former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the “unholy trinity of voter suppression, dark money and gerrymandering” during his testimony. The legislation would close a loophole that allows nonprofits and shell companies to spend untraceable dollars — “dark money” — to influence elections. If the bill becomes law, all political contributions greater than $10,000 will be subject to disclosure laws, no matter the recipient’s nonprofit status.
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** Democratic groups promote Biden relief package to bolster 2022 chances
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After President Joe Biden signed his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill into law on March 11, a host of left-leaning groups launched ad campaigns promoting his legislative efforts in hopes of locking in a sweeping victory for Democrats in 2022. While the majority of Americans support the bill, Democrats are wary of losing momentum and the slim majorities they hold in the Senate and House. So it’s a pivotal time to remind voters of Biden’s legislative accomplishment as he tours the country to promote his relief bill.On March 12, super PAC Unite the Country launched an ad campaign promoting Biden’s bill in swing states including Michigan and Wisconsin.
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** GOP committees raise big money despite PAC backlash
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Despite missing out on millions in PAC donations, Republican party committees are entering the 2022 cycle in a healthy financial position as they attempt to take back control of Congress. Through February, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee raised a combined $3.1 million from PACs and candidate committees, with most of that money coming from Republican lawmakers’ campaigns. That’s down from $7.2 million at this point in 2017. The precipitous drop came after dozens of company PACs froze their donations in light of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Still, the campaign cash keeps rolling in for GOP committees.
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
* ** Trumpworld's next target: Building a dark-money machine (Politico) ([link removed])
Republicans have long been active in creating super PACs, but in recent years they've been outmatched by Democrats in the creation of nonprofits. Next month, major donors are convening at Mar-a-Lago to talk about what went wrong in 2020 and build a path forward.
* ** Dallas-based AT&T pledged to cut funding to GOP objectors after Jan. 6, but gave to PACs tied to them (The Dallas Morning News) ([link removed])
AT&T was one of several major companies which halted PAC contributions to lawmakers who objected to the electoral results on 1/6. However, that PAC $$ has continued to flow to other PACs that support House Republicans who voted against certification.
* ** Washington Is Blue, the NRA Is Weak, But Gun Bills Still In Limbo (The Daily Beast) ([link removed])
Even with NRA influence spending way down and spending by gun control groups on the up, gun-related legislation remains stalled in the U.S. Senate.
** The New York Times ([link removed])
** The Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
** Bloomberg ([link removed])
** Axios ([link removed])
** Financial Times ([link removed])
** HuffPost ([link removed])
** The Boston Globe ([link removed])
** The Seattle Times ([link removed])
** The Fulcrum ([link removed])
** Times-Herald ([link removed])
** Salon ([link removed])
** Credit Union Times ([link removed])
** The Intercept ([link removed])
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4 star rating for 8 consecutive years
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