Joe Biden’s inaugural committee raised millions of dollars, even though the pandemic prevented them from holding the usual soirees and crowded public events, and it was restricted mostly to Zoom. Lobbyists and fossil fuel companies were not allowed to donate, but individuals could give up to $500,000 and companies in other industries could give up to $1 million under caps put in place by the committee.
The biggest donors are being rewarded with invitations to exclusive in-person events, a valuable asset for companies that already spend millions to influence the government. Corporations that donated $1 million or individuals who gave $500,000 were named chairs of the inauguration and rewarded with perks including invitations to virtual events with Biden, Harris and their spouses, as well as four VIP tickets to a future in-person event. Inaugural vice chairs—corporate donors giving $500,000 or individuals giving $250,000—got two tickets to the future in-person event.
The inaugural committee, a nonprofit, put a list of donors on its website, but has not yet disclosed the amounts they donated. But some companies are now disclosing the size of their donations on their annual LD-203 disclosures, which cover PAC donations to members of Congress as well as honorary contributions to private entities affiliated with government officials.
[Related: Biden’s Huge Inaugural Donations Would be Banned Under Democrats’ Ethics Bill]
The table below shows what we know so far. Some companies may have donated in January and thus are not required to include that information in their recently-filed disclosures, which cover the second half of 2020.
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