# Sludge > Investigative journalism on money in politics Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Join Sludge to Support Money-in-Politics Muckraking OLD URL: https://readsludge.com/join/ Last updated: 2023-07-29T18:00:27.000Z [**Donate here**](https://api.pico.tools/pn/sludge). Sludge is ad-free and financially supported by our members! Members enable us to maintain our journalistic independence, add breaking news analysis, and conduct original investigations. [Become a member for $5](https://api.pico.tools/pn/sludge) [Or, Donate with Crypto](https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/d12ce652-fc88-4875-ba6c-fbd52f831894) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2018/07/Sludge_Join_Art_02.png) Donations to Sludge directly support our team of journalists: David, Donny, Jay, Josefa and Alex Members receive the following benefits in our open newsroom: $5 per month Access to members discussion forums with our journalists for behind-the-scenes chats and breaking news $9 per month All the above, plus invitations to online events with money-in-politics experts $50 one time gift Support our reporting through Election Day – the first coffee mugs are sold out (!), but donate at this level for the next Sludge “swag” $250 (or more) one time gift All the above, plus invitations to events in NYC, video chat invitations with editors, and the option of a public thank-you on the site. All towards our independence. 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Our team chats with our community throughout the day in our special member forums – raise your ideas and suggest stories alongside other money-in-politics newsreaders. ### Comment Policy URL: https://readsludge.com/comment-policy/ Last updated: 2023-07-29T17:56:56.000Z User Content Posted on the Site You are solely responsible for the photos, questions, comments, messages, notes, text, information, music, video, advertisements, links, and other content that you upload, publish or display (hereinafter, “post”) on or through the Website, or transmit to or share with other Website users (collectively the “User Content”). 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We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on or within the Services. “Do Not Track” Disclosures Some state laws require us to indicate whether we honor “Do Not Track” settings in your browser concerning targeted advertising. We adhere to the standards set out in this Privacy Policy and do not monitor or follow any Do Not Track browser requests. Contact Information Please contact us with any questions or concerns regarding our policy at hello@readsludge.com at this address: Sludge Media c/o David Moore 1500 DeKalb Ave., 1R Brooklyn, NY 11237 ### What People Are Saying About Sludge URL: https://readsludge.com/testimonials/ Last updated: 2023-07-29T18:21:06.000Z > Sludge has been providing indispensable journalism throughout our national crisis. Here's how to help them continue: > > — Eli Valley (@elivalley) [September 17, 2019](https://twitter.com/elivalley/status/1174016613395423232?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > The folks at [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) are doing incredible investigative journalism on corruption, which just might be the most important bear these days. You can support them here: > > — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1179434546321858560?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Please support Sludge, the only publication dedicated to money-in-politics journalism that isn’t incredibly boring 🤑🤑🤑 > > — Brendan O'Connor (@\_grendan) [March 8, 2019](https://twitter.com/%5Fgrendan/status/1104078678135320576?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge-ites, I don't know what your estimation of your own work may be but what you do is flat-out THE most important–and some of the best–journalism happening today. Be proud of it and keep it up. > > — Cinema Cult (@jriddlecult) [September 20, 2019](https://twitter.com/jriddlecult/status/1175045068866146306?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > It’s incredibly in-depth work, and among the best explanations of how Donor-Advised Funds work I’ve seen in media. Reflects a deep understanding of these organizations. > > — Brian Mittendorf (@CountingCharity) [December 7, 2019](https://twitter.com/CountingCharity/status/1203316695110234112?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > After a couple of months of reading .[@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) I \*finally\* committed a little monthly $. .[@alexkotch](https://twitter.com/alexkotch?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) & other journalists are doing smart, dilligent reporting on funding around issues that affect us. I'd encourage you to follow along & contribute! > > — Kate Tkacik Sweeney (@katetkacik) [September 20, 2019](https://twitter.com/katetkacik/status/1175047569833103360?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge is a small outlet with a simple mission: uncovering corruption in politics. it's one of the most important & consequential newsrooms out there. if you can, toss a couple bucks their way > > — Owen Ellickson (@onlxn) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/onlxn/status/1179412874168549376?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > I have just become a proud 9-dollar-month donor to [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw). Hope you guys get the amount you need and keep up with the good work! The world needs much more investigative reporting on money in politics! > > — Fabiano Angélico (@FAngelico) [October 30, 2019](https://twitter.com/FAngelico/status/1189577125701017600?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Loving this [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) series on exposing DNC corruption. > > — Nomiki Konst (@NomikiKonst) [February 29, 2020](https://twitter.com/NomikiKonst/status/1233769329751216128?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Hi folks, [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) is very good and you should give them some of your money > > — Aaron Sankin (@ASankin) [March 8, 2019](https://twitter.com/ASankin/status/1104157829651402752?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge does essential work on corruption and money in politics. Please join me as a member — their important journalism needs your support. > > — David Daley (@davedaley3) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/davedaley3/status/1179417182247297025?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) https://twitter.com/jaredlholt/status/1179419784749957120 > Repeating what everyone else is saying, but Sludge does great work, please support them if you can. > > — JPat Brown (@resentfultweet) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/resentfultweet/status/1179474611513241601?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Since its founding, [@sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw)'s team ([@alexkotch](https://twitter.com/alexkotch?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [@ppolitics](https://twitter.com/ppolitics?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) & [@donnydonny](https://twitter.com/donnydonny?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw)) has punched way above its weight in its investigations of dark money, political influence & corruption. If you can, please support them: > I hope [@knightfdn](https://twitter.com/knightfdn?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) provides gap funding. > [#ddj](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ddj?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Alex Howard (@digiphile) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/digiphile/status/1179434739872276480?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > good afternoon, there is no justice in this world. if an AMAZING outlet like [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) is close to going under, what hope is there for the rest of us?? SUPPORT THEM NOW. > > — Jaya Sundaresh (@shutupjaya) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/shutupjaya/status/1179433459087003655?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > In any functioning democracy, [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) would be fully funded and employ dozens of reporters. That it and other critical investigative outlets aren't is terrible. > > — Adam Eichen (@AdamEichen) [November 23, 2019](https://twitter.com/AdamEichen/status/1198358649372073984?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > It's always the truly good stuff that seems to fall by the wayside, right? [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) understands how power works, and how to unravel its influence on our politics but they need more of a runway to become fully reader-supported—check them out and sign up as a member! > > — lazy cooking for adults (@textdog) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/textdog/status/1179511541097517057?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Since their launch, [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) has had an immense impact on the money and politics beat. Support their critical work on their [@Kickstarter](https://twitter.com/kickstarter?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) now! > > — Mazin Sidahmed (@mazsidahmed) [March 8, 2019](https://twitter.com/mazsidahmed/status/1104107858457755648?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge has been doing some great work. It’s the kind of reporting we need more of, not less. > > — Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1179429963415670789?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge is one of the best publications out there. It must not go under. If you can help out, please do. > > — Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1179423263027580934?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge has been excellent on a very important topic and is also fun to read. I am giving them money and you might want to as well. > > — David Roth (@david\_j\_roth) [March 8, 2019](https://twitter.com/david%5Fj%5Froth/status/1104079111914508288?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > The folks at [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) do good work. I hope they find the support they need to keep doing the essential digging into the money behind American politics that they do so well. > > — Josh Landes (@JoshLandesWAMC) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/JoshLandesWAMC/status/1179417701892198403?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Thread. More great work from [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw). > > — Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) [March 6, 2019](https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1103390819061559296?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > This is exactly the kind of reporting that's needed: looking at who is funding regime change groups like IRI, and what kind of ROI they may be hoping to get. And citing [@timgill924](https://twitter.com/timgill924?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#Venezuela](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Venezuela?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#HandsOffVenezuela](https://twitter.com/hashtag/HandsOffVenezuela?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Dan Beeton (@Dan\_Beeton) [August 14, 2019](https://twitter.com/Dan%5FBeeton/status/1161711178080563201?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Also also: We wouldn’t have noticed this, at least not as early, if it wasn’t for [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw), which published a database of these grants. Sludge is a great resource for digestable federal data. > > — Travis Fain (@TravisFain) [July 31, 2019](https://twitter.com/TravisFain/status/1156620149669191680?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > This is public info, and partially public dollars. Good on [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) for covering the scourge that is 501c3 dollars being deployed to prop up white supremacy. You can see the article here: > > — Ryan Schlegel (@r\_j\_schlegel) [March 15, 2019](https://twitter.com/r%5Fj%5Fschlegel/status/1106575760255602690?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > The team at [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) is doing some of the best reporting on corruption out there today. I just signed up for a recurring contribution and you should too! [pic.twitter.com/jK6t8F33DX](https://t.co/jK6t8F33DX) > > — Rob Galbraith (@RobGalbraithLS) [October 3, 2019](https://twitter.com/RobGalbraithLS/status/1179772561053368320?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Truly impressive & useful new report from [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) & [@alexkotch](https://twitter.com/alexkotch?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) that surveys 180+ foundations & corporate donors that poured $9+ million into the groups behind the recent abortion ban efforts. > > Indispensable resource + great work from Sludge (as usual!) ⬇️ > > — Derek Seidman (@derekseidman80) [June 13, 2019](https://twitter.com/derekseidman80/status/1139257093725310976?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > The folks at [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) are doing amazing investigative journalism on corruption every day but they need financial help to stay afloat. I just become a monthly donor. Highly recommend throwing a few dollars their way if you're able to: > > — Zane Schwartz (@ZaneSchwartz) [October 3, 2019](https://twitter.com/ZaneSchwartz/status/1179768999695015939?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Jesus. What a loss for political reporting this would be > > — Brett Bachman (@BrettABachman) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/BrettABachman/status/1179482644733743104?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > What Sludge does is so vital, they're a valued partner of [@theprospect](https://twitter.com/theprospect?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw). Please help if you can. > > — David Dayen (@ddayen) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/ddayen/status/1179480342593323008?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > these people own back them if you can. I’m always impressed by how clear, thorough, and timely their reporting is > > — an actual dog (@devtesla) [March 8, 2019](https://twitter.com/devtesla/status/1104080874843267072?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > I've contributed $5 a month to [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) because (1) it's what I can afford to give, and more importantly (2) helps ensure that we (the People) learn about the intersection of money and politics. Please consider donating to [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw)! And shout out to [@alexkotch](https://twitter.com/alexkotch?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [@donnydonny](https://twitter.com/donnydonny?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw)! 👏👏👏👏 > > — Justin Devendorf (@JayDevvvv) [March 13, 2019](https://twitter.com/JayDevvvv/status/1105897785524736002?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Some of the best and most important accountability journalism in the country is done at [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Maria Bustillos (@mariabustillos) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/mariabustillos/status/1179433531384193025?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > You guys at Sludge do incredible work and don't get enough credit. This stuff is really valuable. Thank you. > > — Outstanding Content (@bestmanofonline) [February 27, 2019](https://twitter.com/bestmanofonline/status/1100893533316222976?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Sludge has been uncovering what the rest of us can’t. Please support their efforts if you can. > > — Sleeping Giants (@slpng\_giants) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/slpng%5Fgiants/status/1179447614816714752?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > becoming a member of Sludge today, you should too if you care about campaign finance. They are essential. > > — Michael Whitney (@michaelwhitney) [October 2, 2019](https://twitter.com/michaelwhitney/status/1179430990449664000?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > Very impressed with the work [@Sludge](https://twitter.com/Sludge?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) is doing > > — Fran Berkman (@FranBerkman) [March 21, 2019](https://twitter.com/FranBerkman/status/1108816039108857856?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) ## Will you join hundreds of Sludge members in supporting our investigative reporting on money in politics? [donate here.](https://readsludge.com/join) 🙏 ### Support Sludge on #GivingTuesday URL: https://readsludge.com/11828-2/ Last updated: 2019-11-30T14:04:47.000Z ![](https://i1.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/GT_logohorizontal.jpg?fit=1024%2C94&ssl=1) Sludge works tirelessly to follow the money and uncover corruption in politics. But we can’t do it without your support. A Sludge reader who appreciates our reporting has agreed to match all donations up to $5,000\. So anything you donate will be doubled! Sludge continues to seek funding support for our investigative journalism. To discuss a tax-exempt gift to our 501(c)3 non-profit organization, email: david@readsludge.com. Millions of people read our scoops this year on Sen. McConnell and voting machine [lobbyists](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/10/as-he-blocks-election-security-bills-mcconnell-takes-checks-from-voting-machine-lobbyists/), donor-advised funds channeling anonymous money to [hate groups](https://readsludge.com/2019/02/19/americas-biggest-charities-are-funneling-millions-to-hate-groups-from-anonymous-donors/), companies and vendors making money nationwide from [ICE](https://readsludge.com/2019/07/30/ice-contracts-are-booming-see-which-vendors-are-in-your-state/) and [CBP](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/27/who-is-making-money-from-cbp-in-your-state/), major corporations [funding](https://readsludge.com/2019/06/13/these-corporations-and-public-charities-funded-the-state-abortion-bans/) state abortion bans, Facebook’s [lobbyists](https://readsludge.com/2019/11/11/facebook-lobbyists-have-close-ties-to-democratic-leaders/) in the revolving door, and U.S. senators holding [fossil fuel industry](https://readsludge.com/2019/09/24/facing-climate-crisis-senators-have-millions-invested-in-fossil-fuel-companies/) investments. (These last two stories were part of partnerships with *The Guardian US*.) We’re on-track to be member-sustained by the end of next year, so a charitable grant in support of our muckraking will keep us producing reporting throughout the 2020 election year and beyond. Get in touch! For more info about our work, we received some great [testimonials](https://readsludge.com/2019/11/06/fund-drive-update-were-still-here/) from investigative journalists and experts in extremism before our October emergency fundraising drive. ### Sludge News Clips URL: https://readsludge.com/sludge-clips/ Last updated: 2025-06-07T17:52:08.000Z Since our launch in May 2018, Sludge’s reporting on money-in-politics has gathered a sizable audience of newsreaders on our site and millions more visitors through re-publishing. Sludge’s hundreds of data-driven investigations have been cited by leading political outlets and local newsrooms, leading to follow-up stories and greater public accountability. Sludge has been republished by partners Truthout, The American Prospect, MapLight, LittleSis, and Tarbell. Sludge has previously collaborated on reporting with [The Guardian US](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/19/us-senators-investments-conflict-of-interest), [WNYC](https://www.wnyc.org/story/ny-pension-chief-cashes-natural-gas/), [Capital & Main](https://capitalandmain.com/cuomo-received-25000-dollars-from-weinstein-lawyers-firm-as-he-suspended-probe-0829), [Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/90219751/pentagons-artificial-intelligence-programs-get-huge-boost-in-defense-budget), [The Young Turks Investigates](https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/7fyn6ck0vucS060cWoSo6G), and participated in The Nation & CJR’s [Covering Climate Now](https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/partners) project. ![](https://i1.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sludge_Guardian_story_homepage_9-26-19.png?fit=1024%2C506&ssl=1) News citations: MSNBC (below), CNN’s [KFILE](https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/06/politics/paul-gosar-belgian-extremist-dinner/index.html), [The Intercept](https://theintercept.com/2019/12/15/california-democrat-jim-costa-primary-challenger/), Newsweek, Politico, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Slate, Newsweek, New York Post, Mother Jones ![](https://i1.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Sludge_Joy_Reid_Newsweek_MSNBC_McConnell_3.png?fit=1024%2C694&ssl=1) Blog citations: Gizmodo, Right Wing Watch, Re.Wire News, TalkingPointsMemo, The Young Turks, The Appeal, [Splinter Politics](https://splinternews.com/real-estate-mogul-spends-100-000-in-last-ditch-effort-1828957534), Motherboard, TechDirt Groups using our reporting: Color of Change, Justice Democrats, 350.org, Sunrise Movement, Oil Change U.S., RAICES (Texas), Sleeping Giants, Fight For the Future, CAIR, and 85+ groups in [Hate Is Not Charitable](http://amalgamatedfoundation.org/hate-is-not-charitable) campaign. On ICE & CBP contracts, our reporting was cited by: NPR’s All Things Considered, BuzzFeed News, AdWeek, Vice News, Popular Information newsletter, and more local outlets. On [donor-advised funds](https://readsludge.com/tag/dafs/) and funding of hate groups, our reporting series was cited by: the Chronicle of Philanthropy, TruthDig, The Advocate, Philadelphia Magazine, Hill Reporter, and others. Local outlets citing our work and open datasets: Block Club Chicago, Documented (NY), CommonWealth Magazine, WRAL (North Carolina), Baltimore Sun, Patch – Oak Lawn, Santa Fe Reporter, Miami New Times. From October of 2018: over 131 links to [Sludge in the News](https://readsludge.com/2018/10/04/sludge-in-the-news/) and [impacts](https://readsludge.com/2018/10/04/impacts-of-sludges-reporting-so-far/). From October 2019’s membership campaign: [testimonials](https://readsludge.com/testimonials/) about our work from expert journalists. Sludge’s reporting directly inspired a New York City Council Immigration Committee [public hearing](https://laws.council.nyc.gov/legislation/int-1092-2018/) on humane immigration practices and an official [Resolution](https://laws.council.nyc.gov/legislation/res-0513-2018/) on the ICE agency. Sludge’s ICE & CBP reports [prompted](https://readsludge.com/2019/07/26/ogilvy-employees-confront-boss-over-cbp-contracts-following-sludge-report/) internal employee discussions at the Ogilvy ad firm. Sludge was the first newsroom to comprehensively report the personal investments by U.S. [senators](https://readsludge.com/2019/09/24/facing-climate-crisis-senators-have-millions-invested-in-fossil-fuel-companies/) and [representatives](https://readsludge.com/2020/01/03/members-of-congress-own-up-to-93-million-in-fossil-fuel-stocks/) in the fossil fuel industry as of the end of 2018, the most recent disclosure year available. Recently, Sludge has been cited in [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/23/no-labels-third-party-bid-election-00103331), [The Intercept](https://theintercept.com/2022/07/18/joe-gayle-manchin-condo-climate-canaan-valley/), [The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/dscc-dccc-democrats-abortion/), [Jewish Insider](https://jewishinsider.com/2022/05/steve-irwin-summer-lee-pennsylvania-congress-ohio-shontel-brown/), The American Prospect, and [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/19/here-are-some-questions-rules-bidens-first-news-conference-2022/). Please consider becoming a [paid subscriber](https://readsludge.com/membership/) for full access to our newsletter and to support our muckraking, or join our free newsletter list on our homepage. ### Fixes for a Stronger Democracy URL: https://readsludge.com/democracy/ Last updated: 2020-09-02T15:24:49.000Z As Sludge follows the money in the political system, here are some of the reforms that good government and community groups are advancing for a stronger, most trustworthy, and more inclusive democracy. ![Arizonans for Fair Elections organizers hold a news conference in Phoenix on Oct. 30, 2019.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2020/04/arizonansforfair-1024x576.jpg) Arizonans for Fair Elections organizers hold a news conference in Phoenix on Oct. 30, 2019. Arizonans for Fair Elections First, here are some quick facts on the current health of U.S. democracy: - Just [55.7% of the voting age population](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/) turned out in the 2016 presidential election, placing the U.S. 26th out of 32 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). - But, while voter turnout in the 2014 midterm elections was only 41.9%, the [lowest rate](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2014/11/13/2014-midterms-defined-by-low-voter-turnout) in any federal general election since 1942, [53.4% of voters](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/04/behind-2018-united-states-midterm-election-turnout.html) cast a ballot in the 2018 midterms, a [historic high](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/01/historic-highs-in-2018-voter-turnout-extended-across-racial-and-ethnic-groups/) in recent history. - A [March 2018 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/08/most-americans-want-to-limit-campaign-spending-say-big-donors-have-greater-political-influence/) found that 77% of Americans say there should be limits on the amount of money individuals and organizations can spend on political campaigns, including 71% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Only 20% of adults favor the current system of unlimited spending made possible by lax campaign finance laws. In states and cities nationwide, however, advocates for a stronger U.S. democracy are developing legislative and policy reforms aimed to increase the responsiveness of government, for greater public accountability. #### [Dark Money and Donor Disclosure](#dark-money) Currently, organizations can spend money on elections through [“dark money” non-profit groups](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/17/dark-money-floods-in-to-state-elections-revealing-cracks-in-disclosure-laws/) that are not required to disclose their sources of funding, or through PACs that receive significant funding from such non-disclosing groups. Often, such dark money spending can result in inflammatory or [misleading advertisements](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/29/dark-money-powers-60-million-bribery-scheme-in-ohio/), and voters have no way to know the source of the funding behind the communication. A [2019 poll](https://campaignlegal.org/update/bipartisan-poll-finds-voters-want-stronger-enforcement-campaign-finance-laws-increased) by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center found that 83% of voters across partisan and demographic lines support publicly disclosing political contributions to organizations. What’s more, state governments can strengthen their disclosure laws to require that groups spending on elections list their major sources of funding, for voters to know the source of the messages on their airwaves and in their mailboxes. More info on how dark money currently operates—and can beneficially addressed by state lawmakers—can be found on CLC’s website: [StopSecretSpending.org](http://stopsecretspending.org/). #### [Democracy Vouchers](#democracy-vouchers) In November 2017, the city of Seattle conducted its first elections using an innovative form of public financing that provided four $25 vouchers to every registered voter that voters could, in turn, assign to the candidate(s) of their choice. [A 2018 study](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/10/evaluating-the-seattle-democracy-voucher-experiment%EF%BB%BF/) found that the program dramatically increased the amount of donors and their representativeness of the city’s population in terms of income, race, and age. More info at the [Brennan Center](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/democracy-vouchers-broadened-seattles-2017-donor-base), with background at [Common Cause](https://www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/democracy-vouchers-leveling-political-field/). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2020/05/LWV_crop_mail-1024x693.jpg) League of Women Voters of California members vote by mail in the 2018 elections. LWV on Flickr #### [Stock Ownership](#stock-ownership) A [review](https://campaignlegal.org/update/congressional-stock-trading-during-pandemic-diminishes-public-trust) by the non-profit Campaign Legal Center (CLC) in April 2020 found that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle traded stocks as the coronavirus pandemic deepened, in the weeks before legislative relief packages. CLC found that 12 senators made 227 stock purchases or sales worth as much as $98 million, and 37 House members made 1,358 trades worth as much as $60 million. The ethics experts argue that Congress should go further and bar members of the House and Senate from trading individual stocks (but not necessarily outlaw their ownership) by passing the [Ban Conflicted Trading Act](https://readsludge.com/2020/01/03/members-of-congress-own-up-to-93-million-in-fossil-fuel-stocks/). More info about [congressional ethics](https://campaignlegal.org/issues/ethics) can be found on CLC’s website. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2020/04/Madison4-1-1024x524.jpg) Protestors in Madison, Wisconsin, calling to overturn Citizens United and related Supreme Court decisions. Wisconsin Move To Amend #### [Public Matching Funds](#public-matching-funds) This method of making elections more fair and curbing the influence of special interests is in place across [at least 27](https://www.demos.org/research/public-funding-electoral-campaigns-how-27-states-counties-and-municipalities-empower-small) states, counties, and municipalities, many of them for decades. In leading areas like New York City and Long Beach, CA, these programs have been proven to be successful in diversifying the donor base of candidates in terms of class and race. What’s more, public matching systems have also succeeded in diversifying the gender, racial, and class makeup of candidate pools. Typically, a public matching funds system works like this, as described by the non-partisan policy institute [Brennan Center for Justice](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/case-small-donor-public-financing-new-york): constituents who give small amounts to participating candidates will see their contributions matched by public money, often around 6-1\. As a result, a constituent’s donation of $10 would be worth $70 to a participating candidate, and $175 would be worth $1,225\. Candidates opt in by raising enough small initial donations to qualify, and they accept conditions including lower contribution limits. A [major 2010 study](https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Report%5FSmall-Donor-Matching-Funds-NYC-Experience.pdf) by the Brennan Center of New York City’s public matching system found: “Since the enactment of the multiple match in 2001, City elections have seen not just more donors, but more small donors. Participating candidates rely on more small donors than their nonparticipating counterparts. This has enabled candidates to fuse their fundraising and voter outreach strategies, fostering early and continuing interactions between candidates and voters.” Common Cause’s Money in Politics & Ethics Program says that Connecticut politicians have [attributed](https://readsludge.com/2020/05/09/states-and-cities-with-public-campaign-financing-lead-on-paid-sick-leave-policies/) better policy outcomes in the state to its program of voluntary grants to participating, qualifying candidates. More info on small-donor matching funded election can be found at [Common Cause New York](https://www.commoncause.org/new-york/our-work/money-influence/expanding-public-financing-of-campaigns/), where New York City voters in 2018 [overwhelmingly approved](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/05/nyc-progressives-coalesce-around-campaign-finance-ballot-initiative/) an expansion of the program, and where a [statewide public match](https://readsludge.com/2020/06/18/grassroots-ny-challengers-take-on-the-pandemic-and-the-big-money-machine/) is set to be implemented after the 2022 elections. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2019/05/Fair_Elections_NY-1024x682.jpg) The Fair Elections NY coalition calls in 2019 for public financing of elections to be included in New York’s state budget, which [it finally was in 2020](https://readsludge.com/2020/06/18/grassroots-ny-challengers-take-on-the-pandemic-and-the-big-money-machine/). @FairElectionsNY on Twitter #### [Congressional Reform](#congressional-reform) Two-thirds of adults think other Americans have little or no confidence in the federal government, a [survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/trust-and-distrust-in-america/) taken after the 2018 election found, and that [64% say](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/22/key-findings-about-americans-declining-trust-in-government-and-each-other/) that low trust in the federal government makes it harder to solve many of the country’s problems. To restore public trust in the federal government, nonpartisan ethics groups are focused on strengthening the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), formed in 2007 to monitor the conduct of House members and blow the whistle on conflicts of interest. Groups like Common Cause and Campaign Legal Center are also holding the Executive branch accountable on issues like the Domestic and Federal [emoluments clauses](https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/ethics-and-accountability/executive-ethics/), which bar the president from accepting things of value, and in watchdogging [ethics violations](https://campaignlegal.org/issues/ethics). #### [Voluntary Campaign Finance Pledges](#campaign-finance-pledge) The No Fossil Fuel Money pledge is an example of how candidates and elected officials can demonstrate their commitment to independence: by pledging that their campaigns will not accept contributions over $200 from oil, gas, and coal industry executives, lobbyists, and PACs. Over 2,500 politicians all over the country — and at all levels of government — have signed the pledge, including over 50 sitting members of Congress (10+ senators; 40+ representatives) and more than 250 state elected officials. Another example is the No Corporate PAC money pledge, which as the Campaign Legal Center has [explained](https://campaignlegal.org/update/no-pac-money-pledges-are-doesnt-mean-big-money-out-understanding-no-pac-pledges), does not always mean that Big Money interests are not supporting a candidate’s campaign through other donation [channels](https://readsludge.com/2020/01/31/no-corporate-money-dems-keep-taking-corporate-pac-money/) and independent expenditures. #### [Gerrymandering and Fair Representation](#gerrymandering) Currently, in many states and cities, district lines are drawn by powerful incumbent politicians and political insiders. To ensure that districts are representative of the population, Common Cause [recommends](https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CC-Activist-Handbook-on-Redistricting-Reform-1.27.20.pdf) that nonpartisan Citizen Redistricting Commissions should be established to replace the current congressional and state legislative redistricting processes, and that fair criteria for drawing districts should be clearly laid out—for example, ensuring compliance with The Voting Rights Act (VRA). With public participation and transparency, voters can fairly choose their politicians, as opposed to the other way around. **Coming soon**: more informational resources on [Democracy](https://readsludge.com/category/democracy/) topics such as [election security](https://readsludge.com/category/tech/election-security/), the [security](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dirty-tricks-eight-falsehoods-could-undermine-2020-election) of [vote-by-mail](https://readsludge.com/2020/05/22/three-more-states-expand-vote-by-mail-leaving-five-holdouts/)[, ](https://readsludge.com/category/congressional-reform/)and more [state news](https://readsludge.com/category/states/). For questions or feedback, please contact the Sludge editors [here](https://readsludge.com/contact-sludge/). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2020/04/we_the_people_on_the_steps_of_the_washington_monument.jpg) Washington Monument protest on overturning Citizens United Wisconsin United To Amend --- ### About Sludge URL: https://readsludge.com/about/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T13:29:00.000Z Sludge strives to give our readers urgent, accurate, in-depth information about how moneyed interests are shaping politics. We don’t accept the narratives that are put forward by establishment media or political parties, we dig into the primary sources, disclosures, and data to give you the important facts that illuminate the real story behind the headlines. Sludge is a nonprofit project, supported by our readers’ subscriptions and the occasional small charitable gifts. 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Sound good? Here’s a free 14-day trial so you can check it out: [Just click here](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). ## **Staff** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/Donald_Shaw_author_headshot_Sludge-1-1.jpg) Donald Shaw is based in rural Western Massachusetts, where he enjoys mountain biking, running fast in the woods, observing plants and animals, fixing things, and creating art. In addition to his journalistic work, Donald is a musician who has toured the world in multiple ensembles. He previously worked as a reporter at OpenCongress and MapLight, and has had freelance work in outlets like The American Prospect, Ars Technica, The Hill, The Lever, The Daily Beast, and more. Shaw studied comparative literature at UMass Amherst and music at The New School. You can follow him on X [here](https://x.com/donnydonny). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/David_Moore_Sludge_headshot_color_2024-1.jpg) David Moore is based in Brooklyn, New York, where he enjoys biking and seeing art. He has been covering money in politics with co-founder Donald Shaw since 2007, when they launched OpenCongress, which became the most-visited nonprofit website for tracking bills and campaign contributions in the U.S. Congress. As executive director of the nonprofit Participatory Politics Foundation (PPF), David has developed open tech tools for political participation, like the Contact-Congress engine, used by tens of millions of people. Later PPF projects—the question-and-answer platform AskThem, and the city transparency app Councilmatic—brought civic engagement resources to the state and local levels. He studied philosophy and English at Brown University. You can follow him on X [here](https://x.com/ppolitics) and on Bluesky [here](https://bsky.app/profile/davidrussellmoore.bsky.social). ## **Funding** From January 2018 through March 2019, Sludge was supported by grants from the Civil Media Company and Civil Foundation. Since April 2019, Sludge has operated with the largest share of its funding coming from readers' subscription payments, and from the NewsMatch drive of the Institute for Nonprofit News. Sludge is a project of its affiliate 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Participatory Politics Foundation. Sludge held a successful Kickstarter in 2019 and raised money on IndieGoGo that same year. Sludge has received gifts of $5,000 and less from several family foundations. Read our [Terms of Use](https://readsludge.com/sludge-terms-of-use/), [Privacy Policy](https://readsludge.com/sludge-privacy-policy/), and [Comment Policy](https://readsludge.com/comment-policy/). 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Build American AI, a dark money group tied to the deep-pocketed super PAC Leading the Future, [announced](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/31/ai-advocacy-group-data-center-battleground-states) on Aug. 31 that it is launching a major new campaign of ads, grassroots engagement, and public education to defend data center buildout, and told Axios that it had $50 million in the bank. Leading the Future, the AI industry-bankrolled [super PAC](https://readsludge.com/2026/04/09/ai-super-pacs-are-unleashing-millions-to-tilt-primaries-in-their-favor/), has spent more than [$28 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00916114&q%5Fspender=C00916692&q%5Fspender=C00923417&cycle=2026&is%5Fnotice=true) through its affiliates so far this cycle on independent expenditures, backing U.S. House and Senate candidates aligned with its agenda on AI regulation. Its allied 501(c)4, Build American AI, said this week that it would launch another super PAC, Building the Future, that will back state candidates, in addition to federal ones. The planned pro-data-center campaigns come after Build American AI spent more than [half a million dollars](https://www.transformernews.ai/p/how-to-buy-an-ai-grassroots-movement-build-american-ai-leading-the-future) earlier this year acquiring a list of followers, Transformer News reported. The group’s executive director is Nathan Leamer, formerly vice president of public affairs at the Republican digital firm Targeted Victory, as well as a policy advisor to former FCC Chair Ajit Pai. Leamer is also a [director](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/450702828/202531749349300888/full) of the advocacy nonprofit Taxpayers Protection Alliance, which the watchdog Energy and Policy Institute has [traced](https://energyandpolicy.org/taxpayer-protection-alliance/) to the Koch political network, and his boutique consulting firm was paid over [$150,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460437154/202610229349300201/IRS990) in 2024 by a construction trade group. Build American AI [applauded](https://www.buildamericanai.org/resources/build-american-ai-applauds-ai-executive-order) the Trump White House’s December 2025 executive order on AI, which echoed the [lobbying](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/24/ai-boom-on-k-street-one-in-four-lobbyists-now-work-on-ai/) aims of a16z and others by calling for a federal AI framework that would [preempt](https://readsludge.com/2026/06/10/staffers-drafting-federal-ai-bill-took-industry-funded-trip-to-visit-tech-giants-pushing-to-block-state-rules/) state protections already on the books. The AI industry has stakes in each of the three initial states targeted by Build American AI. In Kansas, where many data centers are in the pipeline, the issue of a potential moratorium on construction [popped up](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/02/kansas-data-center-fight-governor-race-01021247) in gubernatorial primaries on both sides of the aisle, as did effects on utility bills. In Ohio, data centers are [trending](https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/08/21/leaked-memo-about-data-centers-shows-gop-worried-about-ohios-u-s-senate-race/) in the toss-up Senate race between Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown, sparking worry in the Senate Republican campaign arm; Amazon, Google, and Meta have [projects](https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2023/06/27/amazon-data-center-investment-ohio-2023) in the state, and OpenAI is [planning](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/17/openai-nvidia-ohio-data-center-sb-energy) a massive data center in central Ohio. In Wisconsin, where the race for governor is [immersed](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/could-data-centers-swing-an-election-in-wisconsin) in data center debate, OpenAI plans a [$15 billion data hub](https://www.wpr.org/news/port-washington-data-center-campus-openai-oracle-stargate-chatgpt) in Port Washington. The a16z- and OpenAI-tied Build American AI is not the only tech interest spending big in states to sway public opinion, as polls show [three-quarters](https://heatmap.news/daily/data-center-opposition-poll-collapse) of Americans would oppose a data center being built near them. Since 2024, the Data Center Coalition (DCC), the largest data center trade association, has been rolling out advocacy groups under the organization America Connects across eight states, with names such as Virginia Connects, Texas Connects, and Connected Georgia. The chapters [run](https://grist.org/energy/data-centers-are-facing-an-image-problem-the-tech-industry-is-spending-millions-to-rebrand-them/) [ad](https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/data-center-coalition-advertising-america-connects) [campaigns](https://www.techpolicy.press/big-techs-pr-playbook-for-overcoming-data-center-opponents/) supporting data center construction, including “creating good-paying jobs,” and pushing back against opposition. The groups' ads in Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina have received nearly 54 million views on YouTube, according to a Sludge review, some getting millions of views in just a few months. The DCC-backed ads say, among other things, that “across the nation, data centers are paying their own energy costs”—a claim contested by [research](https://blog.ucs.org/mike-jacobs/talk-on-data-center-reform-is-cheap-our-electricity-bills-are-not/) into utility costs by the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. “The energy costs claim is an easy one to make, but the construction of new power plants to provide that energy is distinctly not being covered in most situations that have been brought to regulators,” said Mike Jacobs, senior energy analyst with UCS. “There are clear requirements in the agreements for transmission, from Exelon for example, that push costs to all consumers.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democrat-Aligned ‘Dark Money’ Group Hires Crypto Lobbyist URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/09/01/democrat-aligned-dark-money-group-hires-crypto-lobbyist/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T20:45:02.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F09%2F01%2Fdemocrat-aligned-dark-money-group-hires-crypto-lobbyist%2F&text=Democrat-Aligned%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%20Hires%20Crypto%20Lobbyist) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democrat-Aligned%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%20Hires%20Crypto%20Lobbyist https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F09%2F01%2Fdemocrat-aligned-dark-money-group-hires-crypto-lobbyist%2F)! A mysterious dark money group that has poured millions of dollars into Democratic and independent super PACs has quietly begun lobbying on the Clarity Act, the cryptocurrency industry’s top legislative priority, according to a new disclosure. Contours Inc., a 501(c)4 nonprofit that does not disclose its donors, registered on July 17 to conduct "advocacy around the Clarity Act as it relates to quorum rules for the SEC and CFTC over digital commodities," according to a [disclosure](https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/a7ae6ab1-4ca3-4f43-a8e9-60d0f3d73a00/print/) filed on August 28\. The only lobbyist registered to work for Contours is Rob Robilliard, a senior policy advisor at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck who previously served as director of government affairs for the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), a major industry group whose members include Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, Circle, and Galaxy, the digital assets company founded by billionaire Mike Novogratz. The lobbying registration does not say what position Contours is taking on the Clarity Act, and there is no public evidence that cryptocurrency companies or executives fund the nonprofit. But the document provides the first indications of Contours' policy interests since the organization emerged last year as a major source of secret money in Democratic politics. When Sludge [first reported on Contours in April](https://readsludge.com/2026/04/30/a-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country/), the seven-month-old nonprofit had virtually no public presence other than a bare-bones website saying it "educates voters and advocates for changes that give greater voice and choice to voters from coast to coast." Its only publicly identified officer at the time was Sarah Stremlau, a philanthropy consultant who previously headed fiscal sponsorship operations at Arabella Advisors, the firm that managed some of the Democratic Party's largest dark money organizations. Contours' political spending has accelerated since then. Federal Election Commission records show that it has now contributed at least $7.5 million to seven PACs, including the Progressive Vet PAC, Working Class Heroes Fund, Common Defense Action Fund, and Government That Works PAC. The group's newly revealed interest in cryptocurrency legislation brings into focus several overlaps between its political network and Novogratz. Independent Candidates Action, which has received $800,000 from Contours, only has ten known donors, including Novogratz, who gave it $200,000 in March. The group has supported independent candidates including Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn through Working Class Heroes Fund. Contours has also given $300,000 directly to Fire House PAC, which is spending to support firefighter Nate Powell’s run in Washington’s Fifth Congressional District, while Independent Candidates Action gave another $400,000 to the super PAC. Novogratz also gave $250,000 in March to The Bench, a Democratic political group that contributed $500,000 to Lone Star Rising, the primary super PAC backing James Talarico in his successful Texas Democratic Senate primary. Contours was already connected to that operation through Government That Works PAC, which received $2.9 million from Contours and subsequently contributed $3.75 million to Lone Star Rising, making it the super PAC's largest donor. Novogratz and Galaxy have connections to the nonprofit infrastructure behind Contours as well. Tax records show that Global Impact Social Welfare Foundation (GISWF), another 501(c)4 that does not disclose its donors, gave Contours [$6.6 million](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/920652730/202601289349303865/IRS990ScheduleI) in the fiscal year that ended June 2025 for "program support." GISWF [describes itself](https://giswf.org/frequently-asked-questions/) as an organization that processes and distributes philanthropic funds, and says donors and other stakeholders can suggest organizations for it to support. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lonsdale Nonprofit Lobbies on Defense Policy Tied to His Investments URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/31/lonsdale-nonprofit-lobbies-on-defense-policy-tied-to-his-investments/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T13:13:50.000Z 👀 Share this post on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lonsdale%20Nonprofit%20Lobbies%20on%20Defense%20Policy%20Tied%20to%20His%20Investments https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F31%2Flonsdale-nonprofit-lobbies-on-defense-policy-tied-to-his-investments%2F) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F31%2Flonsdale-nonprofit-lobbies-on-defense-policy-tied-to-his-investments%2F&text=Lonsdale%20Nonprofit%20Lobbies%20on%20Defense%20Policy%20Tied%20to%20His%20Investments) The Cicero Institute, started by Palantir co-founder and billionaire venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale, has emerged as one of the most influential forces in the Trump administration’s push to criminalize homelessness. The think tank presents itself as sharing bold policy prescriptions in areas of homelessness, public safety, and healthcare—but at the federal level, the nonprofit’s only lobbying activity is conducted under another name and could benefit Lonsdale’s investments in defense contractors, including Palantir, Saronic, Epirus, and Anduril. The Cicero Institute paid more than $11.4 million from 2021 through 2024 to Arpinum, a company controlled by Lonsdale, for services and reimbursements, according to a Sludge review of tax returns. Arpinum, which is named as a related organization in Cicero’s IRS disclosures, is led by several of the Cicero Institute’s directors and was the employer of Cicero’s executive director as of 2024\. Lonsdale is the [sole](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/861325445/202533439349300528/full) [member](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/854374227/202533439349300223/full) of the 501(c)3 Cicero Research and 501(c)4 Cicero Action nonprofits, giving him the power to elect and remove their boards. At the same time, Cicero Action has quietly lobbied Congress and the Pentagon on defense spending and military procurement under the name American Phalanx, according to lobbying disclosures [flagged](https://homelesslaw.org/statement07232026/) in a research memo from the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC). Its federal lobbying is conducted through the defense-focused firm Anchor & Arrow, which also represents Palantir and many companies backed by Lonsdale’s venture capital firm, 8VC. According to Virginia business records, Anchor & Arrow is another name for Arpinum. In a January 2025 [essay](https://blog.joelonsdale.com/p/america-needs-better-defense-acquisition) calling for an overhaul of Pentagon acquisition rules, Lonsdale pointed to companies he founded or invested in, including Palantir and Anduril, in arguing that federal procurement favors traditional defense contractors and blocks newer defense technology companies from growing. “But they need allies in the government,” Lonsdale wrote. The essay was co-written with John Noonan, an Anchor & Arrow lobbyist who Lonsdale described as helping defense companies navigate the federal bureaucracy. With Anchor & Arrow, Noonan lobbies for Palantir on “Issues related to defense acquisition reform and defense innovation,” according to [disclosures](https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/8178c5fe-2072-4921-9966-d73f67c317b8/print/), and Anduril has also called for the Pentagon to award more prime contracts to software and technology companies, shifting away from “cost plus fixed fee” awards. “The Cicero Institute is the nexus for the rampant increase in anti-homeless laws that we've seen in cities and states, and now the federal government, during the second Trump administration's term,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, communications director of NHLC. He warns that Lonsdale’s financial interests aren’t confined to federal defense contracts—Cicero’s campaign to criminalize homelessness could also drive demand for surveillance and private security companies among 8VC investments, such as the location-based Citizen app. “Joe Lonsdale and his venture capital firm stand to profit off of the very laws of their passing,” Rabinowitz said. The Cicero Institute did not respond to requests for comment on defense lobbying under its d.b.a. American Phalanx, or inquiries into its lobbying spending and payments to Arpinum. Cicero’s signature policy of criminalizing outdoor sleeping helped form the blueprint for President Trump’s July 2025 executive order on homelessness, which directed federal agencies to prioritize funding for states and cities that enforce bans on public camping and move away from the approach known as Housing First. The laws make public camping a crime, even in areas where shelter beds are not an option, and [punish](https://stateline.org/2022/04/08/homeless-camping-bans-are-spreading-this-group-shaped-the-bills/) cities and localities if the ban is not enforced. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Private Equity Execs Bankroll Super PAC Backing Moulton vs. Markey URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/27/private-equity-execs-bankroll-super-pac-backing-moulton-vs-markey/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T13:35:21.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F27%2Fprivate-equity-execs-bankroll-super-pac-backing-moulton-vs-markey%2F&text=Private%20Equity%20Execs%20Bankroll%20Super%20PAC%20Backing%20Moulton%20vs.%20Markey) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Private%20Equity%20Execs%20Bankroll%20Super%20PAC%20Backing%20Moulton%20vs.%20Markey https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F27%2Fprivate-equity-execs-bankroll-super-pac-backing-moulton-vs-markey%2F)! Private equity and venture capital executives are bankrolling the super PAC working to unseat Sen. Ed Markey and elect Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts’ Sept. 1 primary, FEC filings show, with the largest checks coming from partners at Bain Capital, Berkshire Partners, and Insight Partners. More than 20 donors from the two industries have given more than $1.6 million to the super PAC, called Advance Progress, together accounting for over 40% of its total receipts. Richard Wells, a director at Insight Partners, gave $400,000 across two donations. David Peeler and Robert Small, both of Berkshire Partners, gave a combined $350,000\. Joshua Bekenstein and Christopher Gordon of Bain Capital gave $175,000 combined. This finance industry support comes as Markey has pushed to eliminate a tax break that benefits private equity and venture capital fund managers. Markey is an [original co-sponsor](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/445/cosponsors) of the current Senate bill to close the carried interest loophole, which allows investment managers to have some of their compensation taxed at the lower capital gains rates. While Moulton said he supports closing the loophole in a tax plan he released while running for president in 2019, in his more than a decade as a member of the House, he has never cosponsored any of the standalone Carried Interest Fairness Acts introduced during his tenure, including the current House bill. The PAC also received a $180,000 transfer in July from MA Progress Action, a 501(c)4 nonprofit also known as MA Advance Progress that doesn't disclose its own donors. MA Progress Action is [run by](https://massterlist.com/p/common-cause-mass-wades-into-u-s-senate-race-with-dark-money-critique) Todd Kanter, a managing director at Boston-based investment advisory Silvercrest Asset Management and a strategic advisor to hedge fund CKM Partners. In April, the group ran an ad mocking Markey and other older members of Congress for suffering from what it called "chronic reelection disorder." The Campaign Legal Center filed a [complaint](https://campaignlegal.org/document/clc-alleges-dark-money-group-failed-report-political-ad-attacking-markey) with the Federal Election Commission alleging that the ad should have been reported to the FEC as a political expenditure and that the group should be required to register as a PAC. MA Progress Action has [called](https://www.cnhi.com/rss%5Ffeed/anti-markey-group-hit-with-federal-complaint/) the complaint "frivolous" and said its ads are "educational." Advance Progress has spent at least $5.4 million to support Moulton and oppose Markey, according to FEC data, far more than the $2.2 million that has been spent by the pro-Markey super PAC, Commonwealth Together. The pro-Markey outside money hails from different donors. Commonwealth Together PAC received its largest donation from Public First Action, a nonprofit organization financed by Anthropic. Its next largest donors, both of whom gave $450,000, are Granite Telecommunications CEO Robert Hale and Triumvirate Environmental CEO John McQuillan. Labor unions including 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and the Massachusetts Teachers Association provided more than a quarter of the pro-Markey group’s funds. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Linked PAC Boosts Nguyen Despite Her Gaza Stance URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/25/aipac-linked-pac-boosts-nguyen-despite-her-gaza-stance/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T18:30:09.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F25%2Faipac-linked-pac-boosts-nguyen-despite-her-gaza-stance%2F&text=AIPAC-Linked%20PAC%20Boosts%20Nguyen%20Despite%20Her%20Gaza%20Stance) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC-Linked%20PAC%20Boosts%20Nguyen%20Despite%20Her%20Gaza%20Stance https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F25%2Faipac-linked-pac-boosts-nguyen-despite-her-gaza-stance%2F)! A super PAC has spent at least $450,000 on ads boosting state Rep. Tram Nguyen in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District Democratic primary while obscuring a major source of the money behind it: AIPAC’s own super PAC. Pro-Choice Majority Action, formed in May, is funded almost entirely by its affiliate EDW Action Fund, whose largest outside donor is United Democracy Project (UDP), the super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The spending comes despite Nguyen’s denunciations of Israel’s war in Gaza, which she has called a “genocide,” and her campaign’s promise that it is “people-powered.” The [digital ad buys](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00949248/2009539/se) come in the crowded Democratic primary for the open Massachusetts 6th Congressional District seat, which Rep. Seth Moulton is vacating to run for U.S. Senate. The primary is Sept. 1. UDP has given EDW Action Fund at least $2.45 million since May 2024, accounting for more than half of the money it has raised, excluding transferred money from its affiliates. The AIPAC-allied super PAC Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) has also given it $137,750 so far this year. There is no indication in Pro-Choice Majority Action's ads that the group is financed by an organization receiving millions of dollars from AIPAC's political spending arm. Instead, the ads pitch Nguyen to progressive voters on her support for Medicare for All and raising taxes on billionaires, under the banner of a group whose name suggests its focus is abortion rights. ## Sign up for Sludge Receive our posts by email the second we publish Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. EDW Action Fund's other donors include tech investor Ron Conway; The Bench, a centrist super PAC funded by hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and James and Kathryn Murdoch; Opportunity Forward Alliance, a nonprofit [project of the Financial Services Forum](https://readsludge.com/2026/06/29/big-bank-lobby-pumps-millions-into-corporate-dems-super-pacs/), the trade group representing the country's eight largest banks; and the Kimbark Foundation, a Delaware nonprofit that registered in December 2025 and has no disclosed activity beyond funding AIPAC-aligned PACs. EDW Action Fund also draws from its own affiliated groups, Elect Democratic Women, EDW Foundation, and Battleground Democrats. The groups have run this play several times already this cycle. EDW Action Fund and its affiliate Pro-Choice Majority Action spent to boost San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan's congressional bid over the campaigns of Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti. The group backed Rep. Diana DeGette over progressive primary challenger Melat Kiros in Colorado's 1st District, and spent to support Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine's House campaign over Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh. Chan and Wiener advanced to the general election, while Kiros and Biss won their races. Rival MA-06 candidate Jamie Belsito called out the spending in a [post on X](https://x.com/JamieBelsito/status/2091892778535915615): "AIPAC is now directly involved in my race. AIPAC just gave $200,000 to Tram Nguyen through one of its subsidiaries. AIPAC sees the writing on the wall: that we have the people-powered momentum and they don't like what the people have to say." Belsito has [pushed](https://andovermanews.com/belsito-urges-ma-6-rivals-to-sign-pledge-rejecting-super-pac-aipac-and-billionaire-money/) other candidates in the race to sign a pledge rejecting PAC money tied to AIPAC. Nguyen herself has publicly described the war in Gaza as a “genocide” and said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “should be tried as a war criminal.” In an [X post](https://x.com/TeamTram/status/2088025260536873469) earlier this month she wrote that, as someone who fled an authoritarian regime, she knows “the devastating human cost of violence and displacement” and called for an end to “writing blank checks for forever wars.” Her campaign website calls for stopping U.S. military funding to Israel and says she will sign onto the Block the Bombs Act. Nguyen has said she's running a "people-powered" campaign without corporate PAC support, but her campaign has not addressed the source of the Pro-Choice Majority Action spending on her behalf. Nguyen's campaign did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Two days before announcing her congressional bid in October 2025, Nguyen transferred [$190,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202601319795537997) from her state campaign account to Save America Fund, a Rhode Island-based super PAC. Save America Fund donated [$45,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202410159689237161) to the AIPAC-allied Democratic Majority for Israel PAC in July 2024\. Campaign finance watchdogs told the [Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/metro/tram-nguyen-congress-super-pac/) that the transfer may have violated federal soft-money rules that restrict the use of state-raised funds in federal races, but that it's a legal gray area since the money was given to an outside spending group. ### Here Is How Much AIPAC Has Given to Every Member of Congress This Cycle URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/22/here-is-how-much-aipac-has-given-to-every-member-of-congress-this-cycle/ Last updated: 2026-09-03T15:24:10.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Here%20Is%20How%20Much%20AIPAC%20Has%20Given%20to%20Every%20Member%20of%20Congress%20This%20Cycle https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F22%2Fhere-is-how-much-aipac-has-given-to-every-member-of-congress-this-cycle%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F22%2Fhere-is-how-much-aipac-has-given-to-every-member-of-congress-this-cycle%2F&text=Here%20Is%20How%20Much%20AIPAC%20Has%20Given%20to%20Every%20Member%20of%20Congress%20This%20Cycle) The PAC of pro-Israel group AIPAC has funneled $45.9 million to members of Congress, their caucus PACs, and federal candidates this election cycle, according to a Sludge review of its most recent FEC filing, covering activity through July 31. AIPAC is on pace to surpass its PAC giving from the 2024 cycle and is, by far, the top-contributing conduit PAC among groups that endorse federal candidates. The sum is overwhelmingly composed of earmarked contributions from U.S.-based individuals to members of Congress. Giving is particularly focused on lawmakers on the House and Senate Defense and Appropriations committees, which AIPAC lobbies on issues including billions of dollars in annual military aid and deeper defense policy coordination. Below, Sludge has compiled a searchable list of how much money AIPAC PAC has given to every member of Congress and other federal candidates in the 2026 midterm cycle. Search by name or state. 👋 *This investigative newsletter depends on subscriptions from readers like you,* [**$100-for-a-year*](https://readsludge.com/membership/)**, to publish news stories on lobbying groups like AIPAC that spend nine-figure amounts to sway lawmakers and target ads to voters. Join for full access to this and every Sludge story.* In July, AIPAC PAC dished out another $1.9 million in disbursements to federal candidates and groups, according to its latest [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00797670/2009101/) on Aug. 20\. The group’s website highlights that credit in donation records goes to both the individual donor and AIPAC, boosting its relationship with recipients. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Convenes White House Crypto Meeting With His Own Business Partners URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/20/trump-convenes-white-house-crypto-meeting-with-his-own-business-partners/ Last updated: 2026-08-20T03:28:34.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Convenes%20White%20House%20Crypto%20Meeting%20With%20His%20Own%20Business%20Partners https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F19%2Ftrump-convenes-white-house-crypto-meeting-with-his-own-business-partners%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F19%2Ftrump-convenes-white-house-crypto-meeting-with-his-own-business-partners%2F&text=Trump%20Convenes%20White%20House%20Crypto%20Meeting%20With%20His%20Own%20Business%20Partners) President Trump gathered cryptocurrency executives, crypto lobbyists, and their federal regulators at the White House on Wednesday to advance policies benefiting an industry that has become a major source of income for his family—including companies that directly do business with his crypto ventures. Today’s session preceded the inaugural meeting of the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee, or IAC, to be held Thursday—a 35-member body that includes not only crypto titans, but also prediction market companies with financial ties to Donald Trump Jr. Many of the companies at today’s meeting have made large donations to the Trump–Vance inaugural committee, his super PAC MAGA Inc., or the White House ballroom project that is one of the president’s top priorities. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dark Money Group Sends Staffers to Tech and Pharma HQs to Kick Off August Recess URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/13/dark-money-group-sends-staffers-to-tech-and-pharma-hqs-to-kick-off-august-recess/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T14:18:56.000Z As the House cleared out of Washington for August recess, congressional aides working on major policy fights on Capitol Hill were being flown out to corporate headquarters by a dark money group with deep ties to industry. The staffers took sponsored trips to companies with stakes in the lobbying battles, including a fusion startup seeking to power AI data centers and Big Pharma firms as they fight President Trump’s push to tie U.S. drug prices to lower prices overseas. Center Forward, a centrist 501(c)4 group that does not disclose its donors, organized and paid for the trips, sending three separate groups of House staffers to Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver beginning July 29. The Seattle trip was focused largely around artificial intelligence and the energy infrastructure that is proposed to support it. In its disclosure to the House Ethics Committee, Center Forward said the program would cover frontier AI development, AI applications in research and business, consumer protections related to AI, and other aspects of the industry. At Salesforce headquarters, the company’s executives briefed the staffers on "agentic decision making" and how Congress should set AI guardrails. Salesforce has helped to fund Center Forward, [disclosing](https://www.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/documents/company/2026-political-engagement-report.pdf) giving it $70,000 through May of this year, after giving it $55,000 in 2025\. Amazon, another company that has [disclosed funding Center Forward](https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc%5Fdownloads/2026/2025-Political-Engagement-Statement.pdf), demonstrated its delivery drones and discussed safety frameworks for the technology, while Uber discussed autonomous vehicles. And at Helion Energy, a fusion startup with an agreement in place to provide power to Microsoft's AI data centers, the tour was focused on federal funding, permitting, grid infrastructure that is needed to meet the rising electricity demand. Center Forward invited staffers in the thick of the policy debates. Dylan Irlbeck, a policy adviser to Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), was invited for his “insights on negotiations for federal regulatory frameworks governing frontier artificial intelligence.” Trahan and Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) have been [working on federal AI legislation](https://obernolte.house.gov/media/press-releases/obernolte-trahan-introduce-bipartisan-frontier-act-strengthen-oversight) as Congress debates whether national rules should preempt state AI laws. Donald Pollard, legislative director to Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), was selected because he could discuss “federal energy policy and building the grid capacity to support artificial intelligence development.” Luke Dube, legislative director to Energy and Commerce member Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), was picked for his focus on federal support for nuclear and renewable energy. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Health Insurers Are Paying Third Way as It Targets the Left URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/11/health-insurers-are-paying-third-way-as-it-targets-the-left/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T01:09:23.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Health%20Insurers%20Are%20Paying%20Third%20Way%20as%20It%20Targets%20the%20Left https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F10%2Fhealth-insurers-are-paying-third-way-as-it-targets-the-left%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F10%2Fhealth-insurers-are-paying-third-way-as-it-targets-the-left%2F&text=Health%20Insurers%20Are%20Paying%20Third%20Way%20as%20It%20Targets%20the%20Left) Third Way, the centrist group that is launching a $15 million campaign to fight the left wing of the Democratic Party, is being funded by health care industry interests that have long opposed one of the left’s primary goals: Medicare for All. The group—which does not disclose its funders publicly, leaving only glimpses into its corporate benefactors—recently [told](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/us/politics/democratic-party-socialists-moderates.html) the New York Times that it will spend to combat the influence of democratic socialists in Democratic Party, in response to a wave of primary election wins by progressives. Jonathan Cowan, the group’s president, said Third Way is “preparing for war” against candidates like those who support Medicare for All. Third Way announced its plans on the heels of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s win last week in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary after he advocated for Medicare for All, a main campaign plank, for nearly a decade. The group says it plans to target El-Sayed as part of its efforts, accusing him of “flirting with democratic socialists.” One newly-surfaced donor to Third Way is the industry group Better Solutions for Healthcare (BSFH), composed of health insurance lobbying giant AHIP, BlueCross BlueShield, and other insurance trade groups. The group BSFH made its first donation of $50,000 to Third Way’s advocacy arm in 2024, according to its most recent tax filing, its only disclosed donation made that year. BSFH is run out of the offices of leading Republican digital and strategy firm Targeted Victory in Arlington, according to tax records. The group was formed by Republican operative Alexander Schriver, Targeted Victory’s head of public affairs and BSFH’s past executive director, and has paid millions of dollars to the GOP firm for advertising in recent years. In 2023, Schriver headed out to become senior vice president of public affairs at the lobbying behemoth PhRMA, which co-founded an industry campaign to spike Medicare for All. BSFH is currently led by Targeted Victory’s president, Connie Partoyan, also a former Republican staffer. In July 2024, Third Way led a coalition letter supporting one of BSFH’s top priorities in Congress, legislation to expand site-neutral payment policies at clinics. Third Way has long opposed proposals for Medicare for All, and earlier this year unveiled its plans to push Democratic presidential candidates away from a single-payer system and instead embrace its package of centrist health policies—mentioning site-neutral payment policies as part of its policy agenda. Other major health insurance companies, Big Pharma firms, and insurance industry lobbying groups continue donating to Third Way, according to a Sludge review of their disclosures. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Tops $100 Million in Election Spending for Second Straight Cycle URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/08/03/aipac-tops-100-million-in-election-spending-for-second-straight-cycle/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T22:42:06.000Z 💥 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC%20Tops%20%24100%20Million%20in%20Election%20Spending%20for%20Second%20Straight%20Cycle https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F03%2Faipac-tops-100-million-in-election-spending-for-second-straight-cycle%2F) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F08%2F03%2Faipac-tops-100-million-in-election-spending-for-second-straight-cycle%2F&text=AIPAC%20Tops%20%24100%20Million%20in%20Election%20Spending%20for%20Second%20Straight%20Cycle) For the second cycle in a row, AIPAC has surpassed $100 million in federal election spending, according to a Sludge review of campaign finance records. As recently as 2021, AIPAC [had never directly donated](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/24/aipac-makes-its-first-campaign-donations/) to a federal candidate—its PAC made its first donations in January 2022, and that same month it formed its own super PAC. By the 2024 cycle, AIPAC’s nine-figure outlays in elections marked a dramatic increase in its spending for the House and Senate lawmakers who approve billions of dollars in economic and military aid packages for Israel. Now, about three months before Election Day, AIPAC is cementing its status as one of the largest spenders on congressional elections. The spending comes as a growing number of congressional Democrats are challenging unconditional military aid to Israel, recently casting votes to restrict or condition the flow of U.S. weapons as Israel continues its strikes in Gaza and Lebanon. AIPAC’s PAC and super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), have combined for more than $104.3 million in political spending so far in the 2026 cycle, according to a review of FEC data. That figure does not include spending to influence voters by allied super PACs like Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) or by a sprawling network of pop-up super PACs that were seeded by UDP or DMFI. The $104.3 million figure is likely to swell before the midterms are through. As of the end of June, UDP had another $80 million on hand to spend on elections, according to its most recent FEC filing, and AIPAC PAC is likely to continue funneling contributions to lawmakers totaling in the millions of dollars per month. The nine-figure total includes the most AIPAC has ever spent on a single race: the Aug. 4 Michigan Senate Democratic primary, where UDP has spent $30.6 million supporting Rep. Haley Stevens and opposing Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. AIPAC has notched wins recently on Capitol Hill. In addition to continuing billions of dollars in military aid, last month the U.S. House passed a National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027 that includes a provision expanding U.S.–Israeli defense cooperation, language that AIPAC applauded. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lobbying Filings Reveal What Companies Paid for Trump's Freedom 250 URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/31/lobbying-filings-reveal-what-companies-paid-for-trumps-freedom-250/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T14:58:36.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F31%2Flobbying-filings-reveal-what-companies-paid-for-trumps-freedom-250%2F&text=Lobbying%20Filings%20Reveal%20What%20Companies%20Paid%20for%20Trump's%20Freedom%20250) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lobbying%20Filings%20Reveal%20What%20Companies%20Paid%20for%20Trump's%20Freedom%20250 https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F31%2Flobbying-filings-reveal-what-companies-paid-for-trumps-freedom-250%2F)! Freedom 250 LLC, the entity behind many of President Trump's 250th-anniversary celebrations, publicly lists its sponsors but does not disclose how much they paid. New federal lobbying reports filed this week are now providing the first look at some of those contributions, revealing multimillion-dollar payments made by Chevron, RTX and United Airlines. Chevron disclosed contributing [$5 million](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/2cdd54b5-ab49-4fb4-9e0c-3b3b11a80799/print/) to Freedom 250, United Airlines reported a [$2.5 million](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/7d417e97-bd28-4951-9a5a-5cc121334470/print/) contribution, and RTX disclosed giving [$1.5 million](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/4a8309bf-68c8-41f8-aaef-e37797fec728/print/). The reports, which were due by July 30, are the first public records documenting what at least some Freedom 250 sponsors paid to back the effort. The disclosures were required because the companies are registered federal lobbying organizations and must report certain expenditures involving covered federal officials. The disclosures come amid new revelations about Trump's corporate fundraising operations. A Wall Street Journal [investigation](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-donations-company-fundraising-1e34a78f?mod=hp%5Flead%5Fpos7) published this week found that Trump has personally overseen an effort that has taken in more than $800 million from corporations since returning to office. The Journal reported that Trump regularly calls his chief fundraiser to ask how much specific companies have given, while much of the money flows through entities that generally are not required to disclose their donors or contribution amounts, including Freedom 250 LLC, the nonprofit behind Trump's proposed White House ballroom, and the political “dark money” group Securing American Greatness. Chevron gave $5 million to Freedom 250 LLC on May 28, one tier below the top of the group’s [five-tier sponsorship structure](https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/f6e549fa141d220f/01cfe3d5-full.pdf). Chevron has had major business involving Venezuela before the administration: Trump revoked the company's license to produce and export oil there shortly after taking office in 2025, then restored a limited license in May and a fuller one that July, before the Treasury Department [granted Chevron](https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935031/download?inline) and four European majors broader new licenses this February. Chevron also gave $2 million to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee in December 2024. RTX gave $1.5 million on May 29, a day after Chevron. The payment was made four months after Trump publicly [threatened](https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2026/01/09/trump-threatens-to-cut-raytheons-government-contract/) to cut off Raytheon, RTX's defense unit, calling it "the least responsive to the needs" of the Pentagon and warning in a Truth Social post that the company would "no longer be doing business" with the Defense Department unless it sped up weapons production and ceased stock buybacks. By February, RTX and the Pentagon had signed their first [framework agreements](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/02/rtx-to-ramp-up-production-of-five-weapons-in-new-deal-with-pentagon/) under the new administration, committing Raytheon to ramp up production of Tomahawk, AMRAAM and standard missile munitions. The company has continued winning major contracts since, including an [$8.4 billion](https://seekingalpha.com/news/4566204-raytheon-wins-841b-us-missile-defense-agency-modification-contract) missile defense contract in March and work tied to the administration's "Golden Dome" missile shield initiative. United Airlines gave $2.5 million to Freedom 250 LLC on March 10\. The company’s CEO Scott Kirby has personally [lobbied](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3407176/newark-airport-united-airlines-demands-faa-slot-controls/) the administration to designate the airline's Newark hub a slot-controlled "Level 3" airport, a designation that would cement United's market dominance there against competitors. The FAA has [moved in that direction](https://viewfromthewing.com/faa-lets-airlines-keep-new-york-airport-slots-without-flying-blocking-competition-another-year/) over the past year, and also extended waivers letting incumbent carriers like United keep slots at LaGuardia, JFK and Reagan National through 2028\. United has also joined other major airlines in pushing DOT to undo Biden-era rules requiring cash compensation for delays and holding carriers accountable for damaged wheelchairs, both [reversed](https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2025/12/08/for-airlines-trump-deregulation-gift-keeps-giving/) under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The filing also shows United donated $450,000 to the Obama Foundation and $500,000 to the Kennedy Center, which Trump took over in 2025, installing himself as the chairman. Other companies including Boeing, Deloitte, Palantir, ExxonMobil, UnitedHealth Group, and Lockheed Martin are listed as sponsors on the Freedom 250 website and are registered lobbying organizations that filed mid-year LD-203s, but reported no Freedom 250 contributions. The [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-donations-company-fundraising-1e34a78f?mod=hp%5Flead%5Fpos7) reported that Lockheed gave more than $10 million in late 2025 and early 2026 "related to America's 250th anniversary and infrastructure project.” Trump told a private audience Lockheed had agreed to pay roughly $5 million toward a new White House helipad, the Journal reported. The Journal's investigation also identified some other sponsors whose amounts haven't surfaced in public disclosures: TikTok gave roughly $2 million, and Oracle and ExxonMobil each gave more than $1 million, according to people familiar with the matter. ## Join Our Newsletter Get our money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Cleta Mitchell's Voter Suppression Charity Tripled Its Spending Ahead of the Midterms URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/31/cleta-mitchells-voter-suppression-charity-tripled-its-spending-ahead-of-the-midterms/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T13:43:35.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F31%2Fcleta-mitchells-voter-suppression-charity-tripled-its-spending-ahead-of-the-midterms&text=Cleta%20Mitchell's%20Voter%20Suppression%20Charity%20Tripled%20Its%20Spending%20Ahead%20of%20the%20Midterms) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Cleta%20Mitchell's%20Voter%20Suppression%20Charity%20Tripled%20Its%20Spending%20Ahead%20of%20the%20Midterms https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F31%2Fcleta-mitchells-voter-suppression-charity-tripled-its-spending-ahead-of-the-midterms)! Five years after helping President Trump pressure Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 presidential election, conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell is overseeing a nonprofit that has quietly become one of the largest financial backers of the Republican Party's election fights. A newly public tax filing shows Mitchell's Foundation for Accountability, Integrity & Research in Elections Fund, known as the FAIR Elections Fund, distributed more than [$4.5 million](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/931870447/202641329349307024/full) during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, nearly tripling its grantmaking from the previous year. The money flowed to organizations involved in election litigation, restrictive voter-registration policy, conservative media, and poll-watcher recruitment, many of them longstanding allies of Mitchell and her movement. The filing also shows FAIR paid $72,000 to Verity Vote LLC, the consulting firm owned by Heather Honey, Mitchell's longtime collaborator on election-fraud investigations who was listed on the filing as the group’s vice president and director. Honey was [appointed](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/researcher-voter-data-2020-trump-election-integrity-rcna227494) deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security last August, where she oversees election integrity for the Trump administration. It was the second year in a row that Mitchel’s group made payments to Honey’s firm. Mitchell founded FAIR in 2023 under the umbrella of the Trump-aligned [Conservative Partnership Institute](https://readsludge.com/tag/conservative-partnership-institute/) (CPI), where she became a senior legal fellow after leaving her law firm in the aftermath of her involvement with Trump's January 2021 call urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's victory. Neither FAIR's tax filing nor CPI's discloses who funds them, but CPI's most recent tax filing shows its grants to FAIR jumped from $815,000 in 2023 to [more than $6 million in 2024](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/821470217/202513189349303026/full). Its calendar year doesn't line up exactly with FAIR's July-to-June filing cycle, but covers roughly the same period that FAIR's own grantmaking was surging. Honey had become a prominent figure in election challenges long before joining DHS. In 2020, she [misrepresented](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/researcher-voter-data-2020-trump-election-integrity-rcna227494) incomplete Pennsylvania data to claim the state had more votes than voters, a claim Trump repeated in his speech to supporters on January 6, 2021—saying Pennsylvania "had 205,000 more votes than you had voters"—shortly before many of the people listening to Trump’s speech stormed the Capitol. She later participated in the Arizona Senate's partisan review of Maricopa County's 2020 election, a six-month search for fraud that ultimately confirmed Biden's victory while drawing widespread criticism from election experts for its methodology. Stephen Richer, the county's recorder at the time, told the [Associated Press](https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-08-26/researcher-who-has-distorted-voted-data-appointed-to-homeland-security-election-integrity-role) that Honey's public records requests during his tenure consumed "scores of hours of staff time" and said plainly that she's "not a serious auditor." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democrats' Fundraisers Are Also Running AI's Congressional Access Operation URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/29/democrats-fundraisers-are-also-running-ais-congressional-access-operation/ Last updated: 2026-07-29T19:30:05.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F29%2Fdemocrats-fundraisers-are-also-running-ais-congressional-access-operation%2F&text=Democrats'%20Fundraisers%20Are%20Also%20Running%20AI's%20Congressional%20Access%20Operation) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democrats'%20Fundraisers%20Are%20Also%20Running%20AI's%20Congressional%20Access%20Operation https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F29%2Fdemocrats-fundraisers-are-also-running-ais-congressional-access-operation%2F)! Democratic fundraising consultants working for Senate campaigns, including those of Sen. Jacky Rosen and Rep. Haley Stevens, also run a nonprofit backed in part by Google and Amazon that has become one of the AI industry's primary channels for cultivating relationships with the congressional staff overseeing federal AI legislation. The Innovative Future Collective (IFC), founded by Democratic fundraising consultants Ashley Kennedy and Tonya Fulkerson, has spent the past year flying congressional aides on industry-guided tours of Google, Meta, Amazon, Palantir, Anduril, and other companies at the center of the AI industry's campaign to shape federal AI policy, including its push to preempt state AI regulation. The nonprofit describes the trips, built around briefings from company policy executives for committee counsels and chiefs of staff overseeing AI legislation, as "educational," and [told Sludge](https://readsludge.com/2026/03/11/ai-lobbyists-are-flying-congressional-staffers-around-the-country-on-luxury-trips/) in March that it "does not engage in advocacy." Though IFC does not disclose its donors, two companies whose executives regularly participate in its congressional programs, [Google](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/2025%5Fmemberships%5Ffor%5Fgoogle%5Fpublic%5Fpolicy%5Ftransparency%5Fpage.pdf) and [Amazon](https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc%5Fdownloads/2026/2025-Political-Engagement-Statement.pdf), have identified IFC among the political and policy organizations they fund in their own public political-engagement disclosures. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Carville's War on the Democratic Left Is Funded by Centrist Billionaires URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/25/carvilles-war-on-the-democratic-left-is-funded-by-centrist-billionaires/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T23:06:07.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F25%2Fcarvilles-war-on-the-democratic-left-is-funded-by-centrist-billionaires%2F&text=Carville's%20War%20on%20the%20Democratic%20Left%20Is%20Funded%20by%20Centrist%20Billionaires) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Carville's%20War%20on%20the%20Democratic%20Left%20Is%20Funded%20by%20Centrist%20Billionaires https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F25%2Fcarvilles-war-on-the-democratic-left-is-funded-by-centrist-billionaires%2F) James Carville has spent the last month calling for the Democrats to expel what he sees as the left wing of the party, attacking recent primary winners who are progressives and democratic socialists. “These people are so f—-ing stupid, I don’t know what to say about it,” he said of the wave of leftist Democratic nominees in a podcast video. Viewers of his diatribes are likely unaware of his financial interests in promoting centrist candidates and slamming progressives. His consulting firm Gaslight Inc. is paid by the Democratic Party establishment-tied super PAC American Bridge, where he is a senior advisor. Carville was also a senior advisor to a lobbying and consulting firm led by an American Bridge co-founder—a firm the crypto industry paid more than half a million dollars in 2024, as crypto money poured into primaries to defeat progressives. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Former Trump Officials Are Lobbying the Agencies They Just Left URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/23/former-trump-officials-are-lobbying-the-agencies-they-just-left/ Last updated: 2026-07-23T14:45:36.000Z 🌀 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F23%2Fformer-trump-officials-are-lobbying-the-agencies-they-just-left%2F&text=Former%20Trump%20Officials%20Are%20Lobbying%20the%20Agencies%20They%20Just%20Left) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Former%20Trump%20Officials%20Are%20Lobbying%20the%20Agencies%20They%20Just%20Left https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F23%2Fformer-trump-officials-are-lobbying-the-agencies-they-just-left%2F)! A natural gas company that did not exist five months ago is already paying $380,000 a quarter for a lobbyist who, until this spring, ran oil and gas leasing policy at the Interior Department. A former White House liaison to the Senate left in February and by summer was lobbying U.S. senators for a German utility. A director of operations in Susie Wiles' office was working in the West Wing as of April, but by July she'd registered to lobby on behalf of a lithium mine. None of this is illegal, because on his first day back in office in January 2025, President Trump [rescinded](https://apnews.com/article/trump-revokes-ethics-rules-drain-swamp-b8e3ba0f98c9c60af11a8e70cbc902bd) the Biden administration's ethics pledge requiring executive branch appointees to wait two years before lobbying their former agencies. He also declined to revive his own stronger "drain the swamp” ethics pledge from his first term, which barred appointees from lobbying their former agencies for five years after leaving government, a restriction he [revoked](https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958710562/trump-revokes-administration-ethics-rules-on-his-way-out-the-door) himself in an order signed hours before leaving office in January 2021. Government ethics groups raised alarms when the second Trump administration took office without an ethics pledge in place. The Campaign Legal Center noted that presidents have traditionally issued ethics rules for political appointees at the start of a new administration, and [warned](https://campaignlegal.org/update/day-one-his-presidency-trump-ignored-yet-another-ethics-norm) that operating without an ethics pledge would make the Trump administration "more susceptible to outside interests and influence." Eighteen months later, the results are becoming apparent in federal lobbying disclosures. A Sludge review of Q2 lobbying disclosures filed this week found multiple recent Trump administration officials moving into influence-peddling jobs within months of leaving government, in some cases now lobbying the same executive offices where they recently worked. Adam Suess left his post as acting assistant secretary for land and minerals management at the Interior Department in late February of this year and immediately took a job as principal at Squire Patton Boggs, where his client list includes the American Petroleum Institute, Pilot Company, the private equity firm KKR, crypto venture firm Paradigm Operations, and more. His single largest client is Polar LNG, which paid Squire Patton Boggs $380,000 in the second quarter alone, more than double what Suess's next-largest client paid. Polar LNG only incorporated in late March 2026, is pursuing a [$8–9 billion nearshore LNG export terminal](https://www.ogj.com/pipelines-transportation/lng/news/55367736/newly-formed-polar-lng-aims-to-develop-nearshore-lng-project-on-alaskas-north-slope) on Alaska's North Slope and has said publicly that it wants to buy discounted equipment from Arctic LNG 2, a Russian project under U.S. sanctions, which would [require](https://pgjonline.com/news/2026/march/alaska-lng-project-eyes-sanctioned-russian-equipment-for-development) sign-off from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Lobbying disclosures show Suess has already returned to lobbying the Interior Department he recently helped run. In one [filing](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/11e684de-31e0-4cba-bd98-f6277c5dfca8/print/), Squire Patton Boggs reported him lobbying the department in Q2 on behalf of agribusiness company Simplot on issues related to mining, agriculture, and food products. Harrison Fields, who was principal deputy press secretary and a special assistant to the president until August 2025, is now a senior vice president at CGCN Group, a Republican lobbying and public affairs shop. His Q2 clients include GlobalFoundries, the semiconductor manufacturer, and Infleqtion, a quantum computing firm, both of which are part of industries the administration has designated strategic priorities. During that second quarter, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to accelerate quantum technology development, and Infleqtion's CEO [attended](https://ir.infleqtion.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/194/infleqtion-welcomes-executive-order-on-quantum-technology) the signing at the White House, where Fields worked less than a year earlier. Infleqtion has also recently been selected by the Commerce Department for [$100 million in proposed funding ](https://ir.infleqtion.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/188/infleqtion-signs-letter-of-intent-with-the-u-s-department-of-commerce-for-100-million-to-accelerate-u-s-leadership-in-quantum-computing)for its quantum computing work. CGCN's filings show Fields lobbying the Commerce Department, in addition to the White House Office and the Executive Office of the President. Taylor LaJoie, who ran Senate liaison work in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs until February 2026, is now a vice president at the bipartisan Alpine Group, lobbying senators, representatives, the Energy Department, Treasury Department, and more agencies for clients including the German utility RWE and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition. Staff from the vice president’s office are similarly turning around to lobby their recent colleagues. Sean Cooksey served as counsel to Vice President JD Vance and was the administration's [point person](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-vance/vp-tiktok-fixer-sean-cooksey-depart-trump-admin-private-sector-bgr-rcna257336) on the deal that moved TikTok's U.S. operations to a joint venture backed by American investors. Before that, Cooksey chaired the Federal Election Commission, the agency that oversees campaign-finance law, through the 2024 election. He left the vice president's office in February 2026 to join lobbying firm BGR Group as a managing director in its Commerce and Infrastructure practice. His Q2 client list includes Zillow, the Little Tech Association, and two clients with foreign-trade stakes: SanDisk, the memory-chip maker, and Hindalco Industries, an Indian aluminum and copper conglomerate. BGR's filings for both SanDisk and Hindalco list the White House Office among the offices lobbied. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dark Money Group Led by Corporate Lobbyists Funds Pro-Stevens Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/20/dark-money-group-led-by-corporate-lobbyists-funds-pro-stevens-super-pac/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T00:47:42.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F20%2Fdark-money-group-led-by-corporate-lobbyists-funds-pro-stevens-super-pac%2F&text=Dark%20Money%20Group%20Led%20by%20Corporate%20Lobbyists%20Funds%20Pro-Stevens%20Super%20PAC) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Dark%20Money%20Group%20Led%20by%20Corporate%20Lobbyists%20Funds%20Pro-Stevens%20Super%20PAC https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F20%2Fdark-money-group-led-by-corporate-lobbyists-funds-pro-stevens-super-pac%2F)! The shadow super PAC bankrolling ads for Rep. Haley Stevens in her race to be the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan is almost entirely funded by Center Forward, a centrist “dark money” group headed by corporate lobbyists, a new FEC filing reveals. A Stronger Michigan was formed in early June and has [spent](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00952259/1999064/se) over $13 million in its first seven weeks, all on ads backing Stevens. Sludge first reported last month that the super PAC had apparent ties to Center Forward and board member Jefferies Murray, which CEO Cori Kramer [denied](https://readsludge.com/2026/06/05/shadow-super-pac-tied-to-lobbyist-drops-1m-for-haley-stevens/) at the time. On Monday, Kramer maintained that Center Forward is not “legally affiliated” with A Stronger Michigan, adding in an email to Sludge, "Center Forward has always, and will continue to support candidates and elected leaders who focus on solving problems.” ”We're proud to stand with the voters of Michigan in supporting Haley Stevens," Kramer said. Stevens’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Since A Stronger Michigan is largely funded by a nonprofit, it is impossible to trace who exactly is funding the pro-Stevens ads, because nonprofits are not required to publicly disclose donors. But one of Center Forward’s [top known contributors](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/14/house-dems-donate-to-centrist-group-that-undermines-their-agenda/) is the drug industry’s chief lobbying group, or PhRMA. In the Michigan Senate race, Stevens’ opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, has campaigned on Medicare for All, which would overhaul private health insurance and shrink the drug industry’s profits. Other Center Forward donors have [included](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/14/house-dems-donate-to-centrist-group-that-undermines-their-agenda/) electric utility PG&E, trade association the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and lobbying giant the Business Roundtable, according to Sludge’s review of tax filings. Center Forward also has ties to the defense industry. Board chair Robert Cramer and board member [Murray](https://www.openlobby.us/lobbyists/jefferies-murray) have long lobbied for Northrop Grumman, one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the world, which has profited from the ongoing war in Iran [and](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/the-gaza-war-has-been-big-business-for-u-s-companies-8830b54a) what international observers like a U.N. Commission of Inquiry [describe](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jy96w6pw2o) as Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Cramer has also [lobbied](https://www.openlobby.us/lobbyists/robert-cramer) for Leidos, another beneficiary of U.S. wars. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Companies Are Funding the AGs Investigating Them URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/17/ai-companies-are-funding-the-ags-investigating-them/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T19:09:16.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F17%2Fai-companies-are-funding-the-ags-investigating-them%2F&text=AI%20Companies%20Are%20Funding%20the%20AGs%20Investigating%20Them) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AI%20Companies%20Are%20Funding%20the%20AGs%20Investigating%20Them https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F17%2Fai-companies-are-funding-the-ags-investigating-them%2F) Tech giants developing AI models—including OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Amazon—have donated more than $2 million combined to the national Democratic and Republican attorneys general campaign committees since the start of 2025, as AGs in both parties are suing AI companies over harms to children and deceptive safety claims. More than half of that arrived in the past few months. Google, Meta, and Amazon each donated matching amounts in the second quarter of 2026—$250,000, $200,000, and $125,000, respectively—to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) and the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), according to the groups' IRS disclosures. The Democratic AG group received $25,000 in May from Elon Musk’s xAI, as the company is both suing California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block enforcement of a new AI transparency law—and is being investigated by Bonta this year over its Grok model's creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes. Anthropic gave $250,000 to RAGA on May 6, its first donation to either group. In June, a coalition of state AGs led by New York Democrat Letitia James [subpoenaed](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/12/openai-says-its-engaging-constructively-with-state-ags-.html) OpenAI for documents on practices including treatment of minors and advertising, after user safety [incidents](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/openai-hit-with-multistate-probe-into-possible-user-harm-as-its-ipo-looms). In August 2025, a bipartisan group of 44 state AGs—led by Republicans in South Carolina and Tennessee, alongside Democrats in Illinois and North Carolina—sent a [letter](https://www.naag.org/press-releases/bipartisan-coalition-of-state-attorneys-general-issues-letter-to-ai-industry-leaders-on-child-safety/) to OpenAI, Meta, Google, xAI, and other AI firms warning of "grave concerns" over children's interactions with AI chatbots. A follow-up [letter](https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/ag-sunday-leads-coalition-of-42-attorneys-general-in-letter-to-a-i-software-companies-demanding-safeguards-to-protect-vulnerable-residents-from-harmful-interactions-with-bots/) in December, led by Pennsylvania Republican Dave Sunday and New Jersey Democrat Matthew Platkin, demanded stronger safeguards after harmful interactions with children and vulnerable users. The DAGA donation from xAI was unexpected, given the company is in active litigation with one of the group’s prominent members. In December 2025, xAI [sued](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/xai-sues-california-attorney-general-over-ai-training-data-law) Bonta in federal court, seeking to block AB 2013, a new California law requiring AI developers to disclose their training data. The company argued that the disclosure requirements amounted to an unconstitutional taking of trade secrets and compelled speech. Weeks later, on Jan. 16, Bonta [sent](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/california-ag-sends-cease-desist-letter-xai-deepfake-images-2026-01-16/) xAI a separate cease-and-desist letter demanding that the company stop distributing sexually explicit deepfakes generated using Grok. Bonta said his office had opened an investigation after a wave of reports that Grok was being used to produce nonconsensual, sexualized images of women and girls—including content depicting minors—which he said met the legal definition of child sexual abuse material. He demanded xAI immediately halt the practice. In March, a federal judge [denied](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/xai-loses-bid-halt-california-214208893.html) xAI's request to block the training-data transparency law while the suit continued. xAI then donated $25,000 on May 4—its first donation to either group. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Jeffries Opposes Bid to Cut Israel Aid After Record AIPAC Earmark URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/14/jeffries-opposes-bid-to-cut-israel-aid-after-record-aipac-earmark/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T18:18:18.000Z House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has come out against an amendment to cut $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel from a State Department appropriations bill, just weeks after his fundraising committee received the largest earmarked disbursement in the history of AIPAC's political action committee. In a [letter](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000019f-612e-d1ae-a3bf-63bedf180000) sent today to Democratic colleagues, Jeffries said he opposes the [amendment](https://amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/Amendment%20to%20HR.8595%20-%20Israel260615132213134.pdf), from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), because it is "overly broad" and would limit funding for humanitarian aid, refugee resettlement, peace-building and embassy operations. The amendment would not only eliminate the $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing designated for Israel but would also prohibit any other funds in the appropriations bill from being used for Israel. AIPAC opposes the amendment and is urging its supporters to pressure members of Congress not to pass it. “Security assistance is critical to Israel’s security and the U.S.-Israel alliance,” the group says. Democratic representatives such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Cesar have come out in support. On May 20, AIPAC PAC sent two earmarked payments—$87,500 and $61,800, totaling $149,300—to the Jeffries Battleground Protection Fund, a joint fundraising committee that splits proceeds between Jeffries' own campaign, the DCCC, and more than a dozen frontline House Democrats. FEC records list both payments as an "earmark of Daniel Och," the billionaire hedge fund investor and founder of Willoughby Capital. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The 'Dark Money' Web Behind the Biden-Harris Campaign Is Finally Coming Into View URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/13/the-dark-money-web-behind-the-biden-harris-campaign-is-finally-coming-into-view/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T13:27:41.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F13%2Fthe-dark-money-web-behind-the-biden-harris-campaign-is-finally-coming-into-view%2F&text=The%20'Dark%20Money'%20Web%20Behind%20the%20Biden-Harris%20Campaign%20Is%20Finally%20Coming%20Into%20View) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20'Dark%20Money'%20Web%20Behind%20the%20Biden-Harris%20Campaign%20Is%20Finally%20Coming%20Into%20View https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F13%2Fthe-dark-money-web-behind-the-biden-harris-campaign-is-finally-coming-into-view%2F)! Almost two years after Future Forward spent record levels of “dark money” in the 2024 election backing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we're finally getting a partial answer to where the money came from. The money trail leads to a network of little-known nonprofits, Democratic operatives, and politically connected organizations that helped to move hundreds of millions of dollars through the shadows. New tax filings reviewed by Sludge show how $173 million flowed into Future Forward USA Action, the dark money nonprofit that powered the outside spending operation backing Biden and Harris in the 2024 election. The filings are from three nonprofits that also do not disclose their donors, revealing a previously unknown dark money layer behind one of the most expensive political operations in American history. According to a Brennan Center for Justice [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dark-money-hit-record-high-19-billion-2024-federal-races), dark money groups backing Democrats spent about $1.2 billion to influence the election, nearly double the $664 million spent by groups backing Republicans. Future Forward USA Action was the largest single player, spending more than $304 million on advertising and contributions to its affiliated super PAC. The group accounted for roughly $1 out of every $6 in undisclosed political spending during the 2024 cycle. While nonprofits are not required to disclose their donors, they are required to report their grants, and recently filed Form 990s for the fiscal year ending June 2025 show three groups that sent large sums to Future Forward USA Action: $86 million from the Brick by Brick Foundation, $48.8 million from Our American Future Action, and $38.25 million from Evidence for Impact. Brick by Brick Foundation has no public website or other public-facing presence. It was formed in the fiscal year ending June 2024, when it raised most of its money but spent almost nothing. It then spent nearly everything it had taken in during the following fiscal year that held the election. Its president is Richard Fromberg, an executive at the Democratic consulting firm BerlinRosen. Also on its board are Sarah Cotton, a senior vice president of political and strategy at Voices for Progress, and Eddie Vale, a partner at New Paradigm Agency and a former vice president at American Bridge, the super PAC whose 501(c)4 arm, AB Foundation, received Evidence for Impact's single largest grant. American Bridge was also a top dark money-funded backer of the Biden-Harris presidential election effort. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Chemical Lobbyist-Packed EPA Boosts PFAS Pesticides URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/07/chemical-lobbyist-packed-epa-boosts-pfas-pesticides/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T18:08:43.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F07%2Fchemical-lobbyist-packed-epa-boosts-pfas-pesticides%2F&text=Chemical%20Lobbyist-Packed%20EPA%20Boosts%20PFAS%20Pesticides) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Chemical%20Lobbyist-Packed%20EPA%20Boosts%20PFAS%20Pesticides https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F07%2Fchemical-lobbyist-packed-epa-boosts-pfas-pesticides%2F)! The Environmental Protection Agency quietly greenlit the use of three pesticides containing toxic “forever chemicals” last Tuesday. The public officials who oversee their regulation previously worked as lobbyists for trade groups representing the agrichemical firms that applied for their approval. Since November, the EPA has authorized five PFAS pesticides to be sprayed on crops nationwide, marking the latest in the White House’s [deepening embrace](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/26/lobbyist-led-epa-office-set-to-add-a-new-chemical-industry-hire/) of the chemical industry’s agenda—even as it [ruptures](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/20/agrichemical-industry-insiders-sabotage-maha-pesticide-crackdown/) the Make America Healthy Again coalition that helped elect it. PFAS are known as “Forever Chemicals” because they are built around the strongest bond in organic chemistry—fluorine and carbon—which makes them extremely persistent in nature. They have been linked to a broad range of health maladies and have contaminated waterways throughout the country. A [2024 study](https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/donley-et-al-2024-forever-pesticides-a-growing-source-of-pfas-contamination-in-the-environment%5F83592.pdf) found these compounds are increasingly used in U.S. pesticides, now composing around 14% of their active ingredients. “The reason we’re worried is because this went from being the exception to being the rule,” Center for Biological Diversity Environmental Health Science Director Nathan Donley, a co-author of the study, told Sludge. “PFAS pesticides were very rare 20 years ago, and now they make up nearly every new pesticide approval.” The EPA claims that the recently approved pesticides do not qualify as PFAS because they are single-fluorinated carbon compounds rather than composed of at least two fluorinated carbon atoms. This narrow definition has been pushed by the chemical industry, as [Sludge has previously reported](https://readsludge.com/2023/08/11/chemical-company-funded-senators-float-watered-down-pfas-bill/). It excludes thousands of substances that [most scientists](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YLB2zvWG5Ez6VeMqqbw77LpVEj0JTj1H/view) consider to be PFAS. Internal EPA email records obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity under the Freedom of Information Act and reviewed by Sludge show the pesticide office’s adoption of the definition was steered by political appointees, including former chemical industry lobbyists. In early November 2025, the EPA posted a [webpage that stated](https://web.archive.org/web/20251105051853/https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/pesticides-containing-fluorinated-carbon#background%20PFAS%20def): "EPA has not adopted a particular definition for its Office of Pesticide Programs." By November 26, that [language had been replaced](https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/pesticides-containing-single-fluorinated-carbon) with a declaration that single-fluorinated-carbon compounds "are not PFAS." The email records show the page was personally edited by EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, who earlier [lambasted](https://x.com/epaleezeldin/status/1993468563844481144) news reports of the administration’s first PFAS pesticide approvals as “Fake News.” The effort was coordinated by the head of EPA’s pesticide office, Kyle Kunkler—former senior director of government affairs for the [pro-pesticide](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/08/trump-administration-puts-pesticide-lobbyist-in-top-epa-role/) American Soybean Association—and EPA Deputy Associate Administrator for Public Affairs Cora Mandy, whose spouse, Hunter Morgen, is a registered lobbyist for PFAS manufacturer 3M at lobby firm Ballard Partners, where he has [reported](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/057270a7-5126-429d-b3bf-d6c07b82a4bf/print/) lobbying the EPA on environmental regulatory issues on 3M’s behalf. Ballard is also a [top lobbyist for Bayer](https://usrtk.org/pesticides/tracing-bayers-ties-to-power-in-trumps-washington/), the producer of newly approved PFAS pesticide Diflufenican. “You can’t expect someone to work in the public interest when their career has been to lobby for polluting industries,” Donley said. “The EPA is literally being run by chemical industry lobbyists right now, who are prioritizing their industry instead of the American people. And it’s all being done under the guise of making America healthy. People are being gaslighted plain and simple.” At least five other EPA officials on the email chain have financial ties to the chemical and pesticide industry. They include deputy assistant administrator [Nancy Beck](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/26/lobbyist-led-epa-office-set-to-add-a-new-chemical-industry-hire/), who previously worked for law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, which provides PFAS and pesticide litigation defense, as well as the American Chemistry Council, which represents Bayer and the other PFAS pesticide manufacturers; assistant administrator Doug Troutman, former co-CEO of the American Cleaning Institute, which represents PFAS pesticide producers BASF and Dow; Senior agriculture advisor Turner Bridgforth, a [former lobbyist](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/ec60c13b-e4c8-48bf-b5de-f2aa7d7c6d5e/print/) for pesticide manufacturer Corteva; deputy chief of staff Michael Abboud, whose [spouse](https://projects.propublica.org/trump-team-financial-disclosures/appointees/abboud-michael/) is 3M’s former director of government affairs; and senior advisor Kirby Tyndall, a former senior toxicologist with [chemical industry consultant](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27022022/california-produced-water-gsi-chevron-kern-county/) GSI Environmental, whose clients include BASF, the American Chemistry Council, and PFAS manufacturer trade group the [FluoroCouncil](https://philarchive.org/archive/BRAGAT-5?%5F%5Fcf%5Fchl%5Ff%5Ftk=xLkuYoIK%5F0JxiWAzOKzTG4jylMzMW%5FrQ8m3fna7xgRw-1783441966-1.0.1.1-iaRBm4rOK38XtyquqqML3G684ygWqA7aaC.nBBruGYU). On the same day the webpage went live, a [paper funded](https://croplifeamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/jtrp-article-p1%5F1.pdf) by pesticide industry group CropLife America was submitted to a scientific journal arguing that single-fluorinated-carbon pesticides should not be regulated as PFAS, citing the new EPA language published that day. CropLife has a history of shaping pesticide policy language—including pushing to remove pesticides from the [MAHA Commission’s September report](https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2025/09/ewg-maha-report-parrots-pesticide-industry-playbook-abandoning)—and it has waged an [extensive lobby campaign](https://civileats.com/2024/12/18/why-are-pesticide-companies-fighting-state-laws-to-address-pfas/) to block state regulations through adoption of the narrow PFAS definition. The lobby group’s CEO, Alexandra Dunn, oversaw pesticide regulations as assistant EPA administrator in the first Trump administration. At the time, she and Lynn Dekleva—a senior official in EPA’s chemical safety office and former American Chemistry Council senior director—[worked with chemical industry representatives](https://blogs.edf.org/health/2021/03/11/trump-epa-acc-and-industry-law-firms-colluded-to-weaken-epa-new-chemical-safety-reviews/) to edit the EPA’s language for chemical safety reviews. The EPA and the lobby group did not answer Sludge’s inquiry as to whether they coordinated on the website change. An agency spokesperson noted the Biden administration also used the [narrow PFAS definition](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/18/epa-new-definition-pfas-forever-chemicals) and similarly registered a fluorinated-carbon pesticide, Fluazaindolizine, in 2023\. “By the Biden administration's own regulatory standard, they are not PFAS,” the EPA spokesperson told Sludge. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Billionaire Money Behind New Centrist Pledge URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/02/the-billionaire-money-behind-new-centrist-pledge/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T14:59:26.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F02%2Fthe-billionaire-money-behind-new-centrist-pledge%2F&text=The%20Billionaire%20Money%20Behind%20New%20Centrist%20Pledge) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Billionaire%20Money%20Behind%20New%20Centrist%20Pledge https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F02%2Fthe-billionaire-money-behind-new-centrist-pledge%2F)! A new centrist Democratic group called Promise to America that is pushing back against progressives will not say who is funding its effort—but is closely tied to the Welcome Party, a group whose PAC has received more than half of its individual contributions from billionaires. Combined, billionaires and other wealthy finance industry executives have provided about three quarters of WelcomePAC’s funding raised from individuals, according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission records. Donations under $5,000 to WelcomePAC made up less than two percent of its total funds. Last Thursday, days after progressives including two democratic socialists won primaries in New York, Promise to America (PTA) [released](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/moderate-democrats-capitalist-socialism.html) signatures on its pledge by 10 moderate and centrist Democratic House members, as well as five Democratic candidates. The pledge reads, in part, “We are capitalist, not socialist,” and [marked](https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-launch-centrist-group-as-trump-attacks-socialists-communists-12130096) a shot against the progressive wing and candidates who support raising taxes on the wealthy to fund an expanded social safety net. PTA did not respond to a Sludge inquiry on its funders or whether it had received financial support from the Welcome Party, which since 2024 has put on the annual centrist conference WelcomeFest. PTA’s pledge made its debut last month at WelcomeFest in Washington D.C., where it was presented by college students and signed by New Democrat Coalition member Rep. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) and Blue Dog Coalition member Rep. Adam Gray (Calif.). PTA’s director, Felix Frisch, a “rising sophomore” at the University of Chicago, is the son of former U.S. House candidate Adam Frisch, who currently works as the director of electoral programs and finance chair of The Welcome Party and its PAC. The Welcome Party also did not respond to Sludge’s inquiry about whether it had supported PTA financially. WelcomePAC has received $6.5 million from more than a dozen billionaires, according to Sludge’s review—making up a majority of the over $10.8 million in individual contributions since its formation in 2021\. Top donors include tech venture capitalist Reid Hoffman ($1.8 million), a critic of former FTC Chair Lina Khan’s antitrust posture, and James Murdoch, the former CEO of 21st Century Fox, with his wife Kathryn ($2.5 million). Other billionaire donors to WelcomePAC include the following: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Bought Hundreds of Stocks the Day Before He Paused Tariffs and Sparked a Historic Rally URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/07/01/trump-bought-hundreds-of-stocks-the-day-before-he-paused-tariffs-and-sparked-a-historic-rally/ Last updated: 2026-07-02T02:40:28.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F01%2Ftrump-bought-hundreds-of-stocks-the-day-before-he-paused-tariffs-and-sparked-a-historic-rally%2F&text=Trump%20Bought%20Hundreds%20of%20Stocks%20the%20Day%20Before%20He%20Paused%20Tariffs%20and%20Sparked%20a%20Historic%20Rally) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Bought%20Hundreds%20of%20Stocks%20the%20Day%20Before%20He%20Paused%20Tariffs%20and%20Sparked%20a%20Historic%20Rally https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F07%2F01%2Ftrump-bought-hundreds-of-stocks-the-day-before-he-paused-tariffs-and-sparked-a-historic-rally%2F)! The day before President Trump announced a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariffs, sending markets exploding higher, his investment accounts quietly purchased hundreds of stocks near the market low, trades that were not publicly disclosed until more than a year later despite federal disclosure requirements. The purchases, finally disclosed in a [927-page annual financial disclosure](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/69AEAA9D7455ACD585258E27002DDEE1/$FILE/Donald-J-Trump-2026-278ANNUAL.pdf) filed with the Office of Government Ethics on Monday, reveal a churn of transactions that was quietly playing out all last year: Trump's accounts were actively trading stocks throughout 2025 while he was making policy decisions that moved markets, and the public had no idea. On April 8, 2025, the day before Trump announced the tariff pause, the disclosure shows 327 individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million, one of the largest single-day stock buying sprees disclosed in the filing. The purchases included Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and Alphabet, each valued as much as $250,000, along with scores of other companies. The [S&P 500 jumped nearly 10%](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/09/stock-market-posts-third-biggest-gain-in-post-wwii-history-on-trumps-tariff-about-face.html) the following day when Trump announced the pause, one of the largest single-day gains in the index's history. Federal ethics law requires executive branch officials, including the president, to publicly disclose securities transactions worth more than $1,000 within 45 days on forms known as periodic transaction reports, or 278-Ts. The requirement exists so the public can monitor whether officials are trading in companies affected by their own decisions. Trump filed no such reports covering the April trades—or virtually any of the thousands of stock trades his accounts executed throughout 2025\. A note from an OGE reviewer on the cover page of the annual filing states: "The filer paid late filing fees related to transactions not previously reported on 278-Ts." The late fee under federal law is capped at $200. “It is critical that the public and the press have a full accounting of the financial holdings, investments and stock transactions of senior public officials,” said Craig Holman, a government ethics expert with Public Citizen. “These officials are in a unique position of having access to inside information about economic and business trends, offering a prime opportunity for insider trading. Worse yet, they are also in a position of being able to manipulate those economic and business trends for self-enrichment.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Big Bank Lobby Pumps Millions Into Corporate Dems’ Super PACs URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/29/big-bank-lobby-pumps-millions-into-corporate-dems-super-pacs/ Last updated: 2026-06-29T17:22:44.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F29%2Fbig-bank-lobby-pumps-millions-into-corporate-dems-super-pacs%2F&text=Big%20Bank%20Lobby%20Pumps%20Millions%20Into%20Corporate%20Dems%E2%80%99%20Super%20PACs) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Big%20Bank%20Lobby%20Pumps%20Millions%20Into%20Corporate%20Dems%E2%80%99%20Super%20PACs https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F29%2Fbig-bank-lobby-pumps-millions-into-corporate-dems-super-pacs%2F)! Wall Street's largest banks have quietly been building a new dark money operation that's already funneled nearly $6 million into Democratic super PACs backing the party's most business-friendly candidates and incumbents, according to new Federal Election Commission records. The effort is being led by the Financial Services Forum (FSF), a trade group whose members include JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, and State Street, under the direction of Amanda Eversole, who took over as FSF president and CEO last September. Eversole previously worked as executive vice president and chief advocacy officer for the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry's main lobbying group. In December, the group launched a 501(c)4 advocacy group called the American Growth Alliance (AGA) to publicly promote the banking industry. Four months later, AGA formed a second entity—the Opportunity Forward Alliance (OFA), another 501(c)4—specifically to finance super PACs and back candidates aligned with the banking industry's agenda. Eversole took to the D.C. press to suggest that she planned to go on offense for the banking lobby. "We're loud and proud of who we are and what we stand for," she told [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/12/17/bank-industry-advocacy-new-group) shortly after launching AGA. "We're going to be much more affirmative in saying, 'We have a lot of positive benefits to the economy.’” All of the money funneled through OFA so far has gone exclusively to moderate and business-friendly Democratic super PACs. None has gone to any Republican-aligned organizations. The top recipient of OFA funding so far is New Democrat Majority, the super PAC arm of the New Democrat Coalition of pro-business House Democrats, which has received more than $3 million from the group across three contributions. The New Democrat Coalition was formed in 1997, following in the footsteps of the Democratic Leadership Council and President Bill Clinton's "third way" politics intended to make the Democrats and their policy platform more business-friendly. The New Democrats have advanced Wall Street’s favored policies from the beginning. In 1999, the group’s members played a key role in passing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which repealed banking regulations passed after the Great Depression and paved the way for banks to become "too big to fail." Many also voted the next year for the Commodities Futures Modernization Act, which deregulated financial derivatives, enabling Wall Street to massively expand trading and insurance of risky mortgage-backed securities. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump's $88B Iran War Supplemental Would Reward the Contractors Funding His Fourth of July Bash URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/26/trumps-88b-iran-war-supplemental-would-reward-the-contractors-funding-his-fourth-of-july-bash/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T19:50:32.000Z 💥 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump's%20%2488B%20Iran%20War%20Supplemental%20Would%20Reward%20the%20Contractors%20Funding%20His%20Fourth%20of%20July%20Bash https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F26%2Ftrumps-88b-iran-war-supplemental-would-reward-the-contractors-funding-his-fourth-of-july-bash) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F26%2Ftrumps-88b-iran-war-supplemental-would-reward-the-contractors-funding-his-fourth-of-july-bash&text=Trump's%20%2488B%20Iran%20War%20Supplemental%20Would%20Reward%20the%20Contractors%20Funding%20His%20Fourth%20of%20July%20Bash) President Trump sent an awaited-for-months supplemental funding request for the Iran War to Congress on Wednesday, seeking [$87.6 billion](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026.06.24-Letter-to-the-Honorable-Mike-Johnson.pdf) in a package that is headlined by $67.1 billion for the Department of Defense’s “urgent needs” in “Operation Epic Fury.” Of that amount, a proposed $21 billion would replenish munitions spent in the Iran attacks, most of which are made by a pair of giant weapons contractors: Lockheed Martin, which has been showering millions of dollars on Trump’s political groups since his return to office, and RTX. A May [report](https://www.csis.org/analysis/rebuilding-us-missile-inventory-multiyear-project) from the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) details several key munition stockpiles that need to be rebuilt, including Lockheed-made THAAD interceptors and Patriot missiles, and RTX-made Tomahawk missiles and Standard Missiles. Both Lockheed and RTX are among the 21 corporate sponsors of Freedom 250, the company established by Trump’s executive order to help fund his Fourth of July festivities—a list that includes other defense contractors set to profit from the war like Palantir, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. The package also includes $11.1 billion in aid to American farmers, whose businesses have been hit by Trump’s trade policies, and $1.4 billion to combat the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. This week’s request is one maneuver among several that the Trump administration is using to steer more funding into the ever-rising Pentagon budget. In April, the administration released plans for a massive [$1.5 trillion](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/trump-to-propose-1-5-trillion-defense-budget-banking-on-350-billion-from-reconciliation/) defense budget for Fiscal Year 2027, marking a 44% increase over the already [record-high](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/12/blue-dog-democrats-vote-for-trillion-dollar-defense-budget/) amount of defense funding this year. It would consist of a $1.15 trillion defense base budget request—just [approved](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/house-appropriators-approve-1t-defense-bill-adopt-war-department-renaming/) by House appropriators along party-line votes—combined with $350 billion in a potential reconciliation budget bill to be passed by Republicans. On top of those immense funding vehicles, the new supplemental package’s nearly $88 billion [sticker price](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/24/trump-wants-88b-for-iran-war-disaster-aid-in-emergency-request-00974712) is lower than the $200 billion that the Trump administration was considering in March to recoup costs from the Iran War. Still, the request sets the stage for a further infusion of weapons spending after U.S. missile stocks have been drastically [depleted](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/24/trump-defense-contractors-boeing-lockheed-honeywell-weapons-production-iran.html). The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have cut spending on public assistance as they inflate the Pentagon budget—and as American households have borne more than [$100 billion](https://fortune.com/2026/06/02/iran-war-moodys-household-military-funding-oil-prices/) in Iran War costs, according to Moody’s Analytics. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) signed by Trump last year made cuts and added restrictions to food stamps, resulting in more than [4.7 million](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/millions-lose-food-stamps-under-trump-cuts-arizona-is-hardest-hit-2026-06-24/) people nationwide losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Sweeping changes to Medicaid rules that arrive in 2027 will restrict access and could cause [10 million](https://cepr.net/publications/states-face-massive-medicaid-issues-thanks-to-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/) people to lose health insurance. The supplemental request, sent from White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to House Speaker Mike Johnson, faces several major obstacles in Congress. Senate Democrats like Patty Murray (Wash.), ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, [panned](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/24/iran-war-supplemental-trump-congress.html) the request for the unauthorized Iran War and said that the Pentagon was sitting on over $100 billion in unspent funding from last summer’s OBBBA. Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) [doubted](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5939421-congress-asked-iran-war-ebola/) the request had a Democratic supporter, which would make it difficult to reach the 60-vote cloture threshold in place in the Senate since 1975\. If the bill were to advance, Republicans would face a vote, as the midterms approach, to pile more funding into the Iran War, which a [vast majority](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opinion-poll-iran-war/) of Americans want to see ended, according to recent polls. Moreover, earlier this week the Senate changed course and [passed](https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/23/politics/senate-iran-war-powers-vote), for the first time, an Iran war powers resolution by a vote of 50–48, joining the House in adopting the measure earlier this month that expresses disapproval of the conflict. House Democrats [say](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-house-pass-iran-war-powers-resolution-trump/) they will explore legal challenges stemming from the measure. Also this month, Democrats on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees signaled displeasure with the eye-watering funding hike in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) now being considered. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) introduced an amendment to cut [$150 billion](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5911353-ndaa-amendments-pentagon-house-armed-services/) from the top-line number—mirroring the [amount](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/) of defense spending increase enacted in the OBBBA—that was defeated 25–31, but received support from [nearly all](https://x.com/connorobrienNH/status/2062598134333673762?s=20) Democrats on the panel. A similar amendment from Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) was backed by the committee’s Democratic members as well as Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine), and was narrowly defeated by a vote of [13–14](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/budget-pentagon/), according to policy analyst Gabe Murphy of Taxpayers for Common Sense. “Trump and Hegseth’s $88 billion Iran War supplemental funding bill is a sign of their desperation,” said Sunjeev Bery, campaign director for People Over Pentagon at the watchdog group Public Citizen. “The American public wants no part in Trump’s illegal war, and members of Congress are increasingly rejecting White House proposals to dramatically increase Pentagon funding. The fact that Trump and Hegseth would attempt to seek additional Pentagon funding by attaching it to this extraordinarily unpopular and devastating war is a demonstration of how bad their other options are for driving their reckless $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget. “Republican senators have already balked at Trump’s push for a $350 billion military funding increase via a reconciliation bill,” Bery told Sludge. “And Democrats in both the House and Senate have voted to cut $150 billion from Trump’s Pentagon budget bill. So now Trump and Hegseth are circling back to their other bad idea—asking Congress and the American people to fund a war that they largely oppose and never wanted to begin with.” Though Vought’s request does not detail the munitions to be backfilled, Lockheed Martin—which has shown its willingness to donate to Trump’s White House causes—stands to be among the major beneficiaries. The same day that Vought’s request was sent, Lockheed [announced](https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2026-06-24-35-Billion-THAAD-Seven-Year-Procurement-Award-Propels-Acceleration-of-Critical-Missile-Defense-Interceptor-Production) a seven-year, sole-source contract award worth up to $35 billion to quadruple production of THAAD interceptors exhausted in the Iran War. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Palantir Goes on a Democratic Lobbyist Hiring Spree URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/22/palantir-goes-on-a-democratic-lobbyist-hiring-spree/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T18:09:49.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F22%2Fpalantir-goes-on-a-democratic-lobbyist-hiring-spree%2F&text=Palantir%20Goes%20on%20a%20Democratic%20Lobbyist%20Hiring%20Spree) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Palantir%20Goes%20on%20a%20Democratic%20Lobbyist%20Hiring%20Spree https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F22%2Fpalantir-goes-on-a-democratic-lobbyist-hiring-spree%2F)! Palantir, the data analytics company whose software powers the Trump administration's deportation operations, has hired a former Democratic senator and a team of Democratic lobbyists with close ties to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, adding to a growing roster of Democrat-connected operatives the company has brought on in recent months. The company registered Avoq LLC as a lobbying firm effective May 1, according to a [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/efe4df2d-b20f-412a-b947-3243c8362481/print/) signed on June 15\. The four-person team representing Palantir is led by firm partner Steve Elmendorf, one of the top fundraisers for congressional Democrats, who has raised hundreds of thousands of bundled campaign dollars for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, including [hosting](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2024/01/03/2024-fara-action-gets-off-to-a-hot-start-00133724) DCCC fundraisers featuring Jeffries as a speaker. Elmendorf co-founded Avoq and previously served as chief of staff to former Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt. Joining Elmendorf is Cedric Grant, who served as Jeffries’ first chief of staff in the House, before joining Avoq, where he specializes in outreach to House Democratic Leadership and the Congressional Black Caucus, according to his firm bio. Like Elmendorf, Grant is also a campaign contribution bundler and fundraiser host for the DCCC. Also working for Palantir on the Avoq team are Keith Castaldo, a former general counsel to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Joseph Orlando, a former staffer for Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone and Jan Schakowsky, and another bundler for the House Democrats’ campaign group. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### NASA Chief Bought Millions in SpaceX-Linked Stock Before IPO, While Pushing SpaceX's Agenda URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/18/nasa-chief-bought-millions-in-spacex-linked-stock-before-ipo-while-pushing-spacexs-agenda/ Last updated: 2026-06-18T19:34:51.000Z 🚀 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F18%2Fnasa-chief-bought-millions-in-spacex-linked-stock-before-ipo-while-pushing-spacexs-agenda%2F&text=NASA%20Chief%20Bought%20Millions%20in%20SpaceX-Linked%20Stock%20Before%20IPO%2C%20While%20Pushing%20SpaceX's%20Agenda) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=NASA%20Chief%20Bought%20Millions%20in%20SpaceX-Linked%20Stock%20Before%20IPO%2C%20While%20Pushing%20SpaceX's%20Agenda https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F18%2Fnasa-chief-bought-millions-in-spacex-linked-stock-before-ipo-while-pushing-spacexs-agenda%2F)! NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman bought up to $50 million in stock in his former company, Shift4 Payments, in May—just weeks before SpaceX, a key Shift4 business partner, went public in the largest IPO in history. Isaacman oversees SpaceX’s NASA contracts and has been leading a federal push to develop the nuclear technology that SpaceX says it needs to colonize Mars. Isaacman made two separate purchases of Shift4 Class A common stock on May 11 and May 12, each worth between $5 million and $25 million, according to a [periodic transaction report](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/A30668A7B4A01CB685258E1A002DBF7B/$FILE/Jared-Isaacman-05.27.2026-278T.pdf) filed with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) this week. He also purchased up to $71 million worth of the stock across multiple transactions in February and March, disclosed in a [filing](https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Officials%20Individual%20Disclosures%20Search%20Collection?OpenForm) submitted to the OGE in April. In 2021, Isaacman brokered a deal making Shift4 the official payment processor for SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which the company described as a "cornerstone" client in an SEC filing that year. SpaceX just went public on June 12 with shares priced at $135 per share, and closed its first day at $160.95, a 19 percent jump that valued the company at roughly $2.1 trillion, the largest market capitalization at IPO in history. As NASA administrator, Isaacman holds the ability to directly influence federal policies and contracts that impact SpaceX's success—and boost the value of his own Shift4 holdings. Already in his tenure, Isaacman has been advancing a space nuclear strategy that SpaceX has explicitly said it needs, as [Sludge has previously reported](https://readsludge.com/2026/05/19/musk-recruited-nasa-head-pushes-nuclear-agenda-tied-to-spacex/). A Department of Energy study published last year noted that SpaceX is seeking a 100-kilowatt-class reactor by 2028 and megawatt-class reactors "as soon as possible" to power fuel production on the Martian surface. In April, Isaacman and Trump's chief science and technology advisor announced NSTM-3, a White House space nuclear strategy designed to meet those goals, with reactor designs targeted for orbit as early as 2028 and the Moon's surface by 2030\. The company has received more than $17 billion in [contracts](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=01da2519b99ac2ddffbcaf71a8406860) from NASA, for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station, resupplying the station, and developing a lunar lander for moon missions. ## Join Our Newsletter Get out money-in-politics news the moment we post. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Isaacman's November 2025 [ethics agreement](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/93E5F973F53D3FF485258D470031927B/$FILE/Isaacman%2C%20Jared%20T.%20%20finalEA.pdf) with NASA allowed him to keep his Shift4 shares. Unlike several other holdings, including stakes in Blackstone, KKR, and UPS, Shift4 was not placed on the divestiture list. Isaacman did agree to surrender majority voting control of the company and to recuse himself from any NASA matter with a "direct and predictable effect" on Shift4's financial interests. Isaacman's relationship with Musk predates his NASA role. In 2021, Isaacman personally paid SpaceX for a civilian spaceflight mission before brokering the Starlink payment processing deal. Musk called Isaacman in November 2024 to ask him to lead NASA, according to reporting at the time, as part of a broader effort to install allies in positions overseeing federal space policy. Trump temporarily withdrew Isaacman's nomination last spring, saying he thought it "inappropriate" that "a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon's corporate life," though he later renominated him anyway. Isaacman donated $2 million to Trump's super PAC and $443,000 to the RNC in the months before his renomination, and was confirmed in December. The full extent of the Isaacman-SpaceX relationship remains unknown. SpaceX rejected Isaacman's request to release him from its nondisclosure agreements before his confirmation hearings, meaning the company holds information about their relationship that Congress and the public cannot access. ### Trump's White House Cage Fight Doubled as an Ad for His Businesses URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/16/trumps-white-house-cage-fight-doubled-as-an-ad-for-his-businesses/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T19:26:54.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F16%2Ftrumps-white-house-cage-fight-doubled-as-an-ad-for-his-businesses%2F&text=Trump's%20White%20House%20Cage%20Fight%20Doubled%20as%20an%20Ad%20for%20His%20Businesses) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump's%20White%20House%20Cage%20Fight%20Doubled%20as%20an%20Ad%20for%20His%20Businesses https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F16%2Ftrumps-white-house-cage-fight-doubled-as-an-ad-for-his-businesses%2F)! As millions tuned in to watch UFC fights on the White House lawn Sunday, the octagon was plastered with logos for World Liberty Financial—the Trump family crypto venture—and Truth Social, the social media company where the president is a major shareholder. WLFI served as presenting partner for a $250,000 bonus pool paid in its USD1 stablecoin, while Truth Social sponsored a bout and was promoted on air as “the real voice of President Trump.” Trump's most recent annual financial [disclosure](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/4EC9A8E6DD078F2985258CA9002C9377/$FILE/Trump%2C%20Donald%20J.%202025%20Annual%20278.pdf), filed in June 2025 and covering income from 2024, shows he personally made more than $57 million from WLFI token sales that year alone. He also still holds a roughly 40 percent stake in Truth Social's parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group, a company whose stock price has lost more than 70 percent of its value since its 2024 peak. Trump’s promotion of his companies likely does not break the law. The main statute barring federal officials from participating in matters where they have a financial stake, 18 U.S.C. § 208, covers virtually every executive branch employee, but explicitly carves out the president and vice president. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush, told [Fortune](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ufc-fighters-white-house-got-222440360.html) that a Treasury secretary in Trump's position, with a financial interest in a company that benefited from an official act, would very likely have committed a felony. But the president faces no equivalent restriction, by design. Trump's self-promotions were displayed alongside dozens of paid corporate sponsors, including Meta, Crypto.com, Anduril, Polymarket, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and more. A number of these companies have regulatory matters pending before the administration, and sponsoring a presidential event is a visible way for a company to show its willingness to play along with officials. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/06/GettyImages-2281056544.jpg) Ciryl Gane lays in the center of the ring as Alex Pereira (R) is attended to during the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn of the White House on June 15, 2026\. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images) Anduril, the defense-tech company founded by Trump campaign [donor](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202505079759047030) Palmer Luckey, has been one of the big winners under the administration. The Army awarded it an enterprise contract worth up to $20 billion consolidating its drone and counter-unmanned aircraft systems work, Space Force added a $1.8 billion satellite contract in April, and the company is developing space-based interceptors for Trump's “Golden Dome” system. The DOJ and CFTC both closed investigations into prediction market Polymarket last year without bringing charges, clearing the way for its U.S. relaunch in May. Trump's son Don Jr. then joined Polymarket's advisory board after his venture firm, 1789 Capital, invested millions in the company. The CFTC has since intervened in the litigation, arguing that states lack authority to regulate federally supervised prediction markets and that the agency holds exclusive jurisdiction—a position Trump has endorsed on Truth Social. A [CFTC rule](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/27/prediction-markets-white-house-cftc-kalshi-polmarket-gensler.html) cementing federal preemption is currently being reviewed by the White House. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Staffers Drafting Federal AI Bill Took Industry-Funded Trip to Visit Tech Giants Pushing to Block State Rules URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/10/staffers-drafting-federal-ai-bill-took-industry-funded-trip-to-visit-tech-giants-pushing-to-block-state-rules/ Last updated: 2026-06-10T14:29:46.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F10%2Fstaffers-drafting-federal-ai-bill-took-industry-funded-trip-to-visit-tech-giants-pushing-to-block-state-rules%2F&text=Staffers%20Drafting%20Federal%20AI%20Bill%20Took%20Industry-Funded%20Trip%20to%20Visit%20Tech%20Giants%20Pushing%20to%20Block%20State%20Rules) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Staffers%20Drafting%20Federal%20AI%20Bill%20Took%20Industry-Funded%20Trip%20to%20Visit%20Tech%20Giants%20Pushing%20to%20Block%20State%20Rules https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F10%2Fstaffers-drafting-federal-ai-bill-took-industry-funded-trip-to-visit-tech-giants-pushing-to-block-state-rules%2F)! As Congress prepares to consider legislation on artificial intelligence, a tech industry nonprofit flew a dozen key congressional staffers to Austin last month for three days of tours, dinners, and briefings with executives from Google, Nvidia, Dell, and other companies that are lobbying for industry-friendly rules. The trip, sponsored by the ITI Institute, brought together staffers from the committees and offices that will determine the fate of AI legislation, including senior counsels on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that oversees AI, a staffer from the office of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and the legislative directors for Reps. Ted Lieu and Valerie Foushee, both co-chairs of the House Democrats’ AI task force. On June 4, four days after the staffers returned from Austin, Reps. Jay Obernolte and Lori Trahan unveiled the “Great American Artificial Intelligence Act of 2026,” a 269-page discussion draft that would establish the first federal regulatory framework for AI. The bill would require large AI developers to undergo semi-annual third-party safety audits while simultaneously barring states from enacting new AI regulations for three years. The bill is the latest front in a years-long industry campaign to establish a federal AI standard before states can lock in their own rules. In 2025 alone, more than [100 AI bills](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation) became law across 38 states, covering everything from algorithmic discrimination and data privacy to deepfakes and automated hiring decisions. ITI and its member companies have made eliminating these laws a focused legislative priority—lobbying for a federal framework that would preempt state laws, limit liability for AI developers, and establish voluntary rather than mandatory safety standards. The Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)—the parent organization of the trip's sponsor—praised the draft bill shortly after its release, with CEO Jason Oxman saying the organization looks forward to working with Congress “to advance preemptive federal AI legislation." In contrast, J.B. Branch, an AI policy counsel with the watchdog group Public Citizen, [slammed](https://www.citizen.org/news/obernolte-trahan-bill-strips-states-authority-to-protect-consumers-workers-and-children/) the draft legislation, saying it “strips states of their authority to respond to real harms consumers are experiencing.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Shadow Super PAC Tied to Lobbyist Drops $1M for Haley Stevens URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/05/shadow-super-pac-tied-to-lobbyist-drops-1m-for-haley-stevens/ Last updated: 2026-06-05T19:08:30.000Z 🔗 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F05%2Fshadow-super-pac-tied-to-lobbyist-drops-1m-for-haley-stevens%2F&text=Shadow%20Super%20PAC%20Tied%20to%20Lobbyist%20%20Drops%20%241M%20for%20Haley%20Stevens) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Shadow%20Super%20PAC%20Tied%20to%20Lobbyist%20%20Drops%20%241M%20for%20Haley%20Stevens https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F05%2Fshadow-super-pac-tied-to-lobbyist-drops-1m-for-haley-stevens%2F)! A newly registered super PAC tied to a corporate lobbying firm principal is bankrolling ads for Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s hotly contested Democratic Senate primary. The super PAC, called A Stronger Michigan, registered with the Federal Election Commission on Monday and started rolling its first ads one day later. The committee filed its first spending disclosure on Thursday, which totaled $1.2 million and shows three digital and TV ad buys, along with one ad production purchase, all to support Stevens’ campaign. The organization does not list any affiliated committees in its FEC filings, but it appears to have ties to Jefferies Murray, the founder of the lobbying firm 535 Group and a board member of centrist “dark money” group Center Forward. The PAC lists a luxury single-family home in McLean, Virginia, as its mailing address on its [FEC registration document](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00952259/?tab=about-committee). According to Fairfax County [records](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28200933-fairfax-county/), the house belongs to Murray, who has also [provided the same address](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/846/201807139115443846/201807139115443846.pdf) to the FEC for past campaign donations he has made. Murray has been a Washington lobbyist since the late 90s, first with the American Gas Association, then with C2 Group and FTI Government Affairs, before founding his own firm in 2021\. 535 Group’s clients include defense giant Northrop Grumman, Facebook parent company Meta, tobacco company Altria, quantum computing company D-Wave, and more. Northrop Grumman has been his longest-running client, picking them up in 2014 and bringing the contract with him to the new firm. Murray has been a board member for Center Forward since its founding in 2010\. The group is a dark money advocacy nonprofit run by lobbyists and funded by corporate lobbying groups that promotes centrist policies and has super PAC arms that back conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans. Center Forward Committee, the group’s Democrat-leaning super PAC arm, bankrolled largely by its own nonprofit arm and donations from large companies like Chevron, has poured [nearly $1 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/061/202605299870345061/202605299870345061.pdf) since May into ads for Stevens. Center Forward Committee and A Stronger Michigan use the same compliance consultant, as well as Chain Bridge Bank. And in A Stronger Michigan’s first filing, it listed the same three vendors that Center Forward Committee has used for all of its pro-Stevens ad buys in this election cycle: AL Media, Dixon/Davis Media Group, and Waterfront Strategies. Center Forward CEO Cori Kramer, asked about A Stronger Michigan, said in an email to Sludge, “The two organizations are not affiliated.” [A Stronger Michigan’s ad](https://adstransparency.google.com/advertiser/AR08223394326248423425/creative/CR03098436488765898753?region=US&topic=political) presents a generic anti-Donald Trump message. One part mimics a line on her [campaign website](https://haleyformi.com/media/), in what’s known as a “red box” section, which says that Stevens is “standing up to Trump’s attempts to cut Medicare and raid Social Security.” Red box website sections are used by candidates like Stevens to communicate their messaging goals to super PACs while circumventing legal prohibitions against direct coordination. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Wes Moore Won't Say If He Took a Citigroup Bonus After the Bailout URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/02/wes-moore-wont-say-if-he-took-a-citigroup-bonus-after-the-bailout-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-03T12:35:23.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Wes%20Moore%20Won't%20Say%20If%20He%20Took%20a%20Citigroup%20Bonus%20After%20the%20Bailout https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F02%2Fwes-moore-wont-say-if-he-took-a-citigroup-bonus-after-the-bailout-2%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F02%2Fwes-moore-wont-say-if-he-took-a-citigroup-bonus-after-the-bailout-2%2F&text=Wes%20Moore%20Won't%20Say%20If%20He%20Took%20a%20Citigroup%20Bonus%20After%20the%20Bailout) Maryland Gov. Wes Moore won’t say whether he received a bonus while working as an investment banker at Citigroup after the company was saved by a government bailout during the 2008 financial crisis that the bank helped precipitate. Asked by Sludge whether he received a bonus payment, Gov. Moore’s spokespeople declined to address the question. Ammar Moussa, senior press secretary with the Maryland governor’s office, spoke with Sludge on the phone but would not speak on the record on Sludge’s inquiries, which also included the following: Moore’s opinion on the terms of the Citigroup bailout; his views on Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission; and matters stemming from the governor’s financial disclosure. In ending the phone call, Moussa said he would get back to Sludge when he could. It was not the first time Moore has declined to answer the question of whether he accepted a Citi bonus. In late April, Moore’s spokesperson ducked the same [question from Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/26/wes-moore-citigroup-great-recession). Moore, who is running for re-election as governor and has been rumored to be in the mix as a potential 2028 White House candidate, worked at Citigroup from September 2007 until April 2012, becoming a vice president at the company in 2010\. Citigroup gave out [$5.3 billion](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jul/31/wall-street-bonuses-bailout) in bonuses in 2008, the year its taxpayer-funded bailout support began, according to a report from the New York attorney general’s office. 738 employees received bonuses of at least $1 million, according to the report. In 2008, Andrew Cuomo, then attorney general of New York, [called](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bailout-bonuses-for-investment-bank-execs/) for executives at Citi and other bailed-out banks to turn down or return their bonuses, arguing that taxpayers had been put on the hook for the banks’ toxic assets. Despite the banks’ claims defending their bonuses, Cuomo said, the state’s [report](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/reports/Bonus%5FReport%5FFinal%5F7.30.09.pdf) found no evidence that employee compensation was tied to financial performance. The just-inaugurated President Obama [called](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna28916936) the Wall Street bonuses “shameful” and “the height of irresponsibility,” since the billions in government funding could have infused state budgets just as unemployment driven by the financial crisis hit its highest rates in decades. The securities industry dished out an estimated [$18.4 billion](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna28916936) in bonuses for 2008, according to figures from the New York comptroller’s office. Over the past year, Moore has been feeding his national profile through [trips](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/as-gov-moore-maintains-a-2028-white-house-run-is-out-some-continue-to-speculate) to the early primary state of South Carolina and swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, though he says he’s “not running” for the White House in 2028\. Last summer, Moore made his [second](https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/wes-moore-sun-valley-conference-KKXBUTROLFCUFGDKHVTQK5QJLA/) trip as governor to what is dubbed “summer camp for billionaires,” the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, where CEOs in attendance included Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, and Rupert Murdoch, chairman emeritus of Fox Corporation. His 2023 trip to the conference was in his role as national finance chair of the Democratic Governors Association. Citi, then the largest U.S. bank and one with a [history](https://publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/the-roots-of-the-financial-crisis-who-is-to-blame/) of subprime lending, played a significant role in packaging mortgage-backed securities and keeping the risky assets off their balance sheets. In November 2008, when Citi received its first bailout, the company announced plans to slash [52,000](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/citigroup-plans-50000-job-cuts-in-latest-jolt-to-wall-street) jobs—the largest cuts recorded since 1993 by the firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas—and raised rates for some credit card holders. During Moore’s years working at the bank, Citigroup was also subject to [billions of dollars](https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/?parent=citigroup&order=pen%5Fyear&sort=asc) in penalties for violations of investor and consumer protections. In 2014, the Justice Department announced a [$7 billion](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-federal-and-state-partners-secure-record-7-billion-global-settlement) settlement with Citi—including a $4 billion civil penalty for the bank, at the time the largest of its kind—due to its investor misrepresentations, which helped set off the Great Recession. In the years after the bailouts, financial industry watchdogs argued that the terms of the government’s rescue were too generous to the banks, their investors, and creditors. Bondholders lost almost nothing, and the official November 2008 [announcement](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20081123a.htm) made no mention of creditors taking a haircut. Sheila Bair, the former chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, [argued](https://www.housingwire.com/articles/20664-ever-the-skeptic-a-conversation-with-sheila-bair/) that Citigroup should have been restructured into “a good bank and bad bank,” where the losses on the bank’s toxic assets would be absorbed by Citi’s shareholders and bondholders, more akin to a bankruptcy proceeding. Economists [Paul Krugman](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23krugman.html), [Joseph Stiglitz](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/opinion/01stiglitz.html), and others argued for a phase of nationalizing financially-shaky banks and imposing losses on bondholders. Moore’s spokesperson also did not respond to [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/26/wes-moore-citigroup-great-recession)’ recent question about whether he thought the federal bailout of Citigroup was justified. The total government exposure to Citigroup through loans and funding support reached an eye-popping [$517 billion](https://www.reuters.com/article/breakingviews/breakingviews-review-citigroups-2008-bailout-wont-be-its-last-idUSKCN1L91W7/) by January 2009\. The Center for Economic and Policy Research penciled out in a 2009 [briefing](https://cepr.net/publications/the-value-of-the-too-big-to-fail-big-bank-subsidy/) that the implicit government subsidy behind the “too big to fail” banks was worth around $34.1 billion a year for 18 of the biggest bank holding companies, those with more than $100 billion in assets. Sludge asked Moore’s spokesperson if the governor thought the Citigroup bailout was appropriately designed, in light of Bair’s argument that creditors could have taken losses to address the “[moral hazard](https://www.cnbc.com/2011/03/16/citigroup-tops-list-of-banks-who-received-federal-aid.html)” of the bailout, whereby the federal government protected the company from the consequences of its risky loans. No response was given for this story. Since taking office, Moore has [extensively](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maryland-gov-wes-moore-5-002500210.html) raised funds for his Maryland re-election through $6,000 maximum campaign contributions from executives, consultants, and large companies including the Baltimore-headquartered CFG Bank, according to the Baltimore Sun. ### **Antitrust Enforcement in the Crosshairs** Moore suggested in an August 2024 [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/07/kamala-harris-tim-walz-antitrust-regulation-wes-moore-election.html) appearance that a Kamala Harris administration would move away from the regulatory approach championed by Lina Khan, who had reinvigorated antitrust enforcement at the FTC and elsewhere across the federal government. Moore, a close ally of Harris, was asked by journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin about moving away from Khan, as “there have been a lot of calls from the donor class” to try to have “a different type of regulatory regime that might be more open to transactions and dealmaking.” “Do you think that we are going to hear about a shift in terms of her regulatory views, and do they really differ from President Biden,” Sorkin asked. "I think we will, and I think we have to,” Moore replied. He said that a Harris administration would, in addition to supporting small businesses, be “also making it easier for our large industries to be able to compete.” He went on, “As the vice president is thinking about a future-facing administration, there are going to be different dynamics that are going to require different philosophies.” Moore’s comments on Harris’ antitrust posture came at a key [juncture](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/opinion/lina-khan-antitrust-harris.html) in the election year, with billionaires like Reid Hoffman and CEO Aaron Levie of Box agitating in the media for a Harris administration to turf Khan out and stand down scrutiny of corporate concentration. Moderate Sen. Jacky Rosen, who won re-election that cycle in Nevada, was among the Democrats who went in the other direction and publicly [embraced](https://prospect.org/2024/09/25/2024-09-25-crossroads-on-corporate-power/) Khan’s views on regulating corporate power, and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) [praised](https://www.aol.com/weather/republicans-ridicule-democrats-defend-ftc-203704257.html) the $430 million that Khan’s FTC returned to consumers. Khan was at the fore of the Biden administration’s revival of antitrust enforcement, alongside officials like Jonathan Kanter of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, who had been planning an [overhaul](https://www.semafor.com/article/09/16/2024/dojs-jonathan-kanter-says-agency-will-overhaul-how-it-reviews-bank-deals) of its review of bank mergers, and Rohit Chopra of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who had [cracked down](https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/laws-are-not-suggestions-how-the-cfpb-is-delivering-for-the-american-people/) on “junk fees” like those paid by bank customers. Khan and Kanter’s agencies reviewed a record-high [3,500](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-01/biden-s-new-antitrust-cop-threatens-to-slam-brakes-on-mergers) proposed mergers in fiscal year 2021, seeking to apply pro-competition laws and curb the trend of corporate concentration. Khan’s antitrust framework was distinguished by her law school article [making a case](https://www.npr.org/2023/11/03/1197954506/lina-khan-interview-amazon-ftc-antitrust-paradox-monopoly) for more robust antitrust challenges to large companies like Amazon and Facebook. Moore’s CNBC appearance prompted journalist Ryan Grim to [ask Moore](https://x.com/ryangrim/status/1823063336696615358) a focused follow-up question, if a Harris administration would remove Khan. His spokesperson’s response did not directly answer Grim’s question, which Grim confirmed was the extent of what Moore was willing to say about Khan’s record. In April, CNN [asked](https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/20/politics/lina-khan-democrats-2028-economy-antitrust) Moore about his views on Khan, as 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls are seeking her guidance on economic policy and affordability issues, and a spokesman said, “He doesn’t have thoughts about her one way or the other.” Sludge asked Moore’s spokesperson for his views on Khan’s four-year tenure at the FTC, after CNN’s question on the same front. Moussa would not comment on the record. ### **Wall Street Network** In his 2015 memoir, Moore [wrote](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/26/wes-moore-citigroup-great-recession) of his time at Citi that he “wasn’t in love with banking” and that he joined because it was the “easiest choice” after his time as a Rhodes Scholar, White House fellow (assisting then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice), and U.S. Army officer in Information Operations. Moore’s [public statements](https://wjla.com/news/local/wes-moores-afghanistan-story-starts-to-unravel) about his Army deployment to Afghanistan—and his [insinuations](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/analysisthe-combat-story-wes-moorewont-back-up) that he experienced direct-fire combat there—are coming under greater scrutiny by veterans, according to the investigative partnership Spotlight on Maryland. Moore and his then-superior officer, Lt. Col. Mike Fenzel, have not provided the reporting partnership with evidence that Moore led paratroopers in combat. Moore’s career before elected office had him rubbing shoulders with finance industry executives. In 2017, he was tapped as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a New York City anti-poverty nonprofit with wealthy [board](https://robinhood.org/about/governance/) members like the Wall Street CEOs of asset manager BlackRock, private equity giant Blackstone, J.P. Morgan Chase Wealth Management, and others. In a [2015 paper](https://hedgeclippers.org/hedgepapers-no-14-the-gift-of-greed-how-hedgefund-philanthropists-increase-inequality/), the advocacy campaign Hedge Clippers wrote that the Robin Hood Foundation’s founder, hedge fund mogul Paul Tudor Jones, oversaw through his deputies the trade association Managed Funds Association, which lobbies against closing the “carried interest” tax loophole that lowers the income tax rates paid by investment managers. As of its most recent [tax return](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133441066/202503149349303805/full), the deep-pocketed Robin Hood Foundation drew income from its $334.5 million in assets and raised an additional $183 million in 2024\. While at the foundation in 2020, Moore joined the board of directors of the Baltimore-based company Under Armour, led by billionaire CEO Kevin Plank. After Donald Trump’s election win in 2016, Plank [spoke effusively](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2017/02/09/how-much-damage-will-under-armour-ceos-trump-comments-cause/97714376/) about the new “pro-business president” and joined Trump’s American Manufacturing Council. Also while at Robin Hood, Moore joined the board of the Chicago-based cannabis goods and dispensary company Green Thumb Industries, serving there from 2018 into 2022\. In 2021, the company came under [federal investigation](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/03/29/chicago-based-marijuana-giant-part-of-federal-pay-to-play-investigation/) for pay-to-play practices as it sought Illinois operating licenses. Moore [stepped down](https://www.baltimoresun.com/2023/02/14/gov-wes-moore-recuses-himself-from-under-armour-contract-vote-as-team-creates-blind-trust-to-manage-financial-assets/) from the two companies’ boards after winning the governor’s office in 2022\. His staff moved to set up a blind trust for Moore’s assets including his stock in the two companies: Under Armour shares worth around $460,000, and Green Thumb Industries shares with more than $1.4 million, according to the [Baltimore Sun](https://www.baltimoresun.com/2023/02/14/gov-wes-moore-recuses-himself-from-under-armour-contract-vote-as-team-creates-blind-trust-to-manage-financial-assets/). The total transferred into Moore’s blind trust in 2023 was [$2.5 million](https://wtop.com/maryland/2023/05/moore-puts-millions-into-blind-trust-will-sell-off-major-portion-of-cannabis-holdings/). Additional assets are held outside of Moore’s blind trust, as detailed in his Maryland [financial disclosures](https://efds.ethics.maryland.gov/) as a candidate and in office. For 2025, Moore’s [latest disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28182337-144282-2025-ann-moore-westley/) lists stakes in 20 companies, largely in what appear to be real estate LLCs with names like Cityline Acquisition LLC that are based in Lakewood, New Jersey, along with literary and speaking companies owned wholly by Moore. With stakes typically varying between 3% and 9%, the total value of Moore’s holdings in LLCs is worth more than $1 million and up to $6 million. Moore was also holding stakes in venture capital funds when he forecast a regulatory change under a Harris administration. As of 2025, the governor holds a partnership interest worth more than $250,000 in the Vibranium Ventures Fund I LLC based at 300 International Drive in Baltimore, the address of the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, which includes luxury condominiums. Maryland state [records](https://egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch/Business) show that LLC failed to file reports and was forfeit in 2022, while Moore held his stake; the company was reinstated by Maryland in October 2024\. The reinstatement form lists the company’s full address as a suite at the Four Seasons’ address. The fund’s general partner listed is Luke Cooper, the name of a Baltimore-based VC investor who is currently a venture partner at Preface Ventures and a founding managing partner at Latimer Ventures. Moore retains shares in a special purpose acquisition company he helped to form, Focus Impact Acquisition Corp., though he did not list the asset on his disclosure until the Baltimore Sun [inquired](https://www.baltimoresun.com/2023/02/14/gov-wes-moore-recuses-himself-from-under-armour-contract-vote-as-team-creates-blind-trust-to-manage-financial-assets/) about the SPAC in October 2022\. The vehicle raised more than $200 million to invest in companies, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2025, Moore disclosed that he sold an under-3% stake in Zeal Capital Management, a company valued at more than $10 million, for between $5,000 and $9,999\. The Washington, D.C.-based VC company Zeal Capital Partners, which says it invests in diverse management teams, had [$186 million](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250528777357/en/Zeal-Capital-Partners-Closes-%2482-Million-Zeal-Fund-II-More-Than-Tripling-Assets-Under-Management-in-Five-Years) in assets under management. Moore’s spokespeople did not respond to questions about the Vibranium Ventures Fund and its holdings, or the nature of his sold-off stake in Zeal Capital Management. ### The Dark Money Network Attacking Graham Platner URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/06/01/the-dark-money-network-attacking-graham-platner/ Last updated: 2026-06-01T18:16:20.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F01%2Fthe-dark-money-network-attacking-graham-platner%2F&text=The%20Dark%20Money%20Network%20Attacking%20Graham%20Platner) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Dark%20Money%20Network%20Attacking%20Graham%20Platner https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F06%2F01%2Fthe-dark-money-network-attacking-graham-platner%2F)! Two dark money nonprofits incorporated in Delaware with no public presence and no disclosed staff have contributed at least $750,000 to a super PAC working to defeat likely Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner in Maine. A federal watchdog group says the groups’ spending looks like an illegal straw donor scheme. Condorcet Initiative Corp. has given $500,000 to Pine Tree Results PAC across two separate donations, including $250,000 on May 1 that was disclosed in a filing reported to the Federal Election Commission last week. Ardleigh Impact Corporation contributed an additional $250,000 in April. The PAC has spent nearly $4 million on attack ads against Sen. Susan Collins’ Democratic challenger Graham Platner, according to FEC data. Rather than engaging with policy, the ads are exclusively focused on personal attacks against Platner, digging up comments the candidate made online going back as far as 2013. Both organizations list a Springfield, Virginia address—7816 Rose Garden Lane—that property records show is the home of Staci Goede, a former chief financial officer of the Republican State Leadership Committee who now runs a political consulting firm called SAGE Advisory Group. Ardleigh was incorporated in Delaware in October 2023 and began funneling millions of dollars of dark money into Republican super PACs just months later, and Condorcet was established in December 2023 and has followed a similar pattern. Neither group has a public website or any visible activity beyond writing checks to political committees. In May 2024, the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center filed a [complaint](https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Ardleigh%20Impact%20Corporation%20Complaint%20%28final%20with%20exhibits%29%5FRedacted.pdf) with the FEC arguing that Ardleigh Impact Corporation could not plausibly have generated sufficient funds on its own to make millions of dollars in contributions in the months after its formation, and that the true source of the money was being illegally concealed behind the nonprofit shell. The complaint has been pending for more than two years, and the FEC currently lacks the quorum it needs to conduct much of its business, including taking action on complaints. Ardleigh’s total contributions have grown from the $2.575 million that prompted the original complaint to about $6 million as of the latest FEC data. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Consultants Cashing In on Pro-Israel Campaign Spending URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/05/26/the-consultants-cashing-in-on-pro-israel-campaign-spending/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T19:47:06.000Z 🤑 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F26%2Fthe-consultants-cashing-in-on-pro-israel-campaign-spending%2F&text=The%20Consultants%20Cashing%20In%20on%20Pro-Israel%20Campaign%20Spending) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Consultants%20Cashing%20In%20on%20Pro-Israel%20Campaign%20Spending https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F26%2Fthe-consultants-cashing-in-on-pro-israel-campaign-spending%2F)! In Kentucky’s recent Republican primary election, pro-Israel groups and a super PAC funded by major pro-Israel donors spent more than $15.5 million to successfully unseat Rep. Thomas Massie, a vocal critic of unconditional U.S. aid to Israel—a sum equal to roughly three times what the candidate himself raised. The money was spent largely on ads, but it did not simply flow to television stations and digital platforms. Federal Election Commission filings reveal a bipartisan network of political consultants, media buyers, pollsters, and campaign operatives who are collecting millions of dollars from the surge of pro-Israel spending reshaping congressional elections. Already this midterm cycle, four major pro-Israel committees—AIPAC’s PAC, its outside spending arm United Democracy Project (UDP), the closely aligned Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) super PAC, and the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Victory Fund—have poured nearly $50 million into congressional races nationwide. It is the third straight election cycle in which the groups have operated as a dominant financial force, swamping candidate fundraising in some contests and generating a windfall for firms staffed by former White House aides, national party strategists, and senior congressional campaign operatives. The consultants benefiting from the spending include alumni of the Reagan White House and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, veterans of Obama and Clinton presidential campaigns, former Biden advisers, and longtime media firms tied to both political parties. The heaviest pro-Israel spending on the Kentucky race came from the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Victory Fund, which spent about $3.9 million against Massie—the only race it has targeted so far this cycle. Nearly all of that money was funneled through two firms: Political Communications Advertising, founded by cable industry alumnus Phil Cunningham; and Grapeseed Media, a Manhattan-based programmatic digital advertising firm. Cunningham spent 15 years at Time Warner Cable, where he placed political and issue advertising on cable television. In 2008, he launched his own media firm to place political ad buys for Republican clients. The AIPAC-affiliated UDP super PAC spent more than $4.1 million through OnMessage Inc. for its anti-Massie effort. The firm was co-founded by Curt Anderson, a former Reagan White House staffer and RNC political director, along with his brother Wes Anderson, a longtime GOP pollster, and Brad Todd, a Republican strategist and CNN contributor. UDP’s payments to OnMessage have been for both production and placement of media assets, and overall, the PAC has paid it nearly $8 million. Targeted Platform Media LLC has been UDP’s top vendor over the years, collecting roughly $32.5 million since the 2022 election cycle across multiple races, including nearly $4 million this cycle for spending in support of Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the March Illinois 7th District Democratic primary, another $1.45 million for attack ads against former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a New Jersey special election, and smaller amounts on other targets. In past cycles, it has been paid millions by UDP to help defeat former progressive-leaning Democratic representatives Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, and Donna Edwards. The firm is an arm of Buying Time LLC, a Democratic media buying company founded and run by Cathie Herrick, who has been placing ads for campaigns and outside groups for nearly 30 years. Before launching Buying Time in 1997, Herrick spent time at several prominent Democratic media shops, including Doak Shrum and Squier Knapp Dunn, the predecessor firm to SKDKnickerbocker, which has also been paid by the pro-Israel groups. As a media placement operation, most of Targeted Platform's billings are passed through to television stations, cable networks, and digital platforms, though Herrick and her company retain a fee, likely in the range of 10-15%. The firm was also the ad buyer for Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now!, two UDP-funded super PACs that [spent millions](https://readsludge.com/2026/03/18/aipac-splits-in-illinois-races-after-20m-in-spending/) backing pro-Israel candidates in Illinois’ March primary elections. MVAR Media has been paid more than $4 million by UDP for both media placement and production, including $549,000 so far this cycle, with most of its work this cycle concentrated in the pro-Conyears-Ervin and anti-Malinowski spending. The firm, whose full name is Murphy Vogel Askew Reilly, is run by operatives with deep resumes in Democratic politics. Managing partner Jon Vogel spent years at the DCCC as executive director, political director, and independent expenditure chief. His partner Steve Murphy got his start volunteering for Joe Biden's 1972 Senate campaign and later ran the House Democratic Caucus under Dick Gephardt. Managing partner Mike Reilly, the firm's creative director, produced ads for the Obama media team in 2008 and for Sen. Jon Ossoff's 2020 campaign. Their client list includes the DCCC, House Majority PAC, Senate Majority PAC, SEIU, and AFSCME. SKDKnickerbocker has collected about $2 million from UDP, split between media placement and production costs, including $450,630 so far this cycle. The firm is part of Mark Penn's marketing services company Stagwell Group. Penn was Bill Clinton's chief pollster and has longstanding Israel connections, including polling work in Israel for Menachem Begin's Likud party. He has also personally given six figures to AIPAC in recent years, according to a report by [The Lever](https://www.levernews.com/inside-the-israel-lobbys-new-90-million-war-chest/). SKDK co-founder and managing director Anita Dunn served as a senior White House adviser under Biden. The company also worked as a vendor for DMFI last cycle, earning $727,000 for production and placement of ads against re-electing Bowman. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Musk-Recruited NASA Head Pushes Nuclear Agenda Tied to SpaceX URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/05/19/musk-recruited-nasa-head-pushes-nuclear-agenda-tied-to-spacex/ Last updated: 2026-05-20T14:12:48.000Z 🚀 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F19%2Fmusk-recruited-nasa-head-pushes-nuclear-agenda-tied-to-spacex%2F&text=Musk-Recruited%20NASA%20Head%20Pushes%20Nuclear%20Agenda%20Tied%20to%20SpaceX) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Musk-Recruited%20NASA%20Head%20Pushes%20Nuclear%20Agenda%20Tied%20to%20SpaceX https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F19%2Fmusk-recruited-nasa-head-pushes-nuclear-agenda-tied-to-spacex%2F)! In November 2024, Elon Musk called his friend and business partner Jared Isaacman to ask him if he would lead NASA. A year and a half later, the agency had a new administrator, a new space nuclear strategy, and plans to develop the exact reactor technology that SpaceX says it needs to colonize Mars. The arrangement is another clear example of private business interests shaping federal science and technology policy. Isaacman holds roughly [$1 billion](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1805608/000119312526101011/xslF345X05/ownership.xml) in a payments company whose international growth has been built on a partnership with SpaceX, and is now implementing a nuclear strategy that SpaceX has explicitly said it needs. “NASA should be doing what the commercial industries can't,” Isaacman said in an interview last year. “And that, by the way, takes so much stress off a company like SpaceX trying to get to Mars.” Musk and Isaacman’s [relationship](https://www.wsj.com/business/elon-musk-nasa-mars-space-travel-d3978a7b) goes back several years. In 2021, Isaacman personally paid SpaceX for a civilian spaceflight mission. He then [brokered](https://payloadspace.com/a-qa-with-jared-isaacman/) a five-year strategic partnership to make Shift4, his financial technology company, the official payment processor for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. SpaceX was Shift4’s “cornerstone” client that would “open up a massive pool of global commerce opportunities,” the company said in a 2021 SEC [filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1794669/000179466921000005/four-ex991.htm). Shift4’s total annual revenue more than tripled—from roughly $1.36 billion in 2021 to $4.18 billion in 2025—as Starlink subscription payments flowed. The company followed Starlink into Europe, Latin America, and Africa, and now operates in 75 countries. “When people are paying for things on the Moon & Mars, Shift4 should be there too,” Isaacman [posted on X](https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1458462153753575431?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1458462153753575431%7Ctwgr%5E3277be73e57c8fe02ab1afd90d2c9a8e5c678a50%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tesmanian.com%2Fblogs%2Ftesmanian-blog%2Fshift4) the day the deal was announced. Shift4 invested $27.5 million in SpaceX in [early 2021](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1794669/000156459021025276/four-10q%5F20210331.htm), when the company was valued at around $74 billion. SpaceX is now expected to go public in June with a valuation of roughly $1.75 trillion—the largest IPO in history. Shift4 [has not disclosed](https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/shift4-ceo-grilled-by-senators-on-musk-spacex-ties/744974/) whether it still holds that stake—which could be worth around $650 million post-IPO—and did not respond to Sludge’s requests for comment. Roger Myers, a [top expert](https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114144/witnesses/HHRG-117-SY16-Bio-MyersR-20211020.pdf) in space nuclear systems and former Aerojet Rocketdyne executive, explained to Sludge why SpaceX needs nuclear power: refueling a Starship on Mars would require megawatts of power to convert water and the Martian atmosphere to methane, and Mars' dust storms make solar unviable. “By the time a Starship gets to Mars, it’s empty,” Myers told Sludge. “It has no fuel to come home. So if the astronauts aboard Starship want to come home, they need to be able to refuel Starship somehow.” Myers co-authored a [July 2025 Department of Energy study](https://inl.gov/content/uploads/2023/07/strategic-options-space-nuclear-leadership.pdf) that put SpaceX’s nuclear needs on the public record. Among its private sector interviewees, the study noted, SpaceX in particular wanted reactors developed swiftly for Mars colonization: “With respect to Mars, SpaceX considers systems below 10kWe to be 'in the noise' and believes 80–100kWe class systems are where nuclear becomes interesting,” the study said. “SpaceX expressed confidence in landing on Mars as early as 2026 and desires a 100kWe-class reactor by 2028, followed by MW-class reactors 'as soon as possible thereafter.'" The study provided three potential strategies for the Trump Administration. These include the "Chessmaster's Gambit" option, which proposed two reactor demonstrations up to 100 kWe, one led by NASA and the other by the military. The White House’s new space nuclear strategy, titled [NSTM-3](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/NSTM-3-2026%5F04%5F14-corrected.pdf), aligns with this option, estimated to cost several billion dollars over five years. Michael Kratsios, a Peter Thiel protégé who serves as Trump’s chief science and technology advisor, [announced](https://spacenews.com/white-house-releases-space-nuclear-policy/) NSTM-3 alongside Isaacman at an April event. Under the plan, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct parallel programs with industry contractors to rapidly develop space reactors—including at least one that meets the 100 kWe parameters SpaceX requested—for orbit as early as 2028 and for the Moon’s surface by 2030\. “Achieving these near-term objectives will establish technological viability essential to unlocking space exploration, commerce, and defense applications,” NSTM-3 states. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/05/SpaceX_Starship_ignition_during_IFT-5.jpg) SpaceX Starship ignition during its launch on IFT-5 on October 14, 2024\. (Creative Commons image via Flickr user Steve Jurvetson) cool The Trump administration considers nuclear energy essential for its [space commercialization](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/themes/the-space-economy-is-projected-to-reach-1-8-trillion-by-2035) and militarization goals. In the final days of his first term, President Trump signed an [executive order](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-promoting-small-modular-reactors-national-defense-space-exploration/) to promote small modular reactors (SMRs) for space exploration, and in his second, the president has directed federal agencies to roll back nuclear safety oversight, cut commercial space launch regulations, and put a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, which would power NASA’s proposed $20 billion lunar base. The private sector was ready. Days before Trump’s second term began, a venture capital firm called Balerion Space Ventures hosted the Nuclear Energy, Space and Defense Tech Investor Summit at Mar-a-Lago, bringing Silicon Valley-backed nuclear and space startups together with government officials to discuss regulation and investment opportunities. Speakers included A.C. Charania, who was NASA’s Chief Technology Officer until April 2025, and is now a senior advisor at Balerion. The VC firm canceled an interview with Sludge after being asked why they chose the president’s private club for the space nuclear investor meeting and if current or former officials helped them organize it. Former NASA official Bhavya Lal moderated a discussion panel at the Mar-a-Lago event, according to photos and an agenda reviewed by Sludge. Lal helped shape Trump’s space nuclear policies in his first term and co-authored the [July 2025 Department of Energy study](https://inl.gov/content/uploads/2023/07/strategic-options-space-nuclear-leadership.pdf) with Myers to inform policy in his second. The study was [sponsored](https://wsbr.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/07092025-Bhavya-WSBR-1.pdf) by Idaho National Laboratories director of advanced nuclear reactors Justin Coleman, who also moderated a discussion at Trump’s Palm Beach resort. Its private sector interviewees—at least 10 of whom attended the Mar-a-Lago summit—expressed strong interest in using nuclear systems to power commercial space ventures, such as orbital data centers. Nick Cummings, SpaceX’s senior director of government systems advanced development, was interviewed for the study in February 2025, and former SpaceX engineer Doug Bernauer was interviewed in March. Bernauer founded Radiant Nuclear with the [long-term ambition](https://www.latimes.com/b2b/ai-technology/story/2025-07-20/la-nuclear-power-startup-radiant) of “making the space reactor for Elon.” He [began researching](https://research.contrary.com/company/radiant) nuclear technology for Mars colonization[ under Musk’s direction](https://www.notboring.co/p/radiant) and registered his nuclear startup Radiant while still employed at SpaceX. Shortly after Trump was elected, Bernauer [posted on X](https://x.com/DougBernauer/status/1859448660435652897) asking Musk to use DOGE to "fix nuclear" for space travel, falsely claiming the NRC had not [approved](https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/large-lwr/design-cert/ap1000) a new reactor design in 50 years. Months later, CEOs of three SpaceX-linked nuclear startups, including Bernauer, were at Mar-a-Lago holding a panel discussion on nuclear regulation. A Radiant representative said she did not know if the firm was among the nuclear startups that [helped draft](https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-nuclear-power-nrc-safety-doge-vought) the May 2025 executive orders that launched [DOGE’s nuclear safety rollbacks](https://readsludge.com/2026/03/23/doge-operative-behind-nuclear-safety-rollbacks-sat-on-industry-backed-vc-board/). Scott Pace, who served as executive secretary of the National Space Council in the first Trump administration, told [Scientific American](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-nuclear-mission-to-mars-isnt-as-crazy-as-it-sounds/) that these rollbacks provided the “policy foundation” for NASA’s space nuclear objectives; Isaacman has [similarly stated](https://hillheat.com/files/471/Isaacman%5FProject%5FAthena.pdf) the EOs would help cut through bureaucracy. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Pivots From Bonds to Buying Hundreds of Individual Corporate Stocks URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/05/14/trump-pivots-from-bonds-to-buying-hundreds-of-individual-corporate-stocks/ Last updated: 2026-05-14T14:41:21.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F14%2Ftrump-pivots-from-bonds-to-buying-hundreds-of-individual-corporate-stocks%2F&text=Trump%20Pivots%20From%20Bonds%20to%20Buying%20Hundreds%20of%20Individual%20Corporate%20Stocks) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Pivots%20From%20Bonds%20to%20Buying%20Hundreds%20of%20Individual%20Corporate%20Stocks https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F14%2Ftrump-pivots-from-bonds-to-buying-hundreds-of-individual-corporate-stocks%2F)! President Donald Trump has quietly bought stock in hundreds of American companies since the start of the year, according to a new financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics—a marked shift from an investment strategy that had focused almost exclusively on corporate and municipal bonds. The filing, posted May 14, spans 113 pages and covers more than 3,600 securities transactions between January and late March 2026\. Trump has bought hundreds of millions in bonds since returning to the White House, including $51 million in March, according to [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/trump-bought-least-51-million-bonds-march-disclosure-shows-2026-04-25/). This appears to be the first financial transaction disclosure Trump has filed during his second term that shows the president picking individual corporate stocks. Trump has invested in hundreds of individual companies, from household names like Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon to defense contractors, energy companies, pharmaceutical firms, banks, and crypto-related stocks, industries subject to regulation by his administration. Crypto stock purchases stand out, as Trump, the self-declared “Crypto President,” advances policies in line with the industry’s agenda and launches business ventures in digital assets. The filing shows Trump bought stock in Coinbase Global, MARA Holdings—a Bitcoin mining company—and Strategy Inc., the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin in the world. Trump has made crypto-friendly policy a signature of his second term, replacing the leadership of the Securities and Exchange Commission with officials more favorable to the industry, creating crypto reserves through executive orders, and pushing Congress to pass the industry’s regulatory wishlist like the Clarity Act. Trump purchased millions of dollars worth of Oracle stock as his administration has facilitated a deal for the U.S. operations of TikTok, in which the tech company is invested, according to the disclosure. In December, Trump issued an executive order seeking federal preemption of state regulations on artificial intelligence, then in the following months bought stock in Nvidia, AMD, Creweave, KLA Corp., and other AI industry stocks. His funds also traded six-figure amounts of stock in government contractor Palantir. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Bayer Built a Farm Front Group to Fight Roundup Cancer Claims URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/05/01/bayer-built-a-farm-front-group-to-fight-roundup-cancer-claims/ Last updated: 2026-05-01T16:51:40.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F01%2Fbayer-built-a-farm-front-group-to-fight-roundup-cancer-claims%2F&text=Bayer%20Built%20a%20Farm%20Front%20Group%20to%20Fight%20Roundup%20Cancer%20Claims), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F01%2Fbayer-built-a-farm-front-group-to-fight-roundup-cancer-claims%2F), and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Bayer%20Built%20a%20Farm%20Front%20Group%20to%20Fight%20Roundup%20Cancer%20Claims https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F05%2F01%2Fbayer-built-a-farm-front-group-to-fight-roundup-cancer-claims%2F)! *First published by the* [*Center for Media and Democracy*](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/)*.* For the past two years, the Modern Ag Alliance has been the leading public face of a campaign to quash tens of thousands of cancer claims surrounding the use of Roundup, the highly controversial and most widely used pesticide in the world. “Control weeds, not farming” and “American farmers need your help” proclaim its ads and billboards across America’s bread basket. And, most recently, its online ads have congratulated President Trump for his executive order declaring that production of Roundup’s primary ingredient, glyphosate, is “critical to the national defense” (see [Part I](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2026/04/21/bayer-turns-over-every-stone-to-stiff-roundup-cancer-victims/) of this series). The [Modern Ag Alliance](https://modernagalliance.org/about-us/) (MAA) purports to now represent more than 110 agricultural organizations in the US and claims that farmers need “crop protection tools” like Roundup “to ensure that \[Americans\] have a robust and affordable domestic food supply.” But a look below the surface reveals that Bayer AG, the German pharmaceutical giant that produces Roundup—and whose Roundup-related liabilities topped $11 billion last year—launched the group in 2024 to help protect its bottom line and shield the company from rising public anger over the product’s cancer risks. Bayer’s lead lobbyist, Hallie Utley, serves as its CEO and board president. “We will defend ourselves inside and outside the courtroom, including supporting legislation at the state and federal level. However, there is a limit to what we can do alone,” Bayer [notes](https://www.bayer.com/en/fighting-back) on its online “Fighting Back” page. “We are proud to support these efforts alongside dozens of other agricultural organizations… because the future of American farming depends on reliable science-based regulation of important crop protection products—determined safe for use by the EPA.” Since its launch, MAA has served as the public face of Bayer’s all-out crusade to win immunity from Roundup liability, spending millions on print, TV, and online ads and lobbying lawmakers to pass Roundup liability shield laws. MAA reported paying [$13.6 million](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/991759025/202523189349305652/full) in 2024 to Penta Group, a D.C.-based public relations and lobbying firm, for advertising and consulting services. But the group doesn’t pay staff or incur other expenses itself, and since all of its revenue is classified as in-kind or “program services,” the PR bill is paid by some other entity or entities. Penta Group lists Bayer as one of its major clients. Bayer did not respond to the Center for Media and Democracy’s questions about its financial support for MAA’s operations. In a [podcast](https://www.iowapbs.org/shows/mtom/mtom-podcast/podcast/12288/aligning-many-interests-agriculture-crop-chemistry) last spring produced by PBS Iowa, MAA Executive Director Elizabeth Burns-Thompson attempted to downplay Bayer’s influence on the organization. “Bayer is absolutely one of our partners,” she told PBS, adding the caveat that the company is just one of many interests the group represents. “Their logo on our website is just the same size as all of the rest of the partners so I am just as accountable to each of our corn growers, sugar beet growers, wheat growers, and agribusiness groups.” At the same time, Burns-Thompson confirmed that MAA had pushed state legislators to introduce each of the [state immunity bills](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2026/04/22/bayer-banks-on-congress-for-permanent-roundup-immunity/) proposed since 2024\. She also applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the [*Monsanto Company v. Durnell*](https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/case-files/monsanto-company-v-durnell/) case this month, pointing to the need for certainty around federal pesticide labeling and [claiming](https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/u-s-ag-groups-file-brief-urging-scotus-to-consider-importance-of-pesticides/) that it’s “important for national security that we have the critical inputs that go into that supply chain.” During the PBS interview, Burns-Thompson also admitted that “slowing down” failure-to-warn litigation against Bayer is “at the crux” of Modern Ag’s legislative work. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “What… I do each and every day with our partners is proactively work on legislation at the state level,” she said. “We also have some collaborative work that we're doing \[at\] the federal level to provide some consistency and clarity to try to slow down… what we would call meritless lawsuits.” Data on MAA’s direct lobbying spending is difficult to access in each state, but records reveal that the front group spent at least [$1.8 million](https://ilobbysearch.app.tn.gov/ilobbysearch/viewExpenditureReport.htm?reportId=47922) on lobbying in Tennessee alone last year. MAA also paid Burns-Thompson for lobbying efforts in several states, including $10,000 to lobby in [Iowa](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/lobbyist/reports/clientReports?action=getClientReportPDF&clientReportID=22437&pdf=true) in 2024–25\. In addition, it agreed to pay her at least $10,000 to lobby in [Georgia](https://recordsearch.ethics.ga.gov/public/lobbyistmodule/employerProfile), and she is also registered as Modern Ag’s lobbyist in [Florida](https://floridalobbyist.gov/LobbyistInformation/LobbyistDetail/9949?year=2026&Branch=L), [Kansas](https://www.sos.ks.gov/elections/lobbylist.aspx?cath=105379&lyear=2026&cliSeq=1), [Kentucky](https://apps.klec.ky.gov/AgentDetail.asp?LEG%5FAGENT=DF7AFDA0-47E7-41F0-8056-896A907DFAF0), [North Carolina](https://www.sosnc.gov/online%5Fservices/Search/lobbying%5Fdetails/60569), [North Dakota](https://firststop.sos.nd.gov/search/lobbyist), and [Wyoming](https://lobbyist.wyo.gov/Lobbyist/LobbyistDetail.aspx?num=197182180222028140174123135219171217030175064224). ### **Deceiving the Public and Regulators** Litigation in Missouri has shone a rare light on the company’s extensive efforts to conceal “the carcinogenic dangers of a product it made abundantly available at hardware stores and garden shops across the country,” as [one court ruling](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eProl7ZTdy7JP13WZeMgK2aDLEFAsmvQ/view) phrased it. In another [court filing](https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Emergency%20Motion%20to%20De-Designate%20Forty-Six%20Documents%20Marked%20Confidential.PDF?courtCode=19&di=3493767) early last year, a lawyer for Roundup victims in Missouri accused Bayer and Monsanto (which Bayer acquired in 2018) of waging an extensive propaganda campaign throughout the state in order to “manipulate and mislead the public” and regulators about the health risks of the herbicide. Such heavy-handed and deceptive practices to “protect its profits, while at the same time, obscuring and minimizing the true harmfulness of its Roundup products and discrediting anyone who disagrees” have been the hallmark of Bayer’s—and previously Monsanto’s—playbook, attorney Matthew Clement argued. Evidence of those tactics has also been a driving force in convincing juries in at least four cases to award victims billions in punitive damages and a California appeals court to [conclude](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eProl7ZTdy7JP13WZeMgK2aDLEFAsmvQ/view?usp=sharing) that the company’s conduct “evidenced reckless disregard of the health and safety of the multitude of unsuspecting consumers it kept in the dark.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/05/Roundup-Part-III-fp-Julie-Russell-Steuart-Image-19-1.jpg) More than 100 Iowans rallied in February 2025 against Iowa Senate Study Bill 1051, dubbed the “Cancer Gag Act,” a Bayer-backed proposal aimed at protecting pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits over alleged pesticide-related health harms. (Photo by Julie Russell-Steuart via Food & Water Watch) In his filing, Clement, who represents [roughly 280 plaintiffs](https://apnews.com/article/bayer-monsanto-roundup-lawsuits-settlement-154ad7c6bdff3a91b06c4e327321160b), accused Bayer of abusing confidentiality privileges in an attempt to conceal 20,000 documents related to its lobbying and propaganda efforts. The documents purportedly reveal Bayer’s use of “fictitious ‘independent’ third parties” the company paid to push its pro-glyphosate messaging in Missouri. Additionally, his filing accuses Bayer, Monsanto, and a team of consulting firms with “continu\[ing\]—to this day—to ghostwrite letters on Monsanto’s behalf that deceptively manipulate public opinion.” MAA spent $100,000 on an ad blitz in Missouri in early 2025, and another dark money group, the Protecting America Initiative, spent $175,000 on a Super Bowl ad and direct mail targeting nine Republican state senators, [according to](https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/03/lawyer-demands-records-of-bayers-roundup-propaganda-campaign-in-missouri/) the *Missouri Independent.* “Monsanto’s hope is either that it can influence the potential pool of jurors such that they will make up their minds based on the torrent of misinformation flooding into Cole County (everywhere but the courtroom), or that the legislators will just give in and grant it future protection based on its one-sided, and sometimes outright false, public/media relations blitz—or both,” Clement’s filing argues. “Monsanto’s tactics are antithetical to any sense of justice or the pursuit of truth.” Many of both the settled and pending lawsuits over Roundup have been filed in Missouri courts, according to Bayer’s [2025 annual report](https://reports.bayer.com/annual-report-2025/en/%5Fassets/downloads/entire-bayer-ar25.pdf?h=CvSp0Z%5FZ), including a [$7.25-billion class action settlement](https://cen.acs.org/environment/pesticides/bayer-roundup-glyphosate-cancer-class-action-lawsuit-settlement/104/web/2026/03) that won preliminary court approval last month. Others have accused the company of deceptive tactics. In 2023 New York Attorney General Letitia James hit Bayer with a [$6.9-million fine](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-secures-69-million-bayer-and-monsanto-false-advertising) for allegedly misleading the public by running Roundup advertisements in the state that framed glyphosate products as “safe and non-toxic” while failing to provide “adequate substantiation” of this claim. James launched an investigation in 2020 to ensure that after acquiring Monsanto in 2018, Bayer was complying with the terms of Monsanto’s 1996 settlement with the state over similar false advertising claims, which led to a $50,000 fine. In December, ghostwriting allegations related to Roundup resurfaced after the science journal *Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology* issued a rare [retraction](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230099913715) ofa key study led by a researcher from New York Medical College Valhalla 25 years after it was published. The study initially found no link between glyphosate and cancer. In the retraction notice, the co-editor Martin van den Berg, a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, noted that Monsanto employees co-wrote parts of the “hallmark” paper. “This article has been widely regarded as a hallmark paper in the discourse surrounding the carcinogenicity of glyphosate and Roundup,” the notice states. “However, the lack of clarity regarding which parts of the article were authored by Monsanto employees creates uncertainty about the integrity of the conclusions drawn… It is unclear how much of the conclusions of the authors were influenced by external contributions of Monsanto without proper acknowledgments.” “The pesticide industry’s decades of efforts to hijack the science and manipulate it to boost its profits is finally being exposed,” [wrote](https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/journal-retracts-key-paper-claiming-glyphosate-not-linked-to-cancer-2025-12-03/?gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=23535901343&gbraid=0AAAAAD3I-HOwiqvaUx7SN7iyj37eOXX-z&gclid=CjwKCAjwwJzPBhBREiwAJfHRnV%5Fl7OuqwpnHi2qKBBEVM5RqKDnWNAyCP6%5F42WTHZImtBD4lvXjEZRoCPuoQAvD%5FBwE) Nathan Donley, the Center for Biological Diversity’s environmental health science director. ### **Bayer’s Current PR Push** As part of its “collaborative work,” MAA is now [pushing](https://modernagalliance.org/the-farm-bill/) for Congress to pass the [2026 Farm Bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7567/all-info), which contains a Roundup immunity provision Bayer helped draft (see [Part II](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2026/04/22/bayer-banks-on-congress-for-permanent-roundup-immunity/) of this series). It is also running an [online ad campaign](https://modernagalliance.org/news-resources/farmers-applaud-president-trumps-executive-order-now-congress-must-act/) to thank Trump for throwing Bayer a lifeline with his pro-Roundup executive order. “The executive order formally acknowledges what farmers across the country have known for decades,” MAA [maintains](https://modernagalliance.org/news-resources/farmers-applaud-president-trumps-executive-order-now-congress-must-act/)—that “glyphosate-based herbicides are essential to maintaining America’s agricultural productivity and a healthy, affordable food supply. It also underscores that there is no one-for-one chemical alternative to glyphosate.” ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Public statements like this from MAA never acknowledge the [potential carcinogenic risk](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/glyphosate-is-driving-a-rift-in-maha-heres-what-the-science-says-about-its/) of exposure to glyphosate—nor that MAA was created by Bayer and is led by its chief lobbyist. Neither the front group nor the biotech behemoth behind it are letting up on their [five-part plan](https://www.bayer.com/en/managing-the-roundup-litigation) to permanently evade all responsibility for Roundup-related health claims. Their ultimate success depends on the outcome of two big decisions this spring: the Supreme Court ruling about state failure-to-warn claims and congressional approval of the long-delayed Farm Bill. The fate of Bayer’s bestselling glyphosate-based pesticide hangs in the balance, and the company continues to weigh alternatives to costly lawsuits. A few years ago “to further reduce future litigation risk,” it stopped producing Roundup for home use and last fall it began seeking regulatory approval for a [new herbicide](https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2024/04/03/bayer-announces-its-roundup-alternative-formulated-without-glyphosate-should-be-ready-for-sale-by-2028/) to replace Roundup for agricultural and commercial use in the US, Europe and elsewhere. Environmentalists and progressives like Representative Chellie Pingree (D–Maine) have now joined forces with people in the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement who are outraged by both Trump’s executive order glorifying the use of glyphosate and the pending Farm Bill that would prevent states from issuing their own pesticide warnings. As Pingree wrote in a [recent op-ed](https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5820083-farm-bill-pesticide-regulation/) aimed at pushing back against Bayer and other “Big Chemical” powerhouses, the argument against using pesticides like Roundup rests on “three simple beliefs: that everyone should be able to eat food that is free of toxic chemicals; that people should have proper warning about possible health risks associated with chemical use; and that giant corporations should not get special immunity when their products pose real health risks.” “Let’s be clear who is standing with farmers and others impacted by glyphosate exposure: those trial lawyers are litigating on behalf of more than 100,000 people, including farmers and their families, who have suffered devastating health consequences—including death—allegedly linked to the herbicide,” advocates [argued](https://www.ehn.org/bayer-glyphosate-lawsuit) in an *Environmental Health News* op-ed in response to MAA’s ads. "And they’re doing so up against a company with PR moves pulled from the pages of the tobacco industry’s playbook." *Liisa Silander contributed to this story.* *Read more from CMD about Bayer’s efforts to deflect culpability for the risks of using Roundup in the* [*first*](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2026/04/21/bayer-turns-over-every-stone-to-stiff-roundup-cancer-victims/) *and* [*second*](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2026/04/22/bayer-banks-on-congress-for-permanent-roundup-immunity/) *parts of this series.* ### A New Web of Secret Money Is Shaping Democratic Races Across the Country URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/30/a-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country/ Last updated: 2026-04-30T19:10:15.000Z 🔎 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fa-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country%2F&text=A%20New%20Web%20of%20Secret%20Money%20Is%20Shaping%20Democratic%20Races%20Across%20the%20Country), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=A%20New%20Web%20of%20Secret%20Money%20Is%20Shaping%20Democratic%20Races%20Across%20the%20Country https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fa-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country%2F), [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fa-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country%2F&title=A%20New%20Web%20of%20Secret%20Money%20Is%20Shaping%20Democratic%20Races%20Across%20the%20Country), and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F30%2Fa-new-web-of-secret-money-is-shaping-democratic-races-across-the-country%2F)! A Delaware nonprofit created just seven months ago has already channeled nearly $3 million into a little-known political committee sitting at the center of a growing Democratic “dark money” operation, and even basic details about its leadership and structure are unlikely to be made public before the 2026 midterms. Contours Inc., recognized by the IRS as a 501c(4) social welfare organization in October 2025, lists only one officer and has filed only a minimal IRS e-Postcard that reveals virtually nothing about its finances or operations. The nonprofit has no public presence beyond a spare webpage saying it "educates voters and advocates for changes that give greater voice and choice to voters from coast to coast." Like all 501c(4)s, it will never be required to disclose its donors. The new group has been busy funneling money to Democrat-aligned political spending groups. Contours has sent at least $2.9 million to [Government That Works PAC](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00915595/?tab=about-committee), a hybrid political action committee registered last August that has quietly been routing dark money into Democratic races this cycle. Government That Works has raised $7.6 million in total—mainly from nonprofits that do not publicly disclose their donors—and has spent $5.5 million across several competitive contests, with roughly $2 million still on hand heading into election season. Contours also gave at least $800,000 to Independent Candidates Action and $150,000 to the Working Class Heroes Fund, both groups supporting Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn, who has been embraced by the Democratic Party. Contours listed only one name in its IRS filing: principal officer Sarah Stremlau, a philanthropy consultant who previously led fiscal sponsorship operations at Arabella Advisors. For years, the firm—recently rebranded as Sunflower Services—has managed a sprawling network of left-leaning nonprofits, including the Sixteen Thirty Fund, that have moved hundreds of millions of dollars through Democratic groups while shielding their donors from public view. The Sixteen Thirty Fund itself contributed $4 million to Government That Works in January 2026, making Contours and Sixteen Thirty its two largest funders. Because Contours is a new nonprofit, its first full Form 990 disclosure would be due May 15, but nonprofits routinely file for extensions, pushing that deadline to November 15, after the midterms are decided. That filing won't reveal the identities of Contours’ donors, but it would shed some light on the organization's board, leadership, any affiliated organizations, consultants, and a few more words on its stated purpose. Stremlau did not respond to a request for more information about Contours. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Netflix Raised Prices After Pocketing a $2.8 Billion Windfall URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/28/netflix-raised-prices-after-pocketing-a-2-8-billion-windfall/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T20:43:42.000Z 🍿 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Netflix%20Raised%20Prices%20After%20Pocketing%20a%20%242.8%20Billion%20Windfall https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F28%2Fnetflix-raised-prices-after-pocketing-a-2-8-billion-windfall%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F28%2Fnetflix-raised-prices-after-pocketing-a-2-8-billion-windfall%2F&text=Netflix%20Raised%20Prices%20After%20Pocketing%20a%20%242.8%20Billion%20Windfall) Netflix spent months earlier this year telling regulators and lawmakers that it was not a monopoly. The streaming giant was seeking approval for a planned $72 billion acquisition of parts of Warner Bros. Discovery, and executives like co-CEO Ted Sarandos testified that Netflix was a peer of free video services like YouTube and TikTok, part of a sprawling online video market. He argued that the merger, which by adding HBO Max would give Netflix control of [nearly half](https://www.thesling.org/the-netflix-warner-brothers-merger-would-harm-streaming-subscribers-it-should-be-blocked/) the global subscription streaming market, would be “pro-consumer.” Then Netflix was eventually outbid in the deal, collected a $2.8 billion breakup fee, and raised subscription prices anyway. After Paramount Skydance trumped Netflix's deal in February for Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets, Paramount paid Netflix a $2.8 billion termination fee under the terms of the bidding process. Less than a month later, Netflix increased subscription prices for the second time in just over a year, raising its standard plan by at least $1 per month and its premium tier by $2. To anti-monopoly advocates, the timing of Netflix’s latest price hike reveals the dominant market position the company had sought to downplay through a PR campaign and beefed-up lobbying operation. “Corporate consolidation has created a world where, year after year, Netflix has jacked up prices for millions of customers just because it can,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren told Sludge. “It’s an even bigger slap in the face for Americans that Netflix’s latest price hike came right after it pocketed billions from its failed Warner Bros. bid. We need more competition to stop corporate giants from ripping off Americans.” When the merger deal was announced, Warren called it an “anti-monopoly nightmare” that threatened American jobs, adding in a [statement](https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-on-netflix-warner-bros-proposed-deal-anti-monopoly-nightmare) that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust review process had been tainted by favoritism and corruption. 📰 **Follow the Money. Join Our Newsletter:** [Join ](#/portal/signup/free) In the first quarter of this year, Netflix’s net operating income soared by [nearly 83%](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/netflix-net-income-surges-83-in-q1-on-28b-warner-bros-breakup-fee-revenue-up-162-/3908798) thanks to the Paramount payout. The company told [Variety](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/netflix-raising-prices-second-time-in-a-year-1236700999/) in March that it was “updating our prices to enable us to reinvest in quality entertainment,” though it had also raised prices in January 2025, which boosted its revenues by [14%](https://www.ampereanalysis.com/insight/global-streaming-revenue-hits-150bn-in-2025-set-to-pass-200bn-by-2030), according to Ampere Analysis. Since 2020, the monthly Netflix bill for standard tiers [jumped by 29%](https://fortune.com/2026/02/07/netflix-streaming-warner-brothers-ted-sarandos-testimony-congress-monopoly-man/), and for premium tiers leapt by 39%, far outpacing the rate of inflation. Netflix, meanwhile, had sought to smooth the way for merger approval by downplaying its market share and wooing the White House. Sarandos [paid a visit](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-07/netflix-co-ceo-ted-sarandos-wooed-trump-personally-ahead-of-warner-bid) to President Trump at the White House in November as the initial deal was coming together and pushed back against the suggestion that Netflix was a monopoly. Netflix also juiced its lobbying spending in 2025 to a record high [$3 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/lobbyists?cycle=2025&id=D000036161), including hiring the deeply Trump-tied firm [Ballard Partners](https://readsludge.com/tag/ballard-partners/) to lobby the White House on media regulation, and brought on even more lobbyists after the deal was announced. “Netflix's ability to raise prices without any significant decline in subscribers is classic evidence of market power,” said Lee Hepner, senior legal counsel with the nonprofit American Economic Liberties Project (AELP). “Netflix is a highly profitable company that leverages exclusive content to minimize the ability of subscribers to switch to other streaming platforms, where it would be forced to compete on price. That vertical integration of the Netflix Originals banner with Netflix's streaming platform heightens concerns that Netflix is avoiding price competition through exclusive distribution deals and subscriber lock-in.” The deal would have made Netflix, the world’s largest subscription streaming company, even bigger. Netflix holds a sizable advantage with a [33% global market share](https://www.thesling.org/the-netflix-warner-brothers-merger-would-harm-streaming-subscribers-it-should-be-blocked/) in streaming video, according to data from The Economist. Netflix’s 325 million subscribers worldwide is far more than the second-highest Disney Plus, which has 195 million. If the deal had gone through, picking up the streaming service HBO Max and its around 13% market share, Netflix would have had control of nearly half the streaming market. In addition to the Warner Bros. film and TV studio businesses, Netflix would also have bagged HBO and other assets like the “Game of Thrones” TV series, “Friends,” and DC Comics characters. At the end of February, though, Netflix opted not to sweeten its offer for Warner Bros. after Paramount upped its bid to $111 billion, triggering the breakup fee. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment on its market share or [criticism](https://x.com/SenWarren/status/2037310480771948814) on social media from Warren last month on the timing of its price hike. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raised red flags over Netflix’s proposed merger, including Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), who [warned](https://www.marshall.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-marshall-sounds-alarm-on-netflix-warner-bros-merger/) of the deal’s “major vertical and horizontal consolidation” and recommended stringent antitrust review. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chair of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, [predicted](https://www.wsj.com/business/media/senate-antitrust-panel-chair-raises-concerns-over-netflix-warner-deal-495353a6) harm to competition in streaming markets if the deal went through and raised concerns that Netflix was hoovering up “competitively sensitive information” as part of the review process. More members of Congress spoke out against Netflix’s merger, such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.), co-chair of the House Monopoly Busters caucus, who [forewarned](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/05/netflix-warner-bros-deal-backlash) higher prices for consumers with less choice in content. Also in the House, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Ca.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, sent a [letter](https://issa.house.gov/media/in-the-news/icymi-congressman-issa-writes-letter-justice-department-regarding-potential) to the Department of Justice (DOJ) highlighting antitrust concerns if the deal went through. Hepner placed Netflix’s pricing power in the context of the Paramount Decrees, the 1948 antitrust rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court that barred Hollywood studios from controlling the production, distribution, and exhibition of films. The decision aimed to prevent the industry from raising prices on moviegoers through exclusive control of showings and bundling movies for theatres. “Today's subscribers are no less vulnerable to Netflix's subscription price hikes, which are possible because Netflix leverages exclusive content to avoid competition with other streaming platforms,” he said. Meanwhile, the company was mounting a campaign in Washington to convince regulators that the merger would not leave consumers paying more for less content to watch. In 2025, Netflix spent a record amount on lobbying in D.C., including on [issues](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/issues?cycle=2025&id=D000036161&spec=CSP&specific%5Fissue=Consumer+Product+Safety#specific%5Fissue) related to competition, and expanded its number of registered lobbyists by a third, tapping 40 lobbyists. Ballard Partners, hired in [March 2025](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/04c5a96b-9811-457a-a3f0-183803982189/print/), lobbied the White House Office in the first quarter of this year for Netflix on [issues](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/9b438bc9-faf9-4ca5-a12e-6c7bd0d02890/print/) of media regulation, with Trump campaign fundraiser Brian Ballard and former Senate Republican staffer Patrick Kilcur on the account. After the initial deal was announced, Netflix hired a new batch of lobbyists with the bipartisan firm [Avoq](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/549480e3-05e6-4329-85a3-b40c91a14dcd/print/), Republican-founded firm [S-3 Group](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c6435bc8-1884-4ee2-8994-16dcab479d1c/print/), and four more revolving-door Hill staffers with the bipartisan [Federal Hall Policy Advisors](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/fc1d60bf-740e-43d7-8b8a-309768ef7d6d/print/). Piling on this year, Netflix hired [Seth Bloom](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c67ed6a6-f4e7-4341-bca4-93732afbf06c/print/), former general counsel for the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, to lobby on the Warner Bros. deal, as well as [Perry Appelbaum](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/4dba0b1a-9ec1-4006-96ad-c2130e8fb5e3/print/), ​former senior counsel at the DOJ Antitrust Division, to lobby on antitrust issues in the tech industry. In regulatory [filings](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1437107/000119312526055653/d113739ddfan14a.htm) and in an investor [call](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/dec/05/netflix-warner-bros-deal-backlash) with Sarandos, Netflix had touted the deal as “pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro-creator.” Another Securities and Exchange Commission [filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1065280/000119312525308654/d65144d425.htm) by Netflix, in statements such as “Consumers will benefit from an enhanced and more diverse offering of content” and “The transaction is expected to generate significant synergies,” echoed the “consumer welfare standard” (CWS) used by some regulators in evaluating mergers. The CWS is a framework that applies a narrow review to mergers or business practices based on whether consumers would be harmed, such as through higher prices or lower quality. During a Feb. 3 Senate Antitrust subcommittee hearing, Sarandos defended the deal by [comparing](https://fortune.com/2026/02/07/netflix-streaming-warner-brothers-ted-sarandos-testimony-congress-monopoly-man/) Netflix to YouTube dozens of times, seeking to position his company in the expansive market of online video, rather than subscription video on demand (SVOD), where it is dominant. Last year, co-CEOs Sarandos and Greg Peters each received $41.4 million in Netflix stock as part of their compensation package, according to [Variety](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/netflix-ceo-salary-ted-sarandos-greg-peters-1236724061/), on top of nearly $42.7 million in stock the year before. Netflix has also benefited from corporate tax policies enacted under the Trump administration: according to [2022 research](https://itep.org/netflix-posts-record-profits-federal-tax-rate-of-just-1-percent/) from the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), Netflix avoided more than $1 billion in federal taxes in 2021 alone, paying a federal corporate income tax rate of only 1.1% that year even as it doubled profits to $5.3 billion. Laurel Kilgour, research manager with AELP, said it’s telling that Netflix did not use any of its $2.8 billion breakup fee to delay price hikes on every tier, ranging from 8-12% of their cost. The payout was more than enough to cover its planned content reinvestment this year, which Netflix [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/26/netflix-raises-prices-across-all-streaming-plans.html) was set to increase from $18 billion to $20 billion. “In a more competitive market, you would expect a company receiving a windfall of that magnitude to reinvest it in improving operations and quality to stay competitive, or to set reasonable prices,” Kilgour said. “Instead, Netflix spent [$1.3 billion](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001065280/13fce243-80be-4f3a-9033-bf415d3cc71f.pdf) in stock buybacks in Q1 2026—and to top that off, just days ago, the Netflix board authorized up to [$25 billion](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001065280/2d592dc5-c023-4e63-bd1a-9492cbd21b4b.pdf) in additional stock buybacks. That is money that will not be invested into the business or paying creators.” ### GOP's Outside-Money Edge Is Being Built by Billionaires, Oil, and Crypto URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/21/gops-outside-money-edge-is-being-built-by-billionaires-oil-and-crypto/ Last updated: 2026-04-21T18:56:38.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=GOP's%20Outside-Money%20Edge%20Is%20Being%20Built%20by%20Billionaires%2C%20Oil%2C%20and%20Crypto https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F21%2Fgops-outside-money-edge-is-being-built-by-billionaires-oil-and-crypto%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F21%2Fgops-outside-money-edge-is-being-built-by-billionaires-oil-and-crypto%2F&text=GOP's%20Outside-Money%20Edge%20Is%20Being%20Built%20by%20Billionaires%2C%20Oil%2C%20and%20Crypto) The two giant super PACs closely tied to Republican leaders in the House and Senate are relying on billionaire donors, the fossil fuel industry, cryptocurrency firms, and Big Tobacco to bankroll their defense of Congress. At least 47% of the combined haul of the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) has come from billionaires—at least $133.5 million—according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission data from the start of 2025 through March 2026\. The billionaires include reclusive President Trump megadonor Timothy Mellon, casino mogul Steve Wynn, Republican megadonors Christopher and Jude Reyes, poultry magnate Ronald Cameron, and cryptocurrency tycoons the Winklevoss twins. It's possible that more billionaires have donated to the SLF and CLF through their "dark money" [affiliates](https://readsludge.com/2026/04/20/the-shell-game-donors-use-to-hide-their-identities/), which hide the names of donors from the public. The SLF and CLF were the [top-spending](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Fgroup/2022?chrt=2024&disp=O&type=A) outside groups nationwide in the 2022 midterms—though this time around, many more super PACs are loaded up with record amounts of cash to spend. The groups, aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), spend heavily on attack ads against Democrats and independent expenditures supporting Republicans each cycle. More than half of the disclosed donations from billionaires this cycle to the SLF and CLF have come from just three Trump allies. The top SLF donors have been pro-Israel megadonor Miriam Adelson (with a $30 million gift on March 11), investor Paul Elliott Singer ($14.5 million), and Elon Musk of government contractor SpaceX, totaling $10 million. On the House campaign side, the CLF’s largest known donations so far have been $10 million apiece from Adelson and Musk, followed by $8 million from Singer. Earlier this month, the SLF announced a massive spending plan: $342 million to hold control of the Senate and flip Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire. The SLF touted the eight-state plan as its largest-ever spending campaign, encompassing television and digital ads, mail, and other GOTV operations. Maine Sen. Susan Collins can expect to benefit from an initial [$42 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/us/politics/republican-midterms-fundraising-super-pac.html) in re-election support from SLF. Overall this cycle, the SLF has raised more than [$175.4 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00571703/?tab=summary), and the CLF has raised over [$110.1 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/), counting transfers from their dark money nonprofits. The SLF’s nonprofit affiliate, One Nation, has given it nearly $46.5 million so far this cycle, and the CLF’s sibling American Action Network has kicked in $24.3 million. Super PACs on both sides of the aisle are increasingly using nonprofits to funnel in tens of millions of dollars without disclosing donors’ identities, a trend Sludge has detailed over the past [several cycles](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/01/congressional-leaders-are-embracing-dark-money-like-never-before/). Meanwhile, Democratic campaign donors are opening their wallets to take back control of the House and challenge Republicans in Senate battleground states. When FEC filings for the first quarter of 2026 dropped last week, they showed that Democrats in key Senate and House races raised hefty amounts of campaign cash, headlined by a record-setting [$27 million](https://www.notus.org/money/democrats-fundraising-house-senate-election-2026-congress) haul in Q1 for James Talarico in Texas. Donations on the Democratic platform ActBlue, largely in small-dollar amounts under $200, [set a new record](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/14/election-2026-democrats-fundraising-act-blue.html) for the first quarter of a midterm year. In a set of 16 House races rated as competitive, Democratic candidates outraised Republican incumbents in 13 of them, according to [Roll Call](https://rollcall.com/2026/04/16/democratic-candidates-start-2026-with-a-fundraising-bang/). But Democratic campaigns’ temporary advantage in direct fundraising is blunted by the war chests of GOP super PACs. Republicans hold a strong edge in outside spending cash reserves, as of this snapshot of the 2026 midterms. The largest super PAC, President Trump’s MAGA INC, finished March with a whopping [$312.3 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00892471/) in cash on hand ready to tumble out in support of Republicans [starting](https://www.axios.com/2026/04/08/midterms-gop-trump-democrats) around Memorial Day. And tallying up cash on hand for the four party-tied super PACs, the SLF’s [$166.4 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00571703/?tab=summary) and the CLF’s [$91.4 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00504530/) combine to be twice as much as the Democrats' Senate Majority PAC's [$74.8 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00484642/) and House Majority PAC’s [$53.6 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00495028/). Fossil fuel industry donors have given at least $28.8 million to the SLF and CLF, according to this analysis, to help their [allies](https://readsludge.com/2025/06/05/big-oil-wins-in-trump-gop-megabill/) on energy policy in Congress hold control of both chambers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Shell Game Donors Use to Hide Their Identities URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/20/the-shell-game-donors-use-to-hide-their-identities/ Last updated: 2026-04-20T15:17:38.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Shell%20Game%20Donors%20Use%20to%20Hide%20Their%20Identities https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F20%2Fthe-shell-game-donors-use-to-hide-their-identities%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2026%2F04%2F20%2Fthe-shell-game-donors-use-to-hide-their-identities%2F&text=The%20Shell%20Game%20Donors%20Use%20to%20Hide%20Their%20Identities) Three super PACs aligned with top Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress routed roughly $44 million in the first quarter through affiliated nonprofits that shield donor identities before the money reached their midterm war chests, according to a Sludge review of recent FEC filings. The practice has become increasingly common in super PAC fundraising in recent years: wealthy political donors choose to conceal their identities by first giving to sibling 501c(4) social welfare nonprofits that share the same leadership, staff, and organizational infrastructure. These nonprofits do not disclose their donors, but later transfer money into the super PACs, which do file donor disclosures with the Federal Election Commission. Those disclosures list only the nonprofit group as the contributor, without identifying the original sources of the funds, creating a disclosure gap in which the money becomes publicly visible only after its origin has been obscured. The system is often called “gray money,” a reference to direct “dark money” political spending by nonprofits and shell LLCs, but with a disclosure layer at the super PAC level that creates the appearance of transparency but still leaves the original donor hidden. While donors to both parties make use of this system, Democrats have disproportionately relied on it recently. In the first quarter of the year, the Chuck Schumer-affiliated Senate Majority PAC (SMP) received $25 million through its nonprofit, accounting for 44% of its total haul. The group’s Republican counterpart, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), routed about 16% of its contributions through its nonprofit. In the House, the Speaker Mike Johnson-backed Congressional Leadership Fund got $7.5 million in Q1 from its nonprofit partner the American Action Network, making up nearly 20% of its total contributions received. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Spouse of Intel Committee Member Makes Timely Quantum Stock Purchase URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/16/spouse-of-intel-committee-member-makes-timely-quantum-stock-purchase/ Last updated: 2026-04-16T14:51:34.000Z 📈 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Spouse%20of%20Intel%20Committee%20Member%20Makes%20Timely%20Quantum%20Stock%20Purchase%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/16/spouse-of-intel-committee-member-makes-timely-quantum-stock-purchase/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Spouse%20of%20Intel%20Committee%20Member%20Makes%20Timely%20Quantum%20Stock%20Purchase%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/16/spouse-of-intel-committee-member-makes-timely-quantum-stock-purchase/) The spouse of a House Intelligence Committee member bought stock in the quantum computing firm IonQ just weeks before the company announced it was awarded a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). IonQ’s stock has spiked by a third since the announcement on Tuesday. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) became a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last year, a panel that largely meets in closed sessions and routinely receives classified reports from the Director of National Intelligence and other intelligence community figures. Under the committee’s rules, all members shall have access to all classified papers and other material received by the Committee from any source. This broad access includes sensitive intelligence on national security topics including emergent technology like quantum computing and artificial intelligence. A financial [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2026/20034345.pdf) filed with the House Clerk shows his spouse, Jennifer M. Steube, purchased up to $15,000 worth of IonQ stock on March 18\. She works as a senior trust portfolio manager with financial services firm Synovus. Prior to the pickup, her last stock buy had been in July 2025, when she purchased shares of General Motors. The shares in IonQ are the only technology stock in her portfolio. No member of Congress or their household has previously bought or sold IonQ’s stock, according to [Capitol Trades](https://www.capitoltrades.com/trades?issuer=2335381), which maintains a public archive of congressional stock trades since 2023\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Super PACs Are Unleashing Millions to Tilt Primaries in Their Favor URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/09/ai-super-pacs-are-unleashing-millions-to-tilt-primaries-in-their-favor/ Last updated: 2026-05-02T16:40:19.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AI%20Super%20PACs%20Are%20Unleashing%20Millions%20to%20Tilt%20Primaries%20in%20Their%20Favor%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/09/ai-super-pacs-are-unleashing-millions-to-tilt-primaries-in-their-favor/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AI%20Super%20PACs%20Are%20Unleashing%20Millions%20to%20Tilt%20Primaries%20in%20Their%20Favor%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/09/ai-super-pacs-are-unleashing-millions-to-tilt-primaries-in-their-favor/)! In the crowded Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District, the AI industry has already spent more than $2.4 million to defeat state Assemblymember Alex Bores, the candidate who authored one of the nation's first major AI safety bills and opposed the industry’s lobbying campaign to water it down. The heavy spending is part of a civil war taking place inside the artificial intelligence industry that has already impacted more than a dozen primaries ahead of the 2026 midterms. One faction, the deregulatory side, is backed by donors including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife Anna Brockman, who have each given $12.5 million, as well as venture capital firm a16z founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who each gave $12.5 million. Other key donors include Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, investor Ron Conway, and the company Perplexity AI. Leading the Future, its Democratic arm Think Big, and its Republican arm American Mission, reported raising a bit more than $50 million last year in its FEC filings, though the network [claimed](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/30/openai-a16z-cash-ai-super-pac) it raised more than $125 million last year and entered 2026 with about $70 million in cash on hand. The money is being spent to elect lawmakers who support a single national AI framework that would block states from enacting stricter regulations, which they argue is necessary to ensure the United States remains competitive with China. While Think Big is spending to defeat candidates backing stricter AI rules, the group is also supporting a select group of Democratic incumbents. Its [recent endorsements](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2026/04/08/a-pharma-legend-bows-out-00864310) include business-friendly moderates like Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.) and Sam Liccardo (Calif.), but also New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, who has proposed [legislation](https://clarke.house.gov/clarke-introduces-bill-to-regulate-ais-control-over-critical-decision-making-in-housing-employment-education-and-more/) to impose new regulations on high-impact AI systems in areas like housing, employment, and credit. The other side of the industry's internal debate is also supportive of AI development but argues that some safety protections are needed, and that states should be allowed to enforce their own, stronger rules. That faction is led by Anthropic, which donated $20 million to Public First Action in February. Public First Action has raised at least $50 million overall and operates through two super PAC arms—the Democratic Jobs and Democracy PAC and the Republican Defending Our Values PAC. Founded by two former members of Congress, Reps. Brad Carson (D-Okla.) and Chris Stewart (R-Utah), the nonprofit Public First Action says it wants safety standards and transparency rules, and wants to ensure that states can set their own standards rather than having regulations preempted at the federal level. While Anthropic has positioned itself as generally supportive of AI regulation, it has pushed back when legislation proposed upfront constraints on its practices. In 2024, the company intervened in California’s AI safety bill, SB 1047, arguing that its “pre-harm enforcement” approach would be counterproductive and instead [lobbied](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/25/exclusive-anthropic-weighs-in-on-california-ai-bill) the legislature for a looser, “outcome-based” liability regime that would give companies more flexibility in how they manage risks while limiting prescriptive oversight of model development. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said it was overly stringent, then later signed the much weaker SB 53, which mainly requires AI developers to publish safety frameworks and issue transparency reports. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Trump’s Former Digital Guru Is Shaping AI Narratives About Iran for Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/04/03/how-trumps-former-digital-guru-is-shaping-ai-narratives-about-iran-for-israel/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T18:56:53.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Former%20Digital%20Guru%20Is%20Shaping%20AI%20Narratives%20About%20Iran%20For%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/03/how-trumps-former-digital-guru-is-shaping-ai-narratives-about-iran-for-israel/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=How%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Former%20Digital%20Guru%20Is%20Shaping%20AI%20Narratives%20About%20Iran%20For%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/04/03/how-trumps-former-digital-guru-is-shaping-ai-narratives-about-iran-for-israel/) Within days of the United States and Israel launching a military campaign against Iran in late February, a network of websites began publishing a coordinated stream of articles arguing that Iranians were "already seeing in these strikes the possibility of liberation" and had "celebrated them." Other pieces described bombing Iran's Interior Ministry as an advancement for human rights, framed anti-war protesters as part of Chinese Communist Party-linked funding networks, and presented the killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei as the inevitable outcome of a conflict that Iran had started in 1979\. The campaign is being carried out by Clock Tower X LLC, a firm led by Brad Parscale, the former digital director of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and a campaign manager in 2020 who broke ground in use of data-driven political advertising at scale. According to federal filings, the company was hired last August by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs through an intermediary, the French public relations firm Havas Media, to carry out a nationwide messaging effort in the United States. The original contract allocated $6 million for the work, but it was expanded to $9 million in a December update. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### These State Pension Funds Invest in Palantir URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/31/these-state-pension-funds-invest-in-palantir/ Last updated: 2026-03-31T15:34:07.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=These%20State%20Pension%20Funds%20Invest%20in%20Palantir%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/31/these-state-pension-funds-invest-in-palantir/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=These%20State%20Pension%20Funds%20Invest%20in%20Palantir%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/31/these-state-pension-funds-invest-in-palantir/) Public pension funds in nearly half of U.S. states collectively hold billions of dollars in Palantir stock, bankrolling the data-mining company that powers the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s mass-deportation machine. Those investments have drawn protest from public employees in states like California, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon, whose retirement savings are tied to the company’s growing role supporting ICE’s immigration enforcement. New research from the [Purge Palantir](https://purgepalantir.com/) campaign, shared with Sludge, shows that around 30 state-level pension funds hold Palantir shares, many of them worth hundreds of millions of dollars apiece—topped by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), which holds nearly [$734 million](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/919079/000091907926000003/xslForm13F%5FX02/form13fInfoTable.xml) in shares. Purge Palantir, which includes the Quaker-founded American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the social justice group Mijente, calls on politicians to reject campaign money from the company’s PAC and executives and to halt its surveillance practices. Palantir is expanding its business across federal agencies under the Trump administration as its CEO Alex Karp embraces President Trump and donates [millions](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/18/sen-mark-warner-palantir-critic-took-37k-from-the-companys-ceo/) to his fundraising groups. Last year, it brought in more than half its revenue from government contracts. The company makes [apps](https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/) like ELITE used by ICE agents in neighborhood sweeps, practices [challenged](https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/foia-litigation/council-sues-immigration-agencies-records-enforcement-databases/) in court cases, as well as the $30 million ImmigrationOS [AI system](https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-immigrationos-palantir-ai-track-immigrants/). With the DOGE team, Palantir also assembled a massive [platform](https://www.wired.com/story/palantir-doge-irs-mega-api-data/) aggregating personal data with Internal Revenue Service records, a project [criticized](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/dangers-consolidating-all-government-information) by civil liberties groups for furthering government overreach. Recently, Palantir’s Maven system is reportedly [processing](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/mar/26/ai-got-the-blame-for-the-iran-school-bombing-the-truth-is-far-more-worrying) strike coordinates for the Pentagon’s missile attacks on Iran, including one that killed more than 175 people at a girls’ school. Many of the states holding Palantir stock have adopted socially-responsible investing policies that present a stark contrast with their equity in the military contractor, whose CEO Karp recently [valorized](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/12/palantir-tech-gives-west-critical-edge-in-middle-east-ceo-alex-karp.html) America’s “lethal capacities” and loudly [defends](https://www.semafor.com/article/12/19/2025/alex-karp-palantir-ceo-opens-up) the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. Sludge asked eight state pension funds how they reconcile their Palantir investment with their equivalents of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, citing their policies in areas like human rights and corporate governance. None of the eight funds said they were escalating their reviews of Palantir’s practices or considering divestment; only one, the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF), said it was engaged with the company. It described divestment as “a last resort.” Public employees in states including [New Jersey](https://prospect.org/2026/01/30/new-jerseyans-demand-state-divestment-from-ice-profiteer-palantir/) and [Oregon](https://www.oregon.gov/treasury/invested-for-oregon/Documents/Invested-for-OR-47OIC-Agenda-and-Minutes/Public%20Comments/2026/03.04.26-OIC-Public-Comments.pdf) have pushed their investment funds to divest from Palantir, and in [Maine](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/bill-maine-pension-system-divest-companies-connections-to-war-crimes-genocide/97-2332f864-ff45-402b-9571-deab4ac345ac), citizens spoke for five hours on the topic of a bill that would require the state pension system to divest from the company and others accused of human rights violations. "Teachers and medical professionals who spend their days caring for community members are outraged that their pensions are being tied up in companies like Palantir,” said Kenny Morris, campaigns strategist for AFSC's Action Center for Corporate Accountability. “Pension funds that should someday care for them have their money invested in a company building AI surveillance systems that could be used to harm those same families or their loved ones.” Palantir, whose co-founders include the billionaire investor Peter Thiel, has for years come under the scrutiny of investment industry watchdogs. In 2019, the Investor Alliance for Human Rights released a human rights [briefing](https://investorsforhumanrights.org/human-rights-risk-briefing) identifying a range of legal and reputational risks associated with the company. The following year, Amnesty International [flagged](https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/3124/2020/en/) the company’s high risk of contributing to “serious human rights violations” of immigrants and asylum-seekers. More recent efforts to uncover information about Palantir’s human rights record have come from groups like the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace (CSJP), which [introduced](https://iasj.org/catholic-religious-sisters-urge-palantir-to-conduct-human-rights-impact-assessment/) a shareholder proposal asking for an impact report spanning the company’s work for ICE and federal agencies. Facing calls from public employees to divest from Palantir, pension funds generally cite an overarching fiduciary duty that prevents them from engaging with calls to drop a specific company like a weapons contractor—though in past years, some funds have divested from private prison companies and gun makers when confronted with human rights violations. Meanwhile, Palantir’s political contributions are increasingly being seen as a liability by Democrats in Congress: several such lawmakers including Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) have [pledged](https://afsc.org/purge-palantir) to return Palantir executives’ donations in recent months and reject them going forward, and outside group [attack ads](https://readsludge.com/2026/03/12/democrats-criticizing-ice-are-paying-consultants-tied-to-palantir/) are calling out candidates’ career ties to the MAGA-aligned company. Palantir did not respond to a Sludge request for comment on how it would respond to requests from comptrollers, like one from [New York City](https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/letter-to-palantir-technologies-requesting-third-party-human-rights-risk-assessment/), for more information about its human rights impacts and corporate governance practices. ### Surging Stock, With Some Skeptics State pension funds hold billions of dollars in hundreds of stocks through passive index strategies that reflect the S&P 500's market capitalization—so as Palantir's stock price rises, more shares are likely acquired. Since its NASDAQ debut in 2020, Palantir's stock has [more than doubled](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/palantirs-stock-doubled-2025-repeat-112000157.html) in each of the past three years, with Trump's 2024 election win triggering the bulk of its gains on expectations of a surge in federal contracts. Vice President JD Vance is a [protégé](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/) and former employee of Thiel, and another Palantir co-founder, VC investor Joe Lonsdale, wears his MAGA affiliation on his sleeve. The "Big Short" investor Michael Burry has [argued](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/michael-burry-says-palantir-worth-142720311.html) that Palantir trades at nearly 100 times its expected future earnings—roughly five times the average software company—and that its cost accounting reveals a business closer to a consulting firm than a transformative software-as-a-service company, which would correct its stock price downward to $46 per share. Karp has [pushed back](https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/03/19/palantir-stock-is-2500-more-expensive-than-the-sp/), claiming that traditional valuation metrics "no longer apply" to Palantir's AI-powered operations. Meanwhile, Karp and Thiel have taken advantage of the stock's gains by [unloading billions of dollars](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-21/palantir-insiders-keep-selling-after-4-billion-windfall-in-2024) worth of shares through pre-scheduled trading plans, including around $1.4 billion that Karp sold in the weeks surrounding the 2024 election. Citron Research’s Andrew Left, another short seller, [compared](https://citronresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/OpenAI-at-500B-Puts-Palantir-at-40.pdf) Palantir’s price-to-sales ratio to that of OpenAI, which was valued at $500 billion last year. By that measure, OpenAI’s stock price would be 17x its sales—a high multiple, but not astronomical. Applying the same method to Palantir, the company’s $5.6 billion in revenue would place its stock’s value at around $40 per share—and that’s if Palantir roughly matched OpenAI’s performance in the market. While [many](https://www.barchart.com/stocks/quotes/PLTR) financial analysts still recommend the soaring stock as a buy, some investment industry researchers [warn](https://www.morningstar.com/stocks/palantir-stock-has-surged-some-see-growing-reputational-risks) of "reputational risk" tied to Palantir's surveillance practices. Even a group of House Republicans last year [sounded off](https://www.semafor.com/article/06/05/2025/destroy-the-ring-trumps-palantir-deal-alarms-hill-republicans) about what happens when Palantir enables the government to merge datasets of Americans' personal information. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) called the company's platform "dangerous" and said, "I hope to turn it off, fundamentally." For pension funds to continue reaping gains from Palantir, the government contractor would need to avoid the downturns its investors' own guidelines identify as risks: human rights liabilities; governance shortcomings; and competition from AI services rolled out by giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. Palantir also will see competition from AI rivals like Databricks and Snowflake, leading investment company RBC Capital to [deem](https://www.rbcinsight.com/WM/share/ResearchViewer/?YYY340%5Fa0lQ3LRaZh+1NpNJQbmxHxeWl/juxIRELGtNKcq+bZcVRjN4GR75hg==&a=a) its stock price “unsustainable.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/03/Palantir_Protest_LA-1.jpg) Protest of Palantir in Los Angeles on Aug. 22, 2025 (via Purge Palantir) ### California CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the nation with a market value of $560 billion in assets, adopted Governance & Sustainability Principles in [2023](https://www.calpers.ca.gov/documents/governance-and-sustainability-principles/download) with a number of areas that seem to disagree with its [fortune](https://fintel.io/so/us/pltr/california-public-employees-retirement-system) in Palantir shares. Under a section on Investor Rights, CalPERS recommends a “one-share/one-vote” principle, in which every share carries equal voting power. Palantir does not follow this model. When it went public in 2020, it [adopted](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/18/in-its-4th-revision-to-the-sec-palantir-tries-to-explain-what-the-hell-is-going-on/) a three-tiered stock structure. Palantir Class A shares, available to ordinary investors, have 1 vote, Class B shares have 10 votes, and Class F shares (so named for “Founder”) give the three co-founders [special voting powers](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-07-30/palantir-stock-structure-gives-founders-the-power-to-stay-the-course) to ensure that Chairman Peter Thiel, CEO Karp, and software engineer Stephen Cohen retain 49.999999% control of the company. While for many companies the privileged shares become [diluted](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/03/in-amended-filing-palantir-admits-it-wont-have-independent-board-governance-for-up-to-a-year/) when sold, Palantir’s Class F shares ensure that the trio control the company in perpetuity, even when they sell off Class A shares on the market. As Palantir’s annual SEC [filing](https://investors.palantir.com/files/2024%20FY%20PLTR%2010-K.pdf) in 2024 put it, "This novel capital structure differs significantly from those of other companies that have dual or multiple class capital structures." Several more CalPERS principles are strained by Palantir’s structure. Though its principles recommend independent boards that keep some distance from the CEO, Karp is both CEO and board member. While the fund [supports](https://www.calpers.ca.gov/documents/202403-invest-item07c-01-a/download) governance proposals on artificial intelligence reporting, Palantir’s AI work for government and law enforcement clients remains [secretive](https://fortune.com/2026/01/26/ice-allegedly-uses-palantir-tool-tracking-medicaid-data/) to the public, drawing [criticism](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/report-ice-using-palantir-tool-feeds-medicaid-data) from digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The document expresses “support for universal human rights” and espouses both political stability—sent [haywire](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/minnesota-small-business-ice-immigration-agents) in Minnesota by ICE patrols—and civil liberties, a topic of legal [challenges](https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-federal-government-to-end-ice-cbps-practice-of-suspicionless-stops-warrantless-arrests-and-racial-profiling-of-minnesotans) by the ACLU that focus on ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. Abram Arredondo, CalPERS information officer, told Sludge, “CalPERS uses an index-oriented approach to invest in the totality of the public equities market. Consequently, we generally do not comment on individual holdings. CalPERS does engage our portfolio companies on environmental, social, and governance matters and when issues are identified we analyze the situation, gather relevant facts, and seek a resolution. In general, we also do not publicize our engagements with portfolio company leaders to preserve our ability to hold frank and open conversations with them.” An August 2025 [document](https://www.calpers.ca.gov/sites/default/files/spf/docs/forms-publications/calpers-and-divestment.pdf) from the fund argues that divestment from companies results in a less diversified portfolio, increasing volatility and losing money. The California State Teachers Retirement System ([CalSTRS](https://fintel.io/so/us/pltr/california-state-teachers-retirement-system)) also holds nearly $624 million worth of Palantir stock as the fund has adopted a [2024](https://www.calstrs.com/files/eba105a70/InvestmentESGPolicy.pdf) Investment Policy for Mitigating Environmental, Social, and Governance Risks. The policy recommends best practices in corporate governance, including “respect for human rights,” “respect for civil liberties,” and warns of companies whose products are “highly detrimental to human health so that it draws significant product liability lawsuits, government regulation, United Nations sanctions and focus, and avoidance by other institutional investors.” Earlier this year, educators from Berkeley and other California residents [traveled to Sacramento](https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/communities/berkeley-educators-press-california-teachers-pension-fund-to-divest-from-weaponry-ice/article%5F2b774a94-2c20-4a2d-b51e-0f86e1d36399.html) to raise the issue of their retirement funds’ investment in Palantir and other military contractors. “This seems to fly in the face of your ESG policy which claims that when making investments, CalSTRS considers whether or not a company industry makes a product that is highly detrimental to human health,” a retired school teacher said in public comments at CalSTRS’ Jan. 29 board meeting. CalSTRS has a precedent in divesting on ESG grounds: in 2018, after a [narrow vote](https://www.ai-cio.com/news/calstrs-investment-committee-split-private-prison-divestment/), it divested its shares in private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group. Thomas Lawrence, CalSTRS media relations manager, told Sludge, “Everything we do at CalSTRS is grounded in our mission to secure the financial future of California’s current and retired public school educators. We take a long-term view of investing to manage opportunities and risks across a global portfolio to ensure that we will provide benefits to our members now and in the future. We consistently follow our investment policies.” ### New York The New York State Common Retirement Fund ([NYSCRF](https://fintel.io/so/us/pltr/new-york-state-common-retirement-fund)) holds over $413 million worth of Palantir stock, holdings that have [broken through](https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-invests-in-firm-that-helps-ice-deport-people-the-city-comptroller-is-concerned) to political attention in recent years. The fund has put out an ESG Strategy Report ([November 2024](https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/common-retirement-fund/pdf/esg-strategy-report.pdf)) and Stewardship Priorities ([April 2025](https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/special-topics/pdf/2025-stewardship-priorities.pdf)) document with sections out of alignment with Palantir in areas including human rights, diversity & inclusion, governance & accountability, and AI and cybersecurity. The New York State Teachers Retirement System ([NYSTRS](https://fintel.io/so/us/pltr/new-york-state-teachers-retirement-system)) also holds $326.5 million worth of PLTR shares. Matt Sweeney, assistant communications director for the New York State comptroller’s office, told Sludge, “The Comptroller wrote to 22 companies with reported ICE-related contracts, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Palantir, seeking information on how each is addressing the risks associated with that work. We have heard back from or engaged with over half of those companies so far, including Palantir. We will consider next steps once we have a fuller picture of all the responses.” Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s [letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27926842-palantir-technologies-inc-karp-alexander-012326/#document/p1) to Karp, sent on Jan. 23, sought more information on Palantir’s governance risks and internal controls, mentioning “greater clarity regarding the scope of services provided to ICE/DHS” and “managing potential human rights violations and reputational risks associated with ICE/DHS-related activities.” Previously, the comptroller’s office sent a December [letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27926844-nyscrf-palantir-shareholder-proposal-for-2026-annual-shareholder-meeting/) addressed to Palantir co-founder Stephen Cohen raising a shareholder proposal to disclose the company’s political spending, both supporting and opposing campaigns as well as influencing public opinion on elections or referendums. “As investors we keep all options available, but divestment is a last resort and can only be pursued when there is a financial case consistent with the Comptroller’s fiduciary duty,” Sweeney said. “The Fund has a range of other engagement tools at its disposal well before divestment would be considered.” The NYSCRF considers the Stewardship Priorities to be guidelines rather than a policy or compliance document, Sweeney said. He added, “Comptroller DiNapoli categorically condemns ICE’s ongoing terror campaign against immigrant communities. Virtually all major institutional investors, including New York state’s pension fund, the New York City pension systems, and the state teachers pension fund hold shares in Palantir and the other public companies with ICE contracts. Our shares are held in passive index funds, meaning the shares were not actively chosen. The state pension fund is managed by investment professionals for the exclusive benefit of its members. Divestment based on political beliefs would be a violation of state retirement law and fiduciary duty.” DiNapoli faces two Democratic primary challengers this year, Raj Goyle and Drew Warshaw, both [pledging to divest](https://www.amny.com/news/ice-palantir-investment-new-york-state-comptroller/) the state from its nine-figure Palantir stock holdings over its work with ICE enforcement. Goyle and Warshaw argue that the comptroller’s talk of engagement with Palantir is inadequate, and say that if the state’s Palantir holdings are in an index fund, that fund can be sold off and reinvested in ones that don’t include the ICE contractor. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DCCC Sets Lobbyist Cash Record as Dems Campaign on Affordability URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/25/dccc-sets-lobbyist-cash-record-as-dems-campaign-on-affordability/ Last updated: 2026-03-25T17:21:37.000Z 💵 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DCCC%20Sets%20Lobbyist%20Cash%20Record%20as%20Dems%20Campaign%20on%20Affordability%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/25/dccc-sets-lobbyist-cash-record-as-dems-campaign-on-affordability/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=DCCC%20Sets%20Lobbyist%20Cash%20Record%20as%20Dems%20Campaign%20on%20Affordability%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/25/dccc-sets-lobbyist-cash-record-as-dems-campaign-on-affordability/)! The Democrats have set a new record for single-month lobbyist fundraising. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported a record $4.1 million in lobbyist-bundled contributions in February, according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission filings, a dramatic increase in corporate-linked fundraising as House Democrats are campaigning on “affordability.” The lobbyist-derived cash made up nearly one-third of the DCCC’s fundraising last month. Lobbyist bundling, in which registered lobbyists collect checks from their clients and colleagues and deliver them in a single package, is a key way that corporate interests work to gain influence with lawmakers. Federal law requires disclosure of bundled contributions above $24,000. The [DCCC’s February total](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00000935/1955439/sa/3L) shatters previous records and builds on a trend of the Democrats’ increasing reliance on lobbyist bundling for their funds. January’s $3.6 million was itself a high-water mark, and as recently as 2023, monthly lobbyist bundling reported by the DCCC was generally much lower, typically in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. House Democrats have made affordability a central theme of their midterm message. When the DCCC [announced](https://dccc.org/dccc-announces-13-7-million-raised-in-february/) its February fundraising haul, its chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) highlighted rising costs, saying, “Everything is getting more expensive, far too many Americans can no longer afford their health care.” She blamed the affordability crisis on House Republicans. DCCC Chair DelBene is herself among the top recipients of corporate-linked campaign contributions in the House. According to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/top-recipients/2024?type=B), more than 40 percent of DelBene’s 2024 campaign receipts came from business PACs, ranking her eighth among House Democrats in total raised from those sources. DelBene’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Many of the lobbyists contributing to DCCC’s record haul represent companies or trade groups that have opposed the very policies Democrats are promoting to reduce costs. For example, several of the firms whose lobbyists bundled significant sums in February work for major pharmaceutical manufacturers and their trade associations that have spent years lobbying against expansive drug pricing reforms, including efforts to strengthen Medicare’s authority to negotiate prices. House Democrats have made expanding that authority and closing loopholes a central priority, with top committee chairs Frank Pallone and Richard Neal introducing the [Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act](https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-democratic-health-leaders-introduce-bill-lower-prescription-drug-prices) last November to do so. Tiber Creek Group, whose lobbyists bundled nearly $480,000 for the DCCC in February, represents Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and more than a dozen major drug manufacturers including Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis, and Roche. Tiber Creek lobbyists Jonathan Jones and Corey Malmgen have both been lobbying Congress for PhRMA on “[issues related to Medicaid pricing reform](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/fe4ec507-10b1-4ed7-8d13-b08f350088cb/print/)” and each contributed $49,000 in bundled funds to the DCCC in February. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DOGE Operative Behind Nuclear Safety Rollbacks Sat on Industry-Backed VC Board URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/23/doge-operative-behind-nuclear-safety-rollbacks-sat-on-industry-backed-vc-board/ Last updated: 2026-03-23T22:33:10.000Z ☢️ Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DOGE%20Operative%20Behind%20Nuclear%20Safety%20Rollbacks%20Sat%20on%20Industry-Backed%20VC%20Board%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/23/doge-operative-behind-nuclear-safety-rollbacks-sat-on-industry-backed-vc-board/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=DOGE%20Operative%20Behind%20Nuclear%20Safety%20Rollbacks%20Sat%20on%20Industry-Backed%20VC%20Board%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/23/doge-operative-behind-nuclear-safety-rollbacks-sat-on-industry-backed-vc-board/) The Department of Government Efficiency staffer who led the implementation of President Trump’s nuclear safety oversight rollbacks last year was simultaneously serving on the board of a venture capital firm backed by nuclear industry investors. He is one of multiple DOGE agents with financial ties to nuclear firms that benefited from the rollbacks, drawn from a Silicon Valley investor network that has long pushed to weaken nuclear safety regulation. Last May, Trump signed four executive orders aiming to unleash a “nuclear renaissance.” The orders set aggressive goals to quadruple the nation’s nuclear power and accelerate the deployment of experimental reactor designs. The administration has since secretly [rewritten](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5677187/nuclear-safety-rules-rewritten-trump) safety rules, slashed [environmental reviews](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5730194-nuclear-energy-environmental-impacts/), and plans to [drastically cut inspections](https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/10/climate/trump-nuclear-regulation-safety-energy-future) and [severely weaken](https://www.eenews.net/articles/nrc-considers-eliminating-half-century-old-radiation-standard/) [radiation protection standards](https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/president-trumps-radical-attack-on-radiation-safety/). DOGE staffer Adam Blake was [appointed](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5397152-doge-staffer-trump-reforms-nrc-nuclear-regulatory-commission/) in May to [help implement](https://www.eenews.net/articles/doge-told-regulator-to-rubber-stamp-nuclear/) Trump’s executive order to radically reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Until December, Blake simultaneously served on the board of KCRise Fund, a venture capital firm funded by multiple nuclear industry players, positioning him to influence regulatory decisions affecting its investors. KCRise’s limited partners providing investment include Evergy Ventures, the investment arm of utility Evergy, which operates Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Facility in Kansas. It’s one of the[ Union of Concerned Scientists’ “Terrible 13”](https://blog.ucs.org/edwin-lyman/terrible-thirteen/) worst nuclear safety violators in the country. Evergy is working on partnerships with at least two Silicon Valley-backed nuclear startups, including Deep Fission, which [began drilling](https://www.kcur.org/environment-agriculture/2026-03-13/some-parsons-kansas-residents-raise-concerns-about-a-1-mile-underground-nuclear-reactor) in Parsons, Kansas this month to burrow a small reactor a mile underground. CEO David Campbell described the prospect of expanding nuclear power as a “generational opportunity” in a [September CNBC interview](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/09/23/generational-opportunity-here-for-power-demand-says-evergy-ceo-david-campbell.html) with the head of Bill Gates’ small modular reactor startup TerraPower. The fund’s other investors backing nuclear expansion include insurance firm [Lockton](https://texasnuclearalliance.org/2024/10/15/lockton-joins-texas-nuclear-alliance-as-a-founding-member/) and engineering company Burns & McDonnell, which has [numerous nuclear](https://www.burnsmcd.com/services/electric-power-generation/nuclear-power/new-nuclear-projects-advanced-reactors) customers and[ described the executive orders](https://blog.burnsmcd.com/power-and-policy-a-push-to-expand-the-nuclear-sector-begins) Blake implemented as a “critical effort for national security and competitive AI advancements.” “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has to remain independent for exactly this reason,” Union of Concerned Scientists' director of nuclear power safety Edwin Lyman told Sludge. “So you don’t have special interests getting favors from the federal government for their pet projects.” Blake, who has served as a Department of Energy senior advisor since February 2025, did not respond to requests for comment. KCRise managing director Ed Frindt told Sludge that Blake and other board members served only as informal advisors without fiduciary duties to the fund or its limited partners. KCRise's website, however, [states](https://www.kcrisefund.com/) that investment decisions are made by its board—and the firm has funded at least two businesses Blake co-founded, including a June investment in an AI startup where he remains a board member. KCRise did not respond to follow-up questions in time for publication about whether Blake participated in investment votes, received compensation during his five years with the fund, or whether the firm has any policies on board members holding concurrent government positions with regulatory authority over their limited partners. Evergy and KCRise’s other nuclear-affiliated investors did not respond to requests for comment. Larry Criscione, one of [over 400 employees](https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-nuclear-power-nrc-safety-doge-vought) who’ve left the NRC since Trump took office, worked at the agency for 16 years until he was forced into early retirement in December for making a [LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7379690059329032192/?skipRedirect=true) critical of agency management. As an NRC examiner, he told Sludge that DOGE-inflicted workforce cuts caused severe understaffing in his division. He noted nuclear industry groups—including [Evergy](https://www.nei.org/getContentAsset/25afe1d3-9689-480c-bc95-a505c6c23bdd/8d8ff8d6-b2ae-401b-a63c-f6b108e809d2/NEI-Member-Roster.pdf?language=en-US)—have [lobbied to reduce](https://www.nei.org/getContentAsset/8181a493-1355-4491-bbd2-2acec644a48c/8d8ff8d6-b2ae-401b-a63c-f6b108e809d2/Accelerating-NRC-Reform.pdf?language=en-US) the role of these NRC examiners. “This is just one of the many areas where DOGE is allowing the utilities to water down their standards,” he said in an email. Several elected officials have described DOGE’s role in nuclear energy policy as a [flagrant violation](https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/pallone-blasts-trump-administrations-dangerous-sabotage-nuclear-energy-safety) of federal law. The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 created a firewall between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency responsible for safety, and the Department of Energy, which promotes nuclear development. That separation was built to prevent regulatory capture. DOGE operatives, simultaneously shaping policy in both agencies, appear to have breached that boundary. Blake served as Energy Secretary Chris Wright's "de facto proxy" in the NRC, according to [Politico E&E](https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-the-nrc-lost-its-independence/), helping to carry out what Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse described as a “hostile takeover” of the independent agency. By last fall, at least seven DOGE operatives were extensively involved in NRC policy decisions, leading some staff to [raise concerns](https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2525/ML25258A165.pdf) about their potential conflicts of interest. The NRC rejected Sludge’s FOIA request for information about DOGE’s activities at the NRC. The agency claimed “no staff from DOGE have been detailed to the agency,” and therefore there are no records—directly contradicting the testimonies of its leadership, elected officials, [news outlets](https://www.eenews.net/articles/doge-told-regulator-to-rubber-stamp-nuclear/), and DOGE staffer Seth Cohen’s [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-cohen-091538101/) account. The NRC declined to explain the discrepancy. The DOE similarly did not answer how DOGE staff were legally authorized to lead operations at the NRC if none of them were formally detailed. “They’ve been playing this shell game to avoid having to respond to FOIAs and having any accountability as to what they are or are not doing,” Center for Biological Diversity government affairs director Brett Hartl told Sludge. “They have consciously gamed the system to avoid being able to answer these basic questions—are they detailing? Are they employees?” Hartl’s organization is one of numerous groups that have filed suits challenging DOGE’s refusal to answer FOIA requests and the constitutionality of its murky legal structure. “These DOGE \[staffers\] have pushed out nuclear experts and directed the NRC to rip up and revise its regulations in a dangerously short timeframe,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said at a December hearing. “That supposed transformation has only sown turmoil. It begs the question, who is behind the rush to a wholesale revision of its regulations within nine months. Who benefits?” Blake is not the only DOGE operative with venture capital ties to companies benefiting from the regulatory rollbacks he helped engineer. Partners of DOGE-linked VC firms, such as Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, sit on boards of nuclear startups that have been selected for new pilot programs created by the executive orders that aim to accelerate commercial licensing. A week after Aalo Atomics [announced its participation](https://www.aalo.com/post/aalo-selected-by-doe-to-test-aalo-x-targeting-criticality-by-july-4th-2026) in a pilot reactor program created by the executive orders, it closed a $100 million financing round led by venture capital firm [Valor Equity Partners](https://www.aalo.com/post/aalo-closes-100m-series-b). Two of Aalo’s five board members are principals at the firm. Valor’s billionaire CEO Antonio Gracias is a former senior DOGE official and [recruiter](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/us/politics/trump-elon-musk-silicon-valley.html), a [close friend of Musk](https://www.wsj.com/business/elon-musk-friends-private-company-access-eb93ba05?gaa%5Fat=eafs&gaa%5Fn=AWEtsqfqkDtw11NxKV67kTV9y5zc%5F0LSYqhT8op6zOWjf7LunfxgBDjo3DE82Z7o2p0%3D&gaa%5Fts=6997938a&gaa%5Fsig=uCuhVKglPTSF574KfkFKzfD--sS7jeT5FESQdtfTEiNFk7SeC6VaHEH0aGbfalUC6%5FHKWjEkPKrVSZdsX83q3Q%3D%3D), and a top investor and board member in his companies. According to court documents and [SEC filings](https://ir.tesla.com/%5Fflysystem/s3/sec/000156459019012121/tsla-pre14a%5F20190611-gen%5F0.pdf), Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal have themselves invested millions in Valor's funds. Aalo Atomics’ CEO Matt Loszak credited DOGE for its instrumental role in reshaping U.S. nuclear policy in a December [LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matt-loszak%5Faalo-atomics-doe-sign-landmark-ota-to-speed-activity-7399543502512058369-SXh7/), specifically commending Blake and two other DOGE staffers for helping create the executive orders. DOE chief counsel for nuclear policy Seth Cohen replied, “plenty more to come.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Splits in Illinois Races After $20M in Spending URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/18/aipac-splits-in-illinois-races-after-20m-in-spending/ Last updated: 2026-03-18T16:37:04.000Z Last night’s Illinois Democratic primaries showed the power—and limits—of AIPAC spending in four open-seat races in the Chicago area, where the group’s super PACs dumped more than $20 million into safe blue districts, securing two wins and suffering two losses, and ultimately blocking any progressive “Squad”-style candidates from claiming a seat. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democrats Criticizing ICE Are Paying Consultants Tied to Palantir URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/12/democrats-criticizing-ice-are-paying-consultants-tied-to-palantir/ Last updated: 2026-03-13T01:12:04.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Democrats%20Criticizing%20ICE%20Are%20Paying%20Consultants%20Tied%20to%20Palantir%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/12/democrats-criticizing-ice-are-paying-consultants-tied-to-palantir/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democrats%20Criticizing%20ICE%20Are%20Paying%20Consultants%20Tied%20to%20Palantir%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/12/democrats-criticizing-ice-are-paying-consultants-tied-to-palantir/) Democratic politicians across the country are denouncing the Trump administration’s mass deportation practices, condemning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a “paramilitary force” and raising concerns about the surveillance tools it is using to track immigrants. But some of those same politicians are spending millions with consulting firms owned by a company that has quietly partnered with Palantir, the contractor whose software powers ICE’s deportation operations. The partnership, [announced](https://www.stagwellglobal.com/palantir-technologies-inc-pltr-and-stagwell-stgw-join-forces-to-design-product-for-the-future-of-marketing/) in November 2025 between marketing company Stagwell and Palantir, is aimed at building an AI-driven platform for advertising and audience targeting. Built on Palantir’s Foundry software, the system allows clients to combine their own data with Palantir’s analytics tools to identify and target potential customers, donors, or voters. It draws on behavioral and attitudinal data on Americans and allows clients to deploy AI agents to execute and adjust media campaigns. Stagwell is a global marketing and communications conglomerate led by longtime Democratic pollster and former Clinton adviser Mark Penn. The company works for politicians, major corporations, and foreign governments, and includes political consulting shops aligned with both parties in its portfolio. The platform has already been deployed at the company and is being rolled out across Stagwell’s network of advertising and consulting firms on an opt-in basis, according to the company’s website. That network includes two of the Democratic Party’s most prominent and high-paid political consulting operations: strategic communications and advertising firm SKDK and digital strategy shop Wavelength Strategy. It is unclear whether any Democratic campaigns or committees have used the new Palantir-powered platform, and Stagwell has not disclosed which clients are using it. A Stagwell spokesperson declined to answer if the platform is being used for political campaigns, saying, “Stagwell agencies decide what tools they use.” SKDK partner Jill Zuckman told Sludge after this article was published, “Neither firm uses the tool and the leaders of our firms make their own decisions about which tools to use for their clients.” SKDK and Wavelength both have deep ties to Democratic campaigns and party committees. SKDK alone was paid more than $113 million by Democratic candidates, party committees, and super PACs during the 2024 election cycle, with its largest clients including Ruben Gallego’s Senate campaign, multiple state Democratic Party committees, and the Hakeem Jeffries-aligned House Majority PAC. Wavelength was paid about half that amount by Democratic groups including the Sherrod Brown campaign, the DSCC, and the DCCC. Yet the partnership between their corporate parent and Palantir has drawn little attention inside Democratic politics, even as the company has become one of the party’s most politically toxic corporate allies. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Lobbyists Are Flying Congressional Staffers Around the Country on Luxury Trips URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/11/ai-lobbyists-are-flying-congressional-staffers-around-the-country-on-luxury-trips/ Last updated: 2026-03-12T02:06:10.000Z ✈️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AI%20Lobbyists%20Are%20Flying%20Congressional%20Staffers%20Around%20the%20Country%20on%20Luxury%20Trips%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/11/ai-lobbyists-are-flying-congressional-staffers-around-the-country-on-luxury-trips/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AI%20Lobbyists%20Are%20Flying%20Congressional%20Staffers%20Around%20the%20Country%20on%20Luxury%20Trips%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/11/ai-lobbyists-are-flying-congressional-staffers-around-the-country-on-luxury-trips/) A little-known group stacked with lobbyists for the artificial intelligence industry has been sending congressional staffers on upscale trips over the past year to tour AI companies in San Francisco, London, New York City, and Los Angeles, according to House and Senate gift travel disclosures. On the junkets, sponsored by the Innovative Future Collective (IFC), senior congressional aides are taken through visits to Big Tech companies like Meta and Amazon and MAGA-aligned defense contractors like Palantir and Anduril. The nonprofit IFC says it brings together “industry, government, and experts” and “allows lawmakers to directly witness AI’s capabilities” and “understand its applications.” Its Advisory Committee is dominated by corporate interests: of its 15 members, 12 are current or recent corporate lobbyists, including at least six lobbyists for AI companies like OpenAI and VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Another advisor, Gerry Patrella, is general manager of U.S. public policy for Microsoft, which has committed around [$145 billion](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-tech-set-to-spend-650-billion-in-2026-as-ai-investments-soar-163907630.html) this year in capital expenditures, largely for AI infrastructure. These AI companies are engaged in a [sprawling](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/24/ai-boom-on-k-street-one-in-four-lobbyists-now-work-on-ai/) influence campaign to push for federal preemption legislation that would block states from passing AI protections and override state laws already on the books. IFC, founded in December 2024, releases little information about the AI policies that House and Senate staffers have been hearing about on their trips while staying at locations like London’s five-star Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square. IFC was formed by political fundraising firm Fulkerson Kennedy & Company (FK&Co.), whose founders tout the “record dollar amounts” they have raised for Senate Democratic clients like Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. The firm also advertises its political funding strategy services in arranging corporate partnerships for unnamed clients. IFC’s sponsored trips for Hill staffers come as the AI industry gears up to spend [hundreds of millions of dollars](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/02/crypto-ai-and-aipac-set-up-to-smash-super-pac-spending-records/) in the 2026 midterms against House and Senate candidates it deems unsupportive of its agenda. Though IFC’s founders are fundraisers for the Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC and others, its advisors lobby for AI companies now funding attack ads against Democrats in primaries through the super PAC Leading the Future. One target is New York Assemblymember Alex Bores, a House candidate who co-authored AI safety legislation titled the RAISE Act that would apply to large companies spending over $100 million on AI models. IFC’s advisors are rounded out by government affairs executives and lobbyists at Coinbase, the cryptocurrency giant that [flooded](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/26/ai-industry-picks-up-cryptos-big-money-playbook/) the last election cycle with outside spending and is prepared to unleash even more this cycle, and Stripe, which [lobbies](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/23/crypto-industry-is-spending-more-on-lobbying-than-ever/) on crypto issues. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Defense Contractor–Funded Think Tank Warns of Weapons Shortage After Iran Strikes URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/05/defense-contractor-funded-think-tank-warns-of-weapons-shortage-after-iran-strikes/ Last updated: 2026-03-05T15:13:13.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Defense%20Contractor%E2%80%93Funded%20Think%20Tank%20Warns%20of%20Weapons%20Shortage%20After%20Iran%20Strikes%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/05/defense-contractor-funded-think-tank-warns-of-weapons-shortage-after-iran-strikes/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Defense%20Contractor%E2%80%93Funded%20Think%20Tank%20Warns%20of%20Weapons%20Shortage%20After%20Iran%20Strikes%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/05/defense-contractor-funded-think-tank-warns-of-weapons-shortage-after-iran-strikes/) A top expert from the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned National Public Radio listeners over the weekend that U.S. munitions stockpiles could soon run short after the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran. The interview did not disclose that CSIS receives millions of dollars from major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman, that stand to profit from the push to replenish those weapons. The appearance came as the Pentagon prepares a potential [$50 billion](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/defense-executives-plan-meet-white-house-strikes-iran-diminish-stockpiles-2026-03-04/) funding request to replenish weapons used in the Trump administration’s unauthorized attacks on Iran. The strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Iran so far and six U.S. service members. Speaking on “All Things Considered,” Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at CSIS, framed the dwindling missile supplies as a challenge to the U.S. defense industrial base. But the segment did not mention the think tank’s financial ties to major weapons manufacturers whose stock prices rose after the war in Iran began and it became clear that U.S. munitions supplies were being rapidly drawn down. Since October 2023, the U.S. has been [firing off missiles](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/missile-depletion-us-navy/) at a rapid clip in conflicts in the Middle East, supplying Israel’s war in Gaza and fighting Houthi forces disrupting Red Sea shipping. The new war with Iran has intensified the pressure on U.S. stockpiles, raising calls in Washington to increase weapons production. Yet for years, the same contractors set to profit from a surge in Pentagon spending have been rewarding their shareholders by spending [tens of billions](https://www.pogo.org/analyses/defense-industry-crying-wolf-on-its-finances) on stock buybacks and dividends. From 2017 through 2024, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics spent a combined [$89 billion](https://open.substack.com/pub/stephensemler/p/taxpayers-bankroll-military-contractors?utm%5Fcampaign=post-expanded-share&utm%5Fmedium=web) on stock buybacks and dividends, according to calculations by defense analyst Stephen Semler using company financial disclosures. “Think tank experts help to shape the public debate,” said Ben Freeman, director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the transpartisan Quincy Institute. “And many of those think tanks' top donors are the arms manufacturers profiting from the war in Iran. That think tank funding shouldn't be an undisclosed afterthought in the story.” At the bipartisan CSIS, Jones has previously warned that a major war could strain U.S. munitions supplies. In a 2023 [report](https://www.csis.org/analysis/empty-bins-wartime-environment-challenge-us-defense-industrial-base), he argued that major regional conflicts would test the capacity of the American defense industrial base. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Quietly Invested Millions in Bank Securities, Late Ethics Filing Shows URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/04/trump-quietly-invested-millions-in-bank-securities-late-ethics-filing-shows/ Last updated: 2026-03-04T16:01:17.000Z 🏦 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Quietly%20Invested%20Millions%20in%20Bank%20Securities,%20Late%20Ethics%20Filing%20Shows%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/04/trump-quietly-invested-millions-in-bank-securities-late-ethics-filing-shows/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Quietly%20Invested%20Millions%20in%20Bank%20Securities,%20Late%20Ethics%20Filing%20Shows%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/03/04/trump-quietly-invested-millions-in-bank-securities-late-ethics-filing-shows/) President Donald Trump spent much of 2025 buying securities issued by major banks and financial corporations—more than 170 investments in total—without the public knowing about them for months, according to a new federal ethics filing. The transactions were not reported by Trump until late February 2026 and they were not publicly disclosed until this morning, long after many of them occurred, even as Trump was shaping policies affecting the financial sector firms tied to the investments. The filing notes that all of the transaction notifications were received “over 30 days ago” and indicates that Trump paid late filing fees. The filing, submitted to the Office of Government Ethics, lists more than 170 separate purchases made between May and November 2025\. The individual trades are reported only in broad value ranges, from $1,001 to as much as $500,000, but adding together the upper end of the disclosure ranges suggests the transactions could total more than $20 million. Many of the investments involve income-producing securities issued by major financial institutions, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial Services, Truist Financial, Citizens Financial Group, Huntington Bancshares, U.S. Bancorp, and KeyCorp. Nearly all of the securities listed appear to be preferred shares or similar bank capital instruments, which typically pay fixed dividends rather than fluctuating with the stock market like ordinary shares. Banks frequently issue these securities to raise capital and meet regulatory requirements, and they often offer yields ranging from 3 percent to more than 8 percent annually. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here Is How Much AIPAC Has Funneled to Every Member of Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/03/01/here-is-how-much-aipac-has-funneled-to-every-member-of-congress/ Last updated: 2026-03-01T19:52:58.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Here%20Is%20How%20Much%20AIPAC%20Has%20Funneled%20to%20Every%20Member%20of%20Congress%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/28/here-is-how-much-aipac-has-funneled-to-every-member-of-congress/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Here%20Is%20How%20Much%20AIPAC%20Has%20Funneled%20to%20Every%20Member%20of%20Congress%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/28/here-is-how-much-aipac-has-funneled-to-every-member-of-congress/) The pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, which has opposed efforts at diplomacy with Iran and is applauding the U.S.-led strikes, has delivered $28 million to the campaigns of members of Congress in the 2025–2026 election cycle, according to a Sludge analysis of FEC data, including earmarked PAC contributions. The money AIPAC PAC contributes is overwhelmingly provided by U.S.-based individual donors who use the group’s website to select which candidates to support. The money is disbursed by AIPAC PAC, and the group highlights on its website that credit goes to both the individual donor and AIPAC, strengthening the pro-Israel group’s ties to the candidates. Here is how much every member of Congress has received from AIPAC PAC from Jan. 1, 2025 through the end of January 2026\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Donor-Tied Group Drops Six Figures for Foushee URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/26/aipac-donor-tied-group-drops-six-figures-for-foushee-2/ Last updated: 2026-02-26T20:35:33.000Z 🔎 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC%20Donor-Tied%20Group%20Drops%20Six%20Figures%20for%20Foushee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/26/aipac-donor-tied-group-drops-six-figures-for-foushee-2/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AIPAC%20Donor-Tied%20Group%20Drops%20Six%20Figures%20for%20Foushee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/26/aipac-donor-tied-group-drops-six-figures-for-foushee-2/) A mysterious super PAC tied to a billionaire AIPAC donor has popped up in the high-profile House Democratic primary in North Carolina’s Fourth District to support Rep. Valerie Foushee, a past beneficiary of millions of dollars in AIPAC spending. The PAC, called Article One PAC, has only disclosed one donor—an obscure nonprofit named the Guzman Foundation that gave its address as a nonprofit tax firm in Virginia. But it is also linked in FEC records to Robert Granieri, the reclusive co-founder of trading firm Jane Street Capital and a major donor to AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP). Granieri is listed as the sole donor to Article One’s affiliate, a joint fundraising committee named Article One Victory. On Feb. 24, the new super PAC spent [$600,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202602259837851380) on media supporting Foushee, joining a race that has already been flooded with outside spending by the AI industry, a David Hogg-run PAC, and more. The Foushee campaign has sought to distance itself from AIPAC and its financial support. Last August, a spokesperson told [Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/valerie-foushee-aipac-money-2026/) that “AIPAC has not offered financial support in the last 18 months but if offered the Congresswoman would decline. She will not accept AIPAC contributions during the 2026 campaign.” Foushee has only ever received about $10,000 in contributions from AIPAC’s PAC, but her 2022 primary campaign, facing a field of candidates that included Allam, was backed by more than [$2.1 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&q%5Fspender=C00799031&cycle=2022&is%5Fnotice=true&most%5Frecent=true&candidate%5Foffice%5Fstate=NC&candidate%5Foffice%5Fdistrict=04) in outside spending from UDP. Super PACs like UDP and Article One PAC are independent, though candidates can publicly reject their backing. Notably, Foushee’s campaign website features a page, known as a “red box,” that indirectly but unambiguously urges super PACs to run ads on her behalf. “Democratic primary voters in North Carolina’s 4th congressional district need to see IMMEDIATELY on broadcast television and streaming that \[...\] The attack ads against Valerie Foushee are false,” the page reads in part. She faces a challenger, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who has criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza and is endorsed by the progressive group Justice Democrats. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DCCC Rakes in Millions From Palantir Lobbyists as Protests Target the Company’s ICE Surveillance Tools URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/25/dccc-rakes-in-millions-from-palantir-lobbyists-as-protests-target-the-companys-ice-surveillance-tools/ Last updated: 2026-02-26T01:45:45.000Z As progressive activists blockade Palantir offices and protest the company’s AI tools used in ICE deportation and surveillance operations, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has continued taking millions from the company’s lobbyists, according to new Federal Election Commission filings. In January alone, more than a dozen lobbyists with firms representing Palantir bundled a combined $2.9 million for the DCCC, according to a newly filed FEC disclosure. The January haul from Palantir’s lobbying firms represents 38% of the DCCC’s total contributions for the month. The bipartisan lobbying firm Invariant was paid $560,000 last year by Palantir, making the Peter Thiel-co-founded data analytics and artificial intelligence company its third-largest client. Its lobbyists steered more than $1.8 million to the DCCC in January, a sum that adds to the at least $3.8 million it gave to House Democrats’ campaign arm [last year](https://readsludge.com/2025/03/20/dems-double-down-on-fundraising-from-spacex-and-palantir-lobbyists/), making it one of the committee’s most significant known fundraising forces this election cycle. The other Palantir lobbying firm that gave big money to the DCCC last month is Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, whose leaders, top lobbyists, and company PAC bundled a combined $1.1 million. Bundling is a fundraising tactic where lobbyists gather contributions from their clients and others in their professional network and deliver them en masse to politicians and party committees, a practice that allows them to bypass individual contribution limits and often helps them gain access to leadership and senior staff. According to federal lobbying disclosures, Invariant has lobbied for the company on issues including funding for Defense Department technology procurement, AI policy, and border surveillance technology, areas of great import to Palantir’s government contracts. Invariant also lobbies for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and several crypto companies aligned with the Trump family, like Kraken and Ondo Finance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Boom on K Street: One in Four Lobbyists Now Work on AI URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/24/ai-boom-on-k-street-one-in-four-lobbyists-now-work-on-ai/ Last updated: 2026-02-24T15:46:40.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AI%20Boom%20on%20K%20Street%3A%20One%20in%20Four%20Lobbyists%20Now%20Work%20on%20AI%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/24/ai-boom-on-k-street-one-in-four-lobbyists-now-work-on-ai/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AI%20Boom%20on%20K%20Street%3A%20One%20in%20Four%20Lobbyists%20Now%20Work%20on%20AI%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/24/ai-boom-on-k-street-one-in-four-lobbyists-now-work-on-ai/) More than one in four federal lobbyists are now pushing AI-related agendas, according to a new report from Public Citizen—and they are overwhelmingly working for corporate interests seeking to influence federal AI policy, or block state rules over the industry. According to the [report](https://www.citizen.org/article/generative-influence/), titled Generative Influence, 3,570 federal lobbyists—comprising 26% of all registered lobbyists in 2025—reported lobbying on artificial intelligence issues last year. The vast majority of the lobbying disclosures analyzed by the watchdog group specifically mentioned AI, with the remainder mentioning autonomous systems or data centers. Public Citizen researchers found that between 2022 and 2025, the number of lobbyists working on AI issues has exploded, rising by 168%. The surge comes as the AI industry makes an aggressive push for federal preemption in Congress, aiming to override a rise in bipartisan state-level regulations of the technology in areas like deepfake imagery, algorithmic discrimination, biometric surveillance, consumer deception and more. Despite the potential for AI to significantly displace workers—​​consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas [linked](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/20/ai-impacting-labor-market-like-a-tsunami-as-layoff-fears-mount.html) AI to some 55,000 job cuts last year—and its potential to increase economic inequality, Congress has not passed a comprehensive AI regulatory framework. The industry is pressing to enshrine a light-touch regulatory approach, a push reflected in the tens of millions of dollars disclosed in federal lobbying filings. According to the Public Citizen report, lobbying activity on AI issues in 2025 would place it behind only the federal budget, tax, and health care issues in the topics listed on congressional disclosures. More lobbyists were active on AI issues last year than on defense or energy. “If we assume that even a handful—and that may be generous—of the predictions from the AI industry pans out, it will be a technology that greatly transforms society in a relatively short time,” said Mike Tanglis, a research director for Public Citizen and co-author of the report. “Right now, we are barreling towards a scenario where corporate executives and their hired lobbyists will decide how to implement safety protocols, when to alert authorities about problems, and when to prioritize public interest over profits. “We’ve done this before,” Tanglis continued. “Wall Street and Silicon Valley lobbyists insisted that the public just couldn’t understand their industry and therefore we must leave it to them to regulate themselves. That didn’t work out well.” ## Get Sludge stories over email Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. The surge in AI lobbying becomes even clearer when examining the soaring number of lobbyists engaged to influence AI-related policies. Analyzing House lobbying records, researchers found that activity in this area remained relatively steady from 2020 to 2022\. At the end of 2022, 1,672 lobbyists were engaged in AI advocacy. By 2025, that number had skyrocketed to 6,110—a 265% increase in just three years, as battles intensified over data center expansion and rising energy demands. The massive business lobbying group U.S. Chamber of Commerce was at the front of the pack in D.C., letting loose 91 lobbyists on AI issues in 2025\. Behind them, the report found, Microsoft employed 63 lobbyists, Meta tapped 55, and Intuit retained 51, with Amazon close behind. Lawmakers and policy makers in Washington D.C. heard about AI issues overwhelmingly from corporations that have committed billions of dollars to the technology: 91 out of the top 100 entities hiring the most AI issue lobbyists were corporations or corporate trade groups, according to Public Citizen’s tally. Many more lobbying entities likely chose to disclose AI-related lobbying activity with a related phrase like “energy infrastructure.” "Corporate lobbyists should not dictate how Congress regulates a potentially society-transforming technology, especially given that public support for AI regulation is overwhelming,” said Eileen O’Grady, researcher for Public Citizen and report co-author. A September [poll from Gallup](https://news.gallup.com/poll/694685/americans-prioritize-safety-data-security.aspx) of more than 3,100 adults found that 97% of Americans support regulating AI. “Congress must respond to calls from their constituents—not corporate lobbyists—to protect communities from the real-world harms of AI." Data centers have emerged as a major flashpoint over the past two years, reflected in a dramatic surge in targeted lobbying efforts. According to Public Citizen’s analysis, the number of lobbyists explicitly citing data center issues in their filings jumped to 406 in 2025—a more than fivefold increase from just 78 in 2023\. That pivotal year marked the public debut of AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT. K Street firms like Invariant, Mehlman Consulting, and Brownstein Hyatt made millions last year in lobbying revenue on AI issues, according to [Bloomberg](https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/ai-lobbying-soars-in-washington-among-big-firms-and-upstarts). In 2025, 11 Big Tech companies shelled out more than [$105 million](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/ai-tech-lobbying-2025) on federal lobbying, with AI issues saturating conversations. By pitching their contacts with lawmakers as [educating](https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-lobbying-congress-technology-regulation-d54fe64f3fd135fdca41bdaf528282b8) Capitol Hill offices on a rapidly-evolving technology, academics told the AP, the AI lobbyists have an edge over impartial public-policy groups. Lobbying is not the only way the AI industry is spending big to shape AI policy: the industry has [loaded up super PACs](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/02/crypto-ai-and-aipac-set-up-to-smash-super-pac-spending-records/) with hundreds of millions of dollars to back their favored candidates in the midterms. One group, Leading the Future, touts a war chest of $125 million, a hefty chunk of it coming from Greg Brockman, president of OpenAI. Other super PACs bankrolled by Meta and Anthropic are teasing their spending intentions—[$65 million](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/02/meta-drops-65-million-into-super-pacs-to-boost-tech-friendly-state-candidates-00759567) for the former, [$20 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/technology/anthropic-super-pac-openai.html) for the latter. Leading the Future’s affiliates have already spent more than [$5.1 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00916114&q%5Fspender=C00916692&q%5Fspender=C00923417&is%5Fnotice=true) on federal races in the 2026 cycle, opposing candidates like New York Assemblymember Alex Bores, co-sponsor of a state AI safety bill. So far, the group’s ads attacking or supporting candidates have mostly made no mention of AI issues, a strategy that mimics the deluge of crypto industry spending last cycle to knock out lawmakers who favored stronger consumer protections. State lawmakers introduced a wave of over [1,000](https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/new-trends-emerge-as-states-refine-ai-legislation) AI measures in 2025, as tracked by the National Conference of State Legislatures, with California and New York among the states that enacted laws boosting transparency requirements for large AI companies. “Congress should establish a strong federal baseline of consumer protections while allowing states to lead with stronger standards if and when federal laws fall short,” said J.B. Branch, Big Tech accountability advocate for Public Citizen. **This follow-the-money reporting is supported by readers like you, who enable our two-person newsroom to scrutinize corporate influence over policy. Get a two-week free trial with full access to every Sludge story:* [14-Day Free Trial ](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) ### Sen. Mark Warner, Palantir Critic, Took $37k From the Company’s CEO URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/18/sen-mark-warner-palantir-critic-took-37k-from-the-companys-ceo/ Last updated: 2026-02-19T14:16:41.000Z 👀 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sen.%20Mark%20Warner,%20Palantir%20Critic,%20Took%20$37k%20From%20the%20Company%E2%80%99s%20CEO%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/18/sen-mark-warner-palantir-critic-took-37k-from-the-companys-ceo/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Sen.%20Mark%20Warner,%20Palantir%20Critic,%20Took%20$37k%20From%20the%20Company%E2%80%99s%20CEO%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/18/sen-mark-warner-palantir-critic-took-37k-from-the-companys-ceo/) Sen. Mark Warner has been publicly promoting his efforts to crack down on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s surveillance machinery. In a recent social media video, the Virginia Democrat celebrated “good news”—the launch of a Department of Homeland Security inspector general audit into ICE data privacy abuses—and said it was the result of his work to ensure the agency’s surveillance tools are subject to oversight. In a corresponding press release, Warner warned of the “serious risk” posed by ICE’s unchecked data collection practices and said the audit would help determine whether constitutional protections are being violated. Campaign finance records show that just months before, political committees associated with Warner received [$37,000](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?committee%5Fid=C00155952&committee%5Fid=C00412791&committee%5Fid=C00895219&contributor%5Fname=Alexander+Karp&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2026&min%5Fdate=01%2F01%2F2025&max%5Fdate=12%2F31%2F2026) from Alexander Karp, the billionaire CEO of Palantir Technologies, one of the primary companies supplying ICE’s data surveillance and analysis tools. According to Federal Election Commission filings, on September 30, 2025, Karp contributed $27,000 combined to Warner’s joint fundraising committee and his leadership PAC, and on the same day, Karp gave an additional $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia. Palantir is deeply embedded in the ICE surveillance and enforcement infrastructure that Warner says is a threat to people’s constitutional rights. For years, the company has been building and maintaining platforms that allow ICE agents to integrate biometric data, immigration files, travel histories, criminal records, and other sensitive information into a unified system. Its software enables ICE to search across databases, map relationships, generate leads, and prioritize individuals for enforcement actions using large pools of federal data. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### K Street’s Trump Boom URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/13/k-streets-trump-boom/ Last updated: 2026-02-13T22:30:32.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=K%20Street%E2%80%99s%20Trump%20Boom%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/13/k-streets-trump-boom/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=K%20Street%E2%80%99s%20Trump%20Boom%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/13/k-streets-trump-boom/) Lobbying firms allied with President Trump saw a bonanza in revenue last year, as many of their highest-paying clients signed up after Trump’s 2024 win to influence the new administration. Six firms led by Trump fundraisers or former staffers—Ballard Partners, Miller Strategies, Continental Strategies, CGCN Group, Checkmate Government Relations, and law firm Michael, Best & Friedrich—raked in $145 million from new lobbying clients in 2025, according to a Sludge analysis of lobbying data. The tumult of the Trump administration led to [record-breaking](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/01/lobbying-firms-took-in-a-record-5-billion-in-2025) lobbying spending overall in D.C., and made the deeply Trump-tied **Ballard Partners** the highest-earning shop in town. Led by top Trump campaign fundraiser Brian Ballard, the public affairs firm set a new record with over [$88.1 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?id=D000037635) in lobbying revenue. It was a nearly fourfold increase for the influence shop, former employer of Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, over the year before. Ballard Partners signed more than 200 new federal lobbying clients in 2025, who together paid the firm roughly $55.6 million, according to Sludge’s review of data compiled by [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-lobbying-firms). Most of Ballard Partners’ highest-spending lobbying clients were foreign companies or had significant foreign interests seeking to draw on the firm’s access to the Trump administration, as Sludge [examined](https://readsludge.com/2026/02/05/foreign-interests-are-paying-millions-to-a-trump-linked-lobbying-firm/) recently. Another high-spending client that hired the firm last year was global law firm Kirkland & Ellis, which [cut a deal](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/11/trump-big-law-deals-033630) with the Trump administration to duck punishment, issued in executive orders, over work for the president’s perceived enemies. They paid Ballard Partners $820,000 for [lobbying](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/ebfa2a55-19b6-4485-af03-4c5931a2680f/print/) on “employment practices.” Palantir, the [MAGA-aligned](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/21/palantir-gives-millions-to-reagan-library-as-its-defense-contracts-skyrocket/) software and analytics company, hired Ballard Partners in January 2025 to [lobby](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/9e16014a-44c4-4ead-8654-a1ec9cb79f9a/print/) on “Government software modernization issues.” Palantir’s government revenue under Trump has [soared](https://www.wired.com/story/palantir-government-contracting-push/) by hundreds of millions of dollars through projects with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and others. The company’s CEO Alex Karp donated $1 million to [both](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00892471&committee%5Fid=C00894162&contributor%5Fname=karp%2C+alex) Trump’s inauguration and super PAC MAGA Inc. after the election. In August, Palantir was awarded an Army contract worth up to [$10 billion](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/01/palantir-lands-10-billion-army-software-and-data-contract.html) over the next decade, bundling dozens of agreements into a more streamlined package. More new Ballard clients have been bolstered by Trump administration actions. Cryptocurrency company Ripple Labs, which hired the firm a week after the 2024 election, had its token XRP included in Trump’s U.S. Crypto Reserve, a move that analysts [predicted](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/28/trump-media-raises-2-5-billion-to-buy-bitcoin-as-admin-boosts-crypto/) would spur institutional investment in crypto. On Jan. 2, the company donated [$5 million](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/) worth of the token to the Trump Vance inauguration committee. Chevron, which hired the firm weeks after Trump’s win, is a prominent member of lobbying group the American Petroleum Institute (API), which [laid out a plan](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/14/big-oil-sends-trump-its-wish-list/) for the incoming administration to boost extraction and exports of fossil energy. The oil industry received mammoth [policy wins](https://readsludge.com/2025/06/05/big-oil-wins-in-trump-gop-megabill/) in the multi-trillion-dollar Republican reconciliation budget that Trump signed into law last summer. **Miller Strategies**, founded by another top Trump fundraiser, Jeff Miller, saw its lobbying revenue [triple](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2025&id=D000073422) over the previous year. The firm signed over 100 new clients in 2025 that paid it more than $27.3 million for lobbying, Sludge found. Zoom Communications hired Miller Strategies in February 2025 and became a [top client](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2025&id=D000073422), spending $800,000 to lobby the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and others on [issues](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c3dba439-afcb-4cf1-9a73-09df036beaf9/print/) including video conferencing. SoftBank, which hired the firm on Jan. 1 of last year, spent $720,000 lobbying with Miller Strategies on AI, technology, and energy issues. Palantir, which hired the firm a month after Trump’s win, spent $690,000 lobbying on defense policy and appropriations. Other new clients of Miller Strategies include supplement company Botanicals for Better Health & Wellness, utilities group Edison Electric Institute, semiconductor manufacturer Micron, and OpenAI, each of which spent $600,000 lobbying with the firm last year. Last month, Miller [hosted](https://punchbowl.news/article/house/gop-million-night/) a pair of Republican fundraisers in Washington expected to raise $20 million for the GOP efforts to hold Congress. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/02/Wiles_GettyImages-2259649099.jpg) White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (R) and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (L) listen as President Trump announces the U.S. strategic critical minerals reserve during an event in the Oval Office on Feb. 02, 2026\. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Nearly all of the top lobbying spenders last year with **Continental Strategies**, founded in 2022 by Trump adviser and [fundraiser](https://www.newyorker.com/news/persons-of-interest/the-political-journey-of-a-top-latino-strategist-for-trump#:~:text=He%20raised%20money%20for%20Trump,Hillary%20Clinton%20out%20of%20office.) Carlos Trujillo, were new clients at the firm, leading to an overall [15x rise in revenue ](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2025&id=F323965)over the year before. The firm similarly inked over 100 new lobbying clients that paid it $21 million last year, according to Sludge’s review. Prison contractor GEO Group tapped the firm shortly after Trump’s win, and spent $600,000 lobbying last year as it is poised to profit from the Trump administration’s [billions of dollars](https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/trumps-budget-bill-benefits-private-immigration-detention-companies-that-donated-to-trump/) in funding for detention. Alphabet’s Google Cloud hired the firm of Trump’s former Ambassador Trujillo and spent $480,000 lobbying on “AI innovation.” Healthcare company Centene signed up after Trump’s win and spent $420,000 lobbying on strategic guidance for Medicare, Medicaid, and the health insurance market. Other high-spending new clients of Continental include workforce lodging company Target Hospitality, Panamanian financial services company Atlantida Global Services, and hospital association Florida Essential Healthcare Partnerships. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### These Cities and States Hold Contracts With ICE URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/11/these-cities-and-states-hold-contracts-with-ice/ Last updated: 2026-02-11T22:45:25.000Z 🖋️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=These%20Cities%20and%20States%20Hold%20Contracts%20With%20ICE%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/11/these-cities-and-states-hold-contracts-with-ice/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=These%20Cities%20and%20States%20Hold%20Contracts%20With%20ICE%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/11/these-cities-and-states-hold-contracts-with-ice/) More than a dozen city and state governments have active contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—even though many of the jurisdictions have adopted, or are advancing, policies that limit coordination with ICE. The contracts range from vehicle parking to firing range rentals and data system access, according to a Sludge review of data from USASpending.gov. Recipients include Cottage Grove, Minnesota, a suburb near the Twin Cities; the planning organization for San Diego County, California, where city lawmakers are passing new laws to counter ICE raids; a pair of towns in New York, where state leaders are proposing to block local law enforcement agreements with ICE; and a state agency in the certified “welcoming city” of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sludge first reported on ICE contracts with what were called "sanctuary cities” in [2018](https://readsludge.com/2018/07/13/theyre-sanctuary-jurisdictions-so-why-are-they-contracting-with-ice/), and several of those same contracts remain in place, renewed in the years since. Recently in New York, the Hudson River Park Trust [said](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/21/hudson-river-park-trust-to-end-longstanding-ice-contract-following-sludge-report/) it would not be renewing its decades-long parking contract with ICE when it is scheduled to end on June 30, following attention from Sludge’s reporting. Over a dozen New York State and City elected officials, as well as activists and community groups, are calling on the Trust to immediately end the parking arrangement at its Pier 40 garage. The City of Hartford, Connecticut is also moving to end an ICE contract with the Hartford Parking Authority (HPA) that has been in place for a decade, according to Cristian Corza-Godinez, deputy chief of staff of Hartford, who spoke with Sludge. In a Jan. 27 letter reviewed by Sludge, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam requested that the agency's CEO terminate its contract with ICE “immediately.” Since February 2015, the HPA has held a contract for secure parking of ICE vehicles for the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division of the Boston Field Office, according to [federal contract](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR21P00000033%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) data. “The contract was brought to our attention about two weeks ago through a constituent submission on our city website,” Corza-Godinez told Sludge. “Once we learned of the contract, we immediately moved to cancel it.” Altogether, ICE parking contracts worth [$188,000 ](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=66611ec9ad89f7b7c0c30538d0e35309)have been awarded to the Hartford municipal agency, though reported outlays have been lower. The current contract, started in July 2021, has paid the HPA nearly $65,000 and is set to end on July 31, 2026\. “The HPA is actively moving to cancel the contract as soon as administratively possible,” Corza-Godinez said. The HPA is governed by a six-person [board](https://hartfordparking.com/about-hpa/board-of-commissioners/), with five commissioners appointed by the mayor and approved by the city Council. In March 2016, Hartford [enacted](https://ctmirror.org/2025/06/30/ct-sanctuary-cities-jurisdiction-list/) a resolution deeming itself “officially a Sanctuary City,” with provisions in its [code](https://library.municode.com/ct/hartford/codes/code%5Fof%5Fordinances?nodeId=PTIIMUCO%5FCH2AD%5FARTXXICISEREIMST) that “Hartford police officers shall not make arrests or detain individuals based on administrative warrants for removal entered by ICE,” among other things. Connecticut’s immigration rules have been targeted by the Trump administration, which [named](https://ctmirror.org/2025/05/30/ct-trump-sanctuary-jurisdiction/) it a “sanctuary state” in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list last year, along with Hartford and several more of its cities. Connecticut enacted the Trust Act in 2013, a measure restricting the types of information that local law enforcement are allowed to share with federal immigration authorities, [strengthening](https://ctmirror.org/2019/05/30/trust-act-connecticut-restricts-cooperation-with-ice/) the law with updates in 2019 and further [amending](https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-09-03/updates-ct-trust-act-october-what-to-know) it in 2025\. In Cottage Grove, Minnesota, located southeast of the Twin Cities, ICE has awarded contracts worth [$750,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=366fb515033a4aecec2e8bad6965ccde) since 2020 for rental of a firing range training facility named the HERO Center. Of that ceiling, the ICE agency has paid about $290,000 to the city. Its larger active contract for the firing range rental has an end date of Aug. 31, 2026, subject to a two-year potential extension, while a smaller one is slated to end on July 31\. Minneapolis and St. Paul have “[separation](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/2025/december/fed-activity-updates-resources/) [ordinances](https://www.stpaul.gov/news/saint-paul-city-council-advances-phased-ordinance-updates-address-urgent-community-needs)” that prohibit police and other city employees from asking about immigration status, with the former [referring](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/city-federal-response/policy-immigration-enforcement/) to itself as a “welcoming city.” The Twin Cities region has been thrown into [crisis](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/minnesota-small-business-ice-immigration-agents) by the Trump administration operations. Cottage Grove’s ICE contract [met opposition](https://www.minnpost.com/national/washington/2025/08/under-ice-contracts-minnesota-entities-have-leased-gun-ranges-sold-ammo-and-provided-myriad-goods-and-services/) last year from an immigrant advocacy group at a Lutheran church in the city. Peggy Nelson, a resident, [proposed](https://www.piercecountyjournal.news/stories/cg-finance-director-explains-conduit-debt-aug-6,147802) a resolution to the Cottage Grove City Council in August that would bar ICE agents from the HERO Center and the city, among other steps, and said at a public meeting that the proposal had not been placed on the agenda. Asked about Cottage Grove’s revenue from ICE, Phil Jents, communications manager, referred Sludge to a Jan. 25 [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story%5Ffbid=10240149649460523&id=1279602091&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=ZCXYtucSUKnGDQ7l#) by Mayor Myron Bailey. The mayor states that the HERO Center is governed by a Facility Operations Committee (FOC), which renewed the facility’s agreement in summer 2025, and that it requires access for all federal agencies. Bailey’s post added that Cottage Grove police “will not participate in federal immigration enforcement activity in our community.” In California, the regional planning association San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has been awarded [$263,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=3c690d9f54b69290dce39fa72b17a54f) by ICE’s Operations and Support federal account since July 2021\. The contracts provide access to the ARJIS criminal justice network containing cross-jurisdictional data on crime cases, arrests, suspects, and property files. The current contract’s end date is June 30, 2026, with the option to extend for three years, and could be worth up to $401,000\. In a comment to Sludge, ARJIS Director Anthony Ray said that the contract was with the DHS Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division. “ICE ERO has not had access to the ARJIS system since 2019 because the agency has not signed a California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System subscriber agreement with the state of California,” he said. “ARJIS does not assist with issuing or obtaining warrants of any kind, for any agency,” Ray added. However, it’s not clear that data from ARJIS would remain siloed—the DHS maintains a joint information-sharing [program](https://www.ice.gov/le-information-sharing) with HSI and ERO, and a recent ICE [memo](https://www.ice.gov/doclib/foia/policy/uac-jifi.pdf) says that HSI prepares “target packets” for ERO. The SANDAG regional association includes the City of San Diego, where last year the City Council unanimously [gave introductory passage](https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/10/20/san-diego-city-council-passes-ordinance-restricting-sdpd-from-ice-collaboration) to the Due Process and Safety Ordinance that limits local law enforcement coordination with ICE in response to an increase in raids. In addition to requiring that ICE agents have a judicial warrant to enter “non-public City facilities,” the measure, [Item S400](https://www.sandiego.gov/blog/peoples-business-october-17-2025), “aligns City practices with state law on federal enforcement cooperation and data privacy.” The ordinance will go through a “meet-and-confer” [phase](https://ucsdguardian.org/2025/10/27/san-diego-city-council-unanimously-passes-protective-ordinance-amid-increased-ice-operations/) with local labor organizations before returning for a final vote. Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously [passed](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-city-council-passes-resolution-opposing-aggressive-tactics-by-ice/509-59e993e3-4800-46b1-8417-3ee6afcf4269) a resolution showing opposition to ICE’s tactics and authorizing San Diego's city attorney to initiate or join lawsuits supporting Minnesota and Illinois in legal challenges to DHS. Also in San Diego County, the City of Escondido has a purchase order from DHS, awarded again in January, worth up to [$67,500](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CMSD26P00000006%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for firing range rental; the contract was approved administratively by the Escondido Police Department, the mayor told the local news outlet [L.A. TACO](https://lataco.com/escondido-dhs-firing-range-contract). The arrangement has been in place for over a decade and last month met renewed local protests. The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, overseen by a six-person [board](https://philapark.org/ppa-team-members/) appointed by the governor. The PPA entered into a one-year contract with ICE on Sept. 30 worth [$54,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CMSD25P00000116%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for parking spaces for “vehicles for ICE Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia.” No outlays have been reported yet from the deal. The agency previously held an ICE parking [contract](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5FHSCEMD15P00104%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) from September 2015 to March 2017, from which no payments were reported. PPA spokesperson Martin O’Rourke told Sludge, "The contract you reference refers to a garage owned by the federal government that the PPA is under lease to manage. The PPA does not own that garage facility.” O’Rourke did not respond to follow-up questions about whether the PPA might consider the contract at the garage it manages, such as at a forthcoming [public meeting](https://philapark.org/ppa-board-meeting-schedule/), the next of which is scheduled for Feb. 17. Last year, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s top attorney [described](https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/sanctuary-welcoming-city-immigration-homeland-security-list-20250530.html) Philadelphia as adhering to the “welcoming city” framework that ensures equal treatment for immigrants, a designation [awarded](https://www.phila.gov/2023-02-09-city-of-philadelphia-earns-certified-welcoming-designation/) in 2023, as opposed to the term “sanctuary city.” The city said that a 2016 executive order remains in place on ICE cooperation, directing city officials not to detain people from ICE orders without a signed judicial warrant. The Philadelphia mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on its views on the PPA’s ICE parking contract. The Pennsylvania governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on ICE’s agreement to park vehicles in a PPA-managed garage. In Pennsylvania, [more than 50](https://triblive.com/local/regional/what-to-know-about-police-cooperation-with-ice-in-pennsylvania/) law enforcement agencies have 287(g) agreements under which they perform immigration-related activities under ICE supervision. Under these partnerships, local police are involved in identifying, arresting, and processing individuals who are targeted for deportation. Philadelphia City Council lawmakers are moving to strengthen limits on local ICE coordination through an “ICE OUT” legislative package [introduced](https://phlcouncil.com/philadelphia-elected-leaders-introduce-ice-out-legislative-package-to-protect-immigrant-communities/) last month, including barring city agencies from collaborating with ICE. “We are taking action to ensure that local resources are not used to support ICE activity,” said Councilmember Quetcy Lozada in a statement. The package, which was [cheered](https://billypenn.com/2026/01/27/philadelphia-council-ice-restrict-masks-287g/) by a rally outside City Hall, would codify the city’s non-participation in the 287(g) program. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner recently [joined](https://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-ice-restrictions-immigration-city-council-bill/) prosecutors from around the country in a coalition pledging to charge federal officers, like ICE and CBP agents, who break the law. In New York State, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently [announced](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/keeping-new-yorkers-safe-governor-hochul-introduces-local-cops-local-crimes-act-stop-ice-co) a legislative package that would restrict ICE cooperation, including by prohibiting the use of taxpayer-funded resources or personnel for federal civil immigration enforcement. In the state’s Erie County, the town of Lancaster holds two active ICE contracts worth a combined [$213,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=345476e9a6d89ffa240070cfe64a28f8), one set to end in September 2026 and the other in April 2027\. The former is for “secure storage for ICE/ERO/Buffalo Field Office special response team (SRT) assets” and has paid the town $80,000 so far, while the latter is for rental of an indoor firing range and has paid nearly $83,000\. Since 2021, the town of Islip, located in Suffolk County on Long Island, has held a contract for gun range rental “for DHS/ICE/ERO New York” that is worth up to [$46,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR21P00000029%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) and is scheduled to end on June 30\. New York immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers are [encouraging](https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/01/hochul-proposes-banning-local-cooperation-ice/411095/) Hochul to support the New York for All Act, which would go further than ending 287(g) agreements by barring local governments from sharing information with ICE and from government facilities. Other jurisdictions also hold contracts with ICE, as state and local officials consider varying approaches to ICE cooperation. In Michigan, the County of Oakland holds a contract awarded in January 2024 worth up to [$113,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR24P00000004%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for access to CLEMIS, a law enforcement management system. The database is used by ICE officers “assigned to the ICE/ERO/DETROIT area of responsibility.” The deal is slated to end Mar. 31, 2026, with a potential three-year extension. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, is [encouraging](https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/nessel-asks-residents-to-report-concerning-ice-actions-in-michigan/) residents to report “concerning behavior” by federal officials in their neighborhoods. Nearby Detroit was [designated](https://detroitmi.gov/news/city-detroit-designated-certified-welcoming-city-first-michigan) as a welcoming city in 2022 and residents, as well as some city lawmakers, are [calling on](https://www.bridgedetroit.com/detroit-city-council-ice-protest-trump-visit/) the City Council to strengthen rules on ICE’s presence. Kansas City, Missouri holds a contract with ICE worth up to [$97,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CMSD24P00000173%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for access to a wireless communications system used by law enforcement, a deal scheduled to end on May 31, with a three-year continuation option. Last month, the city [passed](https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2844/231) a five-year ban on the construction of non-municipal detention centers, soon after ICE [toured](https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-01-15/hours-after-ice-toured-kansas-city-warehouse-council-blocks-federal-detention-center-permits) the area to evaluate a warehouse site for the purpose. The Ohio Department of Administrative Services also holds a contract for radio access for ICE that is worth [$75,000](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR21P00000019%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) and scheduled to end on May 30\. Ohio Democrats, in the minority in the state legislature, have [introduced](https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/02/09/ohio-house-democrats-introduce-bills-to-regulate-ice-presence-in-ohio/) bills to increase transparency of ICE’s operations and limit data-sharing, while Republicans in the majority are proposing [measures](https://abc6onyourside.com/newsletter-daily/ohio-lawmakers-split-ice-tactics-local-police-cooperation-multiple-bills-proposed-democrats-democrat-republican-politics-political-gop-dems-liberal-conservative-president-donald-trump-minnesota-immigrants-immigration-customs-enforcement) that would mandate local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE detainment notices. ICE also holds contracts with the [Utah Communications Authority](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F140L5722P0068%5F1422%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for radio network services and Pennsylvania's [Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Training Academy](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CMSD23P00000144%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-) for firing range rentals. A years-long ICE contract with the [Denver Health and Hospital Authority](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR23P00000029%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-), one that paid $12,000 for “unarmed guard services” at a correctional care medical facility, was noted as closed out last month. The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), one of several nonprofits [calling on Congress](https://immigrantjustice.org/press-release/congress-must-stop-enabling-ices-deadly-operations/) to rein in ICE and CBP’s patrols assaulting communities, argues for [disentangling](https://immigrantjustice.org/research/policy-brief-disentangling-local-law-enforcement-from-federal-immigration-enforcement/) federal immigration enforcement efforts from local governments. In Minneapolis and other cities, [dozens of deaths and injuries](https://prospect.org/2026/01/29/ice-trump-killed-injured-list-dhs-cbp-border-patrol-renee-good-alex-pretti/) are being caused by ICE and CBP agents, from practices torched by civil liberties groups as [unconstitutional](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/15/aclu-lawsuit-ice-minnesota-trump). **This accountability reporting is only possible thanks to* [**subscribers*](https://readsludge.com/membership/)**—readers like you who appreciate our focus on money in politics. If you value this coverage of current ICE contracts, support our independent journalism at $100 for a year and get full access to Sludge stories.* [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) ### Companies ‘Honor’ Trump With Kennedy Center Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/09/companies-honor-trump-with-kennedy-center-donations/ Last updated: 2026-02-10T00:19:50.000Z 🎭 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Companies%20%E2%80%98Honor%E2%80%99%20Trump%20With%20Kennedy%20Center%20Donations%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/09/companies-honor-trump-with-kennedy-center-donations/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Companies%20%E2%80%98Honor%E2%80%99%20Trump%20With%20Kennedy%20Center%20Donations%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/09/companies-honor-trump-with-kennedy-center-donations/) Early last year, President Trump moved quickly to take control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, transforming a traditionally nonpartisan cultural institution into one that is now closely aligned with his administration. On Feb. 7, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was "immediately terminat\[ing\] multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees" who did not share his "vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." Within days, Trump moved to remove Biden-era appointees, and the board replaced chair David Rubenstein with Trump. These moves set the stage for Trump to further put his mark on the venue. By the end of the year, with the board now stacked with Trump allies including lobbyist-fundraiser Brian Ballard and Fox News host Laura Ingraham, the trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 18 to formally add Trump's name. The institution was rebranded as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and new signage incorporating Trump's name appeared on the building the next day. As these leadership and branding changes were taking shape throughout 2025, companies from defense contractors to tech giants and law firms became new donors to the center, while other companies that had given in the past began disclosing their donations on federal lobbying filings last year after linking their gifts to Trump and top White House officials. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Foreign Interests Are Paying Millions to a Trump-Linked Lobbying Firm URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/05/foreign-interests-are-paying-millions-to-a-trump-linked-lobbying-firm/ Last updated: 2026-02-06T15:14:49.000Z 💵 **Share this story on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Foreign%20Interests%20Are%20Paying%20Millions%20to%20a%20Trump-Linked%20Lobbying%20Firm%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/05/foreign-interests-are-paying-millions-to-a-trump-linked-lobbying-firm/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Foreign%20Interests%20Are%20Paying%20Millions%20to%20a%20Trump-Linked%20Lobbying%20Firm%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/05/foreign-interests-are-paying-millions-to-a-trump-linked-lobbying-firm/) Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to President Trump, has drawn a surge of high-paying clients with foreign interests seeking access to the administration and federal agencies. Led by top Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard, the firm raked in more than 200 new clients in the wake of Trump’s election win, setting a new record for lobbying revenue last year, topping $88.1 million. The Florida-founded firm, which [employed](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/08/trump-tied-ballard-partners-becomes-the-highest-paid-lobbying-firm-in-d-c/) Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, is known for its founder’s [decades-long](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/08/ballard-trump-wiles-lobbyist-00333953) relationship with Trump and his ability to set [meetings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/11/trump-corporate-interests-drain-the-swamp/) with the president and the executive branch. Brian Ballard reportedly raised over [$50 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-lobbyists.html) for Trump’s 2024 campaign. Many of its biggest spenders in 2025 were foreign companies or clients with significant foreign business interests. Ballard reported millions of dollars in payments from clients including oil and gas company Balkan Energy, based in Albania; TotalEnergies, for its liquified natural gas project in Mozambique; critical minerals company Korea Zinc; and TikTok, as its Chinese owner ByteDance negotiated new U.S. ownership. Several more of Ballard’s top lobbying clients have foreign ties: one is the New Era Fund, examined in detail below, a defense and aerospace investment fund for ventures with Saudi Arabia. A second is the holding company of Bancrédito, a Puerto Rican bank in liquidation after a bribery scandal. A third is the former fugitive and cryptocurrency billionaire Roger Ver, who cut a deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ) over tax evasion charges after living in Mallorca. Nearly all of these clients hired Ballard Partners after Trump’s election win—quickly becoming among the firm’s top lobbying spenders. (TikTok hired the firm a few months before the 2024 election.) And nearly all have benefited directly from Trump administration actions. Altogether, these seven clients paid the firm more than $7 million for lobbying during Trump’s first year back in office, and three of them were its [top spenders](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?id=D000037635). On top of its federal lobbying for foreign companies, Ballard Partners has also registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to represent foreign governments, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, earning from $1 million to $2 million annually. Foreign clients are still coming in: November, Ballard inked a [contract](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7070-Exhibit-AB-20251114-15.pdf), worth $1 million a year for up to five years, to represent Uzbekistan’s national oil and gas company. The country, [criticized](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/22/eu-to-sign-uzbekistan-partnership-deal-despite-rights-abuses) by Human Rights Watch for civil liberties restrictions, had just signed a [trade deal](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trump-says-us-uzbekistan-reach-trade-deal-2025-11-07/) with the U.S. and is seeking investments in the state-run Uzbekneftegaz. Ballard's rush of foreign lobbying revenue comes after AG Pam Bondi, on her first day in office, [drastically limited](https://readsludge.com/2025/02/06/bondi-scales-back-fara/) the enforcement of Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), laws that have been used to investigate and prosecute political corruption. Bondi’s Feb. 5 memo to DOJ staff outlined a focus on “more traditional espionage” by foreign actors, lessening attention to cases involving bribery, like the indictment of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and payments from Azerbaijan. (Cuellar, a member of the the House Appropriations Committee, was later pardoned by Trump.) Bondi was [listed](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar/) as key personnel on Ballard’s 2019 foreign-agent work for the embassy of Qatar, which included consulting and advocacy on U.S. relations and anti-human-trafficking issues. In May, she [approved](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/12/former-qatar-lobbyist-pam-bondi-approves-jet-deal/) Qatar’s gift of a $400 million luxury jet to Trump. As Ballard Partners builds out its D.C. office, and dethrones lobbying heavyweights like Brownstein Hyatt for the title of highest-earning shop in town, it has been expanding its partnerships across the globe. In August 2024, the firm announced the launch of the Ballard Global Alliance, touting “exclusive partnerships” with strategic communications and public affairs firms abroad. With offices in Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Lagos, Riyadh, and elsewhere, the Alliance brought on several new partners in 2025, including firms in Brussels, Canada, and Mexico City. Not long after the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela in the first days of January, the firm launched a Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice, featuring a dedicated Venezuela Working Group. The effect is that a prominent Trump campaign bundler is expanding his network to funnel foreign lobbying interests into the executive branch. In October, Brian Ballard and his firm’s partners were on the guest list for a thank-you dinner at the White House for donors to Trump’s [ballroom project](https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/BALLROOM%5FLOBBY-BLITZ%5FREPORT.pdf), according to [CBS News](https://x.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1981318523818279186), alongside a few other lobbyist-bundlers. The event gave them an opportunity to mingle with billionaire donors in Trump’s orbit, like TikTok owner Jeff Yass and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Ballard Partners declined to comment on detailed inquiries from Sludge regarding its lobbying disclosures for the New Era Fund, Balkan Energy, and Korea Zinc, or how its lobbying relates to its FARA-registered work for Saudi Arabia. ### **Saudi-Tied VC** In August, a new investment partnership with Saudi Arabia, called the New Era Fund, [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/34805a88-b655-4cce-99e0-aa57ad3e12bd/print/) Ballard Partners as its first and only lobbyist. A source with direct knowledge confirmed to Sludge that the client is the same fund that the White House [announced](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-600-billion-investment-commitment-in-saudi-arabia/) in May, with some [fanfare](https://www.npr.org/2017/05/20/529313814/fanfare-and-deals-dominate-trumps-first-day-in-saudi-arabia), as the New Era Aerospace and Defense Technology Fund. It was billed as a $5 billion sector-specific fund that was part of “the largest defense cooperation deal in U.S. history” and “a clear demonstration of our commitment to strengthening our partnership” with Saudi Arabia. The fund’s structure is still opaque: the New Era Fund does not appear to have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and it has no public web presence. For the New Era Fund, described as a capital growth fund, Ballard lobbied on the issue of “Advancing Defense and Aerospace cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia.” The [registration](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/34805a88-b655-4cce-99e0-aa57ad3e12bd/print/) listed a residential address in Rhode Island, and said that no foreign entities contribute to its lobbying activities. Unusually for such a high-spending client, the filings list Ballard as the only lobbyist on the account. Ballard Partners was paid $1.2 million by this new client: in the third quarter, [$600,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c683fde9-20b0-45b8-850c-0c33b1db0ce6/print/) for lobbying (amended upward from $400,000), though the disclosure says Brian Ballard did not contact any covered officials in Congress or federal agencies; and in the fourth quarter, [$600,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c352a854-adbe-407b-87d2-92b52344edaf/print/) for non-lobbying activity. Firms are allowed to report some payments as non-lobbying income, typically from research, meetings, strategy discussions, and other planning. Ballard has also registered under FARA for the embassy of Saudi Arabia. A [contract](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7070-Exhibit-AB-20250404-10.pdf) signed March 31 shows a $60,000 monthly fee for communications strategy, event organizing, and outreach services for one year, or $720,000 total. The firm reports to the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Reema bint Bandar Al Saud. **Real quick... if you appreciate this coverage of money moving in Washington in Trump's circles,* [**sign up as a paid subscriber*](https://readsludge.com/membership/) *for full access to our stories and site archives.* In November, Trump [announced](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/11/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-solidifies-economic-and-defense-partnership-with-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia/) agreements deepening a defense and economic partnership with Saudi Arabia, which under Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has a [history](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-trump-saudi-arabia/) of domestic repression and human rights violations. “The closer MBS gets with the U.S. in defense cooperation, the more arms sales he attracts, the easier it is for him to stay in power and for Saudi Arabia to thwart any external competition,” said Ben Freeman, director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the transpartisan Quincy Institute. Freeman said that the headlines generated from the announcement of the Saudi partnerships serve to appeal to Trump’s ego, enabling him to promote deals. “They’re catering to Trump at the same time, so it’s really two-for-one for MBS,” he said. In a follow-up [post](https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/05/what-they-are-saying-trillions-in-great-deals-secured-for-america-thanks-to-president-trump/) touting its May deal with the Saudis, the White House quoted praise from “New Era Fund and New Vista Capital General Partners Adam Kaplan and Kirsten Bartok Touw, along with Saudi Excellence Co. Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Zaid Al-Meleihi.” Al-Meleihi, a businessman and tech investor, [joined](https://ballardpartners.com/ballard-partners-expands-global-presence-with-new-office-in-riyadh-saudi-arabia/) Ballard Partners as a partner in the new Riyadh office in July 2024\. Saudi Excellence, a holding company based in Riyadh, makes plays in AI and drone startups: it inked a 2023 deal with an autonomous drone company, works with space technology companies, and announced a deal with a U.S.-based AI and robotics company. Kaplan is an entrepreneur and investor whose LinkedIn [page](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-kaplan-198a9a5/) mentions an adviser role with New Vista Capital, under a section that lists his affiliations via the “GCC,” or Gulf Cooperation Council. Kaplan shares a last name with a family linked in public business and residential records to the New Era Fund’s address in Rhode Island. Kaplan is the co-founder of satellite imagery and AI company Edgybees and belongs to an [association](https://www.techaviv.com/people/adam-kaplan) of Israeli tech startup founders. His LinkedIn profile mentions an ongoing stealth venture that began in July 2024\. Kaplan did not respond to a request for comment. Bartok Touw, co-founder and managing partner of venture capital firm New Vista Capital, which focuses on the defense and aerospace sectors, appears often on podcasts and at industry events. New Vista, [described](https://www.tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-new-vista-capital-raising-60m-fund-i-for-ad/) by Tectonic Defense as an “inside-the-Beltway VC if there ever was one,” was founded in 2020 by aerospace investor Touw, former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and retired U.S Air Force Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson. The firm invests in early-stage companies aiming for government contracts in areas like autonomous vehicles, space-based technologies, and AI systems. In July, Touw and the New Vista Capital Fund [filed](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2035991/000203599125000001/0002035991-25-000001-index.html) with the SEC for a new offering of securities, and in December announced its debut $60 million fund, signaling interest in areas like the Trump administration’s “Golden Dome” missile shield. A 2023 letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to the Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) [flagged](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4088010-warren-dod-office-of-strategic-capital-too-cozy-with-private-investment-firms-lacks-guardrails/) Bartok Touw as an OSC adviser with investment stakes in defense companies that present a clear conflict of interest. “I am concerned that this office is already too cozy with private investment firms,” the letter said. “For example, when there was a run on Silicon Valley Bank, OSC was one of the offices urging government intervention.” New Vista’s portfolio startup Castelion, a hypersonic missile company, was awarded new Army and Navy contracts in October, and last year was awarded some [$59.2 million](https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/2e793a61-7aa3-b7ff-70d3-0c1164c19b56-C/latest) in defense contracts with the Air Force. In December, Castelion closed a Series B funding round of $350 million, which it said positions it to deliver “a top Pentagon modernization priority” in hypersonic munitions. Also last year, portfolio company Hawkeye 360, a space-based analytics company for defense and commercial clients, announced a new $100 million deal with an international partner, after in May getting the green light for foreign military sales to India in a deal worth around $131 million. Sludge inquired with Bartok Touw and New Vista Capital about the firm’s relationship with the New Era Fund and investment money from Saudi Arabia, and did not receive a response. ### **Albanian Oil** The fossil fuel company Balkan Energy DMCC, whose name uses a Dubai free-zone designation, is [based in Tirana](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c17b5d80-f8c5-4a40-af82-6de7d9b162d1/print/), the capital of Albania, according to Ballard’s registration. The company quickly became the top lobbying client of Ballard Partners last year after hiring the firm in March. The company paid Ballard [$1.7 million](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/search/?registrant=ballard+partners®istrant%5Fcountry=®istrant%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&client=balkan+energy&client%5Fstate=&client%5Fcountry=&client%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&house%5Fid=&lobbyist=&lobbyist%5Fcovered%5Fposition=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdisclosure=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Ffrom=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Fto=&report%5Fperiod=&report%5Fyear=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Ffrom=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Fto=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmin=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmax=&report%5Ffiling%5Fuuid=&report%5Fhouse%5Fdoc%5Fid=&report%5Fissue%5Farea%5Fdescription=&affiliated%5Forganization=&affiliated%5Forganization%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmin=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmax=&search=search#js%5FsearchFormTitle) for lobbying, including a hefty $750,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone—for comparison, [more than Palantir](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?id=D000037635&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=22158757849&gbraid=0AAAAAB1mwfqfeC469A8KEJt7yibR5jsHT&gclid=CjwKCAiA1obMBhAbEiwAsUBbIne1F4pB162jRcIi3HmGcut18GaNIWAoJ5bpn3Tfzbe2bVDNUBKxOBoCmmwQAvD%5FBwE) paid the firm for lobbying all year. Previously, Balkan Energy had only spent [$25,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/5a4fece8-22f1-469f-a74e-b03916ab8354/print/) on lobbying, in the first quarter of 2024, with the law firm McCarter & English. The company’s website says it operates in the trade and transport of crude oil, methane gas, and petroleum products like fuels. It mentions its “presence in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa,” though it names no employees and its site has not been updated in years. Its phone number and webform are not in operation. For Balkan Energy, Ballard Partners [lobbied](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/9f06da93-b0c3-4027-a194-b6f585391c7b/print/) the State Department, National Security Council, and White House Office on “assistance and guidance breaking into foreign energy markets.” In addition to Brian Ballard, lobbyists on the account included ​senior partner Sylvester Lukis and ​Jasmine ​Zaki, managing partner of Middle East and North Africa practice. The firm has worked for clients in the country before: in 2017, Ballard Partners was [hired](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6415-Exhibit-AB-20170413-2.pdf) as a foreign agent by the Socialist Party of Albania, whose leader Edi Rama remains prime minister of the country. The firm [provided](https://floridapolitics.com/archives/236352-ballard-partners-latest-federal-signing-ruling-party-albania/) advocacy and communications advice to the party in its dealings with U.S. leaders, a 12-month deal worth $20,000 a month, at a time when the party was facing scrutiny from the European Union and criticism from its conservative rivals over election practices. While Albania has boosted its renewable energy capacity under Rama, arranging to [transmit](https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/01/15/italy-albania-and-uae-sign-deal-to-share-renewable-energy-across-the-adriatic-sea) clean energy to customers like Italy, the country was still exporting crude oil from aging infrastructure, according to a 2023 [article](https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/10/11/can-the-balkans-steer-away-from-fossil-fuels-albania-and-romania-are-banking-on-it) from Agence France-Presse. ### **Critical Minerals, ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ and Others** In July, Korea Zinc, the world’s largest zinc smelter, [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/2606d024-a31c-4d8c-b84c-597d9fffe09b/print/) Ballard Partners, and spent $1.2 million lobbying with the firm on “critical mineral and metal development,” a key issue for the Trump administration. In addition to the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy, the U.S. Senate, and others, the firm lobbied the Director of National Intelligence. Late last year, Korea Zinc announced the refurbishment and construction of a $7.4 billion critical minerals refinery in Tennessee, [largely funded](https://me.smenet.org/korea-zinc-to-build-7-4-billion-us-minerals-refinery-with-trumps-support/) by billions in U.S. government loans and subsidies, saying the DOD will hold a 40% stake in the venture. Ballard Partners applauded the deal [on X](https://x.com/BallardFirm/status/2000577261674606644), writing, “Proud to partner with Korea Zinc as they deliver on President Trump’s mandate to reshore manufacturing & secure U.S. supply chains.” The administration taking equity stakes in critical minerals companies marks a [departure](https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/qa-how-the-us-is-using-equity-stakes-to-support-domestic-critical-minerals-development/) from previous policy, signaling to markets that projects without such support are at greater risk. For many of these high-spending foreign clients, Ballard Partners’ quarterly lobbying disclosures are sparse on details, providing little view on the services it performs for millions in lobbying revenue. For example, from November–December, the firm was paid [$630,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/11138ad8-5683-4d3a-a689-e2aca14def2a/print/) by the law firm representing Bancrédito for lobbying of the White House Office, by Ballard and Lukis, on the issue of “Banking regulatory restrictions and requirements.” The bank’s holding company filed a [lawsuit](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bancredito-holding-files-lawsuit-over-legal-advice-that-led-to-multi-million-dollar-fine-302559051.html) in the previous months against three international law firms, contesting legal advice that it says led to a $15 million fine. TotalEnergies, the oil supermajor based in France, paid Ballard Partners $770,000 to lobby for its LNG production project in Mozambique, with over [half](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/a02e0d03-8da7-4917-b0fd-1d825fad4ccb/print/) that amount spent in the first quarter of the year in lobbying the White House Office. The firm listed only two lobbyists on the account: Ballard and Dan McFaul, managing partner in D.C. and a 2016 Trump transition team member. In March, the U.S. Export-Import Bank [approved](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-frees-up-almost-47-billion-loan-totalenergies-mozambique-gas-project-ft-2025-03-13/) a $4.7 billion loan for the project that had initially been awarded during the first Trump administration. The project was enmeshed in a [reported](https://www.politico.eu/article/dutch-report-massacre-totalenergies-gas-project-mozambique-human-rights/) massacre and other severe human rights [violations](https://oilchange.org/news/exim-mozambique-approval/). In Ver’s case, Ballard and three lobbyists at the firm were [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/b4861a15-9ff3-4a91-a118-66e2d83e378a/print/) in September, and were paid $900,000 by his lawyers, Chris Kise & Associates, to lobby the White House and DOJ on “U.S. government crypto currency enforcement policy.” Known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” Ver had long [encouraged](https://www.propublica.org/article/bitcoin-jesus-roger-ver-tax-evasion-friends-of-trump) wealthy individuals to take up residence in Saint Kitts and Nevis, which does not apply individual income taxes. In the October [settlement](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-jesus-roger-ver-settles-070411003.html), Ver entered a deferred prosecution agreement, admitting he failed to disclose Bitcoin holdings in 2014 when he renounced his U.S. citizenship, and agreed to pay a $50 million penalty, avoiding prison time. TikTok [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/ddce9f04-e6ee-4008-8549-128e113ff191/print/) the firm on Aug. 1, 2024 to lobby on “Issues related to internet technology, regulation of content platforms,” spending $600,000 in 2025 lobbying Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the White House Office. Throughout last year, Trump repeatedly [delayed](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-extends-tiktok-deadline-for-4th-time-after-reaching-framework-deal-with-china) a legally-mandated deadline for the app’s owner ByteDance to sell off its holdings to an American company or be banned. Finally, last month, TikTok announced it had completed a deal for a new U.S. ownership structure that will preserve an almost 20% stake for ByteDance in the app—and, according to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-26/bytedance-to-get-about-50-of-tiktok-us-profit-under-trump-deal), send the Beijing company 50% or more of its overall profit. **Thank you for reading! This investigative reporting is only possible because of readers like you, who appreciate in-depth coverage of lobbying and influence over billions of dollars in public funds. Please consider* [**becoming a paid subscriber*](https://readsludge.com/membership/)**, at $100 for a year, to support the work of our two-person newsroom and get full access to Sludge stories.* ### Crypto, AI, and AIPAC Set up to Smash Super PAC Spending Records URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/02/crypto-ai-and-aipac-set-up-to-smash-super-pac-spending-records/ Last updated: 2026-02-03T23:03:33.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Crypto,%20AI,%20and%20AIPAC%20Set%20up%20to%20Smash%20Super%20PAC%20Spending%20Records%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/02/crypto-ai-and-aipac-set-up-to-smash-super-pac-spending-records/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Crypto,%20AI,%20and%20AIPAC%20Set%20up%20to%20Smash%20Super%20PAC%20Spending%20Records%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/02/02/crypto-ai-and-aipac-set-up-to-smash-super-pac-spending-records/) Super PACs backed by the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries, as well as the pro-Israel lobby, have stockpiled hundreds of millions in cash to drop in 2026 midterms, setting themselves up to smash midterm spending records by outside groups. The crypto industry-funded Fairshake super PAC ended the year with a whopping $191 million in cash on hand, while AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), ended the year with $96 million. Following in their tracks is the new AI industry super PAC Leading the Future, which had $50 million cash on hand and touts far more in pledges. Excluding money spent by party leadership-tied groups, the current high-water mark for super PAC spending on midterms was set in the 2022 cycle by Club for Growth Action, which spent a total of $69 million. **Fairshake** reported total receipts of nearly [$73.8 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00835959/1940775/) in the second half of 2025, according to new Federal Election Commission disclosures covering the second half of last year. Its donors during that period were Coinbase ($8 million), Ripple Labs ($25 million), and VC firm Andreessen Horowitz ($24 million), together the group’s largest funders in the past few years. Fairshake’s two affiliate super PACs—the Democrat-focused Protect Progress and the Republican-focused Defend American Jobs—have an additional $2 million in cash on hand. The bulk of its contributions came in December, while Congress was debating a major cryptocurrency bill, the CLARITY Act, which the group [says](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/28/congress/crypto-super-pac-war-chest-00752834) is its top priority. The bill was just [advanced](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/senate-ag-committee-advances-crypto-bill-to-establish-cftc-regulatory-authority.html) along party lines by the Senate Agriculture Committee and is awaiting consideration by the Senate Banking Committee amid a [lobbying battle](https://prospect.org/2026/01/19/wall-street-strikes-back-crypto-banks/) between crypto companies and the banking industry. A version of the CLARITY Act was passed by the Republican-controlled House last summer. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Hudson River Park Trust to End Longstanding ICE Contract Following Sludge Report URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/21/hudson-river-park-trust-to-end-longstanding-ice-contract-following-sludge-report/ Last updated: 2026-01-22T00:46:19.000Z 💥 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Hudson%20River%20Park%20Trust%20to%20End%20Longstanding%20ICE%20Contract%20Following%20Sludge%20Report%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/21/hudson-river-park-trust-to-end-longstanding-ice-contract-following-sludge-report/) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Hudson%20River%20Park%20Trust%20to%20End%20Longstanding%20ICE%20Contract%20Following%20Sludge%20Report%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/21/hudson-river-park-trust-to-end-longstanding-ice-contract-following-sludge-report/)! The Hudson River Park Trust—a New York State and City partnership that manages land on Manhattan’s West Side—says it will not be renewing its contract to provide parking facilities to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), after a Sludge [report](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/) drew public attention to the arrangement. The Trust holds a contract worth up to $797,358 to “provide secure parking places” at Pier 40 for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, and its Enforcement and Removal Operations division, according to [USAspending](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70CDCR21P00000035%5F7012%5F-NONE-%5F-NONE-). The contract, which began in June 2021, paid the organization $169,036 last August when the government exercised an option to extend it. “The Trust is currently in the last year of a five-year parking contract that commenced during the previous federal administration and does not intend to renew the contract,” the Trust told Sludge. The Trust has contracted with ICE since 2004 and renewed the contract four times, most recently in 2021\. The contract currently has a planned end date of June 30, 2026\. “At its creation, the Hudson River Park Trust inherited a 2,000-space public parking garage and Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been contracting for a small number of parking spaces since the early 2000s,” the Trust statement said. “The contract is confined to the provision of parking spaces, and the Trust has no engagement related to enforcement.” The Hudson River Park Trust has received $1.92 million in contract obligations from ICE for parking since 2004, according to [federal contract data](https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=402ad3a3f3deaa22a1122c4b03f911ba). The public benefit corporation, which maintains parks and public facilities along several miles of shoreline, is overseen by a 13-member board, with members named by the governor, mayor, and Manhattan borough president. A state government official told Sludge that there are 35 spots for ICE at Pier 40\. A new item from [Hell Gate](https://hellgatenyc.com/hudson-river-park-ice-parking-pier-40/) shows photos of what are likely to be the parked ICE vans. Sludge first reported the ICE dollars flowing to the Hudson River Park Trust in a [2018 story](https://readsludge.com/2018/07/13/theyre-sanctuary-jurisdictions-so-why-are-they-contracting-with-ice/) on city governments that contract with ICE despite adopting policies, often called "sanctuary city” or "welcoming city” policies, that place limits on coordination with federal immigration agencies. Since 2017, New York City [law](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-6787) has prohibited “use of city property” being “utilized for immigration enforcement.” [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/01/Sludge_Hudson_River_Park_ICE_contract_detail_01-21-26-1.png)](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/) **Detail of ICE contract with Hudson River Park Trust under the second Trump administration, on Sludge's* [**map*](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/) Sludge’s 2018 [story](https://readsludge.com/2018/07/13/theyre-sanctuary-jurisdictions-so-why-are-they-contracting-with-ice/) on the Pier 40 parking contract with ICE was brought to the attention of Councilmember Carlos Menchaca by a city resident. Menchaca held a [hearing](https://readsludge.com/2018/09/05/nyc-council-to-hold-public-hearing-on-abolishice/) in the Immigration Committee on ICE’s coordination with city entities, and introduced a bill, [Intro 1092 of 2018](https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3643242&GUID=72496613-BA2A-40D9-B8DE-8000BCB5BB73), that would have banned New York City from contracting with entities that engage in immigration enforcement. The bill expired without receiving a Council vote. At the hearing, the former commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs [stated](https://readsludge.com/2018/09/05/nyc-council-to-hold-public-hearing-on-abolishice/) that as the Trust is not a city agency, the city does not control its contracts. The Trust's current contract with ICE was renewed a few years later. On Sept. 12, 2018, the New York City Council approved a [resolution](https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3643241&GUID=C72189B4-30C2-4794-9F0A-04865FC7B41F&Options=&Search=), whose sponsors included Menchaca, calling on Congress to pass, and the president to sign, legislation abolishing the ICE agency. In December, advocates rallied to urge the New York City Council to advance [four bills](https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-council-members-immigrant-protections/) to bolster protections for immigrant communities before the legislative session ended. One of the bills, [Intro 1412,](https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7696059&GUID=779B3241-2FF5-4A68-9C75-3F00FD037803) the Safer Sanctuary Act, passed the Council on Dec. 18, but was vetoed on Dec. 31 by former Mayor Eric Adams. The bill, whose passage was cheered by the group the Immigrant Defense Project, would have barred ICE from maintaining an office on Rikers Island or Department of Corrections sites. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has [criticized](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mayor-mamdani-supports-abolishing-ice-calls-humanity-dealing/story?id=129385475) ICE’s raids, which in New York City are [mostly arresting](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/05/ice-deportations-arrests-immigration-data/) people with no criminal charges or convictions. *See all ICE contractors nationwide since the start of the second Trump administration, on our interactive map:* [The Companies Behind ICESludge built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/icon/Sludge-Logo-Playground-9.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2026-01-16-at-2.52.34---PM-1.png)](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/) ### No Labels’ Israel Push Follows Foreign Agent Work by Spouse’s Firm URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/20/no-labels-israel-push-follows-foreign-agent-work-by-spouses-firm/ Last updated: 2026-01-21T16:50:31.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=No%20Labels%E2%80%99%20Israel%20Push%20Follows%20Foreign%20Agent%20Work%20by%20Spouse%E2%80%99s%20Firm%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/20/no-labels-israel-push-follows-foreign-agent-work-by-spouses-firm/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=No%20Labels%E2%80%99%20Israel%20Push%20Follows%20Foreign%20Agent%20Work%20by%20Spouse%E2%80%99s%20Firm%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/20/no-labels-israel-push-follows-foreign-agent-work-by-spouses-firm/)! A bipartisan centrist organization led by the wife of Mark Penn, the CEO of Stagwell Group that was recently a paid foreign agent for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced plans to launch a working group focused on strengthening U.S. ties in the Middle East, including with Israel. Nancy Jacobson, the founder and CEO of No Labels, announced the initiative last week in a speech at the [Jerusalem Post Miami Summit](https://conferences.jpost.com/miami-conference), which she co-chaired alongside Penn. The announcement comes on the heels of a months-long period when Penn’s firm and its subsidiaries conducted public relations, messaging, and research work on behalf of the Israeli government, including work that required registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Penn has said he has no formal role in No Labels, which he describes as his wife’s independent project, though he remains the president of a nonprofit called The New Center, which was formerly known as the No Labels Foundation and functioned as No Labels’ education arm. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Companies Behind ICE URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/ Last updated: 2026-01-24T21:18:58.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Companies%20Behind%20Ice%3A%20Mapped%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/14/the-companies-behind-ice/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Companies%20Behind%20Ice%3A%20Mapped%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/16/the-companies-behind-ice/) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has grown its network of private industry partners since the start of the second Trump administration to support its agents as they storm into cities and detain people they suspect of being undocumented immigrants. Last year, the ICE agency obligated more money than ever to private contractors, and this year it’s on pace to easily top last year’s record. More than 600 companies have been working with Trump’s ICE, including businesses in nearly every state. Using USAspending.gov data, Sludge created an interactive map that shows every company in the U.S. that has either entered into a new contract with ICE during the second Trump administration or has been awarded new obligations under an existing contract. Click on the map for details including amounts and contract service descriptions. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### GOP Leader’s Family Buys xAI Stock Days Before Pentagon Integration URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/14/gop-leaders-family-buys-xai-stock-days-before-pentagon-integration/ Last updated: 2026-01-14T15:50:09.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=GOP%20Leader%E2%80%99s%20Family%20Buys%20xAI%20Stock%20Days%20Before%20Pentagon%20Integration%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/14/gop-leaders-family-buys-xai-stock-days-before-pentagon-integration/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=GOP%20Leader%E2%80%99s%20Family%20Buys%20xAI%20Stock%20Days%20Before%20Pentagon%20Integration%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/14/gop-leaders-family-buys-xai-stock-days-before-pentagon-integration/)! A top House Republican leader who regularly meets with President Trump and cabinet officials disclosed a private investment in Elon Musk’s AI company just days before the Pentagon began expanding the firm’s role in U.S. military systems. According to a financial transaction disclosure, Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain’s husband purchased between $100,001 and $250,000 in private stock of xAI on December 15, 2025\. McClain is the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference and has repeatedly appeared alongside President Trump and senior administration officials at meetings and policy announcements, including a Dec. 3 White House event, shortly before the stock purchase, where she joined Trump for a public announcement on lowering car costs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2026/01/data-src-image-10076fab-6a6e-4a86-aa31-c07968adfbf4.png) McClain filed a periodic-transaction report on Jan. 7, 2026 disclosing her spouse's Dec. 15 purchase of non-public xAI stock. Days after the purchase, on Dec. 22, the Department of Defense [announced](https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4366573/the-war-department-to-expand-ai-arsenal-on-genaimil-with-xai/) plans to integrate xAI’s Grok models into its GenAI.mil platform, a system designed to handle unclassified military information and deliver real-time insights for Defense Department personnel. Then, on Jan. 13, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a [major expansion](https://www.newsweek.com/hegseth-announces-grok-access-to-classified-pentagon-networks-11349020) of the military’s integration of Grok, granting the AI access to classified Pentagon networks as part of a broader effort to accelerate military adoption of generative AI tools. Under the STOCK Act, members of Congress and their immediate family members are prohibited from using nonpublic information obtained through their official positions for personal financial gain and must disclose certain transactions within 45 days. There is no public evidence that McClain received nonpublic information regarding the Pentagon’s decisions involving xAI. In July 2025, xAI, OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic were awarded $200 million contracts by the Department of Defense to develop AI systems that could be implemented in the military. McClain’s office did not respond to an inquiry for comment on the stock purchase and her potential access to insider information from the administration. The third-term McClain is a member of the national security-adjacent Special Operations Forces Caucus, the Taiwan Caucus, and the Border Security Caucus. xAI’s Grok AI, headed up by Musk, has been the subject of constant controversy for generating offensive and misleading content, most recently for generating near-nude images of users without their consent. In his announcement yesterday that Grok will be granted access to classified information, Hegseth said the Pentagon’s new AI strategy would operate “without ideological constraints that limit lawful military applications,” saying the department’s AI “will not be woke.” Earlier this month, xAI [announced](https://x.ai/news/series-e) it had raised $20 billion in a Series E funding round, including participation from the Qatar Investment Authority as well as strategic U.S. partners like Nvidia and Cisco. The McClain household’s stock trade also comes amid a broader congressional debate over stock trading by lawmakers. House Republicans this week are [advancing a proposal](https://readsludge.com/2026/01/13/gop-stock-trading-bill-leaves-glaring-conflicts-untouched/) that would limit future stock purchases by members of Congress, though the bill would not require lawmakers to divest from their stock holdings, even when they pose conflicts of interest with their committee work. Many Democrats and watchdog groups have come out against the proposal, arguing that it is a partial solution meant to defuse momentum for a broader fix to congressional stock trading. ## Join Our Newsletter Receive occasional free posts by email Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### GOP Stock Trading Bill Leaves Glaring Conflicts Untouched URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/13/gop-stock-trading-bill-leaves-glaring-conflicts-untouched/ Last updated: 2026-01-13T21:38:07.000Z 🤑 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=GOP%20Stock%20Trading%20Bill%20Leaves%20Glaring%20Conflicts%20Untouched%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/13/gop-stock-trading-bill-leaves-glaring-conflicts-untouched) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=GOP%20Stock%20Trading%20Bill%20Leaves%20Glaring%20Conflicts%20Untouched%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/13/gop-stock-trading-bill-leaves-glaring-conflicts-untouched)! House Republicans are finally coalescing around a long-promised ban on stock trading by members of Congress. On Monday, they introduced the [Stop Insider Trading Act](https://steil.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/steil.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/stop-insider-trading-act%5Fxml.pdf), a leadership-backed bill from Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) that would ban members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependents from making new purchases of individual stocks. It would also require a seven-day public notification before making any stock sales. However, the bill would leave another major ethical issue untouched. It would allow members to continue holding and profiting from stocks they already own, even in cases when those holdings create direct conflicts of interest with the committees they oversee or the legislation they are in charge of shaping. The bill is backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and it has been scheduled for a markup session before the House Administration Committee on Wednesday morning. The bill is positioned as the House GOP’s leading reform effort in response to years of public outrage over lawmakers’ suspicious investment decisions. It even has the backing of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who early this year was threatening to force a vote on a stock trading ban through a discharge petition if Republican leaders refused to bring up such a proposal. Under the bill, violations of the ban would be punishable by fines of up to $2,000 or 10% of the transaction’s value, plus the forfeiture of any realized net gains. Assets held in a blind trust, diversified investment funds, and interests in small business concerns, would be exempted, and the bill would also not prohibit transactions in cryptocurrencies, non-public corporate securities, real estate, or private equity funds. Some Democratic reform advocates, including Reps. Jayapal, Magaziner, and Ocasio-Cortez, said in a [statement](https://jayapal.house.gov/2026/01/12/magaziner-jayapal-ocasio-cortez-statement-in-response-to-house-gop-leadership-stock-trading-proposal/) Monday that they were disappointed in the proposal because it would “\[protect\] the wealthiest members of Congress.” The proposal also drew criticism from watchdog organization Public Citizen, which says the bill is a “fig leaf” rather than a real solution to congressional insider trading. In a statement, the group's lobbyist Craig Holman said that allowing lawmakers to continue holding individual stocks would leave intact the core conflict that has fueled repeated trading scandals. Holman urged Republican leaders to instead bring up two stricter bills, the Restore Trust in Congress Act and the TRUST in Congress Act, which would require lawmakers to divest their stocks and are “overwhelmingly supported by the public.” By leaving out mandatory blind trusts or divestments, the bill would allow many powerful senators and representatives to continue making legislative decisions that directly influence companies and industries in which they have personal financial stakes. The partial nature of this approach becomes clear when you look at some of the actual examples of how committee assignments overlap with members’ lucrative investment portfolios. Here are some of the members of Congress operating with the most glaring stock portfolio conflicts—arrangements that would be preserved by the Stop Insider Trading Act. Sen. **John Hickenlooper** (D-Colo.), whose net worth is estimated to be about $30 million, entered the Senate with a stock portfolio that included hundreds of thousands of dollars in tech shares, including Apple and Microsoft. Over the years, those investments have grown in value to the point where as of his most recent annual disclosure his Apple and Microsoft shares are now both worth as much as $5 million. Hickenlooper is currently the top-ranking Democratic member of the Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, and he previously chaired the subcommittee when Democrats controlled the Senate. In these positions, he has presided over hearings and legislative discussions on data security standards, consumer protections, and emerging technology risks that directly involve the operations of companies like Apple and Microsoft. While holding these tech stocks, Hickenlooper has not been a strong critic of Big Tech companies like many of his colleagues. For example, he never signed onto a series of antitrust bills designed to go after Apple (i.e. the Open App Markets App) or Microsoft (i.e. the American Innovation and Choice Online Act). His campaign contributors reflect this, with both Microsoft and Apple ranking among his top donors, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/john-hickenlooper/summary?cid=N00044206&cycle=2024&type=I), which tallies individual donors by employer. In the House, Rep. **Ralph Norman** (R-S.C.) has been rising through the Republican ranks of the House Financial Services Committee since being placed on the committee as a freshman in 2018\. The whole time, Norman has held shares currently valued at up to $1 million in SouthState Bank Corporation, plus up to $100,000 each in Bank of America and Truist Financial. This past December, Norman proposed the Rural Depositories Revitalization Study Act, directing regulators to recommend ways to protect rural and community banks against regulatory burdens, and earlier this month he cosponsored the Main Street Capital Access Act, a bill from the committee's chair French Hill (R-Ark.) that would ease capital and regulatory requirements for new community banks. Norman sits on the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, which oversees the operations of banks like the ones he is invested in. Freshman Rep. **Craig Goldman** (R-Texas) was given a seat on the Energy Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee in January despite having a stock portfolio dominated by shares in oil and gas companies. Goldman owns stock in ExxonMobil worth as much as $5.5 million, according to his new-filer financial report. He also owns stock in Diamondback Energy worth up to $1 million. Last July, Goldman introduced the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act, which would repeal Inflation Reduction Act provisions that incentivize home electrification and discourage the use of gas appliances like stoves and heating. The bill advanced through the Energy Subcommittee and full Energy and Commerce Committee late last year. He also authored H.J. Res. 75, which was signed into law in May 2025 and repealed Biden-era energy conservation standards for commercial refrigerators and freezers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Right-Wing Group Trains State Lawmakers to Cut the Safety Net URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/09/right-wing-group-trains-state-lawmakers-to-cut-the-safety-net/ Last updated: 2026-01-10T04:58:50.000Z 🖋️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Right-Wing%20Group%20Trains%20State%20Lawmakers%20to%20Cut%20the%20Safety%20Net%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/09/right-wing-group-trains-state-lawmakers-to-cut-the-safety-net/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Right-Wing%20Group%20Trains%20State%20Lawmakers%20to%20Cut%20the%20Safety%20Net%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/09/right-wing-group-trains-state-lawmakers-to-cut-the-safety-net/) The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed into law by President Trump last year is putting pressure on state budgets by shifting costs from federal safety net programs like SNAP and Medicaid to the states while reducing state revenue through federal tax changes. A right-wing nonprofit that pushes for reduced spending on anti-poverty programs sees this as a prime opportunity to advance their agenda in state capitals. The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) sponsored state lawmakers at an event in New Orleans from October 7–8, called the “Bayou Briefing,” as detailed in a [gift travel disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26464699-avard-kevin-a-111925/) filed by a Republican state lawmaker. At the conference, the FGA put a spotlight on the OBBBA as the bill “that changes everything,” the legislative foundation to advance and codify further policy restrictions in the year ahead. According to the agenda, the group highlighted opportunities in areas ranging from food stamps and Medicaid eligibility to “permanent tax relief” and “school choice expansion.” The conference aimed to get attendees “armed and ready” with a policy arsenal to fight for their conservative agenda in the upcoming policy battles resulting from the OBBA. “The fight isn't in D.C.—it's in your capitol, and you are the cavalry,” the conference agenda document says. In one session, the group presented a “full toolkit” of “state-specific todo lists, model legislation, and sharpened messaging,” which, it told the legislators, “arms you with everything you need to carry the One, Big, Beautiful Bill into battle and secure lasting victory.” The FGA is a Florida-based think tank that works in states to restrict access to programs like SNAP and Medicaid benefits through policy advocacy and a lobbying arm, formerly called the Opportunity Solutions Project and now known as FGA Action. For years, millions in funding has flowed into the FGA from DonorsTrust, the conservative “dark money” conduit used by the Koch and Bradley networks. States are [bracing](https://apnews.com/article/legislatures-2026-trump-medicaid-taxes-snap-c18297ef9c1586bf719e035b3ac1983d) for higher administrative costs in programs like SNAP, used by 42 million Americans for food assistance, and potential penalties imposed by the Trump-GOP reconciliation bill, also known as the OBBBA, if they are found to be out of compliance. Changes to Medicaid coverage, including new work requirements for recipients, are projected to decrease Medicaid spending by $911 billion and leave 10 million more Americans uninsured through 2034. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democratic Ad Firm Works to Protect Insurance Company Profits URL: https://readsludge.com/2026/01/08/democratic-ad-firm-works-to-protect-insurance-company-profits/ Last updated: 2026-01-08T18:01:23.000Z 🩻 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Democratic%20Ad%20Firm%20Works%20to%20Protect%20Insurance%20Company%20Profits%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/08/democratic-ad-firm-works-to-protect-insurance-company-profits) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democratic%20Ad%20Firm%20Works%20to%20Protect%20Insurance%20Company%20Profits%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2026/01/08/democratic-ad-firm-works-to-protect-insurance-company-profits)! A top Democratic digital firm that powered Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s presidential campaigns is now cashing in from a health insurance industry front group that is fighting to protect billions in alleged taxpayer overpayments to private insurers. Bully Pulpit International has been paid millions by Democratic campaigns, party committees, and super PACs like Future Forward over the years. Now it’s also doing business with the Better Medicare Alliance (BMA), a lobbying organization backed by Republican-leaning industry giants like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and insurance companies including UnitedHealth. BMA spends heavily on lobbying to defend health insurance companies’ Medicare Advantage profits, including by fighting against bipartisan reforms aimed at stopping insurers from inflating patient diagnoses, a practice known as “upcoding” that drains tens of billions annually from the Medicare trust funds. Bully Pulpit was paid $8.9 million by the BMA for consulting services in 2024, according to the lobbying group’s most recent [Form 990](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/474633356/202523189349307562/full) filed with the Internal Revenue Service. It’s unclear when the company began working with BMA, but it was the first time Bully Pulpit has been disclosed as a vendor for the alliance, which in the past has mostly reported paying contractors from the healthcare industry such as Avalere Health and Republican PR firm Plus Communications. Bully Pulpit did not respond to a request for comment. The BMA describes itself as a coalition composed of grassroots beneficiary advocates and health care organizations, but it can be thought of as a front group for insurance companies that want to expand the taxpayer-funded profits they receive from the Medicare Advantage program. The group was founded in 2014, and according to the [Center for Public Integrity](https://publicintegrity.org/health/former-rep-allyson-schwartzs-new-group-the-better-medicare-alliance-is-not-what-it-appears/) it was created by APCO Worldwide, a firm that [specializes](https://readsludge.com/2020/04/15/dems-health-insurer-bailout-follows-bundled-checks-from-the-industrys-lobbyists/) in setting up corporate font groups and creating political environments in support of its clients’ legislative and regulatory goals. APCO was BMA’s sole disclosed vendor during the group’s first year in existence, according to a tax filing. The Better Medicare Alliance’s key industry members include major private insurers like UnitedHealth Group, Humana, and Aetna, as well as business lobbying behemoths like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House Dems Gave Millions in ‘Dark Money’ to AIPAC-Linked 314 Action URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/30/house-dems-gave-millions-in-dark-money-to-aipac-linked-314-action/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T21:38:49.000Z A nonprofit controlled by House Democratic leaders gave $2.5 million last year to a group that was funded by AIPAC as it unleashed spending in Democratic primaries, according to a recently released tax return. The 2024 donation from House Majority Forward (HMF) to the nonprofit 314 Action was the first time it made a donation to the advocacy group, according to a review of [tax filings](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834185105/202533209349301008/full). HMF, led by former Nancy Pelosi aide Mike Smith, operates as the “dark money” affiliate of the House Democrats’ super PAC arm, the House Majority PAC, sending it tens of millions of dollars in anonymous funding last cycle. 314 Action, founded in 2016, says it works to elect science- and STEM-educated Democrats to office. Last year, its spending on ads and direct mail spiked in a pair of Democratic primaries in Oregon, around a precisely-timed [$1 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202406209652475366) donation it received from United Democracy Project (UDP), the super PAC of the pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC. At the time, 314 Action pushed back against a May 3, 2024 report in [The Intercept](https://theintercept.com/2024/05/04/aipac-congress-the-squad/) that it was receiving AIPAC funding to purchase ads backing a pair of state representatives deemed to be more pro-Israel, Maxine Dexter in the Oregon Third Congressional District and Janelle Bynum in the Fifth. In [comments to Sludge](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/06/super-pacs-with-alleged-aipac-ties-intervene-in-oregon-dem-primary/), 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton called The Intercept’s report “inaccurate,” but she declined to provide any details on her claims or more information on her super PAC’s recent funders. The day before the May 21 primary election in Oregon, 314 Action’s executive director Erik Polyak wrote on Twitter that he was waiting on The Intercept reporter Ryan Grim to issue a retraction. The tweet showed a screenshot of 314 Action’s FEC filing information for April, which did not show an AIPAC-affiliated group. When 314 Action’s next monthly FEC [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00633248/1791871/sa/17) was released on June 20, it showed the $1 million donation from UDP, received around the time the group was [spending](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00633248&is%5Fnotice=true&candidate%5Foffice%5Fstate=OR) to support Dexter and Bynum in their primaries. Because the donation from UDP was received on May 1, 2024, it was not publicly disclosed ahead of the May 21 primary. Overall, 314 Action’s total revenue more than doubled in 2024, topping [$6.3 million](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/813165165). The group gave a total of [$2 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00633248&contributor%5Fname=314+Action&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024) to its super PAC in 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records, most of that amount transferred in the weeks before the general election. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Musk-Linked ‘Dark Money’ Group Got a $75 Million Anonymous Donation URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/19/musk-linked-dark-money-group-got-a-75-million-anonymous-donation/ Last updated: 2025-12-19T19:21:40.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Musk-Linked%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%20Got%20a%20$75%20Million%20Anonymous%20Donation%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/19/musk-linked-dark-money-group-got-a-75-million-anonymous-donation/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Musk-Linked%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%20Got%20a%20$75%20Million%20Anonymous%20Donation%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/19/musk-linked-dark-money-group-got-a-75-million-anonymous-donation/)! A nonprofit that previously served as a conduit for millions of dollars from Elon Musk and has deep ties to some of Musk’s closest political associates reported a sudden surge in funding during the 2024 election cycle, according to newly obtained tax records. Building America’s Future, a conservative “social welfare” organization, raised nearly $100 million in 2024, its newly filed Form 990 shows. About $74.5 million of that total came from a single anonymous donor. The group injected tens of millions in “dark money” into pro-Trump super PACs, spent millions more directly on political ads, and was behind a deceptive digital campaign claiming to be tied to Kamala Harris. Its total spending on the year topped $98 million, according to the filing. Musk and a shell company he controls are known to have spent at least $288 million in 2024 on helping to elect Donald Trump and Republicans. If the $74.5 million donation to Building America’s Future was made by Musk, his total support would surpass $360 million. An inquiry sent to Tesla did not receive a response as of publication. In its early years, Building America’s Future existed as a relatively small pro-business advocacy group. In 2020, the organization reported raising just a few hundred thousand dollars. But its financial profile changed sharply ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. According to reporting by [The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/elon-musk-political-donations-stephen-miller-desantis-39464294), tens of millions of dollars that passed through Building America’s Future in 2022 came from Elon Musk. The money was routed through the group and sent onward to Citizens for Sanity, another dark money group that spent heavily on attack ads targeting Democrats in battleground states. ## Join Our List Investigative journalism on money in politics delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The Journal reported that Musk’s involvement was designed to avoid public disclosure, using intermediary nonprofits and limited-liability companies. Around the same time Musk became a donor, Building America’s Future replaced its board of directors and rapidly expanded its fundraising and political spending. According to the [filing](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26387678-baf-2024-form-990-public-copy/), Building America’s Future raised approximately $99.8 million in 2024\. The filing does not identify the source of its $74.5 million contribution. It says only that the money came from an individual, whose identity remains shielded from public scrutiny under federal law. The donation came as Musk was publicly embracing Donald Trump’s candidacy and pouring money into Republican causes through other vehicles, including a super PAC he launched to support Trump’s reelection. To help steer his work for Trump, in the summer of last year Musk hired political consultants Generra Peck and Phil Cox, both of whom are tied to Building America’s Future. Peck was formerly the group’s president, and she maintained a working relationship with the group as of this past August, when she was quoted in news articles as a [spokesperson](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/04/super-pac-spends-promote-megabill-00491486). Cox runs a firm called P2 Public Affairs that has multiple ties to the group. P2 employs Building America’s Future’s executive director, Katherine Neal, as a senior vice president. P2 principal Katie Miller was working as a [senior advisor](https://flvoicenews.com/building-americas-future-launches-ad-campaign-thanking-gop-governors-for-dismantling-dei-programs/) for Building America’s Future as recently as September 2024, before she was [named](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-names-former-staffer-katie-miller-musk-led-doge-panel-2024-12-22/) by President-elect Trump to join the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alongside Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Miller is the spouse of Trump advisor Stephen Miller. In 2022, Building America’s Future functioned as a pass-through for funds that fueled Citizens for Sanity’s midterms advertising blitz. Citizens for Sanity was staffed by employees of America First Legal, the conservative legal organization founded by Stephen Miller. Its ads attacked Democrats on immigration and transgender health care and aired heavily in swing states in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. Building America’s Future has been tied to a deceptive digital campaign during the 2024 election season that attempted to link Kamala Harris to a fictitious “Project 2028” initiative. The project involved digital ads and text messages that claimed to show Harris endorsing policies like a mandatory gun buy-back program, expanding social welfare support for undocumented immigrants, and other controversial issues. Project 2028 was run by IMGE LLC, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/pro-trump-dark-money-network-tied-to-elon-musk-behind-fake-pro-harris-campaign-scheme/), a public relations firm where Cox is a senior partner. IMGE LLC also worked in 2024 with Musk’s America PAC and several super PACs that were funded by Building America’s Future. In 2024, Building America’s Future paid IMGE LLC $14.4 million for “data acquisition/digital,” according to the filing. Building America’s Future gave more than $10 million in 2024 to a nonprofit called Interstate Priorities, Inc., which [operated](https://documented.net/reporting/elon-musk-voter-fraud-group) a campaign calling itself the Fair Election Fund that was offering payments from a $5 million fund for whistleblowers who could provide evidence of election fraud. The group’s findings have been cited by Republicans in efforts to sue ActBlue over allegations of improper vetting of donations. Musk has taken up the cause, repeatedly targeting ActBlue in posts on X to his 230 million followers. ### Koch Network Fuels Republican Push to Kill ACA Subsidies URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/15/koch-network-fuels-republican-push-to-kill-aca-subsidies/ Last updated: 2025-12-15T13:39:59.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Koch%20Network%20Fuels%20Republican%20Push%20to%20Kill%20ACA%20Subsidies%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/15/koch-network-fuels-republican-push-to-kill-aca-subsidies/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Koch%20Network%20Fuels%20Republican%20Push%20to%20Kill%20ACA%20Subsidies%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/15/koch-network-fuels-republican-push-to-kill-aca-subsidies/)! As Congress races to determine whether millions of Americans will face higher health insurance premiums in January, a network of Koch-aligned advocacy groups is quietly driving Republican opposition to extending the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced subsidies through coordinated polls, letters, and pressure campaigns. The Senate on Thursday failed to advance competing legislative proposals that would have either extended the enhanced premium tax credits or replaced them with Health Savings Account-style funding, leaving the subsidies on track to expire at the end of the year, potentially driving up costs for more than 20 million enrollees. In recent weeks, the Charles Koch-founded Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and The Libre Initiative have waged a sustained campaign to steer Republican lawmakers away from the subsidy extension and toward Health Savings Accounts, the groups’ preferred alternative. On Dec. 11, AFP released a poll indicating voter support for Health Savings Accounts, while Libre Initiative issued a letter on the same day urging U.S. senators to oppose the tax credits. In the past month, both groups have repeatedly targeted the subsidies with blog posts, press releases, and vote alerts. Examples include a Dec. 9 post by AFP’s Dean Clancy criticizing the credits, a Dec. 10 AFP vote-scoring alert urging opposition, and a Libre blog post describing the measure as providing “little” for Latino families. AFP’s lobbying disclosures show that the group, which spent more than $1.1 million on federal lobbying in the first nine months of 2025, has been meeting with members of Congress to push them on “supporting the expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.” Meta’s ad archive also shows that AFP has been spending tens of thousands on Facebook ads calling for the subsidies to expire. They are joined by another Koch‑funded group, the Paragon Health Institute, that has also been pushing Republican lawmakers on the issue, arguing in policy briefs that the enhanced subsidies create market distortions and inefficiencies and should be allowed to lapse. Paragon describes itself as a health policy research institute that evaluates government programs and develops policy reforms across public health, private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Paragon’s president, Brian Blase, previously served as a policy advisor in the first Trump White House, and tax filings show the group has received at least $1.9 million in support from Stand Together Trust, the Koch network’s philanthropic arm. The outsized influence of Koch-aligned political networks remains a central force in contemporary Republican politics, even as some MAGA figures publicly disparage Koch and his groups. Americans for Prosperity Action, the electoral arm of the Koch network, spent [tens of millions of dollars](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/koch-super-pac-is-spending-big-for) in the last election cycle supporting Republican Senate candidates in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, and Montana. Federal Election Commission records show that AFP Action’s total independent expenditures on federal contests exceeded $130 million, making it one of the largest outside political spenders alongside party committees themselves. Much of its funding has come directly from organizations controlled by billionaire Charles Koch and Koch Industries. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dem Governors Gathered With AI Lobbyists Ahead of Trump Preemption EO URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/12/dem-governors-gathered-with-ai-lobbyists-ahead-of-trump-preemption-eo/ Last updated: 2025-12-12T18:43:23.000Z 🤖 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Dem%20Governors%20Gathered%20With%20AI%20Lobbyists%20Ahead%20of%20Trump%20Preemption%20EO%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/12/dem-governors-gathered-with-ai-lobbyists-ahead-of-trump-preemption-eo/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Dem%20Governors%20Gathered%20With%20AI%20Lobbyists%20Ahead%20of%20Trump%20Preemption%20EO%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/12/dem-governors-gathered-with-ai-lobbyists-ahead-of-trump-preemption-eo/) Last weekend, Democratic governors gathered with lobbyists for major tech and artificial intelligence companies at a luxury resort in Phoenix, according to an attendee list for the Democratic Governors Association’s annual meeting that was obtained by Sludge. The closed-door conference came as President Trump was finalizing an executive order designed to block states from enforcing AI safety laws, a step that would undermine laws that many Democratic states have already enacted. Despite the direct threat to their authority, Democratic governors have remained mostly silent on the measure, even as their Republican counterparts have spoken out strongly against it. The DGA conference, held at the Prohibition-era Biltmore Hotel, featured several Democrats who are teasing White House bids in 2028 or rumored to be in the mix, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is up for reelection next year, and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey were also at the meeting, as well as gubernatorial candidates like former Rep. David Jolly in Florida. On Thursday, Trump [signed](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/trump-signs-executive-order-for-single-national-ai-regulation-framework.html) an executive order that aims to curtail the ability of states to regulate AI. Dozens of states have passed AI legislation this year designed to protect people from abuses like “deepfakes” in elections and nonconsensual impersonations. The executive [order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy/) instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to create an AI Litigation Task Force to wield lawsuits against states with more restrictive AI policies in place, and threatens noncompliant states with having federal broadband funding revoked. OpenAI, Meta, and Waymo, companies at the forefront of the industry’s lobbying for federal preemption of state AI laws, sent key lobbyists and government affairs specialists to the DGA event. Chan Park, who became OpenAI’s first federal lobbyist in 2023 and is the company’s head of U.S. & Canada policy & partnerships, was on the attendee list. A former general counsel with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Park and other OpenAI lobbyists have been lobbying Congress, the Department of Commerce, and the White House office this year on AI issues, according to [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/e7ad53f7-20f6-427f-a5d9-2b27b4c0621e/print/). OpenAI’s President Greg Brockman has reportedly bankrolled the super PAC [Leading the Future](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/26/ai-industry-picks-up-cryptos-big-money-playbook/), which says it has raised $100 million to knock off candidates it deems unsupportive of the AI industry. Meta had two public policy attendees at the DGA gathering, according to the list: James Hines, who lobbies for the company in Texas; and Mona Pasquil Rogers, director of California public policy for Meta and a former [adviser](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2019/12/facebook-hires-well-connected-newsom-adviser-to-lead-california-policy-shop-3975038) to Newsom, who has a rolodex of Sacramento’s political world. Meta’s new super PAC, the American Technology Excellence Project (ATEP), plans to [take aim at](https://www.ciodive.com/news/meta-lobbying-state-ai-laws/761047/) state politicians it views as critical of the industry. Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary, had a pair of government affairs staff listed as attending the DGA meeting, Matthew Walsh and Ishtpreet Singh. Alphabet has been openly pushing the Trump administration to preempt state laws, including in a March [blog post](https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/google-us-ai-action-plan-comments/) from its President of Global Affairs Kent Walker that calls for a federal “risk-based approach” that relies on existing regulations. A slew of other Big Tech lobbyists and public policy leads were also on the list of DGA attendees, including five from Amazon, three from Microsoft, two from Google, and two from Salesforce. Other technology companies rubbing shoulders in Phoenix included Coinbase, DoorDash, Rivian, Snap, and Stripe, as well as Intel, Oracle, and internet service provider Lumen Technologies. Congressional Republicans floated federal AI preemption in two major legislative packages this year. The first was the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill, where a July 1 amendment banning states from taking action on AI was overwhelmingly struck down by the Senate. A second was the recent defense policy bill, known as the NDAA, where the measure was [stripped out](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5639209-ndaa-ai-preemption-chip-exports/) due to opposition from key Republicans at the federal and state levels. ### **Dem Governors Mum on Federal AI Preemption** While Democratic governors were silent, their Republican counterparts have been loudly arguing for months against the federal government preempting state AI policies, In June, 17 Republican governors [sent a letter](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/27/congress/gop-govs-urge-thune-to-nix-ai-moratorium-00430083) to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson warning them against preempting their states’ protections on AI use. Over the past couple months, a trio of Republican governors—Spencer Cox (Utah), Ron DeSantis (Florida), and Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Ark.)—continued to [make known](https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/republican-governors-criticize-trump-push-to-ban-state-ai-rules) their opposition to the Trump administration’s executive order. Some opposition to federal preemption has emerged from Democratic-led states, though not from governors in the month-long lead-up to Trump’s executive order. In May, 40 state attorneys general, including those of California and New York, sent a [letter](https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2025/05/2025.05.15-Letter-to-Congress-re-Proposed-AI-Preemption-%5FFINAL.pdf) to congressional leaders urging them against a ban on AI regulation. Earlier this month, over 30 California-based organizations joined a [letter](https://techequity.us/2025/12/04/to-californias-leaders-stand-against-federal-ai-preemption/) from the accountability nonprofit TechEquity calling on Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and legislative leaders to publicly stand against the Trump administration’s limiting of state AI guardrails. “Blanket federal preemption fails to recognize the vital role of states like California and would shut down the democratic exchange that fuels sound policy development,” they wrote. Last year, Newsom [vetoed](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/04/sacramento-california-ai-rules-00594082) far-reaching AI regulations introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D). On Sept. 29, Newsom [signed](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/29/governor-newsom-signs-sb-53-advancing-californias-world-leading-artificial-intelligence-industry/) into law Senate Bill 53, led by Wiener, that incorporates input from AI giants like OpenAI, stemming from a panel formed at Newsom’s direction. In a [statement](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/12/11/trumps-ai-executive-order-advances-corruption-not-innovation/) yesterday, Newsom called out the “corruption” of Trump’s just-signed AI order, touting his state’s industry partnerships with companies like Nvidia and Google. This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) proposed drastic [overhauls](https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-major-changes-ai-bill) to the RAISE Act, a bill [passed](https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/andrew-gounardes/sen-gounardes-ai-safety-bill-passes-state-senate) overwhelmingly by the state legislature in June and described by its sponsor, Sen. Andrew Gournardes, as proposing “[landmark](https://www.senatorgounardes.nyc/raise-act-release)” AI safety measures. The bill would require large AI developers, those spending more than $100 million, to publish detailed safety standards and security protocols that reduce risks of harm, among other things. Going further, it would [prohibit](https://www.senatorgounardes.nyc/raise-act-release) companies from releasing AI models that pose an “unreasonable risk of critical harm,” a restriction cut from Hochul’s version. Hochul’s wholesale changes to the RAISE Act bring it in line with California’s lighter-touch SB 53. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Democrats’ New AI Panel Is Led by Big Tech Allies URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/09/the-democrats-new-ai-panel-is-led-by-big-tech-allies/ Last updated: 2025-12-10T02:13:55.000Z 💽 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Democrats%E2%80%99%20New%20AI%20Panel%20is%20Led%20by%20Big%20Tech%20Allies%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/09/the-democrats-new-ai-panel-is-led-by-big-tech-allies/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Democrats%E2%80%99%20New%20AI%20Panel%20is%20Led%20by%20Big%20Tech%20Allies%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/09/the-democrats-new-ai-panel-is-led-by-big-tech-allies/) As President Trump is preparing this week to release an executive order that aims to block states from regulating artificial intelligence, congressional Democrats are countering with a new commission to deepen their engagement with the industry. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) today [announced](https://jeffries.house.gov/2025/12/09/leader-jeffries-announces-new-house-democratic-commission-on-ai-and-the-innovation-economy/) the new “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), and Valerie Foushee (N.C.), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (N.J.) serving as ex officio co-chairs. According to Jeffries, the commission will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders and committees of jurisdiction.” The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto. For example, in July, Gottheimer helped to introduce the Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act ([H.R. 4801](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4801)) alongside Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) that would require financial regulators to create “AI Innovation Labs” where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions. Lofgren, who is the [second-largest recipient](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?code=B13&cycle=All&ind=B13&mem=Y&recipdetail=H) of money from the Internet industry all-time among current House Democrats, has also partnered with Republicans on AI legislation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House GOP Advances Clean Energy Rollbacks URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/12/04/house-gop-advances-clean-energy-rollbacks/ Last updated: 2025-12-05T15:56:51.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20GOP%20Advances%20Clean%20Energy%20Rollbacks%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/04/house-gop-advances-clean-energy-rollbacks) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20GOP%20Advances%20Clean%20Energy%20Rollbacks%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/12/04/house-gop-advances-clean-energy-rollbacks) The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday passed a series of bills that roll back energy efficiency standards and preempt localities that want to restrict gas hookups in new construction. While the bills might mostly be “red meat” for the Republican voter base, the House GOP’s major energy industry donors like Chevron and Energy Transfer would likely see benefits if they became law. One bill, the “Energy Choice Act” from western New York Republican Nick Langworthy, would prevent states and local governments from implementing or enforcing policies that prohibit connections to energy services based on the type of the energy that is used. Though the bill does not single out natural gas, it would preempt rules that have been enacted in states like New York and Washington, and cities in California and Massachusetts, to prohibit natural gas hookups in new construction. For example, the bill would override a law passed in 2023 by New York state lawmakers that is set to ban gas appliances in most new buildings statewide, pending legal challenges. Though Langworthy says his bill is meant to address requirements on new construction, opponents say it could also override other policies that limit the use of fossil fuels, even preventing states from regulating utility rates. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Jeffries Misleads on AIPAC PAC Money URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/11/25/jeffries-misleads-on-aipac-pac-money/ Last updated: 2025-11-26T01:01:21.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Jeffries%20Misleads%20on%20AIPAC%20PAC%20Money%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/25/jeffries-misleads-on-aipac-pac-money/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Jeffries%20Misleads%20on%20AIPAC%20PAC%20Money%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/25/jeffries-misleads-on-aipac-pac-money/) Yesterday on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was asked about accepting PAC donations from the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). His answer was an attempt to obfuscate how AIPAC’s PAC has become, by a huge margin, the largest source of earmarked PAC contributions to members of Congress. During listener questions, the host read text messages from listeners and [asked](https://www.wnyc.org/story/mamdani-meets-trump-monday-morning-politics-leader-jeffries-making-revolution/) Jeffries, “Do you take donations from AIPAC, and if so why, what influence do they think they have on your positions regarding the Middle East?” “It’s interesting that some people want to circulate this talking point about receiving money from AIPAC,” Jeffries said. “AIPAC, to the extent it has a political action committee, can contribute, in a given election cycle, $5,000 or $10,000 per cycle, that’s it.” He added, “Are there pro-Israel donors from my community who contribute to my re-election campaign? Of course there are, because I represent a significant number of pro-Israel people in Brooklyn, New York.” Jeffries’ answer downplays the fact that AIPAC’s PAC operates as a conduit for tens of millions of dollars in donations, including more than a million that it has raised for him. AIPAC PAC operates a website that allows its members to direct donations to AIPAC-endorsed candidates of their choosing. The group uses a payment processing company called Democracy Engine, which disburses the funds to the candidates. Founded by a former ActBlue executive, Democracy Engine was described by [Bloomberg](https://about.bgov.com/insights/news/business-groups-sidestep-unpopular-pacs-with-new-giving-avenue/) as a workaround that gives unpopular PACs “a more politically palatable route for directing campaign cash to favored lawmakers.” Despite using Democracy Engine, AIPAC PAC considers the donations to be earmarked through its own PAC, and donors must agree to terms including that “all donations \[...\] are earmarked donations within the meaning of 11 C.F.R. §110.6(b) to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee for the designated recipient.” Under Federal Election Commission guidelines, these donations get reported in at least two places. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Invests in Media Merger His Administration Controls URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/11/17/trump-invests-in-media-merger-his-administration-controls/ Last updated: 2025-11-17T16:59:55.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Invests%20in%20Media%20Merger%20His%20Administration%20Controls%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/17/trump-invests-in-media-merger-his-administration-controls/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Invests%20in%20Media%20Merger%20His%20Administration%20Controls%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/17/trump-invests-in-media-merger-his-administration-controls/)! President Donald Trump’s administration is reviewing a blockbuster media merger that would deliver CNN, HBO, and a large slice of cable television to a group of his political allies. A financial disclosure filed late Friday shows that Trump himself bought between $500,001 and $1 million in Warner Bros. Discovery bonds on September 19, 2025, giving him a personal financial interest in the company whose future depends on decisions made by his own administration. The bonds are 3.625% senior unsecured notes issued by Discovery Communications LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Issued in May 2020 with a maturity date of May 15, 2030, the bonds are fully guaranteed by the parent company and are senior debt—meaning bondholders get paid ahead of shareholders in any restructuring—but are unsecured, with no specific assets pledged as collateral. The [purchase](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/18353894FE440B3685258D430031A337/$FILE/Donald%20J.%20Trump%2010.20.2025%20278-T%20%282%29.pdf) came eight days after the [first reports](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warner-bros-discovery-shares-spike-174446922.html) that David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance, backed by his father (Oracle billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison), was preparing a bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery. Six days later, on September 25, Trump signed an executive order that made Oracle the official security provider of TikTok’s user data, a move that bolstered the Ellison family’s position in the media talks. People familiar with the matter have told the [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/media/trump-admin-favors-paramount-skydance-in-race-to-buy-warner-bros-discovery-sources/) and other outlets that Trump has privately signaled strong support for a Paramount Skydance takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery and that competitors would face stiff resistance from his administration’s regulators. According to [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/media/ellison-wbd-trump-warner-bros-discovery-bid), Ellison’s allies are “privately arguing that he is the only buyer who would pass muster with Trump administration regulators.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Fact Check: Musk Repeats Social Security Conspiracy on Joe Rogan Podcast URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/11/14/fact-check-musk-repeats-social-security-conspiracy-on-joe-rogan-podcast/ Last updated: 2025-11-14T22:42:56.000Z 🔎 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Fact%20Check%3A%20Musk%20Repeats%20Social%20Security%20Conspiracy%20on%20Joe%20Rogan%20Podcast%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/14/fact-check-musk-repeats-social-security-conspiracy-on-joe-rogan-podcast/) *or* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Fact%20Check%3A%20Musk%20Repeats%20Social%20Security%20Conspiracy%20on%20Joe%20Rogan%20Podcast%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/14/fact-check-musk-repeats-social-security-conspiracy-on-joe-rogan-podcast/) On Halloween, Elon Musk appeared again on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he repeated false claims about rampant fraud in the Social Security program, among other inflammatory stories about immigrants. Musk’s claims of fraud are wrong, according to figures contained in a November 2021 report from the Social Security Administration (SSA), the independent agency that runs the program. Earlier this year on his show, Rogan even read aloud one fact-check debunking Musk’s claims about Social Security fraud. Still, Rogan reacted as if Musk’s evidence-free claims were novel findings, pushing them anew to tens of millions of his subscribers across platforms. Musk’s false statements on Social Security go back to an Oval Office press gaggle on Feb. 11, where he claimed to have discovered recipients who were 150 years old, in what he called an example of widespread fraud. Musk’s boasts were spread by outlets like Fox Business and dramatically echoed by President Trump himself during his State of the Union address. Musk reiterated his assertion in a Feb. 16 [tweet](https://x.com/i/trending/1890706819724824578?lang=en), claiming to show numbers indicating that more than 10 million people above age 120 were in the system “collecting Social Security,” and saying it “might be the biggest fraud in history.” Musk’s tweet recycled a favorite joke of his, suggesting that “vampires” might be cashing Social Security checks. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Alcohol Industry Groups Push to Ban THC Drinks in Government Funding Bill URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/11/11/alcohol-industry-groups-push-to-ban-thc-drinks-in-government-funding-bill/ Last updated: 2025-11-11T15:48:32.000Z 🥂 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Alcohol%20Industry%20Groups%20Push%20a%20Ban%20on%20THC%20Drinks%20in%20Government%20Funding%20Bill%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/10/alcohol-industry-groups-push-to-ban-thc-drinks-in-government-funding-bill/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Alcohol%20Industry%20Groups%20Push%20a%20Ban%20on%20THC%20Drinks%20in%20Government%20Funding%20Bill%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/10/alcohol-industry-groups-push-to-ban-thc-drinks-in-government-funding-bill/) *Update: Sen. Rand Paul's amendment was tabled by a vote of* [*76–24*](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1191/vote%5F119%5F1%5F00614.htm)*, and the Senate passed the bill to end the government shutdown. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the only Republican to side with Paul.* The longest government shutdown on record appears to have entered its endgame, after the Senate last night advanced a measure to extend government funding until late January in exchange for a December vote in the chamber on healthcare tax credits. But the Senate vote to approve the legislation is [being slowed](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/10/congress/rand-paul-wants-hemp-vote-to-speed-up-shutdown-endgame-00644864)—at most, for five days—by a Republican holdout, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), over an unlikely issue: its provision that would ban intoxicating hemp products with THC. The hemp provision, added to the Senate bill by GOP leadership, is a pet cause of retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who since last year has chaired the House Freedom Caucus. It was added into the shutdown-ending funding bill after a lobbying push last week by trade groups representing large alcohol companies and beer-makers. The legislation would strictly [limit](https://www.marijuanamoment.net/senate-advances-hemp-product-ban-but-gop-senator-has-last-ditch-plan-to-fight-back/) the overall THC allowed in products—like the THC-infused beverages available in many states—to 0.4 milligrams per container. Paul says the provision would hurt Kentucky farmers, posting on X that it “has nothing to do with reopening the government.” The junior Kentucky senator is asking for a vote on his amendment, subject to a 50-vote threshold, that would strike the hemp provision. The U.S. Hemp Association says the ban would hurt farmers and is mobilizing its members to contact their senators in support of Paul’s amendment. The group instead calls on Congress to craft what it calls “responsible regulations” for hemp products, like independent third-party testing and packaging standards. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Democrats Won’t Stop Spamming URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/11/06/the-democrats-wont-stop-spamming/ Last updated: 2025-11-07T17:32:25.000Z 📥 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Democrats%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Stop%20Spamming%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/06/the-democrats-wont-stop-spamming) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Democrats%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Stop%20Spamming%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/11/06/the-democrats-wont-stop-spamming)! “This is your last chance to update your membership before the midnight deadline, Donald!” blares an Oct. 11 fundraising email from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), featuring Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff’s smiling faces and urging me to “activate” my Democratic membership with a $5 donation. It’s just one of the many urgent fundraising appeals I’ve received recently from the Democrats saying that I’m up against an expiring deadline to join “the team.” Other emails from the DSCC and DCCC received last month claim that anything I donate will trigger a match of up to 400% to help elect more Democrats, though the emails and landing pages do not explain how those matches would work. These Democratic fundraising tactics have come under fire for scamming donors instead of working to build a real movement. More than a hundred Democratic strategists warned in a December 2024 [letter](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KD2VawT38A3WbFbs9ls7PhIJzeVzj8fLGSQ5eX7250o/edit?tab=t.0) to ActBlue that deceptive pressure tactics like fake deadlines risk alienating the party’s base. Even former Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer argued in a [blog post](https://www.messageboxnews.com/p/the-high-cost-of-spam-how-dem-fundraising) this summer that the Democrats’ consultants are “incentivized to burn through email and text lists in search of short-term returns,” with little regard for message quality, but rather “just how much cash can be extracted.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/11/2025-11-03_11-58-01.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/11/2025-11-06_8-54-55-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/11/2025-11-06_9-13-02-1.jpg) Emails from Democratic Party Groups and PACs since the ActBlue policy update banning references to fake memberships and matches Tougher rules had been sought for years by digital organizers, who lodged complaints that the barrage of unverifiable, all-caps fundraising emails and texts burned their lists. A new [analysis](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/05/the-democratic-firm-cashing-in-on-fear/) from early August by Stanford political scientist Adam Bonica found that one network of PACs, under the firm Mothership Strategies, passed along only 1.6% of the money raised to Democratic campaigns. In response, ActBlue—the tech platform that powers most Democratic fundraising—updated its [account use policies](https://support.actblue.com/campaigns/faq/actblue-account-use-policy/) in August to prohibit solicitations on its platform that “include false or unsubstantiated claims,” such as “references to fake voting records,” insinuations about “non-existent memberships or subscriptions,” or unverified donation matches. But enforcement of the new policies appears to be lax. A source at ActBlue told Sludge that the company has taken action against dozens of entities since the update, but they declined to say whether emails like the DSCC’s membership activation deadline warnings and the DCCC’s 400% matches violate their new rules. “Many organizations maintain legitimate membership programs,” ActBlue communications strategy manager Carter Christensen said in a statement. “Our policy is aimed at prohibiting false programs and we take action as needed to enforce.” Yet according to Josh Nelson, CEO of progressive advocacy platform Civic Shout, ActBlue’s enforcement has been “very inconsistent.” He told Sludge that some “fake deadline” emails clearly fall under prohibited claims, but that “sometimes they’re considered a false claim, sometimes they aren’t.” He added, “It’s unclear where ActBlue draws that line, and whether they draw it differently for official committees versus independent groups.” Nelson co-authored a public [memo](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GNdUxZwFIVmTbYXavFegeqvMVDi3bh-AcuTeQA8lxhA/edit?tab=t.0) in September calling for ActBlue to improve transparency and enforcement around its August updates. The memo applauds the steps ActBlue took in its policy revisions but argues that the rollout has been hampered by a confusing reporting system, a lack of transparency around enforcement outcomes, and uneven consequences for repeat offenders. “Donors remain at risk when repeat offenders continue operating unchecked, and when enforcement standards are applied inconsistently or remain unclear,” the memo says. The memo calls on ActBlue to publish quarterly reports detailing how many complaints were received, how many resulted in warnings, and how many entities were suspended or deplatformed. It also urges stronger action, noting that some entities have repeatedly violated the new policies, despite multiple warnings, without being taken off the platform. The DSCC does have a large donor “membership trust” for those who give at least $44,300, but there is no evidence of a $5 grassroots version that expired at midnight on Oct. 11 (or any other recent night in emails that feature similar deadline countdowns). Similarly, the DCCC’s claim of a 4x donor match is almost certainly a ploy to pressure small-dollar donors into giving. Such a donation match at a large scale would be highly difficult to pull off, since individual donors face contribution limits. “Matching donations one-to-one would require a coordinated network of wealthy donors who had not yet given to the campaign,” [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/08/political-contributions-campaigns-say-theyll-match/) wrote. “Triple- or quadruple-matching would require such an effort to be that much larger.” One Democratic super PAC, House Majority PAC, is sending emails promising a [600% match](https://politicalemails.org/messages/2011800). A source at ActBlue told Sludge that the organization has taken action against dozens of entities since the update. When asked whether emails like the DSCC’s membership activation deadline warnings and the DCCC’s 400% matches violate their new rules, the source said that ActBlue does not discuss specific entities or campaigns, but that it has worked with multiple organizations to ensure their solicitations and membership or matching programs align with its Account Use Policy. ActBlue processed more than [$3.8 billion](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/actblue/C00401224/summary/2024) in donations during the 2024 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, far more than its Republican counterpart WinRed. But small donors are feeling burned out from exploitative and spammy fundraising practices. “Grassroots donors are the backbone of the Democratic Party, they’re the fuel that powers these committees and campaigns and makes it possible for Democrats to win elections,” Nelson said. “But for more than a decade, too many Democratic groups have essentially been exploiting and squandering that relationship to squeeze out as many immediate dollars as possible, with little regard for the long-term cost. A lot of small donors are fed up with the spam, the fake matches, the guilt-tripping—and some are choosing to stop giving altogether.” “Democrats say they’re the party that respects people, but bombarding supporters with deceptive fundraising messages is at odds with what the party is supposed to stand for,” Nelson said. ### Senate Panel Advances Wildfire Bill Slammed as Timber Industry Giveaway URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/30/senate-panel-advances-wildfire-bill-slammed-as-timber-industry-giveaway/ Last updated: 2025-10-30T19:38:56.000Z 💡 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Senate%20Panel%20Advances%20Wildfire%20Bill%20Slammed%20As%20Timber%20Industry%20Giveaway%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/30/senate-panel-advances-wildfire-bill-that-would-open-up-millions-of-acres-to-logging) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Senate%20Panel%20Advances%20Wildfire%20Bill%20Slammed%20As%20Timber%20Industry%20Giveaway%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/30/senate-panel-advances-wildfire-bill-that-would-open-up-millions-of-acres-to-logging)! A Republican-controlled Senate committee voted last week to advance the bipartisan [Fix Our Forests Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1462/text), a bill that would expedite logging in national forests by limiting environmental reviews and lawsuits. While lumber-heavy industries and business trade associations praise the move as a step toward preventing wildfires, environmentalists call it a corporate giveaway that would throw open millions of acres of land to logging. With the socioeconomic costs of forest fires on the rise globally, and with the Western U.S. particularly affected, federal policymakers have faced increased pressure in recent years to develop solutions to help save properties and lives. The bill would create categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) exempting certain wildfire prevention activities from federal environmental reviews. The exclusions would cover projects like removing hazard trees near power lines and thinning forests to reduce fuel loads, with allowances for areas of up to 6,000 acres near roads and trails and up to 10,000 acres in high-risk firesheds. While the law explicitly bars using these authorities “for the sole purpose of timber production,” opponents like Earthjustice and Sierra Club say the definition of “fuels management” is broad enough to allow for clear-cut commercial logging of mature trees. It also establishes long-term stewardship contracts of up to 20 years, giving companies extended authority to conduct mechanical thinning, forest mastication, grazing, and other vegetation management practices across high-risk areas. Projects must include a “strategy for maximizing the retention of late-successional forests,” but this is only a planning requirement and not a binding limit on the logging of old-growth trees. While much of the bill focuses on logging, it also includes a prescribed fire title (co-authored by Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Alex Padilla) that would fund cross-boundary burns and training for prescribed fire practitioners. On Oct. 21, 2025, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry approved the bill by an 18-5 bipartisan margin, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. The primary sponsor, Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), says the bill “will deliver essential tools to combat wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump's Corporate Favor Factory URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/29/trumps-corporate-favor-factory/ Last updated: 2025-10-29T20:04:14.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump's%20Corporate%20Favor%20Factory%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/29/trumps-corporate-favor-factory/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump's%20Corporate%20Favor%20Factory%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/29/trumps-corporate-favor-factory/) Hundreds of large companies and wealthy individuals donated to the inaugural fund of Donald Trump and JD Vance after their election last year, more than doubling President Trump’s previous record and raking in $248 million. Since the Trump administration has taken power and reeled off executive orders and regulatory changes, more enormous donations from companies looking to curry favor with the White House have piled into Trump’s presidential library nonprofit—and recently, to the nonprofit behind his ballroom project. What favors have Trump’s inaugural and ballroom donors received from his administration this year? We dug in to find out: [**Trump’s Corporate Colluders**](https://perfectunion.us/trumps-corporate-colluders/). In collaboration with the nonprofit More Perfect Union, we researched the regulatory handouts, legal relief, and policy wins of [more than 150 top donors](https://perfectunion.us/trumps-corporate-colluders/) to the groups. The website lets visitors search by company or donor name and see the range of benefits that accrued to them this year—which also include industry-favorable laws signed, ambassadorships bestowed, and dozens of halted enforcement actions. A new video by More Perfect Union covers how the CEOs of tech giants like Amazon and Meta appeared alongside Trump after making million-dollar donations, then saw their Federal Trade Commission cases ended or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigations frozen. Not just Big Tech—companies like Chevron, Boeing, and Delta notched wide-ranging wins this year in Washington: The crypto industry donated more than any other industry to Trump’s inauguration fund, according to a categorization by [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/trump/2025-inauguration-donors), giving at least $14 million. In March, donors Ripple Labs ($4.9 million) and Solana ($1 million) had their crypto tokens (SOL and XRP) included in the president’s US Digital Asset Stockpile, a decision that some crypto analysts [called](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-cryptocurrency-strategic-reserve-includes-xrp-sol-ada-2025-03-02/) a surprise. A few months later, the exchange Crypto.com, whose parent company Foris Dax donated $1 million, was selected by Trump Media and Technology Group to be the custodian of its crypto exchange-traded fund. Private equity and investment firms kicked in more than [$10.1 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/trump/2025-inauguration-donors) to the inauguration, with security brokers, investment banks, and investors giving an additional $18 million, according to OpenSecrets. Under the Trump administration, the private equity industry is [banking steps](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/trump-signs-order-broadening-access-alternative-assets-401ks-2025-08-07/) toward a long-sought lobbying dream: increased access for alternative assets in 401(k) retirement accounts, including private equity funds, real estate, and cryptocurrency. The pool of retirement savings in play reaches [$12.2 trillion](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/business/dealbook/401k-private-equity.html), and firms like Blackstone and KKR have been making moves to tap into the savings. The full accounting of donations to Trump’s inauguration, which can be unlimited in dollar amount and are expected to flow to his presidential library nonprofit, was not publicly released for months—and the cash is bound by [little](https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-and-whitehouse-presidential-libraries-shouldnt-be-used-to-funnel-illicit-gifts) in the way of ethics guidelines. A few more favors given to inauguration donors, in brief: - DuPont and Dow Chemical received exemptions, by way of a July presidential [proclamation](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/regulatory-relief-for-certain-stationary-sources-to-promote-american-chemical-manufacturing-security/), from a hazardous air pollution rule for their facilities in Louisiana. DuPont gave $250,000 to the Trump Vance Inaugural Fund, Dow Chemical gave $500,000, and their trade association the American Chemistry Council (ACC) gave $50,000. - Intuit triumphed in its long [lobbying campaign](https://readsludge.com/tag/intuit/) to kill the IRS Direct File Program, a free option for taxpayers to file directly to the government. The company, which makes TurboTax, gave $1 million. - Merck’s blockbuster drug Keytruda is expected to be a [top beneficiary](https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/trump-tax-spending-bill-drug-prices-medicare-5465f4e2) of the “orphan drug provisions” passed in the Republican “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA), which will delay Medicare price negotiations for certain drugs. It donated $1 million. - Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase were let off the hook when the Trump administration [dropped](https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5317679/cfpb-drops-zelle-lawsuit) a CFPB lawsuit against the companies, and Wells Fargo, over failing to protect their customers from fraud through their mutual project Zelle. Bank of America donated $500,000 and Chase gave over $1 million. … and that’s just the [start](https://perfectunion.us/trumps-corporate-colluders/) of the encyclopedia of favors we found. Check out more benefits flowing to donors like CoreCivic and GEO Group, Robinhood, Google, ExxonMobil, Uber, and billionaires like oil magnate Harold Hamm and Palantir CEO Alex Karp. Hat tip to the research in the great [Corporate Enforcement Tracker](https://www.citizen.org/article/corporate-enforcement-trump-tracker/) from watchdog Public Citizen, cited throughout the new site, which details the many inauguration donors, like Coinbase and Toyota, that had federal cases halted or dropped. ### Lobbying Hits Record Highs Under Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/27/lobbying-hits-record-highs-under-trump/ Last updated: 2025-10-27T21:35:37.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lobbying%20Hits%20Record%20Highs%20Under%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/27/lobbying-hits-record-highs-under-trump/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lobbying%20Hits%20Record%20Highs%20Under%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/27/lobbying-hits-record-highs-under-trump/) Lobbying in Washington is booming to record-high levels, and companies are rushing to hire Trump-allied firms in their efforts to influence the policy pronouncements spilling out of the White House. Overall, federal lobbying spending is up by 21% compared with last year, according to the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/25/maga-lobbying-lights-up-k-street-money-pours/)’s tally of expenditures through the third quarter of 2025\. In the surge, the firm of Trump campaign fundraiser Brian Ballard has become the [highest-paid lobbying shop](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/08/trump-tied-ballard-partners-becomes-the-highest-paid-lobbying-firm-in-d-c/), and other Trump-aligned firms are seeing an influx of clients as trade and tariff policies churn. The pharmaceutical industry has juiced its lobbying spending: heavyweight **PhRMA** is certain to blow past its [record high](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/29/pharmaceutical-industry-on-pace-for-record-lobbying-spending/) in lobbying spending set last year. The nearly $29.7 million the drugmakers’ group has spent through Q3 approaches the amount that it spent in all of [2024](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2025&id=D000000504). Health industry lobbyists are [weighing in](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2025/10/21/ballard-bgr-top-q3-revenue-rankings-00616732) on moves by the Trump administration and the GOP-led Congress to [cut](https://www.kff.org/medicaid/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/) Medicaid funding and [fire staffers](https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/hhs-staff-letter-rfk-jr-kennedy-resign-cdc-monarez/759133/) in the overhaul of the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services. Over the summer, the Trump administration sent letters to 17 companies behind brand-name drugs [demanding](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-pressures-17-pharma-ceos-cut-us-drug-prices-2025-07-31/) they lower costs by a Sept. 29 deadline. It was followed by President Trump’s [threat](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/drugmakers-pressured-with-trump-tariffs-after-pricecut-talks-faltered-2025-10-01/) of 100% tariffs on branded imported drugs, a threat the administration is [not yet enforcing](https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/trump-admin-eyes-fresh-tariffs-reported-probe-other-nations-drug-pricing-ft). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate PACs Fund ‘Anti-Muslim Extremist’ Rep. Randy Fine URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/23/corporate-pacs-fund-anti-muslim-extremist-rep-randy-fine/ Last updated: 2025-10-23T16:20:25.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Corporate%20PACs%20Fund%20%E2%80%98Anti-Muslim%20Extremist%E2%80%99%20Rep.%20Randy%20Fine%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/23/corporate-pacs-fund-anti-muslim-extremist-rep-randy-fine) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Corporate%20PACs%20Fund%20%E2%80%98Anti-Muslim%20Extremist%E2%80%99%20Rep.%20Randy%20Fine%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/23/corporate-pacs-fund-anti-muslim-extremist-rep-randy-fine) Dozens of major corporations—including Comcast, CVS, Elevance Health, and T-Mobile—have made PAC donations to Florida Republican Rep. Randy Fine, even after he has repeatedly called for the starvation and mass killing of Palestinians and told Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to “leave” before his arrival in Washington. Since taking office in April following a special election, Fine has used his congressional platform to promote explicitly violent rhetoric targeting the Palestinian people. On May 2, Fine referred to Rep. Tlaib as a “Muslim terrorist” and responded to images of starving Palestinian children with the hashtags #StarveAway and #KeepOnStarving. Later that month in a Fox News interview, Fine said that Israel should “nuke” Gaza, comparing Palestinians to Japan in World War II. “We did not negotiate a surrender with the Nazis. We did not negotiate a surrender with the Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender,” Fine said. “That needs to be the same here.” In June, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) officially designated Fine an [anti-Muslim extremist](https://www.cair.com/press%5Freleases/cair-designates-florida-rep-randy-fine-as-anti-muslim-extremist-following-unceasingly-violent-rhetoric/), citing his “unceasingly violent rhetoric.” The group said that for years Fine “has invoked Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian stereotypes and incited violence against Muslims and Palestinians at home and abroad with impunity.” The group has called on him to be censured and have his committee assignments stripped. In December 2023, before his election, Fine called for halting humanitarian aid and food to people in Gaza, writing on X: “Stop the trucks. Let them eat rockets. There are plenty of those. #BombsAway.” A few weeks later, he said Republicans needed to “solve America’s #MuslimProblem,” echoing an antisemitic trope. Despite this, more than 40 corporate and trade PACs have donated to Fine’s campaign committee, according to Federal Election Commission records. A few of his top donors are the PACs of defense firms like Boeing, General Dynamics, and Israeli defense company Elbit Systems, a prime contractor for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Healthcare insurance such as Elevance, Centene, and Cigna are also PAC donors, presumably hoping to curry favor with Fine due to his seat on the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, which has jurisdiction over areas like employment-related health plans and benefits. He is also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, a position he was appointed to on the [same day](https://truthout.org/articles/republican-promoted-to-house-foreign-affairs-as-he-says-of-gaza-starve-away/) that he posted “starve away” on X in response to an article about people in Gaza dying of malnutrition. ### **Genocidal Rhetoric, Corporate Silence** Sludge contacted every corporate PAC that has contributed this year to Fine and asked if his statements align with their values or if they would reconsider future donations. None responded. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Schumer Lines up Behind Centrists in Senate Primaries URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/17/schumer-lines-up-behind-centrists-in-senate-primaries/ Last updated: 2025-10-17T20:50:09.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Schumer%20Lines%20up%20Behind%20Centrists%20in%20Senate%20Primaries%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/17/schumer-lines-up-behind-centrists-in-senate-primaries/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Schumer%20Lines%20up%20Behind%20Centrists%20in%20Senate%20Primaries%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/17/schumer-lines-up-behind-centrists-in-senate-primaries/) The Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is already a marquee battle, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) made clear its favorite this week by forming a joint fundraising committee with Maine Gov. Janet Mills the same day that she announced her bid. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had been heavily recruiting Mills, a centrist, to take on fifth-term Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Mills joins a primary field that also includes left-leaning populist Graham Platner, an oysterman who is endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and who has assailed U.S. funding of Israel’s war in Gaza. While Democratic activists are [backing](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/5-democratic-primaries-party-future-00608355) populist and progressive approaches to win skeptical voters back to the Democratic side, the deep-pocketed crypto industry and pro-Israel super PACs are promoting centrists in the Democratic primaries who they deem supportive of their causes—and so far Schumer has sided with the special-interest groups. Schumer’s finger on the scale, in Maine and other states, comes after [more than half](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/22/while-theyre-losing-the-public-democrats-are-winning-on-k-street/) of registered Democrats disapproved of congressional Democrats’ job performance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### While Some Democrats Ditch AIPAC, Cory Booker Cashes In URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/16/while-some-democrats-ditch-aipac-cory-booker-cashes-in/ Last updated: 2025-10-16T17:23:18.000Z **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While%20Some%20Democrats%20Ditch%20AIPAC,%20Cory%20Booker%20Cashes%20In%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/16/while-some-democrats-ditch-aipac-cory-booker-cashes-in) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=While%20Some%20Democrats%20Ditch%20AIPAC,%20Cory%20Booker%20Cashes%20In%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/16/while-some-democrats-ditch-aipac-cory-booker-cashes-in) As a growing number of Democrats distance themselves from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over Israel's war in Gaza, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has gone the other way, receiving donations from the group’s political action committee for the first time in his career. Federal Election Commission filings show Booker received [$481,175](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00540500&contributor%5Fname=C00797670) from AIPAC's PAC during the first and second quarters of 2025 combined, followed by an additional [$226,628](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00540500/1921239/) in the third quarter, which was disclosed just yesterday. This new influx of AIPAC money coincides with Booker's recent public defense of Israel, which diverge from the shifting approaches within his party. In an Oct. 14, 2025, appearance on the "I've Had It" podcast, Booker faced sharp questions about a photo he took with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter's July 2024 address to Congress. Co-host Jennifer Welch pressed Booker on whether he considered Netanyahu a war criminal, given the International Criminal Court's (ICC) pursuit of arrest warrants against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Booker refused to answer directly, instead criticizing the ICC for "singling out Israel" and suggesting that podcasters should focus more on other conflicts. He acknowledged "real problems" with Netanyahu's "outrageous" actions but emphasized the importance of dialogue, stating, "I'm not going to be outside of the room screaming." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Boeing’s Arms Sales Thrive on Gaza Genocide URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/13/boeings-arms-sales-thrive-on-gaza-genocide/ Last updated: 2025-10-13T16:53:01.000Z **Share this article on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Boeing%E2%80%99s%20Arms%20Sales%20Thrive%20on%20Gaza%20Genocide%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/13/boeings-arms-sales-thrive-on-gaza-genocide) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Boeing%E2%80%99s%20Arms%20Sales%20Thrive%20on%20Gaza%20Genocide%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/13/boeings-arms-sales-thrive-on-gaza-genocide)**.* Israel’s war in Gaza has been lucrative for U.S. defense firms, with multiple weapons manufacturers securing billions in contracts from Israel since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack. Boeing stands out, appearing in up to $26.7 billion in arms sales approved by the Department of Defense for Israel during the period, according to a Sludge analysis of Defense Security Cooperation Agency announcements. Gaza’s death toll has surpassed 67,000, with Boeing’s bombs being used in Israel’s deadly strikes on schools and tent camps. Last week, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, including a halt to fighting and hostage releases, but Israel retains control of over half the territory, and influential Israeli pundits are [predicting](https://x.com/AmitSegal/status/1976176809596100904) the war is likely to be resumed with support from President Trump. Boeing’s approved Israel sales have far outpaced rivals like Lockheed Martin and RTX since the start of the Gaza war. While the Biden administration notified Congress in August 2024 of potential sales of up to 50 new F-15IA aircraft and upgrades worth up to [$18.8 billion](https://media.defense.gov/2024/Dec/11/2003606405/-1/-1/0/PRESS%20RELEASE%20-%20ISRAEL%2024-01%20CN.PDF), Israel and Boeing later signed a contract for 25 jets valued at $5.2 billion, with deliveries beginning in 2031\. The remaining approved amount sets a ceiling for possible future purchases of the fighter jet. In a [$6.75 billion](https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4060920/israel-munitions-guidance-kits-fuzes-and-munitions-support) deal from February 2025, Boeing is set to earn the majority from sales to Israel of up to 2,166 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs and as many as 17,000 JDAM guidance kits, with Tactical Systems Company LLC (formerly ATK), L3Harris, and McAlester Army Ammunition Plant sharing in the sales for bomb bodies, fuzes, and support. A separate [$675 million](https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4088252/israel-munitions-guidance-kits-and-munitions-support) emergency deal from February 2025 has Boeing supplying 5,000 JDAM kits for precision “smart” bombs, while Repkon USA, a subsidiary of the Turkish defense firm Repkon, provides 5,000 bomb bodies. Most recently, Boeing was the sole contractor named on a [$510 million](https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4230375/israel-munitions-guidance-kits-and-munitions-support) approval in June to supply Israel with 3,845 JDAM kits for bunker buster BLU-109 bombs and 3,280 for general-purpose MK 82 bombs. The $26.7 billion represents a ceiling and the amount that Boeing will actually be paid for sales approved during this period will almost certainly be less. About $7.4 billion of Boeing’s approved sales involve other contractors sharing funds for bomb bodies and fuzes, and for each of the approvals the amount that is executed by Israel could come in lower, as it has so far for the F-15s. Smaller sales to Israel, below the $25 million congressional notification threshold for equipment and $100 million for other services, are not subject to the foreign military sales approval process and could further drive up Boeing’s defense revenues. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Israel’s New U.S. Influence Campaigns Target TikTok, Churches, and ChatGPT URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/06/israels-new-u-s-influence-campaigns-target-tiktok-churches-and-chatgpt/ Last updated: 2025-10-06T17:23:55.000Z 👤 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Israel%E2%80%99s%20New%20U.S.%20Influence%20Campaigns%20Target%20TikTok,%20Churches,%20and%20ChatGPT%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/06/israels-new-u-s-influence-campaigns-target-tiktok-churches-and-chatgpt) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Israel%E2%80%99s%20New%20U.S.%20Influence%20Campaigns%20Target%20TikTok,%20Churches,%20and%20ChatGPT%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/10/06/israels-new-u-s-influence-campaigns-target-tiktok-churches-and-chatgpt)! Just days after a leading Democratic PR firm abruptly severed ties with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs amid backlash over its plans to develop a "bot army" to amplify pro-Israel messaging on social media, the Israeli government has quietly ramped up its U.S. influence operations through a trio of newly registered American agents. The new contracts, totaling at least $10 million and disclosed in late September Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings, reveal an aggressive push to reshape American public opinion on Israel's Gaza war, targeting young TikTok users, Christian churchgoers, and even the outputs of AI systems like ChatGPT. The filings, submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice between September 18 and 27, come on the heels of Sludge’s [Sept. 15 investigation](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-bot-army-for-israel/) exposing SKDK, a firm co-founded by Biden White House communications chief Anita Dunn and backed by Stagwell Global Communications, for planning to "flood the zone" with automated pro-Israel content across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. SKDK, which had inked a $600,000 deal with Israel's Foreign Ministry in April, denied actually carrying out the bot work and [terminated](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/17/following-sludge-report-skdk-says-its-dropping-its-israel-contract/) the contract. The move left a gap in Israel's U.S. media strategy at a time when global outrage over Gaza has battered its image, with polls showing U.S. sympathy for Palestinians [surging](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/polls/israel-gaza-war-us-poll.html) among Democrats and younger voters. Since then, three U.S.-based firms, all newly formed this summer, have begun handling what appears to be an expansive effort to counter criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The contracts emphasize search engine optimization, social media influencer recruitment, and highly-targeted digital advertising, and they are all being carried out through Havas, the German PR firm that was handling the SKDK contract. ## A Trump Ally’s $6M Gen Z Blitz and AI 'Framing' The most high-profile hire is Clock Tower X LLC, a digital strategy firm led by Brad Parscale, Donald Trump's former campaign manager and digital guru. Parscale, who helmed Trump's 2016 and 2020 online operations, registered under FARA on September 18 for a contract valued at $6 million from Havas on behalf of the State of Israel, plus matching funds from his firm, through December 31, 2025\. The deal tasks Clock Tower X with combating "antisemitism" via a multi-faceted digital campaign. Under the [agreement](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7649-Exhibit-AB-20250918-1.pdf), Clock Tower X will produce at least 100 "root creative assets" per month (videos, graphics, audio, and written forms) and 5,000 monthly variants of the creative, with 80% tailored for Gen Z platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The firm commits to delivering 50 million paid impressions monthly at an average cost-per-one-thousand-impressions under $2, with funding split between Havas contributions ($1.5 million per month for four months) and Parscale's matching dollars. It also agreed to integrate pro-Israel messaging into properties run by Salem Media Group, the company behind the sprawling Salem Radio Network and influential conservative websites like PJ Media and RedState where Parscale serves as Chief Strategy Officer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Leo Network Behind Virginia’s Attorney General URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/10/02/the-leo-network-behind-virginias-attorney-general/ Last updated: 2025-10-02T14:28:27.000Z 🔎 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Leo%20Network%20Behind%20Virginia%E2%80%99s%20Attorney%20General%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/26/the-leo-network-behind-virginias-attorney-general) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Leo%20Network%20Behind%20Virginia%E2%80%99s%20Attorney%20General%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/26/the-leo-network-behind-virginias-attorney-general)! Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has deep ties to Leonard Leo, the conservative activist who helped engineer the rightward shift of the Supreme Court, through a close friend and a consulting firm they co-founded. That little-known connection has gone largely unexamined as Miyares seeks re-election this fall, even after he personally intervened in 2023 to oppose an investigation into Leo’s nonprofit dealings. Miyares, the first Hispanic American elected to statewide office in Virginia, holds a campaign cash advantage in his 2025 re-election race, with more than $7 million in cash on hand as of the end of August, outpacing his Democratic opponent, Jerrauld “Jay” Jones. The haul makes Miyares the only Republican statewide candidate in Virginia to outraise his Democratic rival. His campaign is bolstered by $4 million from the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which has long been bankrolled in part by Leo’s Concord Fund. But Miyares’ deep connections to Leo, whose network has shaped the U.S. Supreme Court and funneled billions in dark money to conservative causes, center on Gary Marx, a close friend and political consultant. In 2013, Miyares and Marx, friends since their James Madison University days, co-founded Madison Strategies, a consulting firm serving conservative clients. During his 2015 Virginia House of Delegates campaign, Miyares [reported](https://www.vpap.org/candidates/35057/conflicts%5Fdisclosure/business%5Finterests/?sei%5Fperiod=18) a stake worth more than $250,000 in the firm, which disappeared from later disclosures without further details. Marx’s ties to Leo run deep: He led the Judicial Crisis Network (now called the Concord Fund) until 2011 and remains a board member for the Concord Fund and another Leo network group called The 85 Fund. Madison Strategies, in which Marx still holds a 35% stake, has been a paid consultant for multiple Leo network groups. In 2023, Marx joined the board of American Miracle, a Virginia nonprofit echoing Miyares’ “American Miracle” rhetoric and promoting him on social media. It received $50,000 indirectly from Leo’s Rule of Law Trust via Right Vote Inc., where Marx serves as a board member. Marx and Madison Strategies have been fixtures in Miyares’ political rise. Madison Strategies provided in-kind donations worth $55,000 to his campaigns, and Marx registered the website that Miyares still uses, in addition to donating $2,500 in services and $250 cash in 2015\. In 2021, Marx said in a tweet that he had served on Miyares’ successful AG campaign. Leo’s orbit also supported Miyares: Greg Mueller, Leo’s partner at CRC Advisors, gave $2,500 in 2021, and the Judicial Crisis Network has posted positive tweets about him. Miyares’ ties to the Leo network drew fresh attention in 2024, when Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb opened an investigation into whether Leo was using his nonprofits for personal enrichment. Miyares joined 12 Republican attorneys general in signing a letter warning Schwalb against pursuing the probe. Unlike most of his GOP colleagues, Miyares went a step further by sending a separate letter asserting that Virginia held ‘exclusive oversight’ over the Concord Fund, one of Leo’s key groups. While Leo is beloved among many conservatives for helping to shape the judiciary, his network’s opacity makes it impossible for the public to know the original funding source behind the money it donates to Republican political organizations like RAGA and the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC). Groups like [Accountable.US](http://accountable.us) and [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington](https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/leonard-leos-firm-continues-to-rake-in-millions-from-his-own-dark-money-network/) have accused Leo of using nonprofits to obscure donors and channel money into politics without transparency, as well as for funneling money into his own for-profit businesses. RAGA, joined by the RSLC and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s “Secure Your Vote” initiative, is also planning a [seven-figure](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5438730-secure-vote-virginia-initiative/) voter turnout campaign ahead of the Nov. 4 state election, including digital spending to back Miyares. The Leo-tied Concord Fund was one of the RSLC’s largest [donors](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/16/wisconsin-groups-keep-it-local-amid-record-ad-blitz-in-supreme-court-race/) in 2021 and 2022, funding ad blitzes to back Republican candidates. Besides RAGA, top donors to Miyares’ campaign this year have included Dominion Energy ($1.1 million), coal company president Richard Baxter Gilliam ($250,000), HVAC company CEO Charles Bradford Hobbs ($100,000), and tobacco company Altria ($86,013). Jones’ top donors include the Democratic Attorneys General Association ($2.1 million), environmentalist group Clean Virginia Fund ($1.6 million) and hedge fund billionaire heiress Liz Simons ($750,000). ## Join Our Newsletter Money-in-politics news, delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Lobbyist-Led EPA Office Set to Add a New Chemical Industry Hire URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/26/lobbyist-led-epa-office-set-to-add-a-new-chemical-industry-hire/ Last updated: 2025-09-27T03:18:59.000Z ☣️ Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lobbyist-Led%20EPA%20Office%20Set%20to%20Add%20a%20New%20Chemical%20Industry%20Hire%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/26/lobbyist-led-epa-office-set-to-add-a-new-chemical-industry-hire/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lobbyist-Led%20EPA%20Office%20Set%20to%20Add%20a%20New%20Chemical%20Industry%20Hire%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/26/lobbyist-led-epa-office-set-to-add-a-new-chemical-industry-hire/)! When President Trump launched the “Make America Healthy Again” commission in February, he framed it as a generational fight against chronic diseases affecting American children, from obesity to developmental disorders, and vowed to take action on the toxins and environmental factors driving the crisis. Led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the panel promised to root out corruption in public health policy, arguing in its May assessment that “corporate capture and the revolving door” had distorted scientific literature and regulations in ways that are harming children and contributing to increased morbidity. But four months later, as the commission’s final strategy report came out calling for “EPA process improvements” rather than restricting any toxic chemicals, attention has turned to the possibility of corporate capture and undue revolving-door influence at a key office overseeing parts of the MAHA agenda. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), which regulates pesticides and industrial chemicals, has been stacked with lobbyists, and reports indicate that its leadership has fought against the MAHA commission taking stronger action. The top three officials appointed to the OCSPP since January all have backgrounds in chemical and pesticide industry lobbying, and they are on the verge of being joined by a fourth lobbyist who will serve as their boss. On July 30, the White House nominated Douglas Troutman, a longtime lobbyist and the recent interim co-CEO for the American Cleaning Institute, the trade group representing cleaning product manufacturers including BASF, Dow, and Procter & Gamble, to lead the office as assistant administrator for toxic substances. Concerns over the office’s deference to industry trace back to its leadership overhaul during the early months of the second Trump administration. Nancy Beck, a longtime American Chemistry Council (ACC) executive who served in the EPA during Trump’s first term, returned to the office in January as principal deputy assistant administrator, effectively running day-to-day operations. During her first EPA stint, Beck led efforts to rewrite chemical safety rules in line with industry positions and weakened restrictions on hazardous substances like asbestos and methylene chloride, according to an exposé by the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/21/us/trump-epa-chemicals-regulations.html). Her actions were criticized by environmental groups who [argued](https://toxicfreefuture.org/press-room/groups-call-on-epas-beck-to-sit-out-chemical-rulemaking/) that Beck may have violated federal ethics and conflict of interest rules due to her history working for the chemical industry lobby. Meeting records obtained by [The New Lede](https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/09/epa-industry-influence/) through the Freedom of Information Act show that since her return in January, Beck has held dozens of meetings with chemical and agricultural industry representatives. While the documents indicate Beck has recused herself from meeting with the ACC, she was still listed as an attendee at meetings with several of the group’s member companies such as BASF, Lanxess, OxyChem, and Dow. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Congressional Staff Mingled With AI Giants Over Summer Break URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/24/congressional-staff-mingled-with-ai-giants-over-summer-break/ Last updated: 2025-09-24T18:54:36.000Z 🧑‍💻 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Congressional%20Staff%20Mingled%20With%20AI%20Giants%20Over%20Summer%20Break%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/24/congressional-staff-mingled-with-ai-giants-over-summer-break/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Congressional%20Staff%20Mingled%20With%20AI%20Giants%20Over%20Summer%20Break%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/24/congressional-staff-mingled-with-ai-giants-over-summer-break/) During their summer recess last month, Hill staffers took sponsored trips to conferences and tours in destinations like Aspen, Silicon Valley, Israel, and Vietnam, according to House and Senate travel disclosures. The trips give lobbyists and executives an opportunity to present their industry’s case directly to congressional staff—balance from watchdog organizations is typically lacking on the agendas. Many staffers were gifted travel over their month-long break from Capitol Hill to hear about artificial intelligence (AI) from tech companies that are spending a fortune to influence federal policy. Lobbying spending by the Internet industry, led by tech giants Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet, is on track to reach record highs this year, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?id=B13). Meta has [launched](https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/meta-superpac-ai-regulation) a new super PAC, the American Technology Excellence Project, backed by tens of millions of dollars, that will seek to fend off state-level policies it views as burdensome. Tech firms a16z and OpenAI recently pledged to unleash further spending, via a $100 million super PAC, to prevent stricter AI regulations. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lutnick’s Family Firm Holds Stake in China-Tied Satellogic URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/19/lutnicks-family-firm-holds-stake-in-china-tied-satellogic/ Last updated: 2025-09-19T19:22:36.000Z 🛰️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lutnick%E2%80%99s%20Family%20Firm%20Holds%20Stake%20in%20China-Tied%20Satellogic%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/19/lutnicks-family-firm-holds-stake-in-china-tied-satellogic/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lutnick%E2%80%99s%20Family%20Firm%20Holds%20Stake%20in%20China-Tied%20Satellogic%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/19/lutnicks-family-firm-holds-stake-in-china-tied-satellogic/) Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm majority-owned by the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is a key principal investor in Satellogic, a satellite imagery company that is under contract with a Chinese state-tied data company while it seeks to expand its U.S. defense and intelligence work. Since 2019, Satellogic has held an Earth observation contract with the Chinese data science company known as ABDAS, a deal that runs until at least 2033\. ABDAS, known in China as Zhong Ke Guang Qi Space Information Technology Co., was established in 2015 with the support of the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences. Satellogic’s contract for ABDAS, whose work includes “government supervision,” is focused on imaging in China’s Henan Province. Satellogic has also collaborated on technology with state-owned Chinese firms and received major investment from Chinese company Tencent. Satellogic says its company's mission is to map every square meter of the Earth’s surface on a daily basis, providing its customers in government, defense, and industry with “near real-time” analysis of everything from agricultural fields to water resources to military ship locations. The company says its sensors can generate multispectral imagery data down to a resolution of 50 centimeters, and can detect material composition at a 25-meter level of detail through hyperspectral imagery, among other services. Satellogic simultaneously has a years-long partnership with SpaceX as its “preferred rideshare launch provider” for its satellites. Owned by Lutnick’s ally Elon Musk, SpaceX is positioned to receive billions of dollars in new government contracts under the Trump administration—while it has faced scrutiny in recent years, including from Republican lawmakers, for its potential undisclosed Chinese investors. Cantor Fitzgerald has been a business partner for Satellogic since 2021, with Lutnick given a board seat and promoting the company to investors. Lutnick was Cantor Fitzgerald’s chairman and CEO for more than three decades. Upon his nomination as Commerce secretary, he resigned his seat on Satellogic’s board; in May, Cantor Fitzgerald said he had divested his stakes in the Wall Street firm to his sons and an investor group. Lutnick now leads an agency that has oversight of a critical remote sensing license for Satellogic—and is playing a lead role in the Trump administration’s whirlwind tariff policies on China. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Following Sludge Report, SKDK Says It’s Dropping Its Israel Contract URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/17/following-sludge-report-skdk-says-its-dropping-its-israel-contract/ Last updated: 2025-09-17T15:38:57.000Z 💡 ***Share this on** [***X**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Following%20Sludge%20Report,%20SKDK%20Says%20It%E2%80%99s%20Dropping%20Its%20Israel%20Contract%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/17/following-sludge-report-skdk-says-its-dropping-its-israel-contract/) **and** [***Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Following%20Sludge%20Report,%20SKDK%20Says%20It%E2%80%99s%20Dropping%20Its%20Israel%20Contract%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/17/following-sludge-report-skdk-says-its-dropping-its-israel-contract/)***!** One day after Sludge [reported](https://readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-bot-army-for-israel/) that Democratic PR firm SKDK had agreed to build a bot-based social media program to “flood the zone” with pro-Israel messages as part of a contract with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the company announced it is cutting the contract short. In comments to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/16/democratic-megafirm-skdk-drops-israel-as-client-00567858), an SKDK spokesperson said the company stopped its work for Israel on August 31 and is in the process of de-registering as a foreign agent for the country. The spokesperson declined to explain why the company was ending its work for Israel, only saying that the work had “run its course.” The contract as signed in April 2025 was scheduled to run through March 2026\. In an email to Sludge, a spokesperson for SKDK’s parent company Stagwell said, “this work was done by SKDK in an advocacy division of Stagwell.” In a follow-up email, the spokesperson said that “no Stagwell agency planned or performed any bot work.” Sludge asked the spokesperson if other divisions of Stagwell (e.g. the GOP-aligned Targeted Victory) had also canceled their contracts with the Israeli government, but did not receive a direct response. “As a network, we work with a broad range of clients and partners, and each agency operates with autonomy to select and manage their own client relationships. Our agencies work across the political and issue spectrum,” the spokesperson said. The $600,000 [contract](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26092389-7552-exhibit-ab-20250829-2-1/) that SKDK disclosed to the Department of Justice was signed by its parent company Stagwell as an agreement to perform the work as a subcontractor for the French PR firm Havas, which has a larger contract with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It included the development of a bot-based program to push pro-Israel messages on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms, along with media outreach and cultivating a network of influencers. ## Join Our Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Among the SKDK personnel who were registered to perform the work for Israel are partner Bill Knapp, a former Obama and Clinton-Gore media advisor, and partner Jill Zuckman, formerly an assistant to the secretary and director of public affairs for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The company’s CEO is Doug Thornell, a former media strategist for the Democratic National Committee and a top DCCC spokesperson. While its dropping the government of Israel as a client, SKDK is still operating the 10/7 Project, a joint PR initiative between the American Jewish Committee, Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that is “designed to promote continued U.S. bipartisan support for Israel by working to ensure more complete and accurate information about the Israel-Hamas war.” ### Democratic PR Firm to Run Bot Army for Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-bot-army-for-israel/ Last updated: 2025-09-17T00:12:53.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Democratic%20PR%20Firm%20to%20Run%20Bot%20Army%20for%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-bot-army-for-israel/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democratic%20PR%20Firm%20to%20Run%20Bot%20Army%20for%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/15/democratic-pr-firm-to-run-bot-army-for-israel/)! SKDKnickerbocker LLC, a top Democratic Party-aligned public relations firm, has agreed to run a “bot-based program” to amplify pro-Israel narratives on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other platforms, according to a filing under the Foreign Agents Registration Act submitted on Aug. 29\. The contract, signed on April 28, 2025, describes a strategy to “flood the zone” with content promoting the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ pro-Israel messages, using automated tools to increase the reach and visibility of specific posts. The contract, worth $600,000 from April 2025 through March 2026, also tasks SKDK with coaching Israeli civil society spokespeople for on-camera appearances, testing the effectiveness of social media influencers, and arranging tailored outreach to journalists at outlets including BBC, CNN, Fox, and the Associated Press to secure favorable coverage. While it is not confirmed whether the bot program is already active, the contract date suggests it could be underway. According to the [filing](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26092389-7552-exhibit-ab-20250829-2-1/), SKDK’s work for Israel, overseen by its parent company Stagwell Global, is being done as a subcontractor for the French public relations firm Havas. Stagwell, founded by longtime Likud ally Mark Penn, also has a Republican Party-aligned affiliate called Targeted Victory that is working as a subcontractor for Havas on pro-Israel communications. The “bot-based” program echoes tactics that have been documented in pro-Israel influence efforts since the beginning of the country’s war on Gaza. A May 2024 Al Jazeera [investigation](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/5/22/are-you-chatting-with-an-ai-powered-superbot) found that networks of automated, AI-powered “superbots” were targeting posts by pro-Palestinian accounts, rapidly replying with pro-Israel messages and amplifying certain narratives. These bots can respond rapidly and operate around the clock, and they are increasingly using large language models, making it difficult to distinguish them from real users. This development follows SKDK's [registration](https://readsludge.com/2025/03/11/democratic-pr-firm-skdk-registers-as-foreign-agent-for-israel/) earlier this year as a foreign agent for Israel, its only foreign government client. The firm disclosed being actively involved in outreach to news outlets and platforms, including NPR, Fox News, MSNBC, and Elon Musk's X, to promote Israeli perspectives SKDK is deeply woven into the Democratic Party establishment. Co-founder Anita Dunn, a longtime Biden adviser, rotated between the firm and the White House before becoming an advisor to the pro-Biden/Harris outfit Future Forward. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s orbit is also well represented: Justin Goodman, an SKDK executive vice president, was his communications director for nearly a decade, while partner Mike Morey is another Schumer alum. Josh Isay, SKDK’s former CEO, previously served as Schumer’s chief of staff. Other firm leaders include partner Hilary Rosen, who has been a prominent surrogate for Democratic campaigns, and CEO Doug Thornell, a veteran of the DCCC and DNC. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Allies’ Children and Niblings Cash in on Lobbying Boom URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/15/trump-allies-children-and-niblings-cash-in-on-lobbying-boom/ Last updated: 2025-09-15T16:56:52.000Z ***Share this post on*** [***X***](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Allies%E2%80%99%20Children%20and%20Niblings%20Cash%20in%20on%20Lobbying%20Boom%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/15/trump-allies-children-and-niblings-cash-in-on-lobbying-boom/) ***and*** [***Bluesky***](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Allies%E2%80%99%20Children%20and%20Niblings%20Cash%20in%20on%20Lobbying%20Boom%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/15/trump-allies-children-and-niblings-cash-in-on-lobbying-boom/)***!*** Trump’s return to the White House has supercharged Washington’s lobbying ecosystem, particularly for firms tied to his political inner circle. But the post-election boom is not just boosting established lobbying firms—the children and relatives of Trump’s closest allies have also gotten themselves into positions that capitalize on their political connections for professional advancement. Shortly after Trump’s election, Chris LaCivita Jr., son of Trump’s 2024 campaign strategist and co-campaign manager, and Jackson Hines, a nephew of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both joined the lobbying firm Checkmate Government Relations. The newly formed firm has sought to position itself as a go-to shop for clients navigating the Trump administration, landing contracts with heavyweight corporations like Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, General Dynamics, and Philip Morris, as well as foreign principals like the secretariat of the Canadian Council of the Federation and the Panama Maritime Authority. The company earned $5.3 million in the first half of the year from its domestic clients alone. These aren’t symbolic hires. LaCivita Jr., a public affairs director, has registered to lobby for more than 40 clients since the beginning of the year, and for many of them he has reported lobbying the White House on matters such as tariffs, securities regulation, and pharmaceutical drug pricing. He has also landed advisory roles at environmental advocacy groups the American Conservation Coalition and Nature is Non-Partisan. He has also been lobbying on sanctions for Monte Valley Energy, a firm whose founder has said he is interested in buying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia. LaCivita, who is in his early 20s, graduated from Virginia Tech in 2022 and spent nearly two years as a digital marketing specialist for hunting advocacy group Safari Club International prior to landing the job at Checkmate. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blue Dog Democrats Vote for Trillion-Dollar Defense Budget URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/12/blue-dog-democrats-vote-for-trillion-dollar-defense-budget/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T02:12:39.000Z 🔍 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Blue%20Dog%20Democrats%20Vote%20for%20Trillion-Dollar%20Defense%20Budget%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/11/blue-dog-democrats-vote-for-trillion-dollar-defense-budget/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Blue%20Dog%20Democrats%20Vote%20for%20Trillion-Dollar%20Defense%20Budget%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/11/blue-dog-democrats-vote-for-trillion-dollar-defense-budget/) Yesterday, the U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will push defense funding above $1 trillion for fiscal year 2026\. Seventeen House Democrats joined all but four Republicans in approving the bill, which passed in a vote of [231-196](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025262). The U.S. is set to rocket past the trillion-dollar mark in defense spending through the NDAA’s authorization of [$892.6 billion](https://armedservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/budget%5Fsavings%5Fand%5Freforms.pdf) for defense programs, combined with the [$150 billion](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/) defense spending increase included in the Republican budget signed into law on July 4 by President Trump. The House-passed NDAA will need to be reconciled with the Senate’s version, which is expected to pass soon and includes even [higher](https://breakingdefense.com/2025/09/house-passes-ndaa-with-848b-topline-and-protections-for-ukraine-aide/) defense spending. Many of the House Democrats who joined Republicans in approving the NDAA are members of the economically-conservative Blue Dog Coalition that claims to pursue “fiscally-responsible policies.” However, the Pentagon has [never passed](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/pentagon-fails-audit/) a financial audit, the only federal agency that has never done so, having failed seven in a row since it became required to undertake them starting in 2018\. Earlier this year, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and other Pentagon watchdogs identified at least [$60 billion](https://quincyinst.org/2025/01/28/new-research-doge-can-save-taxpayers-60-billion-by-targeting-dod-waste/) in annual savings that could be realized through cuts to defense programs they flagged as wasteful or inefficient. The NDAA, one of a few annual must-pass bills in Congress, was again laden with Republican-led [provisions](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-house-approves-defense-policy-bill-with-culture-war-amendments-2025-09-11/) [panned](https://democrats-armedservices.house.gov/2025/9/smith-votes-no-on-fy26-ndaa) as “right-wing culture war” fodder by their Democratic counterparts. One GOP amendment bars the military’s health insurance program from covering gender transition care, while another restricts abortion care for service members. For the third year in a row, House Republicans used the NDAA to attach provisions that would block [diversity](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/us/politics/house-defense-bill-diversity-restrictions.html) initiatives, as well as [climate](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/09/10/war-on-the-environment-lawmakers-spar-over-ndaa-amendments-00553840) measures. The Senate may seek to [remove](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/10/house-defense-authorization-bill-ndaa/) these House measures. The House NDAA also features a bipartisan [plan](https://breakingdefense.com/2025/06/hasc-leaders-release-new-defense-acquisition-reform-plan-to-speed-weapons-buying/) to streamline defense procurement. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, [said](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/10/congress/house-republicans-pass-annual-defense-bill-ndaa-pentagon-00556470) that every Democratic amendment was rejected and voted against the bill. Of the 17 House Democrats who [voted for](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025262) the NDAA, six are members of the Blue Dog Coalition, including two of the group’s three co-chairs, Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) and Vicente Gonzalez (Texas). They were joined by Blue Dog Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), caucus whip Adam Gray (Calif.), Jared Golden (Maine), and Josh Gottheimer (N.J.). The six make up a majority of the group's 10 members in this Congress. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lobbyists Cash In on Both Sides of PFAS Fight URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/10/lobbyists-cash-in-on-both-sides-of-pfas-fight/ Last updated: 2025-09-10T17:54:51.000Z 💧 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lobbyists%20Cash%20In%20on%20Both%20Sides%20of%20PFAS%20Fight%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/10/lobbyists-cash-in-on-both-sides-of-pfas-fight/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lobbyists%20Cash%20In%20on%20Both%20Sides%20of%20PFAS%20Fight%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/10/lobbyists-cash-in-on-both-sides-of-pfas-fight/)! California residents are footing the bill for their water agencies to fight PFAS contamination, but some of that money is going to lobbyists who also represent the companies responsible for the pollution and are working to block efforts to regulate it. These dual roles create a conflict that threatens to sell out the public as these lobbyists may be less aggressive or less credible when advocating for the water agencies, weakening the effectiveness of the advocacy that residents are paying for. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump-Tied Ballard Partners Becomes the Highest-Paid Lobbying Firm in D.C. URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/08/trump-tied-ballard-partners-becomes-the-highest-paid-lobbying-firm-in-d-c/ Last updated: 2025-09-09T12:00:17.000Z 💼 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump-Tied%20Ballard%20Partners%20Becomes%20the%20Highest-Paid%20Lobbying%20Firm%20in%20D.C.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/08/trump-tied-ballard-partners-becomes-the-highest-paid-lobbying-firm-in-d-c/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump-Tied%20Ballard%20Partners%20Becomes%20the%20Highest-Paid%20Lobbying%20Firm%20in%20D.C.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/08/trump-tied-ballard-partners-becomes-the-highest-paid-lobbying-firm-in-d-c/) Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm deeply tied to President Trump and members of his cabinet, has surged to become the highest-paid lobbying shop in Washington D.C. The firm’s lobbying revenue skyrocketed by 300% in the second quarter compared with the previous year, making it the top-earning lobbying shop for the first time ever. Founded by Trump campaign bundler Brian Ballard, the firm was paid [$20 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?id=D000037635) for lobbying in Q2, [dethroning](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07/pharma-industry-and-ballard-partners-dominate-the-lobbying-space-in-second-quarter-of-2025) the perennial leader Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. The haul was an increase of over 40% from Q1 and brought its total this year to nearly $34 million. The company’s founder and top lobbyist was a leading fundraiser for Trump in 2024, bringing in a reported [$50 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-lobbyists.html) for the president’s comeback bid. Ballard Partners is one of a trio of Trump-tied lobbying firms that smashed their records for lobbying revenue in the second quarter of this year, raking in cash from clients like defense contractor Palantir and private prison company GEO Group that hired them after Trump’s election in November. The firms also include Miller Strategies and Continental Strategy, whose [founders](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/19/trumps-lobbyists-buddies-cash-in/) were Trump campaign fundraisers and advisers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House Group Pushes for Vote to Ban Congressional Stock Trading and Ownership URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/04/house-group-pushes-for-vote-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading-and-ownership/ Last updated: 2025-09-07T12:39:54.000Z 🤑 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20Group%20Pushes%20for%20Vote%20to%20Ban%20Congressional%20Stock%20Trading%20and%20Ownership%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/04/house-group-pushes-for-vote-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading-and-ownership/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20Group%20Pushes%20for%20Vote%20to%20Ban%20Congressional%20Stock%20Trading%20and%20Ownership%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/04/house-group-pushes-for-vote-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading-and-ownership/) Yesterday afternoon, a bipartisan group of House members—running the gamut from progressives to Trump-cheering conservatives—held a press conference in the Capitol to announce the introduction of a unified bill to ban members of Congress from trading, or owning, stocks. The legislation, titled the Restore Trust in Congress Act, emerged from discussions held [since April](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/29/reps-kickstart-effort-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading/) aiming to consolidate several bills that would restrict stock trading and ownership by lawmakers over conflict of interest concerns. The [measure](https://magaziner.house.gov/media/press-releases/magaziner-roy-introduce-new-bipartisan-bill-ban-congressional-stock-trading) is led by Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), joined by others including Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). More House [co-sponsors](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5106/cosponsors) joined yesterday along with its unveiling, split evenly between the two parties. MAGA-allied Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a co-sponsor, joined the press conference. Over the summer, Luna [vowed](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/22/lawmakers-hold-stocks-in-defense-energy-and-tech-companies-they-oversee/) to file a discharge petition that, if signed by a majority of House members, would force a floor vote on a stock-trading and stock-owning ban for lawmakers. Yesterday, Luna [said](https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/reps-ocasio-cortez-roy-and-magaziner-speak-to-reporters-on-insider-trading-legislation/665092) that she was still willing to pursue the discharge petition if Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did not bring up the bill by the end of the month. "We have asked nicely for leadership to put this on the floor," she said. "If they don't, I'm saying the timeline is end of month. There is a discharge petition prepared and ready to go." Asked whether he would support the discharge petition, Roy [responded](https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/reps-ocasio-cortez-roy-and-magaziner-speak-to-reporters-on-insider-trading-legislation/665092) that Speaker Johnson, President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and large numbers of his colleagues support banning trading by members of Congress. Roy said he would prefer for the bill to move through the committee process. “And if it doesn't move through regular order, then we'll decide what we need to do to make sure that it gets a vote, but it will get a vote,” he said. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Johnson and GOP Delegation Visit West Bank as Israeli Annexation Plans Loom URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/03/johnson-and-gop-delegation-visit-west-bank-as-israeli-annexation-plans-loom/ Last updated: 2025-09-03T17:27:36.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Johnson%20and%20GOP%20Delegation%20Visit%20West%20Bank%20as%20Israeli%20Annexation%20Plans%20Loom%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/03/johnson-and-gop-delegation-visit-west-bank-as-israeli-annexation-plans-loom/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Johnson%20and%20GOP%20Delegation%20Visit%20West%20Bank%20as%20Israeli%20Annexation%20Plans%20Loom%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/03/johnson-and-gop-delegation-visit-west-bank-as-israeli-annexation-plans-loom/)! House Speaker Mike Johnson recently became the most senior U.S. official ever to set foot in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, a visit that drew sharp condemnation from Palestinian officials and human rights advocates. Now that congressional travel disclosures have been filed, a fuller picture of his 10-day trip to Israel is emerging, showing a delegation of Republican lawmakers holding meetings with Israeli military leaders, touring contested territory, and hearing proposals backed by pro-settlement advocacy groups. This visit came amid growing momentum toward Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Earlier this month, Israel approved the controversial [E1 settlement project](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg30l6myj3o) of over 3,400 housing units that threatens to geographically cut off East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, isolating Palestinian communities and blocking a continuous Palestinian state. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has called it a plan to "bury" Palestinian statehood, and just today Smotrich [called](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-annexations.html) for Israel to annex 82 percent of the West Bank in response to France’s plans to formally recognize the state of Palestine. The trip, which was funded by the U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA), included Johnson along with Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Michael Cloud (R-Texas), and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas). Senior staff traveled as well, including Johnson’s chief of staff and national security advisor. USIEA is an Alabama-based charity, founded in 2011 and run by Heather Johnston, with a board that includes two former Republican congressmen. In the West Bank, the lawmakers toured Israeli-occupied settlements including Ariel and Shiloh, and Johnson told settlers that “the mountains of Judea and Samaria” are the “rightful property of the Jewish people,” remarks that flout international law, which deems Israel’s occupation and settlement expansion as [unlawful](https://www.icj-cij.org/case/186). “Judea and Samaria” is a biblical name that Zionists use for the West Bank, suggesting that it is land that has been granted by God exclusively to Jewish people. The group also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, while U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joined for portions of the trip. Huckabee recently [said](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250820-us-wont-oppose-israels-e1-settlement-plan-east-of-jerusalem-envoy-huckabee-says/) that Israel’s settlement decisions, such as advancing the E1 project, are Israel's to make and are not violations of international law. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pro-Cuomo Super PAC Gets Cash Infusion From Billionaires URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/09/03/pro-cuomo-super-pac-gets-cash-infusion-from-billionaires/ Last updated: 2025-09-04T14:58:30.000Z 🔎 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Pro-Cuomo%20Super%20PAC%20Gets%20Cash%20Infusion%20From%20Billionaires%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/02/pro-cuomo-super-pac-gets-cash-infusion-from-billionaires/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Pro-Cuomo%20Super%20PAC%20Gets%20Cash%20Infusion%20From%20Billionaires%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/09/02/pro-cuomo-super-pac-gets-cash-infusion-from-billionaires/) Billionaires and Republican donors are again giving six-figure donations to the largest pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC in the New York City mayoral race, aiming to defeat state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary on June 24. Mamdani finished with [56.4%](https://vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election%5Fresults/2025/20250624Primary%20Election/rcv/026916%5F1.html) of the primary vote, out of more than 1 million ballots cast, to Cuomo’s 43.6% in ranked-choice voting. The 33-year old progressive Mamdani's campaign focused on tackling the cost of living, expanding free child care, and delivering a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants at the city's Rent Guidelines Board—opposed by the powerful real estate industry, which gave [millions](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/) backing Cuomo. Since Mamdani's primary win, the Queens Assemblymember has been gathering support with [endorsements](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/18/mamdani-1199-seiu-cuomo-endorsement-unions/) from major labor unions—shifting his way from former Gov. Cuomo—that represent workers like teachers, nurses, and public sector employees. Early voting in New York City starts on [Oct. 25](https://www.vote.nyc/elections) ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4. Cuomo, a few weeks after his primary loss, opted to run as an independent, after his campaign [broke records](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/26/cuomo-fix-city-independent-expenditures-mayor/) for outside spending. The largest donor to Fix the City, the super PAC formed by Cuomo’s allies to raise large sums from wealthy donors, was former mayor Michael Bloomberg, who gave an unprecedented $8.3 million in the weeks before the primary. Among many corporate donors, DoorDash contributed $1 million in May to the spending group. Last month, donations to Fix the City picked up again, with the super PAC receiving nearly $1.3 million in one week from a trio of repeat donors. On Aug. 21, the PAC received another $500,000 from billionaire William P. Lauder, an heir of the cosmetics company Estée Lauder and its board chair. The amount brought his total given to $1 million, according to New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) [records](https://www.nyccfb.info/FTMSearch/IndependentSpenders/Contributions?ec=2025&rt=ind&indId=Z193). On Aug. 20, the PAC received another $500,000 from John B. Hess, the former chairman and CEO of oil and gas company Hess Corporation, similarly bringing his total given to $1 million. Hess has been a large [donor](https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?cand=&cycle=&employ=&jurisdiction=&name=john+hess&occupation=&order=desc&sort=A&state=NY&type=&zip=) to Republican super PACs at the federal level, giving half a million dollars last cycle to knock out Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, and putting half a million dollars into the Senate Leadership Fund before the Jan. 5, 2021 U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pharmaceutical Industry on Pace for Record Lobbying Spending URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/29/pharmaceutical-industry-on-pace-for-record-lobbying-spending/ Last updated: 2025-08-29T18:29:56.000Z 😷 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Pharmaceutical%20Industry%20on%20Pace%20for%20Record%20Lobbying%20Spending%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/29/pharmaceutical-industry-on-pace-for-record-lobbying-spending/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Pharmaceutical%20Industry%20on%20Pace%20for%20Record%20Lobbying%20Spending%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/29/pharmaceutical-industry-on-pace-for-record-lobbying-spending/)! Facing an array of threats from the Trump administration and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the pharmaceutical industry spent a record-breaking [$227 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2025&id=H04) on federal lobbying in the first half of 2025, on pace to easily surpass its all-time high of $388 million for 2024\. With policies like international price matching, bans on direct-to-consumer drug ads, and restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines gaining momentum, Big Pharma is battling to protect billions in profits. Yet, even as these threats loom, the industry scored a major win this year with expanded orphan drug exemptions from Medicare price negotiations, showing that its influence in the Republican-controlled government remains formidable. The spending spree, led by industry giants like Pfizer, which shelled out $7.8 million in the first half of the year on issues like drug pricing and vaccine policies, suggests a defensive posture against policies that could hurt profits. One issue at the center of the lobbying is President Trump's push to align U.S. drug prices with lower international rates through "most-favored-nation" pricing, a policy he first floated in 2018 that he is once again pursuing. In May, Trump signed an executive order demanding that drugmakers cut prices to match what they charge in other developed countries, and last month the administration escalated, sending letters to 17 major pharma CEOs insisting on immediate cuts for Medicaid patients and threatening to take additional regulatory steps if progress isn't made within 60 days. RFK Jr., a vocal skeptic of Big Pharma and vaccines, has amplified many of Trump’s efforts while pursuing his own priorities. His “Make America Health Again” initiative, formalized through an executive order that established a presidential commission, has promised to overhaul food and drug systems, including what he describes as liberating the supplement industry—which often bills itself as an alternative to pharmaceuticals—from the FDA’s “aggressive suppression.” Kennedy has [pledged to purge](https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1849925311586238737) regulators he accuses of stifling supplements and other health products that can’t be patented by pharma companies, and supplement industry groups cheered his HHS nomination. However, he has also been going after the FDA's "[generally-recognized-as-safe](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/well/gras-kennedy-supplements.html)" rule, which could impact supplement makers alongside food and chemical companies. Recently, the administration has moved to restrict access to COVID-19 vaccines, which have been a major cash cow for Pfizer and other companies. On August 27, the FDA revoked emergency use authorizations for COVID shots and limited approvals to high-risk groups, making it harder for children and healthy adults to access them amid a surge in the "stratus" variant. This follows Kennedy's earlier defunding of nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts. ## Join Our List Get our money-in-politics news the second it's published. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Kennedy’s actions to change COVID vaccine recommendations sparked lawsuits last month by major medical organizations and calls for him to be removed from his position by the executive director of the American Public Health Association. RFK Jr.’s latest moves to fire Susan Monarez, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) who opposed his vaccine policies, were met with [resignations](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/29/trump-susan-monarez-cdc-firing-reaction) from senior CDC officials and further calls for his dismissal from public health groups. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising, a $10 billion market, is another major battlefront for the industry. RFK Jr. has openly advocated for a crackdown, and the administration is weighing policies to make ads harder and costlier, including potential bans. Momentum is also building in Congress with bills like the [End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act](https://readsludge.com/2025/06/13/sanders-and-king-unveil-first-ever-bill-to-ban-all-prescription-drug-ads/) introduced in June to prohibit DTC pharmaceutical advertising entirely, the first time such a proposal has been put in legislation. Despite these pressures, pharma isn't coming away empty-handed. In a major win, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, expands exemptions for orphan drugs—those that treat rare diseases—from Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. Previously, the exemption was limited to drugs that treat a single rare condition, but the OBBBA expanded it to cover multi-indication orphans, protecting high prices for these lucrative products. This provision, which the industry argues will encourage more drug companies to conduct follow-on testing of rare disease therapies, could save companies $5 billion over the next ten years. Merck is one pharma giant that stands to benefit from the OBBBA, with its blockbuster Keytruda treatment [delayed](https://www.wsj.com/health/pharma/trump-tax-spending-bill-drug-prices-medicare-5465f4e2) from price negotiations with Medicare by at least one year, from 2026 to 2027\. The drug, which treats advanced melanoma, had $17.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2024\. In addition to the orphan drug provision, the OBBA resets the timeline for when a drug with an orphan approval can be negotiated with Medicare once it is later approved for a wider use. Big Pharma's record-shattering lobbying blitz so far this year appears to be a calculated counteroffensive, not just against Trump and RFK Jr.'s populist reforms but also to push a range of profit-protecting policies, from reforming PBMs and limiting the 340B drug program to preserving the Prescription Drug User Fee system and expanding Medicare coverage for weight-loss drugs. Tellingly, the industry's lobbying efforts have extended to handouts of raw cash: PhRMA, Pfizer, Bayer, Merck, Eli Lilly, and Abbott Labs each funneled between $500,000 and $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inaugural committee, a plain attempt to curry favor with an administration that is widely perceived as being particularly susceptible to corporate gifts. --- ### Speed Read: [CREW](https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-reports/political-spending-tops-900k-at-trump-properties-since-inauguration/): Political committees have spent $931,129 at Trump properties since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, according to CREW’s analysis of FEC filings. [Truthout](https://truthout.org/articles/torres-urged-to-donate-arms-maker-profits-he-made-while-backing-aid-to-israel/): An advocacy group is calling on Rep. Ritchie Torres to donate to humanitarian efforts in Gaza after newly released disclosures revealed the staunchly pro-Israel politician’s investments in weapons contractors as he’s campaigned for the U.S.’s backing of Israel’s genocide. [Truthout](https://truthout.org/articles/these-billionaires-have-already-spent-19-million-in-a-bid-to-defeat-mamdani/): An analysis of new campaign finance filings by influence trackers at the nonprofit public interest research organization LittleSis found that multiple billionaires and their companies have funneled more than $19 million into political action committees that support Cuomo or oppose Mamdani and other candidates. ### Companies Blast Past $1 Trillion in Stock Buybacks URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/28/companies-blast-past-1-trillion-in-stock-buybacks/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T22:59:10.000Z 📈 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Companies%20Blast%20Past%20$1%20Trillion%20in%20Stock%20Buybacks%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/28/companies-blast-past-1-trillion-in-stock-buybacks/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Companies%20Blast%20Past%20$1%20Trillion%20in%20Stock%20Buybacks%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/28/companies-blast-past-1-trillion-in-stock-buybacks/) U.S. companies have [announced $1 trillion](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-firms-racing-1-trillion-210828252.html) in stock buybacks this year, a record pace, led by tech giants Apple and Alphabet, as well as big banks. Research firm Birinyi Associates projects $1.3 trillion of buybacks will be announced for 2025, and a record amount of repurchases will be completed. Large companies, already sitting on sizable cash reserves, saw strong [earnings](https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/stock-buybacks-2025-3b0ddedd) in the second quarter—and were given bounteous corporate tax benefits in the sweeping Republican budget reconciliation bill, signed by President Trump on July 4\. Almost half the planned repurchases are coming from 20 large companies, which will have the effect of driving up their earnings-per-share numbers. Corporate stock buybacks reward investors, but divert money from wages and long-term investment while disproportionately benefiting institutional investors who own the vast majority of shares. Yesterday, Nvidia announced plans to boost its repurchases by a [record](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-just-announced-record-60-131700002.html) $60 billion, just after releasing its much-scrutinized quarterly earnings. In May, Apple announced a $100 billion buyback plan, the largest by a company this year. The month before, Alphabet announced a $70 billion buyback plan; among banks, JPMorgan Chase plans $50 billion in buybacks, and Bank of America is in for $40 billion. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Top Democrats Keep Paying Mothership Strategies, Despite Years of Warnings URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/27/top-democrats-keep-paying-mothership-strategies-despite-years-of-warnings/ Last updated: 2025-08-27T16:39:55.000Z 🤬 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Top%20Democrats%20Keep%20Paying%20Mothership%20Strategies,%20Despite%20Years%20of%20Warnings%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/27/top-democrats-keep-paying-mothership-strategies-despite-years-of-warnings/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Top%20Democrats%20Keep%20Paying%20Mothership%20Strategies,%20Despite%20Years%20of%20Warnings%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/27/top-democrats-keep-paying-mothership-strategies-despite-years-of-warnings/)! You’ve probably heard of Mothership Strategies, the Democratic digital firm notorious for running “scam PACs” that rake in millions from small-dollar grassroots donors while funneling nearly all of the money to consultants. What’s less widely known is how deeply the operation remains entwined with top Democratic Party leaders. Even after years of damning reporting on the group, senior lawmakers, including House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, continue to channel money toward Mothership. Aguilar, the third-highest ranking House Democrat, has routed $262,000 from his campaign committee to Mothership since the 2022 cycle, according to FEC records. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ CHC BOLD PAC, where Aguilar was formerly a leader and still plays a key role, has paid the group $7.4 million over the same period for list rentals, texting, and other digital services. He has also lent credibility to some of Mothership’s top PAC affiliates. Aguilar provided a testimonial for Save Democracy PAC, prominently displayed on the group’s website, even though the PAC funnels most of its money to Mothership consultants. In the 2023–24 cycle, Save Democracy raised $6.6 million, mostly from small, unitemized donations, and paid $3.4 million to Mothership for fundraising services. Aguilar has also been a featured speaker at rallies hosted by the Progressive Turnout Project, Mothership’s largest client, which paid the firm $12.3 million in 2023–24. Another longtime Democratic leader, the 86-year-old Steny Hoyer, has directed $4.5 million from his AmeriPAC leadership committee to Mothership Strategies consultants since January 2023\. Though Hoyer stepped out of the leadership ranks after spending decades as a top-ranking party official, his PAC spending shows how embedded Mothership remains with senior party figures. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AI Industry Picks up Crypto’s Big Money Playbook URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/26/ai-industry-picks-up-cryptos-big-money-playbook/ Last updated: 2025-08-27T14:05:01.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AI%20Industry%20Picks%20up%20Crypto%E2%80%99s%20Big%20Money%20Playbook%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/26/ai-industry-picks-up-cryptos-big-money-playbook/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AI%20Industry%20Picks%20up%20Crypto%E2%80%99s%20Big%20Money%20Playbook%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/26/ai-industry-picks-up-cryptos-big-money-playbook/) Ron Conway, the billionaire Silicon Valley investor and Democratic megadonor, was seeing red this time last year. His allies in the cryptocurrency industry super PAC group Fairshake had bought a splashy $12 million worth of ads backing the Republican challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)—just before he was set to meet with then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the hopes of advancing crypto industry-friendly legislation. In a supremely [ticked-off email](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/19/dem-megadonor-crypto-super-pacs-00174663) to the founders of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and other crypto titans, Conway broke up with the Fairshake group, to which he had donated $500,000\. Conway seems to have mended fences with a16z’s Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, for the sake of the artificial intelligence industry. He’s helping to fund a new AI industry group, Leading the Future (LTF), launched by a16z and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, according to the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/silicon-valley-launches-pro-ai-pacs-to-defend-industry-in-midterm-elections-287905b3). Other LTF backers include Joe Lonsdale, the Palantir co-founder and VC investor who is a confidant of Elon Musk, and AI search engine Perplexity. The new undertaking says in a press release it will advocate for AI policies and oppose candidates it deems unsupportive of AI’s growth, highlighting its concerns that China will dominate in global AI. LTF says it has amassed $100 million from the industry. Also, Meta [announced](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/meta-launch-california-super-pac-backing-pro-ai-candidates-2025-08-26/) today that it will spend tens of millions through a new California-focused super PAC backing candidates who will endorse lighter regulation of technology, in particular AI. There’s no missing that the group is running the crypto industry playbook: LTF, like Fairshake, [says](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-industry-launches-leading-the-future-to-drive-us-ai-leadership-economic-growth-national-security-and-innovation-302537548.html?tc=eml%5Fcleartime) it will combine “federal and state Super PACs and 501(c)(4) issue advocacy organizations, giving it maximum flexibility to engage in the 2026 election cycle and beyond.” LTF’s two staff are Zac Moffatt, CEO of the Republican digital firm Targeted Victory, and Josh Vlasto, a former press secretary to Sen. Chuck Schumer and chief of staff to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo—a Fairshake spokesperson since 2023\. The group plans to create candidate scorecards, as did the Coinbase-founded project Stand With Crypto Alliance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Torres Invested in Weapons Makers as He Backed Billions in Arms for Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/25/torres-invested-in-weapons-makers-as-he-backed-billions-in-arms-for-israel/ Last updated: 2025-08-25T20:11:13.000Z While urging the White House to speed up bomb deliveries to Israel, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) was also adding defense contractors like Lockheed and Northrop to his portfolio. In the months after Israel’s assault on Gaza began, Torres became one of the most outspoken Democrats in Washington demanding uninterrupted arms shipments, often breaking ranks with his Democratic colleagues. In October 2023, he signed a letter to President Biden opposing calls for de-escalation and urging an increase in weapons transfers. When Biden briefly paused shipments of 2,000-pound bombs in May 2024 out of concern they would be used in attacks on Rafah, Torres lashed out at the decision and even [joined Republicans in backing a resolution](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-democrats-voted-israel-aid-security-assistance-bill-biden-2024-5) to override it. Torres also voted for the $17 billion weapons package to Israel that passed Congress in April 2024, and he has consistently opposed Democratic calls for a ceasefire, arguing that any suspension of U.S. military aid would amount to siding with Hamas. After the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Torres responded by voting with Republicans to [sanction](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/09/house-gop-rushes-to-protect-netanyahu/) the court. All the while, Torres’ recent financial disclosures show his portfolio was newly invested in the same companies whose products were being shipped to Israel. In a recently filed [report](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20030930.pdf), he disclosed stock purchases made in September 2024 in Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris—three of the largest U.S. weapons companies supplying Israel’s military. The trades were not reported until nearly a year later, far past the 45-day deadline required under the 2012 STOCK Act. Torres had never previously disclosed owning corporate stocks before these purchases, and he has since amended his 2024 financial disclosure to reflect these holdings and others. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lawmakers Hold Stocks in Defense, Energy, and Tech Companies They Oversee URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/22/lawmakers-hold-stocks-in-defense-energy-and-tech-companies-they-oversee/ Last updated: 2025-08-22T21:55:38.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lawmakers%20Hold%20Stocks%20in%20Defense,%20Energy,%20and%20Tech%20Companies%20They%20Oversee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/22/lawmakers-hold-stocks-in-defense-energy-and-tech-companies-they-oversee/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lawmakers%20Hold%20Stocks%20in%20Defense,%20Energy,%20and%20Tech%20Companies%20They%20Oversee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/22/lawmakers-hold-stocks-in-defense-energy-and-tech-companies-they-oversee/) Drama is building in the House Republican caucus over an effort by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) to force a vote on a bill in the months ahead that would ban members of Congress from trading or owning stocks. Last month, Luna [vowed](https://www.axios.com/2025/08/14/congress-stock-trading-anna-paulina-luna) to file a discharge petition on legislation prohibiting lawmakers and their households from trading or owning stocks, commodities, and other assets—requiring them to divest their assets within 180 days of the bill’s becoming law. If her petition gets 218 signatures in the House, the measure would be brought to the floor for a vote. Her fellow Republican, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, has been part of a [bipartisan group](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/29/reps-kickstart-effort-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading/) working on legislation that would similarly ban stock trading, though one that would give lawmakers the option of placing assets in a blind trust. Roy, a conservative who has bucked party leaders, favors allowing House GOP leadership to steer the stock-trading bill. At the same time, Roy just announced a campaign for Texas attorney general that will see him depart the House after the midterms. Similar legislation banning stock trading and ownership by lawmakers was recently [advanced](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/01/senate-panel-advances-stock-trading-ban-for-lawmakers-with-trump-exemption/) out of committee in the Senate, but Majority Leader John Thune has thrown cold water on hopes of bringing up the bill for consideration unless more of his caucus gets on board. Some of the wealthiest senators, notably Rick Scott (R-Fla.), lashed out against it in a contentious hearing. A parade of proposals to limit congressional stock trading over the past decade-plus, many of them bipartisan, have floundered, left to [expire](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/15/congressional-leaders-warning-of-insider-trading-could-have-banned-officials-from-stock-trading/) by party leadership. A few members have recently sworn off owning individual stocks and chosen to divest: freshman Rep. George Whitesides (D-Calif.) took the step in March, as Sludge [reported](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/), selling off stocks to “avoid any possible conflicts of interest” with his congressional work. Another wealthy House member, Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.), [sold](https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-rep-jefferson-shreve-sells-100338368.html) nearly his entire portfolio in May, citing a desire for public transparency. This month, after once again [violating](https://readsludge.com/2025/08/13/house-dem-kept-his-bitcoin-linked-stock-position-secret-while-helping-to-pass-key-crypto-bills/) disclosure laws, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) [pledged](https://www.notus.org/money/shri-thanedar-stock-act-violation) to follow suit. Last week, annual financial disclosures covering 2024 were due for the many members of Congress who took advantage of an extension. Those disclosures, combined with later transaction filings, show that many lawmakers and their family members continue to hold stock in individual companies impacted by legislation on which they vote. ### **Defense Contractors** Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)’s spouse holds between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of stock in defense contractor Amphenol, as well as up to $50,000 worth of stock in Boeing and up to $50,000 worth of RTX (formerly Raytheon), according to her Senate disclosure. Collins is currently the chair of the Appropriations Committee, and in the previous Congress was the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Her spouse Thomas Daffron, a former Republican Senate chief of staff, was chief operating officer of lobbying firm Jefferson Consulting Group for almost a decade before his retirement. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) has held on to between $100,000 and $250,000 worth of stock in RTX since his election in 2020, with dividends of up to $5,000 last year, according to his financial disclosure. RTX’s stock price has nearly doubled over the past two years, with most of the company’s revenue coming from defense contracts. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Gallego Holds Nantucket Fundraiser With Wall Street and Crypto Lobbyists URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/21/gallego-holds-nantucket-fundraiser-with-wall-street-and-crypto-lobbyists/ Last updated: 2025-08-21T19:11:48.000Z 🤑 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Gallego%20Holds%20Nantucket%20Fundraiser%20With%20Wall%20Street%20and%20Crypto%20Lobbyists%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/21/gallego-holds-nantucket-fundraiser-with-wall-street-and-crypto-lobbyists/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Gallego%20Holds%20Nantucket%20Fundraiser%20With%20Wall%20Street%20and%20Crypto%20Lobbyists%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/21/gallego-holds-nantucket-fundraiser-with-wall-street-and-crypto-lobbyists/)! As rumors swirl about a 2026 presidential run, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego is already courting Wall Street and K Street. This week, he held a fundraiser on Nantucket with hosts including Rob Petty of global investment management firm Fiera Capital and D.C.-based corporate lobbyists Mike Smith and Amy Terjal. Once a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Gallego has [shifted to the middle](https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/05/16/gallego-arizona-senate-lake/) since running for Senate in Arizona last year and beginning his first term in the upper chamber. He recently helped deliver Republicans the Democratic votes they needed to pass a major cryptocurrency bill that boosts adoption of stablecoin technologies. Now, at his Nantucket fundraiser, he is collecting checks with help from a lobbyist for the industry. Host Mike Smith, a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs, represents venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz, one of crypto’s most aggressive backers. The firm has called stablecoins the industry’s first “killer app” and recently [invested](https://fortune.com/crypto/2025/04/30/stablecoin-zar-raises-7-million-dragonfly-capital-andreessen-horowitz-vaneck-ventures/) in the stablecoin company Zar. Smith and Cornerstone are paid $80,000 a quarter by Andreessen Horowitz to lobby Congress on cryptocurrency and other issues, [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/b04d4dcf-d6d2-4898-9722-663d57e98cf2/print/) show. Smith and Cornerstone also lobby for stablecoin company Circle and financial services company Stripe, which is venturing into stablecoin payments. This is not Gallego’s first time raising money from crypto interests. In his 2024 Senate race, he benefited from [$10 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00848440&tab=targeted%5Fcandidates) in spending by the industry-funded Protect Progress super PAC. Earlier this year he [headlined a fundraiser](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/ruben-gallego-crypto-digital-assets-andreessen-yglesias-1235260013/) with Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen, a billionaire Trump donor. All the while, Gallego has served as the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee’s subcommittee on “digital assets,” which oversees the very industry supplying his campaign cash. Smith also lobbies for corporate giants like Alphabet, Boeing, Citigroup, and RTX. His spouse, Terjal, is a founding partner at Avenue Solutions, a D.C. lobbying firm that represents clients including private equity firm Apollo Global Management, JPMorgan Chase, and UnitedHealth Group. Terjal [lobbies](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/d8a0aa28-c2d7-4f17-aa9c-ea0948ce4d6b/print/) the U.S. Senate for Apollo Global Management on issues related to hospital management. The firm’s ownership of major hospital chains like Lifepoint Health and ScionHealth has been [criticized](https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/PESP%5F%5FReport%5FApollo%5FLifepoint%5F2024.pdf) for prioritizing profits over patient care, leading to service cuts, layoffs, and regulatory scrutiny. > Ruben Gallego fundraiser in Nantucket on Monday, per invite. [pic.twitter.com/Kfo5UCZZVB](https://t.co/Kfo5UCZZVB) > > — Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) [August 15, 2025](https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1956469045005590880?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Also helping to host Gallego this week was Rob Petty, co-founder of Clearwater Capital Partners, a Hong Kong-based private credit firm that grew by buying up distressed corporate debt across Asia after the 2001 financial crisis and extracting high returns through restructurings. In 2018, Clearwater was sold to Canadian asset manager Fiera Capital, where Petty now runs its Asia division. The business specializes in “stressed credit and special situation investments,” deals that can keep troubled companies afloat but can also give outside financiers outsized power in bankruptcy proceedings and restructurings, sometimes at the expense of local businesses, workers, or governments left on the hook. Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons, co-founders of the Blue Haven Initiative, were also hosts. The firm, which manages roughly $500 million across private equity, fixed income, private and direct investments, aims to align the Pritzker family’s wealth with social and environmental goals. Its venture capital arm funds early-stage companies in developing countries working in areas like solar energy, healthcare, and fintech. Ian Simmons has also been involved in efforts to address problems with money in politics. He was an early donor to the Lawrence Lessig-founded Mayday PAC and served as a board member for the nonprofit group Issue One. Speculation about Gallego's potential bid for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination has intensified following his recent visits to key swing states. Earlier this month, Gallego traveled to Iowa, where he participated in town halls and visited a meatpacking plant. In May, he visited Pennsylvania, where he engaged with voters in Bucks County, a district that narrowly flipped to Trump in 2024\. At a town hall, he advocated for a more inclusive Democratic message that can speak to the working class, arguing that the party had become “too pure” and had alienated many potential supporters While Gallego has consistently stated that his current focus is on helping Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, he has not ruled out a future presidential run. In a recent interview, he acknowledged that the prospect of running for president had crossed his mind but added that such considerations were not among his immediate priorities. ## Join Our Newsletter Get our reporting on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. --- ### Speed Read: [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/crypto-firm-tether-hires-ex-white-house-crypto-adviser-bo-hines-2025-08-19/): Cryptocurrency firm Tether has appointed former White House crypto policy executive Bo Hines as a strategic adviser to help steer its expansion in the United States, the company said on Tuesday. [Bloomberg](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-embarks-104-million-bond-012259088.html): President Donald Trump has bought hundreds of bonds since he returned to office, including those sold by US companies affected by the sweeping changes to federal policies he’s championed. [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/us/politics/hollywood-fundraiser-susan-collins-democrats.html): Some of Hollywood’s most prominent Democrats are set to hold a fund-raiser next month for one of America’s most endangered Republicans. ### Fossil Fuel Lobby Derails UN Plastics Treaty URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/20/fossil-fuel-lobby-derails-un-plastics-treaty/ Last updated: 2025-08-20T22:35:54.000Z 💧 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20Lobby%20Derails%20UN%20Plastics%20Treaty%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/20/fossil-fuel-lobby-derails-un-plastics-treaty/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20Lobby%20Derails%20UN%20Plastics%20Treaty%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/20/fossil-fuel-lobby-derails-un-plastics-treaty/) At last week’s United Nations negotiations in Geneva, petrochemical giants and a handful of oil-producing states successfully blocked progress on a global treaty to curb plastic pollution—drawing condemnation from environmental groups who warned of mounting harms from plastic making. The nonprofit Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) [described](https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-staff-react-to-end-of-resumed-fifth-plastics-treaty-talks/) the outcome as a “failure of process” amid a wave of plastics industry lobbying. The collapse of the talks, hosted by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), marked the second consecutive round to end in deadlock after Saudi Arabia and other major producers refused to accept a binding cap on plastics manufacturing. “This round of negotiations saw record numbers of fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists—proof that industry is desperate to derail a treaty that could hold it accountable,” [said](https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-staff-react-to-end-of-resumed-fifth-plastics-treaty-talks/) Rachel Radvany, environmental health campaigner for CIEL. At stake is an explosion of plastic waste: plastic production is set to triple by 2060, but less than 10% of it is recycled, according to a review of [studies](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/03/world-in-15tn-plastics-crisis-hitting-health-from-infancy-to-old-age-report-warns) published earlier this month in the medical journal The Lancet. The journal cited [harms](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2825%2901447-3/abstract)—ranging from air pollution to toxic chemical exposure to microplastic buildup in bodies—that stem from the 8,000 megatons of plastic now occupying the planet. The plastics industry and large plastics-producing countries in the talks have put emphasis on plastic “recycling,” as opposed to reducing production. However, a [report](https://climateintegrity.org/projects/plastics-fraud) last year from the Center for Climate Integrity found that the industry lied about the sustainability of recycling as a solution for plastic pollution, and that for decades over 90% of plastic was burned, landfilled, or disintegrated into the environment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dem Super PACs Refund FTX Money Under DOJ Pressure URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/19/dem-super-pacs-refund-ftx-money-under-doj-pressure/ Last updated: 2025-08-19T19:31:34.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Dem%20Super%20PACs%20Refund%20FTX%20Money%20Under%20DOJ%20Pressure%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/19/dem-super-pacs-refund-ftx-money-under-doj-pressure/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Dem%20Super%20PACs%20Refund%20FTX%20Money%20Under%20DOJ%20Pressure%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/19/dem-super-pacs-refund-ftx-money-under-doj-pressure/)! Two of the biggest Democrat-aligned super PACs, Future Forward PAC and Women Vote, quietly refunded more than $4.4 million in February to the FTX bankruptcy estate, more than two years after Sam Bankman-Fried’s massive fraud scheme was exposed, and only after mounting legal pressure from federal prosecutors. According to disclosures filed recently with the Federal Election Commission, Future Forward returned [$3.35 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202507319789373070) on Feb. 12 and Women Vote refunded [$1.1 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202503189754224560) the next day. Both payments were made to the FTX Recovery Trust, which manages the payments of recovered assets to creditors. Future Forward, the largest Democratic outside spending group, supported Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, while Women Vote operates as a Democratic candidate-backing affiliate of EMILYs List. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lutnick Family Firm Invests in Bitcoin and Stocks Boosted by Trump WH Policies URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/18/lutnick-family-firm-invests-in-bitcoin-and-stocks-boosted-by-trump-wh-policies/ Last updated: 2025-09-17T23:04:10.000Z 📈 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lutnick%20Family%20Firm%20Invests%20in%20Bitcoin%20and%20Stocks%20Boosted%20by%20Trump%20WH%20Policies%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/18/lutnick-family-firm-invests-in-bitcoin-and-stocks-boosted-by-trump-wh-policies/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lutnick%20Family%20Firm%20Invests%20in%20Bitcoin%20and%20Stocks%20Boosted%20by%20Trump%20WH%20Policies%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/18/lutnick-family-firm-invests-in-bitcoin-and-stocks-boosted-by-trump-wh-policies/) Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm controlled by the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is deepening its investments in assets tied to Trump administration policies. In the second quarter of this year, the firm bought hefty amounts of shares in a Bitcoin fund and stock in companies Robinhood, Alibaba, Tesla, chipmaker AMD, Apple, and Trump Media, according to its latest Securities and Exchange Commission [filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1024896/000092963825003031/0000929638-25-003031-index.htm). Lutnick has been a top cheerleader in the media of the Trump administration’s tariff policies, which can shake the stock prices of companies, and has aided the administration’s plans for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Lutnick, who had run Cantor Fitzgerald since 1991 as CEO and president, handed control of the firm to his sons Brandon, now CEO, and Kyle, vice chairman, upon his Senate confirmation in February. In May, Lutnick divested his ownership interest in the firm under his ethics [agreement](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/436440318CFB67BE85258C1C003219C1/$FILE/Lutnick%2C%20Howard%20%20finalEA.pdf). Lutnick has been deeply entwined with President Trump’s frenetic tariff plans, as detailed a recent New Yorker [profile](https://www.newyorker.com/newsletter/the-daily/the-man-behind-trumps-tariffs-strategy), and the Department of Commerce is responsible for implementing and enforcing tariffs as set by the president, the U.S. Trade Representative, and other agencies. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DNC Chair Moves to Confront Corporate and Dark Money in 2028 Primaries URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/14/dnc-chair-moves-to-confront-corporate-and-dark-money-in-2028-primaries/ Last updated: 2026-06-22T21:09:58.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=DNC%20Chair%20Moves%20to%20Confront%20Corporate%20and%20Dark%20Money%20in%202028%20Primaries%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/14/dnc-chair-moves-to-confront-corporate-and-dark-money-in-2028-primaries/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DNC%20Chair%20Moves%20to%20Confront%20Corporate%20and%20Dark%20Money%20in%202028%20Primaries%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/14/dnc-chair-moves-to-confront-corporate-and-dark-money-in-2028-primaries/) Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, is moving to rein in the corporate and “dark money” spending that has been running rampant in Democratic primary contests. This week, Martin circulated materials to DNC members including a resolution he will introduce that would task a new Committee on Reforms with proposing “real, enforceable steps the DNC can take to eliminate unlimited corporate and dark money in its 2028 presidential primary process.” Sludge obtained a copy of the draft resolution, embedded below. The measure was applauded by DNC members who have been pushing to limit corporate and dark money that is spent to sway voters in primaries. Outside spending in Democratic primaries has soared, with the cryptocurrency industry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) dropping [enormous](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/27/the-crypto-industry-could-decide-the-fate-of-the-senate/) [sums](https://readsludge.com/2024/06/20/no-group-has-ever-spent-as-much-as-aipac-has-in-the-bowman-latimer-primary/) to back candidates. Even outside spending groups tied to Democratic Party leaders have [ramped up](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/01/congressional-leaders-are-embracing-dark-money-like-never-before/) their dark money spending in recent cycles. “For those of us who have been talking about corporate and dark money for years, this is a huge step forward,” said Larry Cohen, a DNC member and chair of the progressive group Our Revolution, which [endorsed](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5448182-dnc-resolution-corporate-dark-money/) the measure. “This resolution represents a growing awareness that we can’t talk about voters and be addicted to Big Money at the same time. We need active voters who will build party infrastructure in all 3,000 counties, and currently we don’t even have half of that.” The resolution will go before DNC members at the party’s summer meeting in Minneapolis from Aug. 25–27, with the goal of having the reform proposals considered at the summer meeting in 2026\. Much remains to be worked out by the new panel: for one, the resolution does not explicitly mention super PACs. So the question will arise of how to treat super PACs in the presidential primary that spend money that comes from dark money groups, like nonprofits, or other PACs with less transparency on their true funders. Super PACs are often dubbed “[gray money”](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/17/dark-money-floods-in-to-state-elections-revealing-cracks-in-disclosure-laws/) groups for these practices of spotty disclosure of their original sources of funding. Spending groups can also hide their donors’ information from the public by running contributions through a series of groups, leaving behind a tangled—and often long-delayed—trail of disclosures, which voters may not hear about until after votes are cast. Another major issue is what type of enforcement is lined up for spending groups that flout the rules in the presidential primary. The DNC’s rules can’t wholly prevent outside spending in elections, given the Supreme Court’s rulings that spending to influence elections is protected by the First Amendment as free speech. The resolution acknowledges that challenge, saying, “the only way to solve this problem in the long term is through Congressional action, including a constitutional amendment to overturn *Citizens United* and its progeny…” Recognizing the national campaign finance landscape, the resolution says that the new reform committee would put forward “a specific set of necessary legislative actions that the DNC should endorse as a body to present to Congressional leaders.” It mentions past Senate Republican filibusters of the major [DISCLOSE Act](https://readsludge.com/2021/01/21/eleven-years-later-democrats-will-try-again-to-address-citizens-uniteds-dark-money-problem/), the leading measure to make public the sources of dark money spending in elections that was passed by House Democrats in [2021](https://readsludge.com/2021/03/03/house-dems-pass-sweeping-campaign-finance-and-voting-reform-bill/) and before. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### House Dem Kept His Bitcoin-Linked Stock Position Secret While Helping to Pass Key Crypto Bills URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/13/house-dem-kept-his-bitcoin-linked-stock-position-secret-while-helping-to-pass-key-crypto-bills/ Last updated: 2025-08-13T15:03:37.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20Dem%20Kept%20His%20Bitcoin-Linked%20Stock%20Position%20Secret%20While%20Helping%20to%20Pass%20Key%20Crypto%20Bills%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/13/house-dem-kept-his-bitcoin-linked-stock-position-secret-while-helping-to-pass-key-crypto-bills/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20Dem%20Kept%20His%20Bitcoin-Linked%20Stock%20Position%20Secret%20While%20Helping%20to%20Pass%20Key%20Crypto%20Bills%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/13/house-dem-kept-his-bitcoin-linked-stock-position-secret-while-helping-to-pass-key-crypto-bills/)! Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), who sits on a congressional subcommittee overseeing the crypto market, voted for crypto-friendly bills this summer while secretly holding tens of thousands of dollars in stock tied to Bitcoin’s price, in violation of federal disclosure laws. On Monday this week, Thanedar finally [disclosed](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20030869.pdf) that he had bought between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of MicroStrategy shares in July 2024, more than 400 days late. The STOCK Act requires members of Congress to report trades within 45 days to ensure transparency and expose potential insider trading. Thanedar’s late filing meant his financial bet on the Bitcoin treasury company remained hidden through months of legislative activity directly affecting digital assets. Thanedar’s office did not respond to a request for comment. MicroStrategy, a Virginia-based software company recently renamed Strategy, has become the largest publicly traded corporate holder of Bitcoin, with a stock value that moves in alignment with the cryptocurrency’s price, but with even more volatility. By buying MSTR stock, Thanedar was essentially making a leveraged wager on Bitcoin’s rise, after having reported in January 2024 that he had sold off all of his holdings in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin holdings. The price of Strategy shares has risen by about 180 percent since Thanedar bought them. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blinken, Who Told Congress That Israel Was Not Blocking Aid in Gaza, Joins CAP’s Board URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/12/blinken-who-told-congress-that-israel-was-not-blocking-aid-in-gaza-joins-caps-board/ Last updated: 2025-08-13T15:05:02.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Blinken,%20Who%20Told%20Congress%20That%20Israel%20Was%20Not%20Blocking%20Aid%20in%20Gaza,%20Joins%20CAP%E2%80%99s%20Board%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/12/blinken-who-told-congress-that-israel-was-not-blocking-aid-in-gaza-joins-caps-board/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Blinken,%20Who%20Told%20Congress%20That%20Israel%20Was%20Not%20Blocking%20Aid%20in%20Gaza,%20Joins%20CAP%E2%80%99s%20Board%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/12/blinken-who-told-congress-that-israel-was-not-blocking-aid-in-gaza-joins-caps-board/) The Democratic Party-aligned think tank Center for American Progress recently added former Secretary of State Antony Blinken to their board of directors—quietly, with no public announcement. In 2024, ProPublica [reported](https://www.propublica.org/article/gaza-palestine-israel-blocked-humanitarian-aid-blinken), based on leaked documents, that two U.S. government bodies—USAID and the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration—concluded that Israel was intentionally blocking food and medicine deliveries to Gaza. Despite these findings, Blinken’s May 2024 report to Congress stated that Israel was not restricting U.S. humanitarian aid, a determination that allowed [billions](https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/us-spends-a-record-17-9-billion-on-military-aid-to-israel-since-last-oct-7/) in U.S. military aid and weapons sales to Israel to continue under Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act. The Center for American Progress (CAP) did not tout the addition of Blinken to its board, like it has in the past when other former administration officials joined. CAP did not respond to Sludge’s questions about how Blinken will help the group in its mission to “promote peace and shared global prosperity.” In May 2024, CAP’s former president Patrick Gaspard [faulted Blinken](https://www.americanprogress.org/press/statement-caps-patrick-gaspard-expresses-disappointment-in-blinken-report/) for his report to Congress claiming that Israel was not violating international law in its use of U.S. weapons. Gaspard said there was “overwhelming evidence that Israeli forces have violated international law through indiscriminate bombing that has killed thousands of civilians.” ## Get Sludge's Newsletter Follow the Money... Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. A couple of months prior, Gaspard [took aim at](https://www.americanprogress.org/press/statement-assertion-that-netanyahu-is-complying-with-international-law-in-gaza-is-a-gross-disregard-of-overwhelming-evidence-says-caps-patrick-gaspard/) the State Department for its “gross disregard of overwhelming evidence and a dangerous precedent in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy” in its claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not violating international law. Gaspard’s statement went on to call for a halt to offensive weapons sales to Israel in the conflict: “The United States, by its own imposed standards, cannot heedlessly deliver offensive weapons as the Israeli government continues to bombard and starve innocents on a mass scale.” Gaspard was replaced as CAP’s president and CEO this past February by the group’s former president and CEO Neera Tanden, after her time in the Biden administration. Two sources told [Jewish Insider](https://jewishinsider.com/2025/02/patrick-gaspard-neera-tandem-center-for-american-progress/) that the move was an involuntary demotion for Gaspard, who is now a CAP distinguished senior fellow. The sources drew attention to Gaspard's [criticism](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2024/04/09/the-politics-of-israel-are-changing-00151348) of Israel’s military actions in Gaza as playing a part in the change at the think tank, whose 501(c)3 arm has a roughly $50 million annual budget. Also recently, CAP posted a note saying it would no longer list its donors publicly, in what it [calls](https://www.americanprogress.org/c3-our-supporters/) a “temporary protective step” due to the appearance of retaliation by the Trump administration. Foreign policy watchdogs told Sludge that think tanks like CAP, which weighs in regularly on foreign policy and defense topics, should not be embracing “dark money” donations and their potential for conflicts of interest. Blinken was previously a [co-founder of corporate consultancy](https://readsludge.com/2021/01/04/bidens-state-department-nominee-is-a-walking-talking-conflict-of-interest/) WestExec Advisors before being appointed to be President Biden’s top diplomat. At the firm, which piped [more than 15 foreign policy staff](https://prospect.org/power/meet-the-consulting-firm-staffing-biden-administration-westexec/) into the Biden administration, Blinken’s former clients included defense contracting giant Boeing, private equity titan Blackstone, and Japanese tech investor SoftBank, according to his December 2020 financial disclosure. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### DSCC Took Lobbyist Bundles From Firms Reaping Rewards Under Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/08/dscc-took-lobbyist-bundles-from-firms-reaping-rewards-under-trump/ Last updated: 2025-08-08T19:04:51.000Z 🖋️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=DSCC%20Took%20Lobbyist%20Bundles%20From%20Firms%20Reaping%20Rewards%20Under%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/08/dscc-took-lobbyist-bundles-from-firms-reaping-rewards-under-trump/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DSCC%20Took%20Lobbyist%20Bundles%20From%20Firms%20Reaping%20Rewards%20Under%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/08/dscc-took-lobbyist-bundles-from-firms-reaping-rewards-under-trump/) When the Trump White House came into power with a barrage of executive actions, Democratic activists told their party’s Senate leaders that they wanted them to push back forcefully against the administration’s cuts to federal agencies. At an early February rally protesting DOGE’s cuts to government functions, where Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led Democratic lawmakers in [chanting](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/05/senate-democrats-trump-musk-resistance-012557), “We will win,” activists in the crowd responded with a clear demand—“Shut down the Senate.” The following month, in a cable news interview, Schumer [said](https://readsludge.com/2025/03/19/schumer-surrenders-on-air/) that a Trump-triggered crisis of democracy had not yet arrived, and laid out a strategy of legal challenges rather than full-fledged Senate delay tactics. A new filing shows that over the first six months of this year, Senate Democrats received more than [$1.7 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00042366/1909617/sa/3L) in bundled donations from federal lobbyists at more than a dozen firms, many that have been racking up legislative wins under the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress. Lobbyists and firm executives who bundled donations for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) included some of the largest K Street influence shops, representing clients such as surging defense contractor Palantir, cryptocurrency investors Andreessen Horowitz, Nippon Steel, and hundreds more companies. The total also includes money raised by lobbying firms as well as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). As of mid-July, a Quinnipiac University poll found that [52%](https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3928) of Democrats disapprove of the way their party’s congressional members are handling their job, and that congressional Democrats have sunk to a [record-low approval rating](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/22/while-theyre-losing-the-public-democrats-are-winning-on-k-street/) of just 19% overall. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Cleo Fields Voted to Deregulate Crypto While Investing in Related Tech Companies URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/07/cleo-fields-voted-to-deregulate-crypto-while-investing-in-related-tech-companies/ Last updated: 2025-08-07T20:26:07.000Z ***Share this on*** [***X***](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Cleo%20Fields%20Voted%20to%20Deregulate%20Crypto%20While%20Investing%20in%20Related%20Tech%20Companies%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/07/cleo-fields-voted-to-deregulate-crypto-while-investing-in-related-tech-companies/) ***and*** [***Bluesky***](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Cleo%20Fields%20Voted%20to%20Deregulate%20Crypto%20While%20Investing%20in%20Related%20Tech%20Companies%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/07/cleo-fields-voted-to-deregulate-crypto-while-investing-in-related-tech-companies/)***!*** Freshman House Democrat Cleo Fields, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, has been voting on legislation that shapes the tech industry while simultaneously investing millions in companies directly affected by those laws. Between [June](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20030472.pdf) and [July](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20030803.pdf), Fields purchased stocks worth as much as $15 million in tech giants Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Meta, with his individual investments this summer reaching up to $10.2 million in Nvidia stock and $2.1 million in Amazon stock, according to disclosures filed with the House. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Billionaires, Crypto Investors, and Fossil Fuel Companies Fill up Trump Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/06/billionaires-crypto-investors-and-fossil-fuel-companies-fill-up-trump-super-pac/ Last updated: 2025-08-07T01:55:56.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Billionaires,%20Crypto%20Investors,%20and%20Fossil%20Fuel%20Companies%20Fill%20up%20Trump%20Super%20PAC%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/06/billionaires-crypto-investors-and-fossil-fuel-companies-fill-up-trump-super-pac/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Billionaires,%20Crypto%20Investors,%20and%20Fossil%20Fuel%20Companies%20Fill%20up%20Trump%20Super%20PAC%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/06/billionaires-crypto-investors-and-fossil-fuel-companies-fill-up-trump-super-pac/) Already this year, the Trump administration has laid out a feast of benefits for big business: establishing new corporate tax cuts and sweeping deregulation in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” dropping or halting at least [165](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/29/trump-admin-halts-a-string-of-antitrust-cases-approving-corporate-mergers/) corporate enforcement cases, and appointing industry cheerleaders in top agencies. While the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress were enshrining these measures over the first half of the year, billionaires and corporations were giving hundreds of millions of dollars to the super PACs closely tied to President Donald Trump and congressional leaders. For most of the top-spending super PACs, donations received in the first six months of this year only became public last week, when their mid-year reports were filed with the Federal Election Commission. With fortunes being poured into these powerhouse spending groups, some of the top donors this year to Trump’s MAGA Inc. were cryptocurrency interests, the fossil fuel industry, and billionaires in Elon Musk’s donor network. The Trump administration’s pro-industry deregulations—and potential government contracts with megadonor-tied firms like SpaceX—are valued in the tens of billions of dollars. ### **Trump’s War Chest** The super PAC MAGA Inc. raised a whopping [$176.9 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00892471/1909741/) in the first six months of this year, ending June with $196.1 million in cash on hand. The nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice [noted](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/unprecedented-big-money-surge-super-pac-tied-trump) this week that the Trump super PAC’s haul, from the end of Election Day through the first half of this year, was more than six times that of his predecessor’s, shattering fundraising records on behalf of a president who is ineligible to run again for the highest office. It’s just one group in Trump’s political operation: combined with his [leadership PAC](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/01/trump-fundraising-midterms-00488165) and joint fundraising committee, Trump has around $246 million on hand that is ready to [deploy](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/us/politics/maga-inc-trump-fundraising.html) in the midterms against his political opponents. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Democratic Firm Cashing In on Fear URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/05/the-democratic-firm-cashing-in-on-fear/ Last updated: 2025-08-05T15:03:36.000Z ***Share this post on*** [***X***](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Democratic%20Firm%20Cashing%20In%20on%20Fear%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/05/the-democratic-firm-cashing-in-on-fear/) ***and*** [***Bluesky***](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Democratic%20Firm%20Cashing%20In%20on%20Fear%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/05/the-democratic-firm-cashing-in-on-fear/)***!*** “Extreme MAGA Republicans have raised an unprecedented amount to defeat us. Will you rush $5 to help stop them?” Emails and text messages like this are flooding inboxes and phones ahead of the midterms, using fear and emotional appeals to raise small-dollar donations. What they don’t say, though, is that a Democratic consulting firm is cashing in on the panic, pocketing millions while sending just a tiny fraction of the money to actual campaigns. According to new [research](https://data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-mothership-vortex-an-investigation?r=10322&triedRedirect=true) by Stanford political scientist Adam Bonica, a firm founded by top Democratic operatives has built a sprawling, multimillion-dollar business by sending out spammy, alarmist fundraising messages that promise to help elect Democrats, while delivering almost none of the money to candidates. The firm, Mothership Strategies, was launched by alumni of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and has become ubiquitous within the party ecosystem. Since 2018, PACs linked to Mothership have raised more than half a billion dollars. But of the $678 million raised, just $11 million (about 1.6 percent) has gone to Democratic campaigns or committees, Bonica found. The rest has been paid to Mothership’s network, including massive consultant fees, salaries for its founders, and other costs related to raising money and keeping it circulating within a closed system. The PACs, with names like “Progressive Turnout Project” or “National Democratic Training Committee” present themselves as grassroots efforts to defend democracy and support progressives, but the vast majority of the money they raise goes ultimately to the consultants. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Senators Claim to Care About Starvation in Gaza, Then Vote for More Bombs URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/04/senators-claim-to-care-about-starvation-in-gaza-then-vote-for-more-bombs/ Last updated: 2025-11-25T13:10:54.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Senators%20Claim%20to%20Care%20About%20Starvation%20in%20Gaza,%20Then%20Vote%20for%20More%20Bombs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/04/senators-claim-to-care-about-starvation-in-gaza-then-vote-for-more-bombs/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Senators%20Claim%20to%20Care%20About%20Starvation%20in%20Gaza,%20Then%20Vote%20for%20More%20Bombs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/04/senators-claim-to-care-about-starvation-in-gaza-then-vote-for-more-bombs/) Last week, 27 Senate Democrats voted in favor of a resolution introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that sought to block the sale of specific weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza, where more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed. Among Democratic senators, the count was a new high water mark for Sanders’ resolutions disapproving of certain offensive weapon sales to Israel, and represents more than half of the caucus. Also last week, two Israeli human rights organizations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel, [deemed that Israel was committing genocide](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/world/middleeast/israel-genocide-gaza-rights-groups.html) in Gaza, as was found by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in public announcements in December. Within the past two weeks on Capitol Hill, there’s been a small shift in sentiment among some Senate Democrats, prompted in part by [photos](https://www.vox.com/politics/421724/democratic-voters-israel-polls) of widespread famine in Gaza, much of the emergency afflicting children. The reason for this shift in tone arriving now is up for debate—Michael Fakhri, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, [told the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/04/gaza-starvation-un-expert-michael-fakhri) that since early last year he has co-authored and publicized U.N. reports warning of Israel’s efforts to impose mass starvation in Gaza. Still, 19 of the 44 Democratic senators who recently [called in a letter](https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sens-schiff-schatz-schumer-rosen-lead-44-senate-democrats-in-calling-for-large-scale-expansion-of-humanitarian-aid-in-gaza-and-resumption-of-diplomatic-efforts-to-secure-a-ceasefire-and-end/) addressed to Trump administration officials for humanitarian aid in Gaza did not vote for either of Sanders’ resolutions, including Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York and Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla from California. The Democrats’ votes, continuing their approval of funding and weapons for Israel’s military, run counter to their letter’s urging for “experienced multilateral bodies and NGOs” to provide aid in the region. The Israeli government is backing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), formed with the U.S. in May. Israeli forces have been present at GHF sites where more than [1,400 people](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/03/israeli-shootings-ghf-food-site-gaza-ben-gvir-al-aqsa) have been killed seeking aid, and the aid allowed in by Israel has been just a fraction of what's needed in Gaza. Groups like [Doctors Without Borders](https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid-distribution-system-must-be-dismantled) and [Human Rights Watch](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/01/gaza-israeli-killings-of-palestinians-seeking-food-are-war-crimes) are calling on officials to stand down GHF so that international groups can restore aid delivery. Among U.S. senators, Schiff was the [top beneficiary](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/) in the 2023-2024 election cycle of spending by the lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which opposed Sanders’ latest resolutions on weapons sales. In his Senate race last year, a pro-Schiff super PAC, funded largely by AIPAC’s super PAC, spent millions of dollars on ads before the March 2024 primary election echoing Schiff’s campaign ads. Other lawmakers whose votes on the offensive weapons sales did not back up their recent letter urging a diplomatic solution to the war in Gaza—Cory Booker (N.J.) and Mark Warner (Va.)—were the [top two Democratic recipients](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/25/aipac-gives-millions-in-pac-donations-to-house-allies-senators-in-2026-races/) in the Senate of earmarked contributions from AIPAC’s PAC this year. Along with two other Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2026 who signed Schiff's letter, John Hickenlooper (Colo.) and Chris Coons (Del.), these four holdouts on the Sanders resolutions have received close to $1 million combined from AIPAC’s PAC already this cycle. AIPAC quickly became the largest PAC contributor at the federal level and is funneling a rising amount of campaign dollars to lawmakers and candidates. Though Sanders’ latest measures were rejected in the Senate on July 30 by votes of [73 to 24](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1191/vote%5F119%5F1%5F00455.htm) and [70 to 27](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1191/vote%5F119%5F1%5F00454.htm) (with three Democratic senators not voting), for the first time the majority of the chamber’s 47 Democratic-aligned senators voted against certain U.S. military sales to Israel. The resolutions would have stopped the sales, approved by the Trump administration, of $676 million of [bombs](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/34/text) and $24 million of [firearms](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/41/text) to Israel, signaling the senators’ [disapproval](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-majority-of-democratic-caucus-supporting-effort-to-block-arms-sales-to-israel/) on humanitarian grounds. Sanders’ office has [underscored](https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-force-vote-israel-weapons-sales) its view that the offensive weapons sale violates the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act. The packages are just a slice of the enormous weapons sales and military funding that the U.S. approves for Israel annually—in 2024, the U.S. provided a record [$18 billion](https://www.stephensemler.com/p/how-much-military-aid-has-the-us-568?r=bqby&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) in military aid to Israel, according to analyst [Stephen Semler](https://www.stephensemler.com/). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### TikTok Billionaire Donates Millions to Trump as He Repeatedly Delays Ban URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/01/tiktok-billionaire-donates-millions-to-trump-as-he-repeatedly-delays-ban/ Last updated: 2025-08-01T13:15:06.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=TikTok%20Billionaire%20Donates%20Millions%20to%20Trump%20as%20He%20Repeatedly%20Delays%20Ban%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/01/tiktok-billionaire-donates-millions-to-trump-as-he-repeatedly-delays-ban/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=TikTok%20Billionaire%20Donates%20Millions%20to%20Trump%20as%20He%20Repeatedly%20Delays%20Ban%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/08/01/tiktok-billionaire-donates-millions-to-trump-as-he-repeatedly-delays-ban/)! As President Trump continues to postpone a legally mandated ban on TikTok, he is reaping campaign cash from one of the app’s biggest financial backers. Billionaire Jeff Yass, whose firm Susquehanna International Group (SIG) is a major investor in TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, donated $16 million to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., in the first half of 2025, according to a new FEC filing. Yass’s firm reportedly owns around 15 percent of ByteDance, and Yass himself holds a 7 percent stake, valued at up to $34 billion based on ByteDance’s internal valuation of about $400 billion. SIG is listed as a ByteDance investor on the company’s website and holds a seat on its board. Since January, Trump has issued a series of executive orders delaying enforcement of the TikTok ban. The ban was initially set for January 19 under the law passed by Congress in 2024 that requires ByteDance to sell off the app or have it taken down by app stores and web hosting services. Trump’s first delay came at the start of his new term, on January 20, pausing enforcement for 75 days. He extended it again on April 4 and once more on June 19, pushing the deadline to September 17\. The law only allows for one 90-day extension, though Trump has now paused its enforcement three times. According to the [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00892471/1909741/sa/ALL), Yass made a $1 million donation to MAGA Inc. on January 17, three days before Trump took office and issued the first delay. He then made another $15 million donation on March 6, about four weeks before the second delay. Both donations came as the fate of TikTok was being negotiated inside the White House. These were Yass’s first-ever donations to a Trump-affiliated political group, and the $15 million check was the largest single contribution he has made to any committee, according to Federal Election Commission records. ## Join Our Newsletter Get out investigative journalism on money in politics in your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Yass’s early bet on ByteDance has made him one of the world’s richest men. SIG acquired its stake in 2012 when ByteDance was valued at just $5 billion. Today, Forbes estimates Yass’s personal fortune at $59 billion. He is one of the most prolific political donors to conservative causes, having given more than $50 million over the years to the Club for Growth super PAC, plus millions more to other pro-Republican political groups. Trump initially wanted to ban TikTok during his first term, citing national security concerns over its Chinese ownership, but he reversed his position during the 2024 campaign, saying the ban would help its rival Meta grow larger. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/existing-bytedance-investors-emerge-front-runners-tiktok-deal-talks-2025-03-21/) has reported that Yass and SIG have explored bids to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, a potential workaround that would preserve their massive stake. According to the report, Yass has been leading discussions on the plan with the White House, and private equity firm KKR, another ByteDance investor, is also participating. MAGA Inc. raised almost $176 million in the first half of this year and was sitting on $196.1 million cash on hand as of the end of June, according to its FEC filing. The PAC has spent over $4.6 million so far this cycle, including event spending at Mar-a-Lago Club. The war chest is expected to be wielded by Trump against his political rivals as soon as the 2026 midterms. --- ### Speed Read: [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-30/fda-s-vinay-prasad-exits-after-sarepta-gene-therapy-controversy): Vinay Prasad, a top regulator at the US Food and Drug Administration, ended his short tenure at the agency after conservative pundits including Laura Loomer and Rick Santorum led a crusade against him over his handling of Sarepta Therapeutics Inc.’s gene therapy. [The Lever](https://www.levernews.com/wall-streets-top-cop-scores-tax-break-for-mysterious-pre-bribe/): President Donald Trump’s Securities and Exchange Commission chair, Wall Street’s top cop, just sold his financial services firm for more than $25 million — and is set to receive a massive tax break on the proceeds, according to new federal ethics disclosures obtained by The Lever. [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/31/elon-musk-donations-clf-slf-00487699): Elon Musk gave $5 million to Donald Trump’s super PAC during a dramatic and bitter falling out with the president, new filings show. The donation to MAGA Inc. was made a month after Musk said he had “done enough” political spending, and he also gave $10 million that same day to help Republicans keep control of Congress. ### Senate Panel Advances Stock Trading Ban for Lawmakers, With Trump Exemption URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/08/01/senate-panel-advances-stock-trading-ban-for-lawmakers-with-trump-exemption/ Last updated: 2025-08-01T01:57:20.000Z 🤑 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Senate%20Panel%20Advances%20Stock%20Trading%20Ban%20for%20Lawmakers,%20With%20Trump%20Exemption%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/31/senate-panel-advances-stock-trading-ban-for-lawmakers-with-trump-exemption/) *or* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Senate%20Panel%20Advances%20Stock%20Trading%20Ban%20for%20Lawmakers,%20With%20Trump%20Exemption%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/31/senate-panel-advances-stock-trading-ban-for-lawmakers-with-trump-exemption/) Senators are again squabbling over whether members of Congress should be allowed to buy, sell, and own stocks while they write and vote on legislation that affects their investments. On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee [advanced](https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/committee-advances-peters-bipartisan-legislation-to-ban-member-stock-trading) a bill that would ban members of Congress, the president, and the vice president from trading, or owning, individual stocks and other types of investments. Sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the bill originally applied just to members of Congress, but as part of a compromise with Democrats on the committee, was expanded to cover presidents and vice presidents—with a catch. The bill's divestment requirements for officials were pushed back to take effect at the end of their current term—thereby excluding the assets of President Donald Trump, as this is his last term as president. After the carve-out for Trump, the bill narrowly advanced from committee, with Hawley as its lone Republican "aye" vote. The bill, newly titled the HONEST Act, faces a steep climb in the Senate, with several Republicans expressing their displeasure. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), chair of the Senate Ethics Committee and a member of leadership as vice chair of the Republican Conference, clashed with Hawley during the hearing and later panned the bill. Meanwhile, Trump’s public position on the bill—which he said in April he would "absolutely" sign, when it applied only to members of Congress—has swung over the past day. First, the president withheld his opinion, then lambasted Hawley and the bill on his social media platform yesterday afternoon after the vote, which Hawley said was due to a misunderstanding over whether it would affect him. Today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump “conceptually” supports the bill’s goals. Here’s a look at what’s in the latest Senate bill grappling with lawmakers’ stock trading, and how it compares with stronger and weaker bills that have been introduced in recent years—and which still haven't received a full vote in the House or Senate. The [bill](https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/S.-1171-Peters-Hawley-Ossoff-Rosen-Modified-Substitute-LEW24315.pdf) was approved [8-7](https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Committee-Record-2-2025-07-30.pdf), with all Democrats on the committee voting for it and all Republicans other than Hawley voting against it. In July 2024, a narrower bill banning stock trading by members of Congress was passed from the same Senate committee, then under a Democratic majority that [hailed](https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sen-ossoffs-bipartisan-bill-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading-passes-key-senate-committee/) it as a “historic step,” but the measure expired without receiving a full Senate vote. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Reps Propose Bill to Block Financial Aid at Colleges Boycotting Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/30/aipac-funded-reps-propose-bill-to-block-financial-aid-at-colleges-boycotting-israel/ Last updated: 2025-07-30T15:43:55.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AIPAC-Funded%20Reps%20Propose%20Bill%20to%20Block%20Financial%20Aid%20at%20Colleges%20Boycotting%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/30/aipac-funded-reps-propose-bill-to-block-financial-aid-at-colleges-boycotting-israel/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC-Funded%20Reps%20Propose%20Bill%20to%20Block%20Financial%20Aid%20at%20Colleges%20Boycotting%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/30/aipac-funded-reps-propose-bill-to-block-financial-aid-at-colleges-boycotting-israel/)! As universities face growing pressure from students and faculty to cut ties with Israel over its war in Gaza, a pair of heavily AIPAC-funded members of Congress have introduced legislation that would punish universities for responding to those demands. On Tuesday, Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) [introduced](https://foxx.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400167) the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025, a bill that would cut off federal funds to any college that boycotts Israel or imposes limits on academic cooperation with Israeli institutions. The bill would require colleges to annually certify that they will not engage in a “nonexpressive commercial boycott” of Israel or companies and other entities licensed by Israel. Any university that refuses to do business with Israeli entities, other than for a “valid business reason,” would be made ineligible for Title IV financial aid programs, including Pell Grants and student loans. Undergraduate students received $16,360 in financial aid on average in the 2023-2024 school year, according to College Board. The bill also targets schools that restrict student or faculty participation in academic programs in Israel, threatening to cut them off from international studies funding under Title VI. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Admin Halts a String of Antitrust Cases, Approving Corporate Mergers URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/29/trump-admin-halts-a-string-of-antitrust-cases-approving-corporate-mergers/ Last updated: 2025-07-29T23:44:46.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Admin%20Halts%20a%20String%20of%20Antitrust%20Cases,%20Approving%20Corporate%20Mergers%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/29/trump-admin-halts-a-string-of-antitrust-cases-approving-corporate-mergers/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Admin%20Halts%20a%20String%20of%20Antitrust%20Cases,%20Approving%20Corporate%20Mergers%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/29/trump-admin-halts-a-string-of-antitrust-cases-approving-corporate-mergers/) The Trump administration has dropped federal scrutiny of several corporate mergers in recent months, according to an analysis by Public Citizen—waving through multibillion-dollar deals for companies, including many that made large donations to the Trump-Vance inauguration. The watchdog Public Citizen examines the Trump administration’s blessing of the mergers in its [updated tracker](https://www.citizen.org/article/corporate-enforcement-trump-tracker/) of 165 corporate enforcement actions that have been halted, dropped, or withdrawn as of July 25\. The tally includes cases that were dismissed by federal agencies instead of being brought to trial, as well as investigations that were closed favorably for corporations. Since the start of April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have advanced the mergers of T-Mobile and UScellular, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and rival Juniper Networks, and others that faced charges of being anti-competitive. Under President Trump, the agencies have also intervened in antitrust cases on the completed mergers of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, Capital One and Discover, and others. “Trump’s unshackling of a rogues gallery of corporate villains and lawbreakers shows how little this president cares about the victims of corporate crime,” said Rick Claypool, research director for Public Citizen. “This is no ‘law and order’ administration—this is an administration that views cheated consumers with contempt, and workers’ hard-earned wages as fair game for corporate con artists.” Earlier this month, the DOJ’s Antitrust Division [shuttered](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-t-mobile) an investigation into T-Mobile’s $4.4 billion acquisition of UScellular, which when announced last year sparked concerns over industry concentration. The deal was green-lit even though the division’s Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who was nominated by President Trump, warned that its closing “will consolidate yet more spectrum in the Big 3’s oligopoly.” Just the day before, T-Mobile [announced](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/doj-clears-way-t-mobiles-44-billion-acquisition-uscellular-2025-07-10/) it would jettison programs for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as pressured by the Trump administration. Late last month, Hewlett Packard reached a settlement with the DOJ, allowing it to proceed with a $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks. The DOJ sued [last year](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/29/politics/justice-department-fires-two-senior-antitrust-attorneys) to block the takeover, warning of higher prices and hindered innovation. Hewlett Packard Enterprise donated [$250,000 ](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qwkghyi56pwLFglfrIXr2jTqLslQsopItUGiQS%5Fr-bE/edit?gid=1113233252#gid=1113233252)toward Trump’s inaugural festivities. Two of the DOJ’s senior attorneys were recently dismissed in the [wake](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/29/politics/justice-department-fires-two-senior-antitrust-attorneys) of the HP-Juniper merger’s advancement. Reports of the Antitrust Division’s internal battles [say](https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/an-attempted-coup-at-the-antitrust?utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web) that Slater disapproved of the merger’s approval, but that corporate-linked supporters won the day. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Private Equity Quietly Scores a Bipartisan Win in Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/28/private-equity-quietly-scores-a-bipartisan-win-in-congress/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T17:58:20.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Private%20Equity%20Quietly%20Scores%20a%20Bipartisan%20Win%20in%20Congress%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/28/private-equity-quietly-scores-a-bipartisan-win-in-congress/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Private%20Equity%20Quietly%20Scores%20a%20Bipartisan%20Win%20in%20Congress%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/28/private-equity-quietly-scores-a-bipartisan-win-in-congress/)! Private equity and venture capital firms scored a quiet win last week when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the [Equal Opportunity for All Investors Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3339) by voice vote, advancing a bill that could funnel more everyday investors into opaque, high-risk private markets. Introduced by Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and co-sponsored by Reps. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), and others, the bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to create an exam that individuals can take to qualify as accredited investors. Passing the test would allow them to invest in hedge funds, venture capital, private equity, and other private securities offerings without needing to meet the current thresholds of $200,000 in annual income or $1 million in net worth. This would give more people access to investments typically reserved for the wealthy, but it could also expose them to markets with fewer safeguards, less transparency, and more risk. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Gives Millions in PAC Donations to House Allies, Senators in 2026 Races URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/25/aipac-gives-millions-in-pac-donations-to-house-allies-senators-in-2026-races/ Last updated: 2025-07-25T16:01:05.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC%20Gives%20Millions%20in%20PAC%20Donations%20to%20House%20Allies,%20Senators%20in%202026%20Races%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/25/aipac-gives-millions-in-pac-donations-to-house-allies-senators-in-2026-races/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AIPAC%20Gives%20Millions%20in%20PAC%20Donations%20to%20House%20Allies,%20Senators%20in%202026%20Races%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/25/aipac-gives-millions-in-pac-donations-to-house-allies-senators-in-2026-races/) The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) made more than $12.7 million in PAC contributions to members of Congress and federal candidates in the first half of this year, according to its new Federal Election Commission [filing](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00797670/), as the group lobbied for the delivery of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, including U.S. cooperation in the war in Gaza. The PAC contributions were overwhelmingly earmarked donations, given by individual donors who used AIPAC as a conduit to pass their money along to candidates and other PACs. The PAC’s website touts that AIPAC will be credited in federal records as the conduit for donations. The top recipient of AIPAC’s PAC donations in the first half of this year was House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who received $625,000 given to a pair of his fundraising committees, according to a Sludge review of FEC data. AIPAC also reported making large PAC donations to several U.S. senators up for re-election in 2026, as well as Senate candidates Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), and House members allied with AIPAC from both sides of the aisle. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) received $250,000 from AIPAC’s PAC to his joint fundraising committee in February, led by more than a dozen $15,000 earmarked donations. On Monday, 28 countries including the U.K., Canada, and France [called](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/21/uk-condemns-israel-depriving-palestinians-human-dignity-gaza) for Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza and allow the United Nations and other humanitarian aid organizations to provide famine relief in the region. Through the second quarter of this year, AIPAC has spent more than $1.8 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies on [issues](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/3cf55620-b4ec-4bf7-9c23-771dbe9a4681/print/) including defense appropriations, the [War Powers Resolution](https://readsludge.com/2025/06/20/aipac-funded-dem-leaders-duck-war-powers-resolution-on-trump-and-iran/) and U.S. military stance toward Iran, and bills introduced to [expand](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/554) the U.S.-Israel defense partnership. Also this year, AIPAC’s lobbying has pushed back against congressional resolutions to block the sale of $8.8 billion in specific weapons to Israel on humanitarian legal grounds, as proposed by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) in measures that were [voted down](https://truthout.org/articles/only-15-senators-back-sanders-bid-to-block-arms-to-israel-as-gaza-deaths-top-50k/) in April. Last week, AIPAC applauded the House for overwhelmingly rejecting an amendment from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that would [strike](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/greene-israel/) $500 million in additional U.S. funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. AIPAC’s PAC skyrocketed to become—by far—the [largest PAC contributor](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/) in the 2023-2024 cycle, giving more than $55.2 million to federal candidates. Its PAC’s total spending in the first half of 2025 represents an increase of more than 80% compared with the first six months of 2023, according to a review of FEC [data](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00797670/?cycle=2024&tab=filings). On April 2, AIPAC CEO Elliot Brandt submitted [testimony](https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118075/witnesses/HHRG-119-AP04-Wstate-BrandtE-20250402.pdf) urging the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs to fully back $3.3 billion in military aid for Israel, as set forth in 2016’s 10-year memorandum on security assistance. The panel’s chair, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), has received $124,000 from AIPAC’s PAC so far this year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Crypto Industry Is Spending More on Lobbying Than Ever URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/23/crypto-industry-is-spending-more-on-lobbying-than-ever/ Last updated: 2025-07-25T11:32:51.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Crypto%20Industry%20Is%20Spending%20More%20on%20Lobbying%20Than%20Ever%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/23/crypto-industry-is-spending-more-on-lobbying-than-ever/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Crypto%20Industry%20Is%20Spending%20More%20on%20Lobbying%20Than%20Ever%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/23/crypto-industry-is-spending-more-on-lobbying-than-ever/) After unleashing a torrent of spending to help elect the most crypto-friendly Congress ever, the cryptocurrency industry has increased its lobbying spending this year to help it cement landmark legislative wins. The crypto industry spent more than $18.4 million on federal lobbying in the first half of 2025, according to a Sludge analysis of lobbying disclosures, including second-quarter filings posted this week. Sludge’s tally, detailed in the table below, covers all lobbying spending by crypto companies like Coinbase, investment firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) that lobbied on major crypto bills, and the industry’s main trade groups like the Blockchain Association. The crypto industry is on track to surpass the amount it spent on lobbying in 2024, according to Sludge’s analysis. And the full sum it spent to push pro-crypto bills is much higher—such as money spent on grassroots lobbying campaigns to contact members of Congress by the Coinbase-founded advocacy nonprofit Stand With Crypto, which does not disclose federal lobbying expenses. Crypto industry lobbyists have been flooding Capitol Hill this month to push through their top legislative priorities, what supportive lawmakers describe as applying “light-touch” regulation to digital assets. One bill passed by the House during the GOP’s “[Crypto Week](https://readsludge.com/2025/07/11/house-gop-plans-crypto-week-to-pass-deregulatory-bills-on-digital-assets/),” the GENIUS Act on stablecoin regulation, was signed into law by President Trump on July 18\. Trump, whose family businesses are launching [stablecoin](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/senate-gop-tees-up-vote-on-crypto?r=bqby&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) and [Bitcoin](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/28/trump-media-raises-2-5-billion-to-buy-bitcoin-as-admin-boosts-crypto/) ventures, said the bill will “make America the UNDISPUTED Leader in Digital Assets,” and took a victory lap for delivering on his pledge to enact the measure. Another bill, the CLARITY Act, a market structure bill for digital assets that would hand oversight of many crypto projects to the industry’s preferred regulatory agency, passed the House last week in a bipartisan vote of 294-134\. Yesterday, key Senate Republicans released a draft of their version of the bill. Here is the breakdown of how much crypto interests have spent on D.C. lobbying, so far this year and compared with all of 2024. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### While They’re Losing the Public, Democrats Are Winning on K Street URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/22/while-theyre-losing-the-public-democrats-are-winning-on-k-street/ Last updated: 2025-07-22T17:12:12.000Z ***Share this post on*** [***X***](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While%20They%E2%80%99re%20Losing%20the%20Public,%20Democrats%20Are%20Winning%20on%20K%20Street%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/22/while-theyre-losing-the-public-democrats-are-winning-on-k-street/) ***and*** [***Bluesky***](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=While%20They%E2%80%99re%20Losing%20the%20Public,%20Democrats%20Are%20Winning%20on%20K%20Street%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/22/while-theyre-losing-the-public-democrats-are-winning-on-k-street/)***!*** With support from everyday voters hitting historic lows, congressional Democrats are turning more than ever to Washington lobbyists to fund their campaigns. In the first half of 2025, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raised over $10.8 million from federally registered lobbyists, according to new FEC disclosures, the group’s largest haul from K Street influence peddlers in any six-month period on record, according to a Sludge review. The surge in lobbyist cash comes as public approval of Democrats in Congress has collapsed. A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found [just 19 percent](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/democrat-approval-hits-record-low-poll-1235387561/) of voters approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their jobs, the lowest rating since Quinnipiac began tracking the question in 2009\. Even among registered Democrats, more than half of respondents said they disapprove of congressional Democrats’ job performance. The Democrats’ lobbyist fundraising boom underscores the widening gap between the party’s financial base and its political base. While Democrats have struggled to mount a meaningful opposition to President Trump’s agenda during his second term, with most efforts amounting to floor speeches and failed amendments, they’ve seen no such obstacles when it comes to raising money from corporate-aligned donors who would like the Democrats to do their bidding. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Palantir Gives Millions to Reagan Library as Its Defense Contracts Skyrocket URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/21/palantir-gives-millions-to-reagan-library-as-its-defense-contracts-skyrocket/ Last updated: 2025-07-22T14:42:16.000Z 📡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Palantir%20Gives%20Millions%20to%20Reagan%20Library%20as%20Its%20Defense%20Contracts%20Skyrocket%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/21/palantir-gives-millions-to-reagan-library-as-its-defense-contracts-skyrocket/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Palantir%20Gives%20Millions%20to%20Reagan%20Library%20as%20Its%20Defense%20Contracts%20Skyrocket%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/21/palantir-gives-millions-to-reagan-library-as-its-defense-contracts-skyrocket/) National security think tanks have long been funded by old-guard contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. In recent years, the Trump-tied software and data analytics firm Palantir, which is competing with those legacy contractors for federal weapons programs, has been getting in on the game. In the first half of this year, Palantir gave nearly $1.7 million to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, according to a [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/63dd57f4-d707-4620-9af2-88922702c8da/print/) it filed last week with the House. The sum of the donations, made in March, is on par with what the firm gave to the nonprofit in 2023 and 2024\. Palantir appears to have given far more to the Reagan Foundation—where its co-founder Joe Lonsdale is on the board of trustees, alongside figures from the Republican Party establishment—than to other defense think tanks that shape national security planning and populate the revolving door between the Pentagon and weapons companies. Under the Trump administration, Palantir is getting a boom in government contracts, which are the company’s largest source of revenue. The Silicon Valley-style defense company, [tapped](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html) in recent months to expand its technology work with federal agencies like the Department of Defense, has been cheering its rising profits in earnings calls. In May, the Army boosted Palantir’s contract for Project Maven, an A.I.-powered targeting system, to a total of $1.3 billion. The firm’s CEO Alex Karp [crowed](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/palantir-karp-declares-fire-touts-224843209.html) “Palantir is on fire” on a first-quarter earnings call, and its stock price just hit a record high. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Energy Chair Hires Ex-Lobbyist to Help Shape U.S. Energy Legislation URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/19/energy-chair-hires-ex-lobbyist-to-help-shape-u-s-energy-legislation/ Last updated: 2025-07-19T15:40:53.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Energy%20Chair%20Hires%20Ex-Lobbyist%20to%20Help%20Shape%20U.S.%20Energy%20Legislation%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/19/energy-chair-hires-ex-lobbyist-to-help-shape-u-s-energy-legislation/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Energy%20Chair%20Hires%20Ex-Lobbyist%20to%20Help%20Shape%20U.S.%20Energy%20Legislation%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/19/energy-chair-hires-ex-lobbyist-to-help-shape-u-s-energy-legislation/)! Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), a powerful figure in U.S. energy policy as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee, has hired Berkley Lane, a former lobbyist for major energy and tech firms, as his legislative assistant. By hiring a former corporate lobbyist who worked to influence Congress on energy issues, Latta is reinforcing the revolving door in Washington, where corporate influence peddlers transition into policymaking roles with power over the very issues they once lobbied on. The hiring was first reported by [Legistorm](https://www.legistorm.com/pro%5Fnews/4311/energy-lobbyist-heads-to-hill-as-lattas-newest-adviser.html). Lane spent four years at Invariant LLC, working her way up to manager in the lobbying firm's energy and environmental practice. For Apple, Lane has lobbied on critical minerals and recycling legislation. On behalf of Bitcoin mining company Riot Platforms, Lane worked on legislation related to digital asset energy policy. As a lobbyist for the Uranium Producers of America, Lane has pushed policymakers to designate uranium as a critical mineral and discussed implementation of Russian uranium imports ban that was signed into law by President Biden. And for Heirloom Carbon Technologies, Lane worked to build support for direct air capture technology and worked on pipeline safety regulations. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s WLFI Project Unlocks Trading, Paving the Way for Family Profits URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/17/trumps-wlfi-project-unlocks-trading-paving-the-way-for-family-profits/ Last updated: 2025-07-17T17:05:03.000Z ***Share this post on*** [***X***](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20WLFI%20Project%20Unlocks%20Trading,%20Paving%20the%20Way%20for%20Family%20Profits%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/17/trumps-wlfi-project-unlocks-trading-paving-the-way-for-family-profits/) ***and*** [***Bluesky***](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20WLFI%20Project%20Unlocks%20Trading,%20Paving%20the%20Way%20for%20Family%20Profits%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/17/trumps-wlfi-project-unlocks-trading-paving-the-way-for-family-profits/)***!*** Investors in the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial token voted this week in favor of making the cryptocurrency tradable on public exchanges. The decision could boost the token’s price and directly benefit President Trump and his family, who hold billions of the tokens and have already reaped hundreds of millions from its early sales. The vote was [announced on X](https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1945590075498123474) by the Trump-branded project, marking a major step forward for a venture that has quietly become one of the president’s most lucrative businesses. According to [Reuters](https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/trumps-100-million-crypto-mystery-110146723.html), the Trump family has earned around $500 million from the project since it launched last fall. As of the end of last year, Trump personally held 15.75 billion of the 100 billion total tokens and had earned about $57 million from token sales, according to a [financial disclosure](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/4EC9A8E6DD078F2985258CA9002C9377/$FILE/Trump%2C%20Donald%20J.%202025%20Annual%20278.pdf) posted in June. If public exchange trading drives up demand, the value of Trump and his family’s tokens could rise significantly, though their holdings are subject to a longer unlock schedule, meaning they cannot liquidate immediately. World Liberty Financial (WLFI) launched in September 2024 and raised $550 million through token sales to accredited and foreign investors. Buyers received governance tokens that gave them voting power over major decisions, including this week’s approval of public trading. Trump’s sons were involved in launching the project, alongside the son of longtime Trump real estate adviser Steve Witkoff. The rapidly-growing crypto project is just one of the ways Trump is profiting from his power and influence derived primarily from the presidency, on top of his memecoin, merchandise sales, and overseas business deals. This week, Trump helped [wrangle](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-republican-hard-liners-defy-trump-speaker-johnson/story?id=123780190) House Republicans to support passage of the CLARITY Act, which would deregulate crypto tokens like WLFI by protecting them from securities laws. In late June, a shadowy investor called the Aqua 1 Foundation [announced](https://www.reuters.com/press-releases/aqua-1-announces-100m-strategic-world-liberty-financial-governance-token-purchase-to-help-shape-and-accelerate-decentralized-finance-adoption-2025-06-26/) purchasing $100 million worth of WLFI tokens, netting $75 million in proceeds for Trump in one of WLFI’s largest transactions so far. The group claims to be based in the United Arab Emirates, but reporters have not been able to find a corporate registration for Aqua 1 in the country and little is publicly known about its founder, “Dave Lee.” Financial reporter [Jacob Silverman](https://www.jacobsilverman.com/p/revealed-trumps-100-million-man) has linked Aqua 1 to a Chinese company called Web3Port that has been banned from several exchanges over market manipulation because of a shared server and personnel overlaps. Web3Port has a partner named Dave Li. However, Lee has told reporters that Aqua 1 [operates independently](https://cointelegraph.com/news/wlf-investor-aqua1-offers-few-answers-web3port), though he did not clarify whether he is the same person as the Aqua 1 partner. --- ### Speed Read: [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07/federal-judge-blocks-voter-approved-maine-law-capping-super-pac-contributions/): On Tuesday, a federal district judge blocked a Maine law recently passed by ballot initiative that would strictly limit the amount of money anyone could contribute to a super PAC — a political committee that by definition may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. [Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/doge-direct-file-chopping-block/): A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts. [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jmledvr3o): Mark Zuckerberg and a group of Meta shareholders have agreed to settle a multibillion dollar lawsuit with shareholders over how the top executives handled repeated privacy violations by Facebook. ## Join Our Newsletter Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Defense PACs Fund Calvert Against Dem Takeover Attempt URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/16/defense-pacs-fund-calvert-against-dem-takeover-attempt/ Last updated: 2025-07-16T21:53:24.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Defense%20PACs%20Fund%20Calvert%20Against%20Dem%20Takeover%20Attempt%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/16/defense-pacs-fund-calvert-against-dem-takeover-attempt/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Defense%20PACs%20Fund%20Calvert%20Against%20Dem%20Takeover%20Attempt%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/16/defense-pacs-fund-calvert-against-dem-takeover-attempt/) Defense hawk Rep. Ken Calvert, the Republican chair of the subcommittee that oversees the Pentagon’s budget, represents a Southern California seat that’s being targeted by the House Democrats’ campaign arm for a 2026 takeover. Facing several Democratic challengers in the midterm, Calvert’s campaign has raised a hefty $1.7 million through the first six months of this year, according to a new Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00257337/1901584/) covering Q2—buoyed by donations from the PACs of defense companies whose federal contract funding he oversees. After redistricting in 2021, California's Forty-First Congressional District, in the Inland Empire region outside Los Angeles, leans Republican by only a [couple](https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/05/inland-empire-election-congress/) of percentage points. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mining Firm Tied to Trump Allies Poised for Major Favor From EPA URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/15/mining-firm-tied-to-trump-allies-poised-for-major-favor-from-epa/ Last updated: 2025-07-15T22:44:10.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Mining%20Firm%20Tied%20to%20Trump%20Allies%20Poised%20for%20Major%20Favor%20From%20EPA%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/15/mining-firm-tied-to-trump-allies-poised-for-major-favor-from-epa/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Mining%20Firm%20Tied%20to%20Trump%20Allies%20Poised%20for%20Major%20Favor%20From%20EPA%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/15/mining-firm-tied-to-trump-allies-poised-for-major-favor-from-epa/)! A former mining client of President Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and top campaign fundraiser Brian Ballard is on the verge of securing a major win from the Trump administration. The developer behind the proposed Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska, one of the most controversial mining projects in the country, is [in talks](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/repeat-source-northern-dynasty-negotiations-104500478.html) with the Environmental Protection Agency to reverse a veto that has blocked the mine since 2023\. According to recent [court filings](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25996219-pebble-courts-docs-7325-status-report/?ref=northernjournal.com), Justice Department lawyers said that the EPA is “open to reconsideration” of the veto and that officials “have been actively considering the agency decisions.” The filing, submitted in response to a lawsuit brought by Pebble’s developer, said the parties are negotiating a potential settlement. Northern Dynasty Minerals, the Canadian company behind the project, said in a court document that it expects an agreement as soon as July 17\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Defense Contractors Line Up for ‘Golden Dome’ Bonanza URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/14/defense-contractors-line-up-for-golden-dome-bonanza/ Last updated: 2025-07-14T23:09:34.000Z 🛰️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Defense%20Contractors%20Line%20Up%20for%20%E2%80%98Golden%20Dome%E2%80%99%20Bonanza%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/14/defense-contractors-line-up-for-golden-dome-bonanza/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Defense%20Contractors%20Line%20Up%20for%20%E2%80%98Golden%20Dome%E2%80%99%20Bonanza%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/14/defense-contractors-line-up-for-golden-dome-bonanza/%0A) President Trump’s proposal for a “Golden Dome” missile defense shield has been bestowed an initial $25 billion in funding, despite [objections](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/golden-dome/) from defense experts that the plan is both exorbitantly costly and infeasible against intercontinental ballistic missiles. The reconciliation bill passed by Congress included the funding for [planning](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12576) of “next generation missile defense technologies” including space-based interceptors and systems to target missiles in their boot phase. The estimated costs of the Golden Dome reach eye-watering sums—and giant defense contractors like Lockheed Martin are angling for a piece, touting their product lines as part of the sprawling project. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House GOP Plans ‘Crypto Week’ to Pass Deregulatory Bills on Digital Assets URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/11/house-gop-plans-crypto-week-to-pass-deregulatory-bills-on-digital-assets/ Last updated: 2025-07-11T15:31:48.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20GOP%20Plans%20%E2%80%98Crypto%20Week%E2%80%99%20to%20Pass%20Deregulatory%20Bills%20on%20Digital%20Assets%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/11/house-gop-plans-crypto-week-to-pass-deregulatory-bills-on-digital-assets/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20GOP%20Plans%20%E2%80%98Crypto%20Week%E2%80%99%20to%20Pass%20Deregulatory%20Bills%20on%20Digital%20Assets%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/11/house-gop-plans-crypto-week-to-pass-deregulatory-bills-on-digital-assets/) “Crypto Week” kicks off on Monday in the U.S. House, as announced by Republican leadership, and the cryptocurrency industry is looking ahead to seismic legislative wins after spending a fortune to help elect what they’re hailing as the most crypto-friendly Congress ever. Speaker Mike Johnson [said](https://financialservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=410793) the House will be taking up “three landmark pieces of legislation,” establishing what supportive lawmakers are calling “light-touch guardrails” on digital assets. Each of the bills is championed by crypto industry lobbying groups. One is the marquee CLARITY Act ([H.R. 3633](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3633)), also called a crypto market structure bill, sponsored by a powerful crypto [cheerleader](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/), Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-Ark.). The bill advanced out of his committee and the House Committee on Agriculture on June 10 on bipartisan votes. It would largely hand the crypto industry its preferred regulator, giving the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jurisdiction over digital assets on blockchains that are deemed to be decentralized, versus the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The industry seeks to avoid the SEC’s application of restrictive securities laws in favor of the smaller CFTC’s looser oversight of commodities. Earlier this week, the Coinbase-founded advocacy group Stand With Crypto sent a [letter](https://www.theblock.co/post/361389/stand-with-crypto-joins-over-60-other-groups-in-urging-us-lawmakers-to-back-sweeping-crypto-legislation) to representatives pushing them to support the CLARITY Act. The group’s website prompts visitors to send their House members an email urging them to support the bill, so as to protect innovation and “help maintain this momentum.” The letter obliquely gestures at Democratic efforts to call out the Trump family’s rapid-fire [profiting](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/senate-gop-tees-up-vote-on-crypto?r=bqby&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) from crypto projects, saying, “We know that there have been efforts to politicize crypto legislation,” but warns the U.S. risks falling behind without the bill. In [testimony](https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/06052025%5Ffischer%5Fclarity%5Fact%5Fhouse.pdf) last month to the House Committee on Financial Services, Amanda Fischer, policy director at the nonprofit government watchdog Better Markets, warned lawmakers that the CLARITY Act worsens disclosure standards and liability provisions compared with digital assets being treated under existing securities laws, stripping crucial consumer protections and risking market manipulation. Fischer previously served as chief of staff to former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler from January 2023–January 2025, and prior to that as senior counselor to the chair. “This bill's regulatory gaps will not be quarantined to crypto,” Fischer [told](https://decrypt.co/324043/house-democrats-sound-alarm-clarity-act) lawmakers at the June 6 hearing. She said that the CLARITY Act’s lax rules would incentivize financial companies to move more of their operations, like raising capital, onto blockchains to avoid regulatory requirements and cut costs. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Vance Owns Investments in Companies Receiving Defense Contracts URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/10/vance-owns-investments-in-companies-receiving-defense-contracts/ Last updated: 2025-07-10T17:44:25.000Z 💡 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Vance%20Owns%20Investments%20in%20Companies%20Receiving%20Defense%20Contracts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/10/vance-owns-investments-in-companies-receiving-defense-contracts/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Vance%20Owns%20Investments%20in%20Companies%20Receiving%20Defense%20Contracts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/10/vance-owns-investments-in-companies-receiving-defense-contracts/)! Just weeks into the Trump administration, defense contractors backed by a venture capital fund that Vice President JD Vance holds a financial stake in began winning multi-million-dollar federal contracts. According to his 2025 financial disclosure, Vance holds up to $250,000 in Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, which he helped to launch and manage before he entered politics. The fund’s portfolio includes at least four companies that have received government contracts from the Trump-Vance administration, according to a review of its publicly listed investments by the watchdog group Accountable.US. Two of those companies, Hermeus and Slingshot Aerospace, landed major new contracts during the administration’s first weeks in office. Another company in the fund, Anduril Industries, is expected to be one of the big winners of the administration’s national security plans as it is reported to have major roles in the administration’s planned $175 billion [Golden Dome missile defense system](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/musks-spacex-is-frontrunner-build-trumps-golden-dome-missile-shield-2025-04-17/) and [autonomous border surveillance towers](https://theintercept.com/2025/07/09/trump-big-beautiful-bill-anduril/). Anduril has already received more than $220 million in government contract actions since the start of the Trump-Vance administration, according to federal procurement data. The company’s valuation has increased by about 125% since Trump returned to office, according to private stock tracking company Notice. ## Join Our Newsletter Get our best posts on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Hermeus, a hypersonic aircraft startup, received a $9.4 million contract from the Pentagon for space vehicle equipment and material testing in early February, just weeks after the administration took office. Another company in the fund, Slingshot Aerospace, has been awarded $1.7 million from the Air Force since the administration took office. In January, the company announced it had been selected to further develop its GPS jamming and spoofing detection tools, which have already been used to detect GPS degradation during the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Trump administration’s recent missile strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have fueled fears of escalation in the Middle East, where Slingshot’s surveillance tools are already in use. Another company in the fund, ATLAS Space Operations, has been paid more than $1.4 million by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since the beginning of June. Although the Revolution fund invested in Hermeus and Slingshot Aerospace after Vance had left the company in early 2020 to found his own Thiel-backed VC firm, Naryca Capital, he reported his stakes in them on his 2023 Senate financial disclosure, showing awareness of the investments. His 2025 financial disclosure indicates that he held the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund as of the end of 2024, and he has not since filed any transaction reports that indicate the investment has been sold since he took office. In 2017, Vance, then a principal at Peter Thiel’s Silicon Valley firm Mithril Capital, announced he’d be heading back to Ohio and joining Revolution LLC, a D.C.-based venture capital firm co-founded by media mogul Steve Case and businessman Ted Leonsis. There, he helped launch the Rise Of The Rest Seed Fund, a $150 million early-stage fund. Vance’s financial disclosure also indicates that Vance holds additional investments from being a general partner in an alternative investment vehicle associated with the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, though the exact value of the asset is not ascertainable. The disclosure says Vance is “entitled to 15 basis points of the 20% carried interest in the general partner of Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.” While many senior executive officials are required to divest financial holdings that pose conflicts of interest, vice presidents and presidents are exempt from those ethics requirements. Vance’s investments in government contractors fuel concerns about self-dealing in an administration that touts its anti-corruption credentials yet appears increasingly entangled with the industries affected by its policies. “As much as the Trump administration claims to be draining the swamp, their conflicts of interest, self-enrichment and ties to special interests show they are creatures of it. Vice President JD Vance is no exception,” said Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US. “Vance’s background and investments in companies benefiting from Trump government contracts come as no surprise given this administration’s record of benefiting themselves while raising costs and gutting health care for hardworking Americans.” Vance’s financial disclosure also shows up to $500,000 in Bitcoin holdings as the administration has established a controversial “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” and has made several crypto-friendly regulatory changes that have contributed to the price of the cryptocurrency currently sitting at all-time highs. Through the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Vance is also invested in The Bitcoin Company, a startup that aims to become “a one-stop shop” for helping everyone in the world own and understand Bitcoin. --- ### Speed Read: [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/irs-churches-tax-exempt-00441992): The IRS on Monday said that religious leaders could endorse political candidates in churches and other religious centers without losing their tax-exempt status, carving out an exemption from a decades-old tax code provision prohibiting nonprofits and churches from direct political engagement. [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07/new-house-members-saw-pac-donations-jump-after-getting-committee-assignments/): New House members saw PAC donations jump after getting committee assignments. [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/trump-lutnick-weather-service-privatization-conflicts-9892de853c283468e6fb970cfd898d96): As commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick oversees the U.S. government’s vast efforts to monitor and predict the weather. The billionaire also ran a financial firm, which he recently left in the control of his adult sons, that stands to benefit if President Donald Trump’s administration follows through on a decade-long Republican effort to privatize government weather forecasting. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Billionaire Pharma Investors Fund Privatized 'Strike Team' at the FDA URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/09/billionaire-pharma-investors-fund-privatized-strike-team-at-the-fda/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T16:16:43.000Z 💊 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Billionaire%20Pharma%20Investors%20Fund%20Privatized%20'Strike%20Team'%20at%20the%20FDA%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/09/billionaire-pharma-investors-fund-privatized-strike-team-at-the-fda/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Billionaire%20Pharma%20Investors%20Fund%20Privatized%20'Strike%20Team'%20at%20the%20FDA%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/09/billionaire-pharma-investors-fund-privatized-strike-team-at-the-fda/) On Monday, venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale, a prominent Trump supporter and Elon Musk confidant who has extensive investments in health care startups, [announced](https://blog.joelonsdale.com/p/engineering-faster-cures-at-the-fda) that he is funding an initiative inside the Food and Drug Administration that he says will “upend America's health bureaucracy” and enable faster approval of cures. His announcement comes after the Trump administration cut thousands of FDA jobs this year, as Musk’s DOGE team slashed capacity at federal agencies under a Trump executive order. While Lonsdale describes the project’s mission as ensuring the U.S. does not fall behind China in biotech advances and patient outcomes, his portfolio is set up to profit from an overhaul at the FDA. The initiative he unveiled will embed personnel who he funds to “sit desk‑to‑desk with reviewers” at the FDA—with more significant funding from libertarian billionaire Charles Koch. Lonsdale’s firm 8VC lists investments in dozens of life sciences and biotech companies, including startups developing personalized treatments, products in areas like microbiomes, and gene therapies using the CRISPR technology. Many of the companies have business before the FDA and could benefit from being advanced by friendly reviewers. For example, the 8VC portfolio company Cellino Bio recently announced it had received an FDA designation as an Advanced Manufacturing Technology, and portfolio company Synthego published a post in April discussing FDA guidance documents. Lonsdale’s blog post said that the Utah-based Abundance Institute, a new nonprofit closely tied to a Charles Koch-funded academic center, will partner with the Koch network’s gigantic “dark money” group Stand Together to raise $4 million for the project. Koch Disruptive Technologies, the venture capital arm of Koch Industries, also lists more than a dozen healthcare startups in its portfolio developing AI-powered cell research, gene therapies, and other machine-learning data plays. The money will be used “to place a strike team of 15-20 AI-native software engineers, data scientists, and product leaders inside the FDA to accelerate the FDA's latest AI initiatives and bring outsider perspectives on new areas to iterate on fast,” Lonsdale wrote. The new personnel will “wire modern data pipes into legacy silos,” among other things. Lonsdale wrote on X that he and his friends, whom he left unnamed, were donating to launch the project and that he will personally be sponsoring one of its engineers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Administration Puts Pesticide Lobbyist in Top EPA Role URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/08/trump-administration-puts-pesticide-lobbyist-in-top-epa-role/ Last updated: 2025-07-08T20:30:18.000Z ☣️ Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Administration%20Puts%20Pesticide%20Lobbyist%20in%20Top%20EPA%20Role%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/08/trump-administration-puts-pesticide-lobbyist-in-top-epa-role) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Administration%20Puts%20Pesticide%20Lobbyist%20in%20Top%20EPA%20Role%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/08/trump-administration-puts-pesticide-lobbyist-in-top-epa-role)! The Trump administration has tapped a longtime pesticide lobbyist for a top EPA role regulating pesticides, allegedly a key focus of its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. Kyle Kunkler, who served as director of government affairs at the American Soybean Association (ASA) from 2020 to June 2025, is now serving as the EPA’s top pesticide regulator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. The appointment, announced June 30, puts an industry insider in charge of pesticide policy at the same time the administration is publicly touting its mission to curb health threats from environmental toxins, including pesticides. Kunkler has spent much of his career advocating for the use of industrial chemicals and biotechnologies in agriculture. Before joining ASA, he worked on food and agriculture policy at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where he advocated for policies promoting genetically engineered crops and the chemical fertilizers and pesticides associated with them. BIO’s members include Roundup maker Bayer, along with other pesticide companies like Corteva, and BASF, along with pharmaceutical giants like Novo Nordisk. At ASA, Kunkler was the group’s top lobbyist and a central figure shaping federal lobbying strategy on regulations affecting crop protection practices. His work focused on ensuring that farmers could continue to have cheap access to chemical products such as glyphosate, glufosinate, dicamba and 2,4-D that ASA argues are essential for high yields, despite public health concerns. In 2020, his first year with ASA, Kunkler was given the “[Rising Star Award](https://www.croplifeamerica.org/news-releases/croplife-america-recognizes-award-winners-at-2020-annual-meeting)” by CropLife America, a major trade association for pesticide manufacturers. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House Members Took Luxury Trip to London Amid Megabill Battle URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/07/house-members-took-luxury-trip-to-london-amid-megabill-battle/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T17:46:44.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20Members%20Took%20Luxury%20Trip%20to%20London%20Amid%20Megabill%20Battle%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/07/house-members-took-luxury-trip-to-london-amid-megabill-battle/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20Members%20Took%20Luxury%20Trip%20to%20London%20Amid%20Megabill%20Battle%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/07/house-members-took-luxury-trip-to-london-amid-megabill-battle/) A business association-funded advocacy group, Center Forward, has been sending House members and their congressional staffers on luxury retreats this year to meet with corporate lobbyists and executives. While the centrist group touts itself as building bipartisanship, none of the Republican House members who went on its junkets this year, or had their staffers attend, voted against the GOP budget reconciliation bill that scraped through the House along partisan lines in recent votes. Last month, Center Forward sponsored a luxury trip to London for at least nine House members, some of their family members, and senior staffers, according to gift travel disclosures. The bipartisan trip to meet with business executives, fintech lobbyists, and U.K. government heads took place from June 14–19, when the House was between weeks in session. That week, the Senate Finance Committee was releasing crucial legislative text that further cut state Medicaid funding in the GOP “megabill," which stands to strip health insurance from [17 million](https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/%5Fcache/files/571213e9-247f-4821-858c-2bac03d3bc89/6.30---jec-minority-health-insurance-losses.pdf) Americans by 2034. The House members stayed at the five-star hotel InterContinental London Park Lane in Mayfair on the [trip](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/gtimages/MT/2025/500031294.pdf), which was billed as promoting economic growth with Europe and discussing trade, health care, and other issues between England and the U.S.A. The agenda included a welcome dinner with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair on the importance of bipartisanship, a meeting with a cryptocurrency industry trade group promoting stablecoin company Ripple, and a session on data privacy with Apple, among other stops. At least five House Democrats and four House Republicans joined the trip, according to disclosures filed so far and photos posted on LinkedIn. Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) took the Center Forward junket with his spouse, in travel valued at nearly $29,000\. The congressman’s [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/neguse.house.gov) account, which is active, makes no mention of the Center Forward trip abroad last month. Also flying to London was Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), the Battleground Leadership Representative of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the New Democrat Coalition, along with her adult son, their trip valued at nearly $24,000\. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), vice chair of policy for the New Democrat Coalition, crossed the pond with more than $11,000 in sponsored travel. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), ranking member of two House subcommittees and a New Dem, attended with her spouse, in travel valued at more than $23,000\. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), a New Dem who is the ranking member of the House Committee on the Budget, appears in several Center Forward photos on LinkedIn from London. Several House staffers like legislative directors or chiefs of staff accompanied them, and more House members were invited, according to congressional disclosures. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coal Tax Break in Senate Bill May Benefit Jim Justice URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/07/02/coal-tax-break-in-senate-bill-may-benefit-jim-justice/ Last updated: 2025-07-02T22:12:45.000Z 🏭 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Coal%20Tax%20Break%20in%20Senate%20Bill%20May%20Benefit%20Jim%20Justice%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/02/coal-tax-break-in-senate-bill-may-benefit-jim-justice/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Coal%20Tax%20Break%20in%20Senate%20Bill%20May%20Benefit%20Jim%20Justice%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/07/02/coal-tax-break-in-senate-bill-may-benefit-jim-justice/) [We have a new piece at More Perfect Union](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/the-one-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-big) today unpacking the many corporate tax cuts and handouts added to the One Big Beautiful Bill, which passed the Senate yesterday and is now back in the House. One last-minute change caught my eye in particular—a new tax break for a specific kind of coal company that stands to benefit a GOP senator who had expressed reservations about the bill’s Medicaid cuts. ## Get Our Muckraking Newsletter Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. The provision, added to the Senate bill in a late-night update last Tuesday, makes metallurgical coal that is used in steel manufacturing eligible for the 45x Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, which was established in 2022 by the Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy projects. The bill designates so-called “met coal” as a critical mineral and provides a 2.5% tax credit for costs related to producing it. While this is a relatively modest tax benefit compared to other provisions in the bill, it could still save millions of dollars annually for large met coal producers. Jim Justice, West Virginia’s freshman U.S. senator, happens to own tens of millions of dollars worth of stock in a family company called Bluestone Resources that has been increasingly shifting its business from thermal coal production to met coal in recent years, with [industry analysts](https://www.woodmac.com/reports/coal-bluestone-resources-appalachia-coal-mines-46334812/) expecting the company to begin focusing on met coal production exclusively. In a 2021 lawsuit, the company’s lawyers [described](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/r7vSvhS8befA/v0#:~:text=Background%20of%20Bluestone%20Business,the%20%E2%80%9CJustice%20Family%E2%80%9D) Bluestone as “engaged in the business of mining and processing high quality met coal” with “some of the largest steel producers in the world” as its customers. According to a 2024 [financial disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25988339-efd-annual-report-for-2024-justice-james-conley/), Justice owns more than $50 million in BlueStone Resources stock, in addition to up to $50 million in accounts receivable from the company and an inactive Bluestone Coke Processing Plant in Alabama worth up to $25 million. While he owns these stakes in the business, Justice handed control of the company to his son in 2017, after being elected governor of West Virginia. Earlier this week, Justice [said](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5378124-jim-justice-medicaid-trump-bill/) he was concerned that Medicaid cuts in the bill could hurt Republicans politically and he opposed an amendment that would have cut Medicaid even further (the amendment was ultimately withdrawn). Yesterday, Justice voted in favor of the bill, calling it “a strong step in the right direction.” He also highlighted the met coal provision on his website, saying it “will have a significant impact on Southern West Virginia.” Read the full piece [here](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/the-one-big-beautiful-bill-is-a-big), and follow us on [X](https://x.com/sludge) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/sludge.bsky.social). --- ### Speed Read [Campaigns & Elections](https://campaignsandelections.com/industry-news/new-chair-takes-over-at-the-fec/): The Federal Election Commission officially has a new chair. Democrat Shana Broussard, who was nominated to the commission in 2020 by President Donald Trump, formally became FEC chair on Tuesday, two months after her fellow commissioners elected her to the position. It’s Broussard’s second time in the role; she previously chaired the commission in 2021. [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/30/austin-warren-scott-revolving-door-00433634): Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Rick Scott are blasting former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for starting a D.C. consulting firm after saying he would not become a lobbyist after leaving the government. [ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-political-donations-income-dark-money-dhs-ethics): In 2023, while Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota, she supplemented her income by secretly accepting a cut of the money she raised for a nonprofit that promotes her political career, tax records show. ### Trump Flip-Flopped on U.S. Steel Deal After Lobbying Blitz by His Top Bundlers URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/30/trump-flip-flopped-on-u-s-steel-deal-after-lobbying-blitz-by-his-top-bundlers/ Last updated: 2025-06-30T22:18:10.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Flip-Flopped%20on%20U.S.%20Steel%20Deal%20After%20Lobbying%20Blitz%20by%20His%20Top%20Bundlers%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/30/trump-flip-flopped-on-u-s-steel-deal-after-lobbying-blitz-by-his-top-bundlers) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Flip-Flopped%20on%20U.S.%20Steel%20Deal%20After%20Lobbying%20Blitz%20by%20His%20Top%20Bundlers%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/30/trump-flip-flopped-on-u-s-steel-deal-after-lobbying-blitz-by-his-top-bundlers)! Donald Trump campaigned against Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, saying last year that it was a threat to American workers and pledging to block it “instantaneously.” But after a lobbying blitz led by two of his top campaign bundlers, Geoff Verhoff and Brian Ballard, Trump reversed course in May and announced support for the deal. Trump’s flip-flop favored his fundraisers’ interests over the United Steelworkers (USW), who oppose the deal, citing Nippon’s history of trade violations, unenforceable economic pledges, and their exclusion from the talks. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Chamber of Commerce Fights to Keep Wall Street Bonus Culture Alive URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/27/chamber-of-commerce-fights-to-keep-wall-street-bonus-culture-alive/ Last updated: 2025-06-27T16:41:41.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Chamber%20of%20Commerce%20Fights%20to%20Keep%20Wall%20Street%20Bonus%20Culture%20Alive%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/27/chamber-of-commerce-fights-to-keep-wall-street-bonus-culture-alive/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Chamber%20of%20Commerce%20Fights%20to%20Keep%20Wall%20Street%20Bonus%20Culture%20Alive%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/27/chamber-of-commerce-fights-to-keep-wall-street-bonus-culture-alive/)! More than fifteen years after Wall Street bonuses helped precipitate a global financial meltdown, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is still working to protect bank executives’ massive compensation packages from reform. This week, the Chamber submitted comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a public roundtable on executive pay and disclosures, urging the agency to abandon a rule that would force large banks to reform their risky compensation practices. The proposed regulation is designed to rein in the short-term bonus structures that helped drive the 2008 crash by requiring financial firms with $1 billion or more in assets to delay large executive payouts, claw back bonuses tied to misconduct, and tie executive pay to their companies’ long-term financial health. The rule, stemming from Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Act, was first proposed in 2011 and reissued in 2016, but has never been finalized. Last year, the Biden administration re-proposed the rule, spurred on by the 2023 failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank, which exposed major risk management problems in the banking sector. The Chamber has argued that the proposal would impact the competitiveness of U.S. banks, arguing in a 2024 [letter](https://www.uschamber.com/finance/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-letter-on-section-956) that banks need more flexibility to offer compensation packages that can attract top talent. The Chamber, while affiliated with many smaller companies, is disproportionately influenced by large firms, including megabanks with enormous CEO pay packages like Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Similar arguments have been made by the American Bankers Association and other finance industry trade groups. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Walmart, Nike, and Starbucks Say They’re Green, But Fund the Fight Against Climate Laws URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/26/walmart-nike-and-starbucks-say-theyre-green-but-fund-the-fight-against-climate-laws/ Last updated: 2025-06-26T17:11:09.000Z 🏭 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Walmart,%20Nike,%20and%20Starbucks%20Say%20They%E2%80%99re%20Green,%20But%20Fund%20the%20Fight%20Against%20Climate%20Laws%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/26/walmart-nike-and-starbucks-say-theyre-green-but-fund-the-fight-against-climate-laws/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Walmart,%20Nike,%20and%20Starbucks%20Say%20They%E2%80%99re%20Green,%20But%20Fund%20the%20Fight%20Against%20Climate%20Laws%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/26/walmart-nike-and-starbucks-say-theyre-green-but-fund-the-fight-against-climate-laws/)! Nike, Starbucks, and Walmart project a green image, but behind the scenes they’re bankrolling lobbying groups that fight the very policies needed to cut emissions and combat climate change, according to a new scorecard from the corporate responsibility nonprofit ClimateVoice. The updated [rankings](https://guiltbytradeassociation.com/#scorecard) also add Procter & Gamble and Uber to the list of companies whose trade group lobbying contradicts their advertised sustainability efforts. The 20 named companies are all members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the Business Roundtable (BRT)—most are affiliated with both. The two trade associations are among the highest-spending federal lobbying groups opposing climate-related legislation and regulations aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. ## Join Our Newsletter Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In addition to highlighting their trade associations, ClimateVoice’s scorecard looks at the number of lobbyists hired by each company who work for the fossil fuel industry. The firms examined—all of them in the top 650 of the Forbes Global 2000 list of the largest public companies—have been active in climate policy through lobbying and corporate disclosures. None have signed ClimateVoice’s business [statement](https://climatevoice.org/trade-association-lobby-for-climate-policy-business-statement/), which urges them to push the U.S. Chamber and BRT to reverse course on climate issues. “These are companies that have stated values and commitments relative to climate action and sustainability goals, and they have an opportunity to be strategic leaders in this space,” said Deborah McNamara, executive director of ClimateVoice. “They are not using their influence for climate policy progress, and they should be.” The group’s scorecard project is called Guilt by Trade Association. Walmart has quietly backtracked on its climate pledges this year. The Financial Times [found](https://www.ft.com/content/f100bedb-16cb-4f5e-8f64-9a10d5c43a51) in March that the giant had removed sections from its website where it had said it was “deeply committed to addressing climate change.” In 2020, Walmart set goals to reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 35% as of this year, but in December the company acknowledged it will miss its target, and said that a 65% reduction by 2030 is not in the cards. Research cited by ClimateVoice found that 70 Walmart lobbyists also represent fossil fuel industry clients. Walmart CEO Doug McMillan is an at-large board member of the BRT, a lobbying group of over 200 CEOs. In April, the BRT [recommended](https://www.eenews.net/articles/business-roundtable-urges-trump-to-ax-climate-resolutions/) that Congress pass legislation to prevent shareholder resolutions on environmental, social, or political issues from being presented for votes at meetings. Despite in 2018 putting out a high-profile [statement](https://readsludge.com/2019/08/27/these-ceos-promised-to-be-socially-responsible-but-their-companies-are-pushing-alecs-right-wing-agenda/) whereby its members promised to protect the environment, last year the BRT [argued](https://blog.ucs.org/laura-peterson/business-lobby-group-pushes-oil-gas-industry-agenda-on-climate/) against a disclosure rule for climate-related risks in an amicus brief filed in a lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Nike, too, has slipped in transparency around its sustainability practices—this year will be the first time [since 2019](https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/06/nike-wont-release-a-corporate-responsibility-report-for-first-time-in-6-years.html) without an annual corporate responsibility report that covers its environmental impacts. On one of its website’s many pages on sustainability, Nike still describes itself as on a “journey toward zero carbon and zero waste,” but it discloses dues payments of $100,000 and $399,000 to the BRT and up to $75,000 to the U.S. Chamber. In the final days of 2024, the U.S. Chamber and fossil fuel industry lobbying group the American Petroleum Institute (API) [joined up](https://apnews.com/article/vermont-climate-change-superfund-oil-companies-8509341725ec00d26cf74d56588178ab) to sue the state of Vermont over a groundbreaking law that would force fossil fuel companies to pay for a portion of the damages caused by climate change. Two months later, the U.S. Chamber filed a similar lawsuit against New York, challenging a law known as the Climate Change Superfund Act, signed into law on Dec. 26, 2024, that holds polluters liable for climate degradation and requires them to pay for adaptation projects and mitigation efforts. Fossil fuel giants ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have all disclosed membership in the U.S. Chamber in recent years, though the group keeps its full member roster secret. The Chamber has been the first or second-highest lobbying spender at the federal level every year since 1999, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-spenders?cycle=1998), in the past [disputing](https://www.eenews.net/articles/climate-strife-divides-us-chamber-will-departures-follow/) the science that human activity causes climate change and spending millions to [kill](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/31/business-lobbying-democrats-reconciliation/) climate policies like 2021’s Build Back Better Act and 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act. A February 2023 [report](https://influencemap.org/briefing/The-U-S-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Climate-Policy-21084) by the UK charity InfluenceMap, whose research went into the ClimateVoice scorecard, found that the Chamber’s lobbying priorities are closely aligned with fossil fuel groups like API, even as many of its members publicly claim to support climate action. Starbucks weakened a key climate policy earlier this year, revealing in a March proxy statement that it would no longer factor greenhouse gas emission reductions in its long-term pay incentive plans for executives. The chain paid between a quarter and a half a million dollars in dues to the BRT as of its most recent disclosure. Other climate obstructors on the list of big brands include PepsiCo and Salesforce, both of which have recently softened or reversed climate commitments. In May, PepsiCo [blamed](https://trellis.net/article/pepsico-downgrades-sustainability-ambitions/) insufficient support from policymakers and a lack of investment in clean energy for why it was lowering its emissions reduction targets. Also last month, Salesforce quietly [withdrew](https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/technology/salesforce-quietly-drops-key-climate-goals-to-cut-emissions/article%5F29bb6e4d-72f0-452f-b5b6-1ae19f41e985.html) its emissions pledges and watered down how it calculates “scope 3” emissions. “It’s important for employees, business leaders, and consumers to understand that these companies are using their influence to support the opposition to climate policy progress at a critical moment when we need these companies to be leading and speaking up for climate policy progress,” McNamara said. “Especially now, under this administration and with the threats to clean energy provisions and incentives, we need these companies that have clean energy-related goals to be standing up for policies that would promote a clean energy transition. “But instead, companies have been largely silent in 2025,” she said. “We’re wondering where are the voices of companies that say they care about climate leadership, corporate responsibility, and business as a force for good.” Both the Chamber and BRT [increased](https://readsludge.com/2025/02/11/2024s-top-lobbying-risers/) their federal lobbying spending in 2024—the former by nearly 10%, to about $76.3 million; the latter by nearly 20%, to $23.4 million. *Image via Flickr member* [*m01229*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/39908901@N06/8428653770) *used with a Creative Commons license.* ### Fossil Fuel Lobbyist Joins Thune-Linked ‘Dark Money’ Group’s Board URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/25/fossil-fuel-lobbyist-joins-thune-linked-dark-money-groups-board/ Last updated: 2025-06-25T19:52:26.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20Lobbyist%20Joins%20Thune-Linked%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%E2%80%99s%20Board%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/25/fossil-fuel-lobbyist-joins-thune-linked-dark-money-groups-board/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20Lobbyist%20Joins%20Thune-Linked%20%E2%80%98Dark%20Money%E2%80%99%20Group%E2%80%99s%20Board%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/25/fossil-fuel-lobbyist-joins-thune-linked-dark-money-groups-board/)! Allen Wright, a longtime government affairs executive for Devon Energy and Koch Industries, has quietly joined the board of One Nation, a powerful Republican dark money group tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. His addition to the board, disclosed on filings made last year with the Virginia State Corporation Commission and the Internal Revenue Service, is just the latest sign of the fossil fuel industry’s close ties to congressional Republicans’ campaign financing operations. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Members of Congress Bought Defense Stocks, Then Watched Them Rise as the Bombs Dropped URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/24/members-of-congress-bought-defense-stocks-then-watched-them-rise-as-the-bombs-dropped/ Last updated: 2025-11-12T20:03:25.000Z 💥 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Members%20of%20Congress%20Bought%20Defense%20Stocks,%20Then%20Watched%20Them%20Rise%20as%20the%20Bombs%20Dropped%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/24/members-of-congress-bought-defense-stocks-then-watched-them-rise-as-the-bombs-dropped/) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Members%20of%20Congress%20Bought%20Defense%20Stocks,%20Then%20Watched%20Them%20Rise%20as%20the%20Bombs%20Dropped%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/24/members-of-congress-bought-defense-stocks-then-watched-them-rise-as-the-bombs-dropped/) Operation Midnight Hammer, the Trump administration’s unauthorized military strike against nuclear sites in Iran, involved hundreds of U.S. aircraft made by Northrop Grumman and others, more than a dozen Boeing-made “massive ordnance penetrator” bombs, RTX-manufactured Tomahawk missiles fired from a General Dynamics submarine, and Boeing-made aerial refueling tankers. The strike came just weeks after the Trump administration requested a Pentagon budget exceeding $1 trillion for the first time. Since President Trump’s win on Election Day, at least 19 members of the U.S. House and Senate have reported household purchases of stock in the companies involved in the Iran strikes and other military contractors listed in the Top 100 of defense revenue by [Defense News](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/), according to a Sludge review of disclosures compiled by [Capitol Trades](https://www.capitoltrades.com/). As of their most recent filings, all but one of these lawmakers still hold the defense stocks they acquired after the election. Dozens more members of Congress [already owned stock](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/12/here-are-the-members-of-congress-invested-in-war/) in defense companies, according to a Sludge analysis conducted last year. Shares of defense giants like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin [ticked up in value](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/defense-stocks-trade-higher-after-israel-airstrikes-in-iran-raise-middle-east-tensions-135055335.html) on Friday, June 13, the trading day after Israel launched its own strike on Iran, targeting nuclear enrichment facilities. Many of the lawmakers’ trades came in the months leading up to the Iran strikes, as tensions in the region fueled investor interest in the defense sector. Yesterday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) [threw cold water](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5364733-speaker-johnson-opposes-war-powers/) on a War Powers Resolution—with up to [60](https://x.com/prem%5Fthakker/status/1936954919312818467) congressional co-sponsors—that would push for explicit congressional approval of U.S. military involvement in Iran, saying he does not think the measure should be brought to the floor for a vote. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### GOP Flip-Floppers Back Trump’s Unauthorized Iran Attacks URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/23/gop-flip-floppers-back-trumps-unauthorized-iran-attacks/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T19:01:44.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=GOP%20Flip-Floppers%20Back%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Unauthorized%20Iran%20Attacks%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/23/gop-flip-floppers-back-trumps-unauthorized-iran-attacks/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=GOP%20Flip-Floppers%20Back%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Unauthorized%20Iran%20Attacks%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/23/gop-flip-floppers-back-trumps-unauthorized-iran-attacks/)! In early 2024, several Republican members of Congress criticized President Biden’s airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen as unconstitutional, citing Article I of the Constitution, which gives Congress the sole authority to declare war. They endorsed Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) demand that Biden seek congressional approval before initiating military action, with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) reposting Khanna’s statement on X and adding, “The Constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation.” Now, many of these GOP members are supporting or staying silent on President Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, also conducted without congressional authorization. These flip-flops aren’t just hypocritical partisanship, but are [giving Trump political cover](https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/what-they-are-saying-president-trumps-display-of-peace-through-strength/) for him to sidestep Congress. Mike Lee, a heavy social media user who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, has not criticized Trump’s bombings, despite the lack of congressional approval. On X, Lee posted in praise of Trump’s strikes on Friday night, “Tonight, the Iranian nuclear program was wiped out. Please join me in praying for the safety of the brave men and women of America’s armed forces \[...\] and that these strikes may lead to the lasting peace called for by President Trump.” He made no mention of Congress’s war powers, a sharp departure from his 2024 position when Biden was president. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) co-signed a Jan. 2024 letter with Lee and Democrats Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy questioning Biden’s authority for the Yemen actions. However, following Trump’s bombing in Iran, Young did not appear to have any such concerns. “Thank you to our brave service members who executed this mission,” he posted on X. “The world will be safer if Iran’s nuclear capability is destroyed.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Dem Leaders Duck War Powers Resolution on Trump and Iran URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/20/aipac-funded-dem-leaders-duck-war-powers-resolution-on-trump-and-iran/ Last updated: 2025-06-22T00:45:21.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC-Funded%20Dem%20Leaders%20Duck%20War%20Powers%20Resolution%20on%20Trump%20and%20Iran%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/20/aipac-funded-dem-leaders-duck-war-powers-resolution-on-trump-and-iran/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AIPAC-Funded%20Dem%20Leaders%20Duck%20War%20Powers%20Resolution%20on%20Trump%20and%20Iran%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/20/aipac-funded-dem-leaders-duck-war-powers-resolution-on-trump-and-iran/) Democratic congressional leaders, in their responses to President Trump’s saber-rattling over Iran, are echoing Israeli leaders’ claims that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, even though U.S. intelligence continues to hold that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and no evidence to the contrary has been presented. The talking points come after the pro-Israel group AIPAC unleashed an enormous wave of spending in the last election cycle to support House and Senate Democrats, and a recent push by AIPAC to pressure House Democrats to release statements copying its messages backing Israel’s war aims. Shortly after Israel launched unprovoked military strikes on Iran, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer [stated](https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leader-schumer-statement-on-israels-strikes-on-iran) on June 13, “I have long said that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Ensuring they never obtain one must remain a top national security priority.” While Schumer called for a diplomatic solution, he has not co-sponsored a [bill](https://www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-sanders-iran-war) from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would bar the Trump administration from using federal funds to attack Iran without congressional approval, even though he [signed on](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3159/cosponsors) to a prior version of the legislation in 2020\. Joined by seven [Senate Democrats](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-introduces-no-war-against-iran-act/) including Sen. Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the [text](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/DAV25B57.pdf) of Sanders’ No War Against Iran Act states, “Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution." A few weeks ago, Schumer [took to social media](https://theintercept.com/2025/06/19/democratic-iran-war-trump-schumer-jeffries-meeks/) to warn Trump against making any “side deals” with the government of Iran, arguing that Congress should consider any deals struck by Trump’s friend and negotiator Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East. Peace groups in New York State [urged](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-nuclear-2672345081/) Schumer to remove the post goading Trump, which they wrote was “seeking to out-hawk” the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iran. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also put out a [statement](https://democraticleader.house.gov/media/press-releases/leader-jeffries-statement-situation-middle-east) of support for Israel the day after it began attacking Iran, saying, “Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terror in the world and a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel.” It goes on, “There is no circumstance where Iran can be permitted to become a nuclear power.” Today, Jeffries posted a [statement](https://x.com/RepJeffries/status/1936088016109425121) that “Iran is a sworn enemy of the United States” and that “Israel has a right to defend itself against escalating Iranian aggression,” adding that the Trump administration must obtain explicit approval from Congress before engaging in military action against Iran. Jeffries has not co-sponsored or otherwise called on Congress to pass a resolution like the one led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), that would prohibit the military from taking part in hostilities with Iran unless authorized by Congress. The measure, co-sponsored by 14 more House Democrats, seeks to halt the run-up to military escalation with Iran. Jeffries’ campaign and joint fundraising committee combined received [more than $1 million](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/) from AIPAC’s PAC last cycle. The U.S. intelligence community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, released in March, said it continued to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and the program remains shuttered. Trump withdrew in May 2018 from a landmark international deal overseeing Iran’s nuclear program. In testimony to Congress that month, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of national intelligence, [reiterated](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/americas-spies-say-iran-wasnt-building-a-nuclear-weapon-trump-dismisses-that-assessment) the assessment that Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003, though pressure has probably built on him to do so.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ‘Unprecedented’ Tax Credit in GOP Megabill Would Fuel School Privatization URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/18/unprecedented-tax-credit-in-gop-megabill-would-fuel-school-privatization/ Last updated: 2025-06-18T19:55:00.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%98Unprecedented%E2%80%99%20Tax%20Credit%20in%20GOP%20Megabill%20Would%20Fuel%20School%20Privatization%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/18/unprecedented-tax-credit-in-gop-megabill-would-fuel-school-privatization/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=%E2%80%98Unprecedented%E2%80%99%20Tax%20Credit%20in%20GOP%20Megabill%20Would%20Fuel%20School%20Privatization%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/18/unprecedented-tax-credit-in-gop-megabill-would-fuel-school-privatization/)! You’re likely aware of some of the big-ticket tax benefits for wealthy individuals and companies in the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill now moving through Congress, but buried in it is another tax provision that’s raising some alarms: the bill would create an unprecedented new tax shelter that could let billionaires save millions in taxes through donations to private school voucher funds, all paid for by the public. The Educational Choice for Children Act, included in the sprawling tax and spending package, would allow individuals to claim a 100% tax credit for donations to nonprofits that distribute K-12 school vouchers. Unlike a typical deduction for a charitable donation, this credit would reimburse donors dollar-for-dollar, effectively making the federal government cover the entire donation. No other kind of charities—such as disaster relief organizations, food banks, or medical assistance groups—receive this level of tax incentive from the federal government. The Senate’s version of the bill would cap the program at $4 billion in credits per year, starting in 2027. Beyond the credit, tax experts say that donors could even profit off the provision through excess tax liability savings. Donors could give appreciated stock instead of cash, allowing them to avoid the capital gains tax while also getting full reimbursement from the federal government, effectively reducing their tax liability beyond what their donation actually cost them. An analysis by the [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy](https://itep.org/educational-choice-for-children-act-tax-avoidance-private-school-vouchers/) (ITEP) estimates the provision would cost the federal government $134 billion over the next decade, while only generating about $126 billion in actual contributions to school voucher programs and providing $10.5 billion in personal profit to wealthy donors in the form of capital gains tax avoidance. Using tax data leaked by ProPublica, ITEP [estimated](https://itep.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/Estimated-Annual-Tax-Cuts-from-ECCA-if-it-Were-in-Effect-Between-2013-and-2018.pdf) how much money some wealthy school privatization enthusiasts could have made if the program had been around during the period covered by the leaked information (2013-18). It determined that Jeffrey Yass could have collected $13.3 million in profit through the program, while Charles Koch could have pulled in $2.4 million, and the DeVos family would potentially have gained $4.6 million. These figures are hypothetical and assume donors max out the provisions cap set at 10% of an individual’s adjusted gross income. The money the government would collect if not for these tax credits would have to come from elsewhere in the federal budget. That means less funding for things like the military, public education, veterans’ benefits, or potentially just more money that gets piled onto the national debt. Among the groups applauding the Educational Choice for Children Act is [Heritage Action](https://heritageaction.com/blog/heritage-action-applauds-educational-choice-for-children-act), the conservative advocacy group behind the Project 2025 portfolio of policy recommendations for the Trump administration. The bill was named in the policy roadmap as something that Congress should pass, in concert with state measures on school privatization. Meanwhile, groups like the American Federation of Teachers are [sounding the alarm](https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active%5Fstatus=active&ad%5Ftype=all&country=ALL&is%5Ftargeted%5Fcountry=false&media%5Ftype=all&search%5Ftype=page&source=page-transparency-widget&view%5Fall%5Fpage%5Fid=215968684159) with Facebook and Instagram ads, calling the provision a “sinister tax loophole for billionaires” that diverts money away from public schools. --- ### Speed Read: [The American Prospect/Drop Site News](https://prospect.org/politics/2025-06-18-aipac-demands-democrats-stand-with-israel/): The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has been furiously urging House Democrats to release messages of steadfast support for Israel in its war with Iran, the *Prospect* and Drop Site News have learned, even as bipartisan lawmakers come together on a War Powers Act resolution to prevent U.S. troops or funds being used in yet another Middle East conflagration. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-17/oil-industry-gets-1-billion-tax-tweak-in-gop-s-senate-bill): Senate Republicans included a tax break estimated to be worth more than $1 billion for oil and gas producers in their version of President Donald Trump’s sprawling fiscal package. The provision would allow energy companies subject to a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax to deduct certain drilling costs when calculating their taxable income. [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/genius-stablecoin-bill-crypto.html): The Senate on Tuesday passed the GENIUS Act, a landmark bill that for the first time establishes federal guardrails for U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins and creates a regulated pathway for private companies to issue digital dollars with the blessing of the federal government. ### Companies Back GOP Bill Slashing Food Aid While Touting Hunger Relief URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/17/companies-back-gop-bill-slashing-food-aid-while-touting-hunger-relief/ Last updated: 2025-06-18T12:19:28.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Companies%20Back%20GOP%20Bill%20Slashing%20Food%20Aid%20While%20Touting%20Hunger%20Relief%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/17/companies-back-gop-bill-slashing-food-aid-while-touting-hunger-relief/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Companies%20Back%20GOP%20Bill%20Slashing%20Food%20Aid%20While%20Touting%20Hunger%20Relief%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/17/companies-back-gop-bill-slashing-food-aid-while-touting-hunger-relief/) Large companies like Comcast, Delta, and Verizon that publicize their charitable hunger relief efforts are cheering on the Republican “megabill” that would slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by roughly 30%, taking away food assistance for millions of families and worsening hunger. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB), the multi-trillion-dollar tax and spending package passed by the House last month, is now moving rapidly in the Senate, where it is planned to be passed needing the support of only a simple majority via the budget reconciliation process. Like the House bill, the Senate’s version includes steep cuts to the SNAP program through expanding the program’s work requirements, shifting costs to states, and capping benefit increases. In a one-pager [accompanying](https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman-boozman-releases-agriculture-nutrition-and-forestry-budget-reconciliation-text) their version last week, Senate Republicans said these rule changes would help SNAP recipients “move toward greater independence through work, education, and training opportunities.” The nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) [described](https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/house-reconciliation-bill-proposes-deepest-snap-cut-in-history-would-take) the House bill’s nearly $300 billion in proposed cuts to the program through 2034 as “by far the largest cut to SNAP in history” and [estimates](https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/worsening-snaps-harsh-work-requirement-would-take-food-assistance-away) that about 6 million people would be at risk of losing their food assistance if it becomes law. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the OBBB would withdraw food assistance from roughly 3.2 million adults in a typical month, including 1 million adults aged 55-64 and 800,000 parents of school-aged children. The bill would also cut Medicaid, while extending trillions of dollars in tax cuts that are [weighted](https://itep.org/itep-statement-resources-on-senate-tax-bill-2025/) predominantly toward millionaires and the wealthiest. While the bill takes food stamp aid away from millions of people, giant companies endorsing the Trump White House’s tax package would bank permanent extension of some business tax credits and are eyeing other benefits in the plan. Among many things, the OBBB includes tax [provisions](https://www.proskauertaxtalks.com/2025/05/the-one-big-beautiful-bill-tax-reform-2025/) addressing interest deductions, domestic research and development tax credits, and the immediate expensing of equipment. Many of the top lobbying spenders in recent years have lined up behind the bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable group of CEOs, which in 2019 released a [statement](https://readsludge.com/2019/08/27/these-ceos-promised-to-be-socially-responsible-but-their-companies-are-pushing-alecs-right-wing-agenda/) pledging that its members would be socially responsible. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Cuomo Exploits Loophole to Raise Big Money From Restricted Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/16/cuomo-exploits-loophole-to-raise-big-money-from-restricted-donors/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T23:39:29.000Z 💰 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Cuomo%20Exploits%20Loophole%20to%20Raise%20Big%20Money%20From%20Restricted%20Donors%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/16/cuomo-exploits-loophole-to-raise-big-money-from-restricted-donors/) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Cuomo%20Exploits%20Loophole%20to%20Raise%20Big%20Money%20From%20Restricted%20Donors%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/16/cuomo-exploits-loophole-to-raise-big-money-from-restricted-donors/)! Despite New York City’s strict contribution limits for people who have business before the city, Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for mayor has used several such restricted donors to bundle large amounts of cash for his campaign, a Sludge review of state records finds. Cuomo’s campaign has reported at least six bundlers who are listed in the city’s “Doing Business Database,” including lobbyist Brian Simon of Hollis Public Affairs and Brad Karp, chairperson of the white-shoe law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. The city’s “doing business with” rules were created in 2007 to curb pay-to-play corruption by limiting how much money people like lobbyists, contractors, and developers with financial ties to the city can give to candidates who, if elected, would be in positions of power and could repay perceived favors. These individuals are subject to lower contribution limits of just $400 for mayoral candidates, and their donations are not eligible for public matching funds. But the law has a loophole: these same individuals are not prohibited from bundling large amounts of campaign money from others, allowing them to curry favor with elected officials while staying within legal bounds. Of the six Cuomo bundlers with business before the city, five come from the lobbying profession. In addition to Simon, Cuomo’s lobbyist-bundlers include Bolton-St. Johns Managing Partner Giorgio DeRosa, Tonio Burgos and Associates CEO Tonio Burgos, CDD Strategies founder Christian DiPalmero, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) President James Whalen, and Ostroff Associates President Rick Ostroff. Together, these lobbyists represent dozens of clients with business before the state, including companies like Airbnb, the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), United Airlines, Enbridge, and Walmart. Burgos’ firm lobbies for three companies whose executives donated to the [super PAC](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/) backing Cuomo’s bid: RXR Realty, whose CEO and chair Scott Rechler gave $250,000 to the Fix the City super PAC in March; and a pair of companies behind construction in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards that are controlled by Related Companies, whose chairman, billionaire Stephen Ross, gave $50,000 to the super PAC. DeRosa, chief Albany lobbyist at the influential Bolton-St. Johns, is the father of Melissa DeRosa, who was chief of staff and secretary to former Gov. Cuomo. Karp’s law firm has worked for corporate giants like ExxonMobil and Google. In total, Cuomo’s bundlers on the “doing business” list have raised around $59,000 for his campaign. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sanders and King Unveil First-Ever Bill to Ban All Prescription Drug Ads URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/13/sanders-and-king-unveil-first-ever-bill-to-ban-all-prescription-drug-ads/ Last updated: 2025-06-13T18:34:28.000Z 💊 **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sanders%20and%20King%20Unveil%20First-Ever%20Bill%20to%20Ban%20All%20Prescription%20Drug%20Ads%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/13/sanders-and-king-unveil-first-ever-bill-to-ban-all-prescription-drug-ads/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Sanders%20and%20King%20Unveil%20First-Ever%20Bill%20to%20Ban%20All%20Prescription%20Drug%20Ads%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/13/sanders-and-king-unveil-first-ever-bill-to-ban-all-prescription-drug-ads/)**!* In a historic challenge to Big Pharma, independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine) have introduced the first-ever federal bill to permanently ban all direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising. The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act, introduced today, would prohibit ads for prescription drugs and biologics across all platforms, from TV to YouTube. The bill aligns with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to curb pharmaceutical industry influence, and would deliver on a core demand of the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. The [bill](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/TAM25690.pdf) would ban ads for all FDA-approved prescription drugs and biologics, including “any promotional communication targeting consumers, including through television, radio, print media, digital platforms, and social media.” The ban would take effect 30 days after enactment, covering all approved or licensed drugs, regardless of when they were approved. The U.S. and New Zealand are currently the only countries that allow DTC drug ads. According to TV ad tracking service [iSpot](https://www.ispot.tv/hub/resources/free-reports/pharma-tv-transparency-report-ad-first-insights-for-rx-brands/), pharmaceutical companies spent $5.15 billion on TV ads last year, delivering 413 billion impressions. Besides helping to boost drug sales, the ads are hugely profitable for U.S. media companies that have seen more and more of their ad spots paid by drug companies. The Sanders-King bill is unprecedented in its scope. While past legislative efforts have focused on limited advertising moratoriums for new drugs, and others have sought to eliminate tax deductions for drug ad spending, no federal legislation has ever called for a total, permanent ban across all platforms. The American Medical Association’s 2015 [call for a drug ad ban](https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/ama-press-releases/ama-calls-ban-dtc-ads-prescription-drugs-and-medical-devices) and repeated pushes by RFK Jr. and allied figures like podcaster Joe Rogan helped lay the political groundwork, but Sanders and King’s bill is the first to translate those ideas into a concrete legislative proposal. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Tech Insider Helberg Poised to Shape U.S. Foreign Policy While Retaining Tech Portfolio URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/12/tech-insider-helberg-poised-to-shape-u-s-foreign-policy-while-retaining-tech-portfolio/ Last updated: 2025-06-12T17:36:40.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Tech%20Insider%20Jacob%20Helberg%20Poised%20to%20Shape%20U.S.%20Foreign%20Policy%20While%20Retaining%20Tech%20Portfolio%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/12/tech-insider-helberg-poised-to-shape-u-s-foreign-policy-while-retaining-tech-portfolio) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Tech%20Insider%20Jacob%20Helberg%20Poised%20to%20Shape%20U.S.%20Foreign%20Policy%20While%20Retaining%20Tech%20Portfolio%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/12/tech-insider-helberg-poised-to-shape-u-s-foreign-policy-while-retaining-tech-portfolio)! Jacob Helberg, a Trump megadonor and senior advisor to Palantir CEO Alex Karp, is set to shape U.S. economic and tech diplomacy, even as he and his husband, venture capitalist Keith Rabois, plan to retain their stakes in a large portfolio of companies that stand to benefit from Helberg’s work. At his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Helberg’s nomination to serve as under secretary of State for economic growth, energy, and the environment advanced with no substantial discussion of his conflicts of interest. In a May [ethics disclosure](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/CB776D5A01C14E4E85258C85002C8AC8/$FILE/Helberg%2C%20Jacob%20%20finalEA.pdf), Helberg said he plans to retain investments in hundreds of companies, many of them tied to Founders Fund and Khosla Ventures, where Rabois is a managing director. The portfolio spans sectors like artificial intelligence, defense, space technology, clean energy, and fintech. It includes some of the most high-profile and politically sensitive tech companies in the country, such as OpenAI, SpaceX, Anduril Industries, Neuralink, and Stripe. Other firms in his holdings work on drones, quantum computing, lab-grown meat, fusion energy, and firearms. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate-Funded ‘Blue Dog’ Dems Plan New Super PAC and Dark Money Group URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/11/corporate-funded-blue-dog-dems-plan-new-super-pac-and-dark-money-group/ Last updated: 2025-06-11T16:05:57.000Z 🐕 **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Corporate-Funded%20%E2%80%98Blue%20Dog%E2%80%99%20Dems%20Plan%20New%20Super%20PAC%20and%20Dark%20Money%20Group%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/11/corporate-funded-blue-dog-dems-plan-new-super-pac-and-dark-money-group) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Corporate-Funded%20%E2%80%98Blue%20Dog%E2%80%99%20Dems%20Plan%20New%20Super%20PAC%20and%20Dark%20Money%20Group%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/11/corporate-funded-blue-dog-dems-plan-new-super-pac-and-dark-money-group)**!* The Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of centrist House Democrats who have [repeatedly blocked](https://readsludge.com/tag/blue-dogs/) their party’s major legislation, will form a new super PAC to accept donations of unlimited size, as well as a new nonprofit group that will not be required to disclose its funders. The coalition’s plans were first reported by the New York Times in an [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/us/politics/democrats-centrists-moderates-welcome-pac.html) last week about their appearance at a centrist event, dubbed WelcomeFest. The Times said that the Blue Dogs have never previously had an independent entity that could take unlimited donations, but the Blue Dogs have long been linked to a group called [Center Forward](https://readsludge.com/tag/center-forward/) that has a “dark money” advocacy group and a super PAC that has spent millions of dollars to help elect its members. Center Forward was founded in 2010 as the think tank Blue Dog Research Forum, run by a Blue Dog Coalition co-founder, former Rep. Bud Cramer of Alabama, who still chairs Center Forward’s board. The centrist group [changed](https://www.politico.com/story/2012/03/blue-dogs-try-fresh-approach-074332) its name in 2012\. The Blue Dog PAC has donated at least half a million dollars to Center Forward’s super PAC over the years, according to Federal Election Commission records. The economically-conservative Blue Dogs, whose numbers have dwindled to 10 members out of 213 House Democrats, have been feeling feisty of late. At WelcomeFest, held in D.C. on June 4 and co-sponsored by the Blue Dog PAC, three Blue Dogs appeared, including co-chair Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, with Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, who was one of its prior co-chairs, and Adam Gray of California. WelcomeFest speakers argued that centrists should have [even more control](https://prospect.org/politics/2025-06-10-welcomefest-wants-politicians-who-choose-to-believe-in-nothing/) over the Democratic Party’s messaging and budgets, and made the case to sideline progressive groups like Indivisible. The Blue Dog Coalition told the Times that their new fundraising groups would be willing to spend money to back their candidates in Democratic primaries. That’s something Center Forward’s super PAC has already [done](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/25/kurt-schraders-hypocritical-citizens-united-ad/) for Blue Dog members, for example when it spent more than [$1 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2022?cmte=C00568444&tab=targeted%5Fcandidates) backing the group’s former PAC treasurer, Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, in a 2022 House primary. The Blue Dog Coalition did not respond to a request for comment on its plans, or how the new groups would differ from Center Forward. Center Forward did not respond to a request for comment on the Blue Dogs’ plans to add another fundraising arm. Center Forward says it brings together policymakers, business leaders, and politicians “from all sides of the political spectrum” to find bipartisan “common ground.” By [raising money](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/22/corporate-dems-rapidly-growing-dark-money-arm/) from undisclosed sources—some that is [traceable](https://readsludge.com/2020/10/09/blue-dog-affiliated-group-runs-ads-for-big-pharma/) to corporate lobbying groups like PhRMA—Center Forward has transmuted corporate and lobbying-group money into rich benefits for Blue Dogs’ political careers. The words “Blue Dogs” don’t appear on Center Forward’s main webpages about its mission, but the group’s current four-member board consists of Blue Dogs and their top aides: its chair, former Rep. Cramer, later founded lobbying firm 535 Group. A second board member is Cramer’s former chief of staff Jeff Murray, also a lobbyist with the firm. A third is another Blue Dog co-founder, former Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee, co-founder of lobbying firm Bridgeway Advocacy and former lobbyist with Prime Policy Group; a fourth is his former chief of staff of two decades, Vicki Walling, also a former lobbyist for Prime. Center Forward’s CEO, Cori Kramer, was formerly [chief of staff](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/07/news-outlet-founded-by-blue-dog-dem-operatives-promotes-big-pharmas-lobbying-aims/) to two Blue Dogs, Mike Ross of Arkansas and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana. Two former longtime Center Forward board members, Cindy Brown and Elizabeth Greer, are corporate lobbyists with Forbes Tate Partners, where they have kept [numerous](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/22/corporate-dems-rapidly-growing-dark-money-arm/) pharma industry clients. Brown highlights her fundraising for moderate Democrats, and Greer touts her work with the Blue Dogs on the Hill as a former chief of staff to one of its leaders. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### SEC Filing Ties Trump’s Bitcoin Investments to Deregulation Efforts URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/10/sec-filing-ties-trumps-bitcoin-investments-to-deregulation-efforts/ Last updated: 2025-06-11T18:33:15.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=SEC%20Filing%20Ties%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Bitcoin%20Investments%20to%20Deregulation%20Efforts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/10/sec-filing-ties-trumps-bitcoin-investments-to-deregulation-efforts) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=SEC%20Filing%20Ties%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Bitcoin%20Investments%20to%20Deregulation%20Efforts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/10/sec-filing-ties-trumps-bitcoin-investments-to-deregulation-efforts)! A recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Trump Media & Technology Group, announcing a $2.5 billion Bitcoin deal, makes plain the glaring conflict of interest between President Trump’s financial investments and his advocacy for crypto deregulation. In a June 5 filing, the company said it considers the possibility of Bitcoin being classified as a security to be a significant risk for its operations. If Bitcoin were to be considered a security, the company wrote, it would not only dramatically lower the value of its Bitcoin holdings, which it says make up a significant portion of its assets, but would also force it to register as an investment company, making it subject to stricter regulations. The [filing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sec.irpass.cc/2660/0001140361-25-021579.htm#tDOU), an S-3 registration statement, covers sales of shares to a group of roughly 50 institutional investors as part of a $2.5 billion deal to purchase more Bitcoin and create a Bitcoin treasury for the company. "We view Bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom, and now Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a crucial part of our assets,” said CEO Devin Nunes in a [statement](https://www.pressviewer.com/ViewEmail.asp?b=2660&id=350894&p=2376716&I=1455031-Y3e8y4t5p4) announcing the deal. The disclosure of the Bitcoin-related regulatory risks was first noted by [Accountable.US](https://accountable.us/new-trump-family-business-admits-that-congressional-republicans-crypto-bills-would-boost-their-bottom-line/). Conveniently, Trump’s Republican allies in Congress are pushing legislation called the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, a market structure bill that would define blockchain-linked digital assets like Bitcoin to be commodities, which face lighter regulatory oversight under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and avoid the SEC’s rules on disclosures and investor protections. The bill was proposed by Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), and if passed into law would protect the Trump family from the Bitcoin-regulation risks it identified in the SEC filing. The bill, which is supported by Blockchain Association industry group, is the subject of two markups being held today by the House Financial Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC’s commodity regulations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. As the largest investor in Trump Media & Technology Group with a 52% stake, President Trump stands to gain significantly from deregulation. While most White House administration officials are required to divest assets that may pose a conflict of interest with their work for the government, the president is generally exempt from such requirements. Trump, once dismissive of Bitcoin and crypto, has championed Bitcoin as a commodity through his support for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, placing the digital asset alongside commodities like oil and gold that the government holds in strategic stockpiles. In March, Trump signed an executive order to create the reserve using government-seized coins, while also creating a reserve for other assets the president’s family is invested in, like Ethereum. Trump’s nomination of Paul Atkins as SEC chairman further tipped the scales towards Bitcoin being treated as a commodity rather than a security. Atkins, a crypto industry advocate who supports light-touch regulations for digital currencies, is now in charge of the agency that guides rulemakings on such matters. --- ## Speed Read: [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/group-backed-by-george-soros-to-plow-millions-into-turning-texas-blue-4dfa75bf): Democrats are launching a multimillion-dollar effort, helped by megadonor George Soros, to turn Texas into a political battleground after suffering through decades of electoral losses in the nation’s second-largest state. [404 Media](https://www.404media.co/airlines-dont-want-you-to-know-they-sold-your-flight-data-to-dhs/): A data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, collected U.S. travellers’ domestic flight records, sold access to them to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and then as part of the contract told CBP to not reveal where the data came from. [Dan Boguslaw](https://danboguslaw.substack.com/p/bidens-chief-of-staff-starts-28-million): Biden’s former chief of staff Jeffrey Zients has started a $28 million investment fund. ### Crypto, Oil, and Tobacco Industry Donations Fueled Republican Super PACs URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/09/crypto-oil-and-tobacco-industry-donations-fueled-republican-super-pacs/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T23:45:05.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Crypto,%20Oil,%20and%20Tobacco%20Industry%20Donations%20Fueled%20Republican%20Super%20PACs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/09/crypto-oil-and-tobacco-industry-donations-fueled-republican-super-pacs/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Crypto,%20Oil,%20and%20Tobacco%20Industry%20Donations%20Fueled%20Republican%20Super%20PACs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/09/crypto-oil-and-tobacco-industry-donations-fueled-republican-super-pacs/) The Republican-controlled Senate is grappling with the massive “One Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by the House last month, legislation that would cut spending on Medicaid and food stamp programs to make permanent tax provisions from the 2017 Trump-GOP tax law, among many other things. Majority Leader John Thune is [attempting](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5337997-republicans-thune-trump-bill/) to quell disagreements in his caucus over the package by convening small working groups, ahead of his target of the end of this month to have the multi-trillion-dollar bill passed. Since the start of 2021, when Democrats took a narrow control of the federal government, companies that would benefit from tax cut extensions in the GOP “megabill”—and other GOP-sponsored legislation now moving in Congress—have plowed money into outside spending groups like super PACs to help Republicans retake control of the House in the 2022 elections, and the Senate in 2024’s contests. Companies in the cryptocurrency, fossil fuels, and tobacco industries have been among the largest corporate donors over the past two election cycles to the largest pro-Republican super PACs that helped elect the lawmakers who are now working to pass President Trump’s tax bill. Koch Industries was one of the largest corporate donors to conservative super PACs over the past two election cycles, according to a Sludge review of data from [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/koch-industries/summary?id=d000000186). Billionaire Charles Koch has not been in headlines as frequently as new Republican megadonor Elon Musk, but his company, known since last year as Koch Inc., has donated more than $70.9 million since the start of 2021 to conservative super PACs like Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Action, part of the political group founded and funded by its chairman and CEO Charles Koch. This year, AFP has been working to push the reconciliation bill over the finish line in Congress, most recently with a [$4 million ad buy](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-for-prosperity-senate-republican-holdouts-trump-bill/) targeting Republican Senate holdouts. If passed, the megabill could benefit Koch Inc.’s fossil fuel holdings, like oil refineries, through expediting permitting and boosting oil and gas production—as well as its immense tax giveaways to the [wealthiest](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/23/billionaires-set-to-gain-from-trump-gop-tax-law-extension/) individuals like Koch. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Big Oil Wins in Trump-GOP Megabill URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/05/big-oil-wins-in-trump-gop-megabill/ Last updated: 2025-06-05T16:23:01.000Z 🌍 ***Share this post on** [***X**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Big%20Oil%20Wins%20in%20Trump-GOP%20Megabill%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/05/big-oil-wins-in-trump-gop-megabill) **and** [***Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Big%20Oil%20Wins%20in%20Trump-GOP%20Megabill%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/05/big-oil-wins-in-trump-gop-megabill)***!** After pouring millions into GOP super PACs, the fossil fuel industry is cashing in with the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sweeping budget reconciliation package loaded with giveaways for oil and gas companies. The House and Senate versions of the bill are nearly identical on energy matters, delivering a wish list of tax breaks, drilling incentives, and regulatory rollbacks. Now, the American Petroleum Institute (API), representing hundreds of oil and gas companies, is lobbying the Senate to add even more industry-friendly perks. The energy portion of the House-passed bill and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s bills both prioritize the fossil fuel industry’s profits over the environment. Both would delay the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) fee on oil and gas companies’ excess methane pollution by 10 years, shielding companies from accountability for a potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for up to 30% of global warming. They would both create an opt-in fee program allowing companies to pay to expedite the environmental review process for approving new fossil fuel infrastructure like pipelines, and limiting communities’ abilities to weigh in against polluting projects. They mandate the Interior Department to immediately begin quarterly lease sales for onshore and offshore drilling. The bills also roll back the EPA’s new vehicle emissions standards, undoing the Biden administration’s rules designed to boost electric vehicle adoption and curb transportation emissions, the largest U.S. greenhouse gas source. The House [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text) contains a few industry bonuses that don’t appear in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee [draft](https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/6/chairman-capito-releases-epw-budget-reconciliation-text), but may still emerge as the full Senate bill is cobbled together from all the different committees. The House bill calls for lowering royalty rates for drilling on public lands from 16.67% to 12.5%, letting oil companies profit off the public’s resources at a discount while reducing taxpayer returns. It would also create a new “de-risking compensation program” that allows oil companies to get paid by taxpayers if the federal government takes any actions delaying their projects or making them less viable. Both versions of the bill would roll back hundreds of millions of dollars in IRA climate spending, rescinding unobligated funding for programs including the greenhouse gas reduction fund, environmental justice block grants, and the environmental product declaration program. Big Oil has thrown tens of millions of dollars into electing Republicans to Congress to earn these payoffs. The industry donated $32 million in the 2020 election cycle to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the outside spending group closely tied to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), which is aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). During the 2024 cycle, it donated [even more](https://readsludge.com/2024/07/26/the-fossil-fuel-industry-is-spending-millions-to-help-republicans-take-control-of-congress/) to these two super PACs. Chevron alone has given the super PACs a combined $22.3 million over the years, according to Federal Election Commission data, while API has thrown in an additional $18.5 million. The [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/climate/oil-gas-donations-trump.html) reports that Trump’s campaign, the Republican National Committee, and affiliated committees raised an estimated $75 million from oil interests for the 2024 elections. Now, the industry is flying in to D.C. for a lobbying event focused on winning more tax benefits before the bill is finalized. According to [Politico Influence](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2025/06/04/skadden-foundation-head-quits-in-protest-00387484), API has organized a fly in day today for the executives of top oil and gas companies to meet with Senate offices and push them on the remnants of the wish lists, including permanent reinstatement of full bonus depreciation for assets like drilling equipment and vehicles, deductions for intangible drilling costs like permitting and labor, and retaining IRA’s clean hydrogen production credits. A few [Senate Republicans](https://www.eenews.net/articles/senate-republicans-eye-saving-some-green-credits/) like Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Jerry Moran (Kans.) have been making noises in the press about salvaging some of the clean energy incentives that became law in the IRA, but so far none have been publicly willing to make keeping the provisions a requirement for their vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) can spare to lose just three members of his GOP caucus to pass the reconciliation package ahead of his July 4 target to have the bill on the president’s desk. Most of the IRA climate funding that has yet to be spent is scheduled to go to Republican districts, according to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/climate/ira-repubican-tax-bill-clean-energy.html). ### Trump Jr. Could Profit From 'Golden Dome' URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/04/trump-jr-could-profit-from-golden-dome/ Last updated: 2025-06-05T14:52:39.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump+Jr.+Could+Profit+From+%27Golden+Dome%27%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2025%2F06%2F04%2Ftrump-jr-could-profit-from-golden-dome%2F) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump+Jr.+Could+Profit+From+%27Golden+Dome%27%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Freadsludge.com%2F2025%2F06%2F04%2Ftrump-jr-could-profit-from-golden-dome%2F) Billionaire allies of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, as well as the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., are in line to profit from the administration’s plans to build a “Golden Dome” missile defense system, projected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 20 years. Trump Jr. could join in the Golden Dome profits through his role at the venture capital firm 1789 Capital, which is reportedly invested in SpaceX and Anduril, two of the companies [rumored](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/musks-spacex-is-frontrunner-build-trumps-golden-dome-missile-shield-2025-04-17/) to be in line for gigantic contracts to build and operate the system. The president’s son joined the Palm Beach-based firm as a partner less than a week after Trump won back the White House in November. In March, Bloomberg [reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-03-10/donald-trump-jr-and-1789-capital-have-big-plans-for-maga-investing) that the firm had invested more than $50 million in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI, adding that “Trump Jr.’s role at 1789 will be a sort of MAGA magnet, sourcing deals as well as investors into the firm.” 1789 Capital is also invested in Anduril, according to a May report by [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-making-money-trump-presidency-1789-capital-2025-5), the robotics and artificial intelligence company founded by Trump donor Palmer Luckey. The startup Anduril has been raking in defense contracts since Trump came back into office, including taking over a [$22 billion](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/11/anduril-to-take-over-microsofts-22-billion-us-army-headset-program.html) Army headset program from Microsoft earlier this year. Trump Jr.’s potential ties to the Golden Dome frontrunners were first [flagged](https://accountable.us/watchdog-trumps-golden-dome-project-stands-to-benefit-his-son-donald-jr-not-just-elon-musk-and-other-wealthy-trump-donors/) by the watchdog group Accountable.US. Another company that is expected to get contracts for the Golden Dome project is Palantir, the software and data analytics firm co-founded by Vance megadonor Peter Thiel and led by CEO Alex Karp that is [reported](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/22/trump-allies-cash-in-lobbying-firms-with-administration-ties-report-surge-in-revenues/) to be working with the DOGE team inside federal agencies including the IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On May 22, the House passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes $25 billion to start Golden Dome’s construction. The bill is now pending in the Senate, and Majority Leader John Thune is hoping to have the multi-trillion-dollar measure on the president’s desk by July 4\. On May 20, Trump announced he had picked a [$175 billion](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-make-golden-dome-announcement-tuesday-us-official-says-2025-05-20/) design for the shield, but its total cost remains a moving target; new [reporting](https://www.wired.com/story/golden-dome-trump-missiles/) in Wired suggests that top defense contractors like Lockheed Martin are angling to stay involved in planning discussions for the system. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democratic SKDK Bulks Up Its Pro-Israel Roster URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/03/democratic-skdk-bulks-up-its-pro-israel-roster/ Last updated: 2025-06-03T18:43:27.000Z 💡 Share on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Democratic%20SKDK%20Bulks%20Up%20Its%20Pro-Israel%20Roster%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/03/democratic-skdk-bulks-up-its-pro-israel-roster) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democratic%20SKDK%20Bulks%20Up%20Its%20Pro-Israel%20Roster%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/03/democratic-skdk-bulks-up-its-pro-israel-roster)! Vedant Patel, who spent much of the Biden administration defending Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a State Department spokesperson, has landed a new job: senior vice president at SKDK, a Democratic consulting firm that is also a registered foreign agent for Israel. During his time at the State Department, Patel effectively served as a public defender of Israeli policy as the administration stood firmly behind Israel despite mounting casualties and global condemnation. Now, at SKDK, he joins a company explicitly hired to do the same, conducting press outreach and protecting Israel’s image, only this time on Israel’s payroll. As principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, Patel was a key communicator for the administration on U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel’s Gaza campaign, which has flattened much of the Palestinian territory and killed more than 50,000 people according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Patel consistently defended the administration’s support for Israel and its reluctance to place conditions on military aid despite the humanitarian crisis. In January 2024, when pressed by a reporter about whether the State Department would use tools besides "conversation" to influence Israel, Patel [said](https://x.com/prem%5Fthakker/status/1750620163722936502), “I have no new policy or new assessment to offer, but we'll continue to have our conversations with the Israeli government.” In a November 2024 briefing, he pushed back on Human Rights Watch’s accusations that Israel had committed [crimes against humanity](https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/14/israels-crimes-against-humanity-gaza) through forcibly displacing 1.9 million Palestinians, stating, "We have not seen any kind of specific forced displacement.” In December 2024, he rejected Amnesty International’s conclusion that Israel had been [committing genocide](https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/2024/en/) in Gaza, calling it “unfounded.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump NLRB Pick Has History of Crushing Unions URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/06/02/trump-nlrb-pick-has-history-of-crushing-unions/ Last updated: 2025-06-02T23:30:24.000Z 🏭 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20NLRB%20Pick%20Has%20History%20of%20Crushing%20Unions%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/02/trump-nlrb-pick-has-history-of-crushing-unions/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20NLRB%20Pick%20Has%20History%20of%20Crushing%20Unions%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/06/02/trump-nlrb-pick-has-history-of-crushing-unions/) Crystal Carey, President Trump’s nominee for National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) general counsel, has fought unionization efforts and unfair labor practice claims for companies like Apple, Chipotle, and Dollar General, per a Sludge review of legal filings and financial disclosures. Carey is a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, a leading management-side law firm, where she “represents employers in collective bargaining, labor law counseling, and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigations and litigation in unfair labor practice and representation proceedings.” Carey’s [financial disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25958553-carey-crystal-final278/), posted on May 31, revealed she worked for more than 70 clients, including Amazon, which battled a historic 2022 unionization drive in Staten Island, and Trader Joe’s, which has been accused of using coercive tactics and closing stores to deter union organizing. Since January 2024, she has been paid $773,501 by the firm in partnership shares, salary, and bonuses. A former NLRB official from November 2009 to April 2018, Carey was nominated by Trump on March 25, and her nomination was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. If confirmed, Carey will resign from Morgan Lewis and has agreed not to participate in cases where the firm represents a party for a one-year period. The NLRB general counsel is responsible for investigating and prosecuting unfair labor practice cases, a critical role at the independent agency responsible for safeguarding the ability of workers to organize. Morgan Lewis is currently pursuing a [legal challenge](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/fifth-circuit-questions-amazons-jurisdiction-move-in-nlrb-suit) in a federal appellate court on behalf of SpaceX, arguing that the structure of the 90-year-old NLRB is unconstitutional. The lawsuit [mirrors](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board) ones brought by Amazon, which denied that it has broken labor law, and other companies, challenges that may reach the U.S. Supreme Court. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump DOL Pick is Fighting Overtime Pay for Domestic Workers URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/30/trump-dol-pick-is-fighting-overtime-pay-for-domestic-workers/ Last updated: 2025-05-30T18:57:13.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20DOL%20Pick%20is%20Fighting%20Overtime%20Pay%20for%20Domestic%20Workers%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/30/trump-dol-pick-is-fighting-overtime-pay-for-domestic-workers/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20DOL%20Pick%20is%20Fighting%20Overtime%20Pay%20for%20Domestic%20Workers%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/30/trump-dol-pick-is-fighting-overtime-pay-for-domestic-workers/)! Jonathan Berry, the lead author on labor policy for the Project 2025 initiative, is poised to become the solicitor for the Department of Labor, despite his private-sector record focused on rolling back labor protections and limiting workers’ rights. His recent work includes a federal lawsuit aimed at cutting overtime pay for home care workers, as well as efforts to constrain shareholder oversight of corporations and restrict federal enforcement of wage laws. If confirmed by the Senate, Berry will be the DOL’s top legal officer, and his actions will have far-reaching implications for millions of workers and retirees. Berry, a managing partner at the law firm Boyden Gray PLLC, is currently representing a Medicaid-funded home care agency in *New Day Personal Care Services v. Department of Labor*, a case that aims to overturn a 2013 DOL rule guaranteeing overtime pay to domestic workers employed by third-party agencies. [Filed in January](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25957348-new-day-personal-care-services-inc-v-su-et-al/), Berry and his colleagues at Boyden Gray argue in the lawsuit that the rule exceeds both the Department’s statutory authority and Congress’s constitutional power to regulate intrastate domestic labor. In practical terms, it seeks to restore pre-Obama-era exemptions that would again allow employers like New Day to classify care aides as independent contractors exempt from overtime, despite those workers often providing around-the-clock services to elderly and disabled clients. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lobbyists Behind Cuomo Campaign Fight Wage Theft Protections URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/29/lobbyists-behind-cuomo-campaign-fight-wage-theft-protections/ Last updated: 2025-05-30T17:21:42.000Z 👀 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lobbyists%20Behind%20Cuomo%20Campaign%20Fight%20Wage%20Theft%20Protections%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/29/lobbyists-behind-cuomo-campaign-fight-wage-theft-protections/)**,* [**Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/29/lobbyists-behind-cuomo-campaign-fight-wage-theft-protections/)**, and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lobbyists%20Behind%20Cuomo%20Campaign%20Fight%20Wage%20Theft%20Protections%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/29/lobbyists-behind-cuomo-campaign-fight-wage-theft-protections/) Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is touting his support for raising the city’s minimum wage to win over voters in the New York City mayoral primary, but his deep ties to Tusk Strategies—a lobbying firm that is fighting the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act on behalf of a front group for McDonald’s franchise owners—cast doubt on his support for workers challenging business interests. The prominent lobbying firm is entwined with Cuomo’s campaign on several fronts: its CEO, Chris Coffey, is advising the campaign on communications, and firm partner Shontell Smith is currently the campaign’s political director. Tusk Strategies is also working with a Cuomo-aligned “dark money” group called Restore Sanity NYC that recently sent out mailers that echo the campaign’s messaging. The ties were first reported earlier this month by [The City](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/16/restore-sanity-dark-money-cuomo/) and the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/nyregion/cuomo-restore-sanity.html). Tusk Strategies trumpets its political strategy work for some of its corporate clients, like Uber and FanDuel, but its lobbying for other large companies receives less promotional treatment. In New York, the firm lobbies for Coinbase, Instacart, and McDonald’s, among others, as well as a group called New Yorkers for Local Businesses that includes McDonald’s franchise owners. Since the beginning of last year, Tusk Strategies has lobbied for the business group in opposition to a major state bill, the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act, that aims to prevent wage theft and strengthen the state's ability to enforce labor laws. The [legislation](https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A01893&term=2023&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y&leg%5Fvideo=1) would empower workers and labor organizations to initiate public enforcement actions against wage theft and labor law violations, a measure expected to bring in over $100 million to the Department of Labor annually, enabling the state to step up its labor enforcement efforts. As a nonprofit, Restore Sanity NYC is not required to disclose its donors or the amount of money it has spent on disseminating messaging that mirrors the Cuomo campaign’s literature. It is also not allowed to endorse candidates, and its mailers are careful not to explicitly back Cuomo, though their intent is clear. The group’s registered address is Tusk Strategies’ office, and Coffey [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/nyregion/cuomo-restore-sanity.html) circulated a fundraising pitch deck for the group to help it fund multimillion-dollar ad campaigns reinforcing Cuomo’s messaging. The ongoing working relationship between Tusk Strategies and Restore Sanity NYC was confirmed recently by [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/23/lobbying-firms-andrew-cuomos-mayoral-campaign-00366943). According to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/nyregion/cuomo-restore-sanity.html), Restore Sanity NYC has solicited funding from billionaire hedge fund magnate Paul Singer, a Republican [megadonor](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/donor%5Fdetail/2024?id=U0000000066&name=Singer%2C+Paul+E.&super%5Fonly=N&type=I) and a [$5 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202409209684601323) donor last year to the super PAC supporting Donald Trump for president. In a response to Sludge, Tusk Strategies’ managing director Alex Sommer referred to a statement it had previously given regarding its ties to Restore Sanity NYC. Sommer told [The City](https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/05/16/restore-sanity-dark-money-cuomo/) that Tusk Strategies is a “vendor for the independent, issues based 501(c)(4) Restore Our Sanity, which does not advocate on behalf of candidates for any office, including mayor.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The firm’s founder, Bradley Tusk, is a political strategist, lobbyist, and venture capitalist, whose investment arm has held stakes in companies like Coinbase and FanDuel that his political firm has lobbied for and advised in government affairs. Tusk was the campaign manager for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2009 unexpectedly narrow re-election and [helped lead](https://thebrick.house/how-michael-bloombergs-former-campaign-manager-became-andrew-yangs-favorite-fixer/) the 2021 bid of Democratic candidate Andrew Yang, who finished in a distant fourth place. Tusk was formerly a top aide to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in 2011 on 18 counts of federal corruption. More than a dozen Democrats are running in New York City’s mayoral primary, where the early voting period starts on June 14 ahead of the primary election on June 24\. Last year, the Department of Justice [concluded](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/26/cuomo-sexual-harassment-doj-00138140) that Cuomo sexually harassed 13 women who worked for the state over eight years while he was governor. The findings were included in a settlement reached with his successor, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. On its website, Tusk Strategies highlights its work altering municipal and state regulations for clients to help them expand their businesses to more cities. Tusk’s [work with Uber](https://theintercept.com/2021/05/06/andrew-yang-bradley-tusk-new-york-mayor/) in New York City starting in 2011, which included blocking a temporary cap proposed on the number of Uber vehicles, became his calling card in helping companies run pressure campaigns. Tusk made a fortune reportedly worth $100 million by taking his Uber payment in equity, and he has reportedly [bragged](https://www.thedailybeast.com/bradley-tusk-silicon-valleys-favorite-fixer-aims-to-stop-the-rising-left) that politics is just a hobby. Since the start of 2023, Tusk Strategies has lobbied for McDonald’s on “consumer issues/safety/protection.” The fast food giant is a [member](https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/investors/corporate-governance/policital-contributions-and-policy.html#trade) of several mammoth trade associations that lobby against worker protections, including the National Restaurant Association, which [fights](https://perfectunion.us/revealed-the-corporations-mobilizing-to-defeat-bidens-labor-secretary-nominee/) minimum wage increases, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a top-spending lobbying group nationwide that similarly [fights](https://prospect.org/labor/2023-11-10-business-groups-reflexive-anti-worker-demagogy/) pro-worker rules. New Yorkers For Local Business presents itself as a group of small business workers, managers, and organizations advocating for policies to create jobs, but it is primarily backed by business interests, notably area McDonald’s franchises. The group’s PAC is funded by McDonald’s franchise owners and its three directors all share the names of people who own McDonald’s franchises or otherwise work for the company, the investigative newsroom New York Focus [reported](https://nysfocus.com/2024/05/09/mcdonalds-lobbying-empire-act-wage-theft) last year. Since then, the group’s PAC has continued to be funded exclusively by corporations and restaurant franchise owners, according to a review of state campaign finance disclosures. The coalition displayed on the group’s website includes the Partnership for New York City, employer group the Business Council of New York, and other local business lobbying groups. The NYLB [registered](https://nysfocus.com/2024/05/09/mcdonalds-lobbying-empire-act-wage-theft) with the New York Department of State in 2023 using the San Rafael, California address of a law firm that has worked to oppose labor-supported measures in the state. Fighting the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, has been the group’s top priority. The bill is [supported](https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon/story/110426) by labor unions and community groups including New York Communities for Change, United Auto Workers New York, and the National Employment Lawyers Association/New York, and supporters [called](https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon/story/109038) for its inclusion in last year’s massive state budget package. The bill’s state Senate sponsor, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who represents a district in Manhattan, [said](https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Jo-Anne-Simon/story/109038) in a statement that working New Yorkers lose $3.2 billion in wage theft every year. Last year, the NYLB intensified its opposition to the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act by taking out ads in Politico New York Playbook the same day that it mailed a letter opposing the bill to Democratic state Senate and Assembly leaders, New York Focus [reported](https://nysfocus.com/2024/05/09/mcdonalds-lobbying-empire-act-wage-theft). NYLB paid Tusk Strategies a total of $551,406 for reimbursed expenses in [January-February](https://reports.ethics.ny.gov/publicquery/ViewFiling/BIMO/NjQ1NDk00) 2024 and [May-June](https://reports.ethics.ny.gov/publicquery/ViewFiling/BIMO/NzE3NTkw0) 2024 for a multi-platform media buy and design services. The latter disclosure says Tusk Strategies sent a communication for NYLB to the entire New York State legislature focused on the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act. Also, three disclosures covering the first half of last year initially stated that Tusk Strategies was paid $60,000 by NYLB in lobbying compensation, but all three were amended in August 2024 to indicate zero dollars in compensation. This week, the NYLB continued its push with prominent ads in New York Politico Playbook opposing the bill, as it sits in the Labor Committee in both chambers. The bill has the support of the majority of Democrats as co-sponsors in the state [Assembly](https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default%5Ffld=&leg%5Fvideo=&bn=A04278&term=2025&Summary=Y&Actions=Y) and [Senate](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S448/amendment/A). Tusk Strategies has been paid $20,000 in lobbying compensation so far this year by NYLB for lobbying on "miscellaneous business" issues, and received [nearly $93,000](https://reports.ethics.ny.gov/publicquery/ViewFiling/BIMO/NzIyNzAz0) for a media buy in March and April. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/05/Politico_New_York_Playbook_ad_05-27-25.png) Ads this week sponsored by business lobbying group New Yorkers for Local Businesses in Politico New York Playbook opposing the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act The NYLB did not respond to a request for comment on Tusk Strategies’ services. “Passing the EmPIRE Act is a life or death situation for low income workers,” Sol Freire Figueroa, labor campaigns director for New York Communities for Change, which is advocating for the bill, told Sludge. “While billions of dollars are being stolen in wages and benefits by unscrupulous employers, federal agencies are being dismantled and workers’ rights are on the line,” Figueroa said. “Retaliation is on the rise in all areas of the state and workers are being threatened with ICE raids and physical violence for speaking up. The EmPIRE Act will bring millions of dollars for the Department of Labor to help reinforce existing labor laws and create a new public enforcement option for workers to have their claims heard. This bill will help protect New York workers and law-abiding businesses in this critical moment.” Some of Tusk Strategies’ other lobbying clients in New York are cable giant Charter Communications, car-sharing company Turo, fuel company Approved Oil, and the advocacy group New York City Charter School Center. In 2023 and 2024, Tusk Strategies lobbied in New York for Coinbase on cryptocurrency issues, according to state lobbying disclosures. Its website’s “wins” section also touts its regulatory push in New York State for the trading platform Apex Crypto, which was later acquired. The firm bills itself as “New York's only political, regulatory, and communication advisory firm specializing in blockchain and crypto technology.” Tusk Strategies says its fintech clients included [advising](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220110005669/en/Tusk-Strategies-Launches-First-of-Its-Kind-Crypto-FinTech-Practice-Led-by-Eric-Soufer?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) MoneyLion, the short-term loan company that was recently [sued](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-sues-payday-lending-companies-exploiting-workers-illegal) by New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges of pushing workers into high-interest loans using abusive tactics. Sludge asked Restore Sanity NYC about its ties to Tusk Strategies in light of the firm’s lobbying for the NYLB and companies like Instacart and Uber that fight laws to reclassify more independent contractors as employees. Ebony Meeks-Laidley, one of the group’s three board members, said, “I helped start Restore Sanity NYC because New Yorkers are concerned that issues they care about aren’t being adequately addressed. With the city facing so many different challenges, we plan on giving a voice to those who feel they are being drowned out in critical policy debates.” As head of the New York office for Empire Consulting Group, Meeks-Laidley lobbies for clients including American Airlines, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, hedge fund giant BlackRock, Exxon Mobil, and Wynn Resorts, among others, according to state lobbying disclosures. Meeks’ lobbying client DoorDash is also a member of the Flex Association, [launched](https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/597404-gig-companies-launch-lobbying-group-to-counter-pro/) in March 2022 to beat back the labor-supported PRO Act. Another Restore Sanity board member, Wayne Lair, is a lobbyist with Statewide Public Affairs whose current clients include the NYS Restaurant Association (the state chapter of the National Restaurant Association), Comcast, Cox, Home Depot, a fintech group, and several pharmaceutical companies. At least four members of the Cuomo campaign staff hail from lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs, Politico [reported](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/23/lobbying-firms-andrew-cuomos-mayoral-campaign-00366943), with the firm being paid as a consultant. In New York, some of the firm’s lobbying clients include Pepsi, Accenture, Charter, Western Regional Off-Track Betting, and Wynn Resorts, according to the latest disclosures. 🙏🏼 Thank you for reading! This reporting is only made possible by [subscribers](https://readsludge.com/membership/) to our independent newsletter, who power our scrutiny of the lobbying interests backing politicians. Sludge's work punches way above our weight as a two-person newsroom, but we don't have the foundation or major donor support that other nonprofit outlets do. At a time when pay-to-play politics is on the rise at the national level, we're asking our newsletter readers to support this relentless focus on money in politics. To stay on this beat and continue digging into the lobbying disclosures, we need more free newsletter members to [subscribe for full access](https://readsludge.com/membership/) to our investigative stories. In addition to getting all the finds in our daily newsletter, you'll be supporting original accountability journalism that exposes special interest influence. Please consider [joining](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) today. ### Trump Media Raises $2.5 Billion to Buy Bitcoin as Admin Boosts Crypto URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/28/trump-media-raises-2-5-billion-to-buy-bitcoin-as-admin-boosts-crypto/ Last updated: 2025-05-28T09:57:46.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Media%20Raises%20$2.5%20Billion%20to%20Buy%20Bitcoin%20as%20Admin%20Boosts%20Crypto%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/27/trump-media-raises-2-5-billion-to-buy-bitcoin-as-admin-boosts-crypto/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Media%20Raises%20$2.5%20Billion%20to%20Buy%20Bitcoin%20as%20Admin%20Boosts%20Crypto%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/27/trump-media-raises-2-5-billion-to-buy-bitcoin-as-admin-boosts-crypto/) Trump Media & Technology Group has inked deals to raise $2.5 billion to buy Bitcoin, the social media company [announced](https://www.reuters.com/business/trump-media-raise-25-billion-fund-bitcoin-treasury-2025-05-27/) today, as the Trump administration rolls out pro-crypto policies that [stand to profit](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/senate-gop-tees-up-vote-on-crypto?r=bqby&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) Trump family companies. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) dealt shares to around 50 large institutional investors, who were unnamed, with plans to form what it [calls](https://s3.amazonaws.com/b2icontent.irpass.cc/2660/rl145832.pdf) a “Bitcoin treasury.” President Donald Trump owns just over [half](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/business/trump-media-bitcoin.html) the company’s stock. In March, Trump made official an executive order to [establish](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-establishes-the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-and-u-s-digital-asset-stockpile/) a national Bitcoin and digital assets reserve. Many in the crypto industry [are hoping](https://cointelegraph.com/news/trump-bitcoin-reserve-global-crypto-adoption-investment) that the imprimatur of creating a U.S. stockpile of digital assets will spur wider institutional investment in crypto and prompt other countries to invest in Bitcoin. Cantor Fitzgerald, the family-run investment firm of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, last month [announced](https://www.reuters.com/technology/softbank-backed-consortium-partners-with-spac-36-billion-crypto-venture-2025-04-23/) a merger to form a new Bitcoin holding company, an entity valued at $3.6 billion. The firm has been [deepening](https://readsludge.com/2025/05/16/lutnicks-firm-bought-bitcoin-company-stock-as-he-pushed-for-crypto-reserve/) its Bitcoin investments this year, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure. This month in the U.S. House, [major crypto industry-championed legislation](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/05/05/u-s-crypto-market-structure-bill-unveiled-by-house-lawmakers) is moving. The legislation revises the bill, titled FIT21 in the previous Congress and [passed](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024226) in the Republican-led chamber, that would hand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) much oversight responsibility for crypto trading. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, won his position as a prominent crypto [cheerleader](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/) and is developing the bill for what he called “much-needed regulatory clarity.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Billionaires Set to Gain From Trump-GOP Tax Law Extension URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/23/billionaires-set-to-gain-from-trump-gop-tax-law-extension/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T23:35:26.000Z 🏦 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Billionaires%20Set%20to%20Gain%20From%20Trump-GOP%20Tax%20Law%20Extension%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/23/billionaires-set-to-gain-from-trump-gop-tax-law-extension/) *or* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Billionaires%20Set%20to%20Gain%20From%20Trump-GOP%20Tax%20Law%20Extension%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/23/billionaires-set-to-gain-from-trump-gop-tax-law-extension/) Just before 7 a.m. on Thursday, House Republicans narrowly passed a “megabill” stuffed with items in their domestic policy agenda, extending the GOP’s 2017 tax cuts weighted toward the wealthiest while slashing spending on Medicaid and food stamps. Over the next few weeks, the Senate plans to [revise](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/22/congress/trump-bill-senate-rewrite-00365731) the multitrillion-dollar legislation and volley it back to the House, which can then approve the changes and send it to President Trump’s desk, or hammer out tweaks with the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune may have only one Republican vote to spare to pass the bill, if Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) end up disapproving of the tax-and-spending package. Billionaire campaign donors to Republicans are set to reap the benefits from the reconciliation bill’s tax provisions, which would lock in many of the cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by President Trump. This week, an [analysis](https://thehill.com/business/5311628-rich-gain-poor-loss-tax-cuts-bill/) by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the reconciliation bill [passed](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/22/house-republicans-pass-big-beautiful-bill-after-weeks-of-division-00364691) by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans would reduce the household resources of Americans who make the least, while padding the resources of those who make the most. Senate Republicans have [floated](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/22/megabill-senate-republican-changes-00366407) a few areas of ostensible concern about the House-passed bill, but enshrining tax cuts for the wealthiest was not among them—rather, Thune’s caucus is planning to use a controversial accounting method to help make the tax cuts permanent. "The world's wealthiest families have spent record amounts supporting GOP candidates to secure massive tax breaks and deregulation. In response, Trump and his allies in Congress are offering them returns on this investment through a $5 trillion tax bill—one that provides generous tax giveaways to wealthy elites while cutting vital services like healthcare, education, and nutritional support, thereby skyrocketing the deficit," said David Kass, executive director of the coalition Americans for Tax Fairness. "It's hardly surprising that the billionaire-backed GOP would pursue a tax bill that represents the largest wealth transfer from bottom to top,” Kass of ATF told Sludge. “We cannot let billionaires continue to erode our democracy. Working- and middle-class Americans must fight back—our democracy is not for sale." To influence elections, wealthy donors can make donations of unlimited size to outside spending groups like super PACs, targeting voters with messages and blanketing the airwaves with ads. Such spending skyrocketed in the 2024 election cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/11/big-money-big-stakes-5-things-everyone-should-know-about-money-in-2024-election/), totaling nearly $4.5 billion, compared with almost $3 billion 2020’s cycle. OpenSecrets compiled a list of the [top 100 donors](https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors) making federal contributions in the 2024 cycle to PACs, parties, and other groups. These 100 biggest donors gave more than three times as much favoring Republicans at the federal level last cycle: more than $1.7 billion to Republicans and $526 million to Democrats, according to a Sludge review of the figures. Most of the top 25 donors, like Elon Musk, reclusive banking heir Timothy Mellon, and Miriam Adelson, gave to Republican groups. At the presidential level, wealthy megadonors powered Trump’s run for re-election: 10 donors provided about 44% of all funding backing Trump, OpenSecrets [found](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/11/big-money-big-stakes-5-things-everyone-should-know-about-money-in-2024-election/). Almost all of Trump’s [top 10](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/) super PAC and campaign backers were billionaires many times over, or in Mellon’s case, from a billionaire family. For Tax Day this year, ATF [updated its analysis](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/tax-day-billionaires-growing-even-richer-families-face-cuts-healthcare-food-aid/) of how much billionaires’ fortunes have soared under the Trump-GOP tax law, known as the TCJA, which was passed by former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Overall, billionaires in the U.S. grew their wealth by 125% since it was signed into law, ATF calculated—but Elon Musk was particularly enriched under the tax rules, jumping from around $20 billion net worth at the end of 2017 to almost $348 billion as of the end of March. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 'Swipe Fees’ Bill Introduced as GENIUS Act Amendment, Spurring Lobbying Battle URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/23/swipe-fees-bill-introduced-as-genius-act-amendment-spurring-lobbying-battle/ Last updated: 2025-11-05T01:34:23.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text='Swipe%20Fees%E2%80%99%20Bill%20Introduced%20as%20GENIUS%20Act%20Amendment,%20Spurring%20Lobbying%20Battle%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/22/swipe-fees-bill-introduced-as-genius-act-amendment-spurring-lobbying-battle/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text='Swipe%20Fees%E2%80%99%20Bill%20Introduced%20as%20GENIUS%20Act%20Amendment,%20Spurring%20Lobbying%20Battle%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/22/swipe-fees-bill-introduced-as-genius-act-amendment-spurring-lobbying-battle/) A bill that aims to reduce credit card “swipe fees” has long been stuck in Congress, where the bipartisan legislation is opposed by the formidable banking industry lobby. Visa and Mastercard dominate credit card processing, according to research firm the [Nilson Report](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/09/small-businesses-credit-card-swipe-fees.html), with control of roughly 80% of the market. This week, the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA)’s primary sponsors, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), introduced it as an amendment to the GENIUS Act, the major stablecoin bill that the Senate recently advanced in a procedural vote. The move sets up a high-stakes lobbying battle in the weeks ahead: the two giant credit card companies and big banks strongly oppose the CCCA, while retailer groups support the amendment. To stymie the CCCA again, industry group the Electronic Payments Coalition has been ramping up its influence spending—not only in its Senate lobbying, but also with a $1 million donation to the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee early this year. On May 20, Marshall and Durbin introduced the text of the CCCA as an [amendment](https://www.congress.gov/amendment/119th-congress/senate-amendment/2230/text) to the GENIUS Act, a regulatory framework for digital assets known as stablecoins that has the support of Republican congressional leaders. The day before, [16 Senate Democrats](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1191/vote%5F119%5F1%5F00262.htm) joined most Republicans in advancing the crypto industry-supported bill. The GENIUS Act is expected to receive a Senate vote on final passage after the Memorial Day recess. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Agrichemical Industry Insiders Sabotage MAHA Pesticide Crackdown URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/20/agrichemical-industry-insiders-sabotage-maha-pesticide-crackdown/ Last updated: 2025-09-16T17:32:52.000Z 💥 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Agrichemical%20Industry%20Insiders%20Sabotage%20MAHA%20Pesticide%20Crackdown%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/20/agrichemical-industry-insiders-sabotage-maha-pesticide-crackdown) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Agrichemical%20Industry%20Insiders%20Sabotage%20MAHA%20Pesticide%20Crackdown%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/20/agrichemical-industry-insiders-sabotage-maha-pesticide-crackdown)! Two chemical agriculture industry lobbyists who President Trump chose to serve in his administration are reportedly working behind the scenes to block Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy from placing new restrictions on dangerous pesticides. According to [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/climate/atrazine-manosphere-maha-kennedy.html), Nancy Beck and Kailee Tkacz Buller are working to prevent pesticides, including the widely used atrazine linked to endocrine disruption and reproductive harm, from being targeted in a forthcoming Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission report, [mandated](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/) to assess the threat of chemicals and other factors impacting public health. Their opposition should come as no surprise, given their deep industry ties. Beck, a former director at the American Chemistry Council, is now a senior adviser at the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety. During Trump’s first term, she played a [key role in weakening pesticide regulations](https://www.eenews.net/articles/can-trump-make-america-healthy-again-with-this-epa/), including efforts to downplay the ecological and human health risks of atrazine, a chemical manufactured by Syngenta and banned by the European Union and over 60 countries. Directly prior to joining the second Trump administration, Beck was director of regulatory affairs for the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth, which counted Syngenta as a client during her tenure. [Buller](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position-2/), currently chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was until recently the president and CEO of two top seed oil industry lobbying groups: the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and the Edible Oil Producers Association (EOPA). Their member companies, including Cargill and Perdue AgriBusiness, rely on crops like soybeans, canola, and sunflower seed, which are commonly grown using atrazine and other pesticides. Buller was previously a registered lobbyist for junk food trade groups including the Corn Refiners Association and SNAC International, promoting ultra-processed food ingredients tied to corn and soy grown with heavy pesticide use. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Cabinet Members Sold Millions in Stock Before Tariff Crash URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/19/trump-cabinet-members-sold-millions-in-stock-before-tariff-crash/ Last updated: 2025-05-19T17:48:35.000Z 💡 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Cabinet%20Members%20Sold%20Millions%20in%20Stock%20Before%20Tariff%20Crash%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/19/trump-cabinet-members-sold-millions-in-stock-before-tariff-crash/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Cabinet%20Members%20Sold%20Millions%20in%20Stock%20Before%20Tariff%20Crash%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/19/trump-cabinet-members-sold-millions-in-stock-before-tariff-crash/)! At least two members of Trump’s cabinet sold substantial stock holdings just before and on the day of the president’s surprise April 2 tariff announcement that shook global markets and triggered a $2.4 trillion sell-off. Attorney General Pam Bondi divested millions in assets on the day Trump announced the “Liberation Day” tariffs, while Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sold stocks on the days leading up to it, according to recently filed disclosures with the Office of Government Ethics. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lutnick’s Firm Bought Bitcoin Company Stock as He Pushed for Crypto Reserve URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/16/lutnicks-firm-bought-bitcoin-company-stock-as-he-pushed-for-crypto-reserve/ Last updated: 2025-05-16T18:14:57.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lutnick%E2%80%99s%20Firm%20Bought%20Bitcoin%20Company%20Stock%20as%20He%20Pushed%20for%20Crypto%20Reserve%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/16/lutnicks-firm-bought-bitcoin-company-stock-as-he-pushed-for-crypto-reserve/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lutnick%E2%80%99s%20Firm%20Bought%20Bitcoin%20Company%20Stock%20as%20He%20Pushed%20for%20Crypto%20Reserve%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/16/lutnicks-firm-bought-bitcoin-company-stock-as-he-pushed-for-crypto-reserve/) While Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was helping the Trump White House develop plans to establish a national Bitcoin reserve, his family-run financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald significantly increased its investment in Strategy, the top corporate holder of Bitcoin, whose co-founder has been the leading proponent of creating a strategic crypto reserve focused on Bitcoin. The Bitcoin-company stock purchases were identified in an Securities and Exchange Commission [filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1024896/000092963825001913/0000929638-25-001913-index.html) by Cantor Fitzgerald posted yesterday and covering the first quarter of this year, flagged by research from the progressive government watchdog group Accountable.US. After being confirmed to lead the Department of Commerce, the billionaire Lutnick signed an ethics [agreement](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/436440318CFB67BE85258C1C003219C1/$FILE/Lutnick%2C%20Howard%20%20finalEA.pdf) stating that he would resign from his CEO positions with Cantor Fitzgerald and divest from certain assets, though interviews by [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-11-27/trump-commerce-secretary-howard-lutnick-eases-grip-on-billionaire-empire) around his nomination suggested that he would still be able to exert control over his majority family-held businesses. The SEC disclosure examined by Accountable.US shows that from Q4 2024 through Q1 2025, Cantor Fitzgerald increased its total investment in the Bitcoin company Strategy, formerly called MicroStrategy, by over $568 million, reaching over $2.1 billion. This amount includes boosting its holding of regular stock in Strategy by $304 million during that period. Cantor Fitzgerald businesses operate in a number of financial services fields, but in this portfolio, the Strategy stock holdings now make up almost 45% of its total. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### GOP Moves to Kill Direct File Following Intuit’s Lobbying Surge URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/15/gop-moves-to-kill-direct-file-following-intuits-lobbying-surge/ Last updated: 2025-05-15T17:57:11.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=GOP%20Moves%20to%20Kill%20Direct%20File%20Following%20Intuit%E2%80%99s%20Lobbying%20Surge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/15/gop-moves-to-kill-direct-file-following-intuits-lobbying-surge/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=GOP%20Moves%20to%20Kill%20Direct%20File%20Following%20Intuit%E2%80%99s%20Lobbying%20Surge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/15/gop-moves-to-kill-direct-file-following-intuits-lobbying-surge/)! Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, spent a record $3.72 million lobbying last year to kill the IRS’s new free tax filing tool. Now, House Republicans are delivering, with a plan to dismantle the program that helps people file their taxes at no cost. Section 112207 of the House Ways and Means Committee’s portion of the reconciliation bill would eliminate *Direct File*, the IRS’s new in-house system that lets eligible taxpayers in 25 states file their taxes online for free. Instead, the bill would establish a “public-private partnership between the IRS and private sector tax preparation services,” effectively outsourcing the program to the private companies that have been lobbying against it. Intuit’s lobbying continued surging into 2025, with a record more than $1.2 million spent in the first three months, its largest quarterly spending ever. The lobbyists’ filings only disclose their lobbying activities in broad terms, but several Intuit lobbyists targeted “Implementation of P.L. 117-169,” the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that funded the Direct File system. The company also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### EPA Reverses Course, Drops Limits on Three Dangerous PFAS Chemicals URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/14/epa-reverses-course-drops-limits-on-three-dangerous-pfas-chemicals/ Last updated: 2025-05-14T17:40:39.000Z 💧 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=EPA%20Reverses%20Course,%20Drops%20Limits%20on%20Three%20Dangerous%20PFAS%20Chemicals%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/14/epa-reverses-course-drops-limits-on-three-dangerous-pfas-chemicals/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=EPA%20Reverses%20Course,%20Drops%20Limits%20on%20Three%20Dangerous%20PFAS%20Chemicals%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/14/epa-reverses-course-drops-limits-on-three-dangerous-pfas-chemicals/) Echoing the demands of chemical industry lobbyists, the Trump administration has moved to weaken Biden-era drinking water protections by halting regulations on three toxic “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, liver damage, and immune dysfunction. The Environmental Protection Agency [announced](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-it-will-keep-maximum-contaminant-levels-pfoa-pfos) today that it will rescind drinking water regulations on three widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) —PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX (HFPO-DA)—along with a “hazard index” approach that treats them as a cumulative health threat when found together. These chemicals, used in everything from nonstick cookware to waterproof clothing and grease-proof food packaging, are part of a class known as “forever chemicals” for their long-lasting environmental impact and their resistance to breaking down in the human body. The chemicals have been found [in tap water across the country](https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us#:~:text=This%20USGS%20map%20shows%20the,water%20and%20PFAS%20in%20groundwater.) and [in the blood of 98% of Americans](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/08/health/pfas-groundwater-global-contamination-scn-wellness). Scientific studies have linked exposure to elevated risks of kidney and testicular cancer, reproductive harm, metabolic disorders, and immune system suppression. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New Book Examines Seattle Democracy Voucher Program’s Success URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/13/new-book-examines-seattle-democracy-voucher-programs-success/ Last updated: 2025-05-13T16:25:29.000Z 💡 **Share these videos on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=New%20Book%20Examines%20Seattle%20Democracy%20Voucher%20Program%E2%80%99s%20Success%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/13/new-book-examines-seattle-democracy-voucher-programs-success/)**,* [**Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/13/new-book-examines-seattle-democracy-voucher-programs-success/)**, and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=New%20Book%20Examines%20Seattle%20Democracy%20Voucher%20Program%E2%80%99s%20Success%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/13/new-book-examines-seattle-democracy-voucher-programs-success/) Since 2017, Seattle has offered residents a first-of-its-kind way to expand their participation in local elections. Through the city’s Democracy Voucher Program, every registered voter receives four $25 vouchers in the mail that can be donated to participating candidates for mayor, city attorney, or city council. The vouchers can be redeemed by the candidates for campaign funding. Seattle’s experiment aims to bolster local engagement by helping more candidates fund their runs for office with support from everyday voters, reducing reliance on wealthy donors—and broadening the donor pool to be more reflective of the city’s population. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJmRpfNN6NU/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Sludge (@readsludge)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJmRpfNN6NU/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) Now in its fifth election cycle—and second mayoral cycle—Seattle's voucher program is a pioneering effort to democratize campaign finance. Alongside the mayor’s race, this year’s ballot includes contests for city attorney and three city council seats, two of which are at-large. The Aug. 5 primary ballot also includes a crucial funding question for the future of Seattle’s program: voters will decide on whether to renew the program’s funding source, which was originally passed by voters for a 10-year period. A coalition of grassroots groups, [People Powered Elections Seattle](https://www.peoplepoweredelections.org/seattle-democracy-voucher-program), is advocating for the program’s renewal, citing the program’s success in countering political inequality. So, how has Seattle’s democracy voucher program worked? A new book, [Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle](https://bookshop.org/p/books/democracy-vouchers-and-the-promise-of-fairer-elections-in-seattle-brian-j-mccabe/21419776), presents a comprehensive look at how the program has reshaped local campaign finance. Co-authored by Dr. Jennifer A. Heerwig, an associate professor of sociology at Stony Brook University, and Dr. Brian J. McCabe, an associate professor of sociology at Georgetown University, the research highlights a dramatic uptick in small-dollar participation and increased diversity among donors. “There’s been a huge increase, I would even say an explosion, in participation in local campaign finance, with lots of folks using their vouchers and becoming active and financing candidates that they're excited about running for their local races,” said Heerwig in an interview with Sludge. “The program has significantly increased the number of new small donors financing local elections,” Heerwig said. [Watch the full interview on YouTube >>](https://youtu.be/msApv-7yWII?si=83lVVvv2aXJZKFq-) To qualify for the voucher [program](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/about-the-program), candidates for mayor, city attorney, and city council must first demonstrate a threshold of support through gathering [signatures](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/i-am-a-candidate/candidate-faqs) and small contributions from Seattle residents. Further, candidates who opt-in [agree](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) to take part in several public debates, with the funding totals they’re awarded from vouchers displayed online, up to a maximum they can raise. The voucher program has been [popular](https://www.cascadepbs.org/briefs/2025/03/seattle-mayor-pushes-renew-democracy-voucher-program) with candidates: between 2017 and 2024, 76% of primary candidates and 89% of candidates on the general election ballot participated. Democracy vouchers also saw a surge in the percentage of voters using them: by 2021, the share of Seattle’s registered voters that were active in local campaign finance reached nearly 10%, Heerwig and McCabe’s research found. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/05/numvouchers.png)](https://www.jenheerwig.com/seattle-democracy-vouchers) Figure by Jennifer A. Heerwig and Brian J. McCabe, on Seattle small-donor participation since the democracy voucher program began in the 2017 cycle, included in their [book](https://www.jenheerwig.com/seattle-democracy-vouchers), "Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle" (2024). That rate beats even the longstanding program in New York City, which in 2021 saw 8% of donors giving in the city’s public matching funds system, which was [strengthened](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) by voters in a 2018 referendum. The book's research brings a focus to Seattle’s voter participation in terms of age, race, and income, and tracks gains in program participation across all three metrics from 2017-2021\. Though the vouchers are still used at higher rates by white, older, and more affluent Seattleites, the gaps in the program participation rate for people of color, younger, and lower-income citizens are now significantly smaller than they are compared to cash donors, Heerwig and McCabe write. Being able to fund a campaign through small-dollar donations, via democracy vouchers donated at the neighborhood level, makes it possible for grassroots candidates to run in Seattle—and the book’s research, surveying the program’s effects, shows changes in the candidate pool. Mayoral and city council candidates have become more diverse in terms of age, race, and gender, with winning candidates being almost eight years younger than they were before vouchers were on offer, Heerwig and McCabe found. This year, as in Seattle’s 2021 citywide race, almost all major mayoral candidates in the nonpartisan election have opted-in to participate in the public campaign financing program. Seattle’s program was the model for a “democracy dollars” public campaign financing option [passed by Oakland voters](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) in 2022 with 74% in favor. The program is expected to launch in 2026, after this summer’s city [budget](https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/democracy-dollars) is adopted. ### **Up for Renewal in August** To continue funding the Democracy Voucher Program, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to place an [ordinance](https://seattle.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7264488&GUID=9B3F237A-108E-464C-8212-E314D181622E) on the August ballot that, if approved, would renew a property tax levy that raises around $4.5 million annually for another 10 years. The measure, which generally keeps the program in line with its current operations, costs the average Seattle homeowner about $13 per year, according to People Powered Elections Seattle. Some of the state coalition’s members supporting the program’s renewal include the League of Women Voters of Seattle King County, Fix Democracy First, and the Washington Community Alliance Action Fund, a statewide group led by communities of color. “In this time of national threats to democracy, Seattle is taking a bold stand,” said Kamau Chege, executive director of the Washington Community Alliance. “The renewal of the Democracy Voucher Program is an investment in the future of our city, ensuring that everyone—regardless of income—has an equal voice in our elections.” A [2022 report](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) from Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC), the nonpartisan and independent commission that administers the program, found that the share of contributors from outside Seattle for at-large city council seats fell after the program’s debut in the 2017 cycle, from 31% to around 7%. The finding underscores how Seattle’s program helps campaigns be more responsive to their localities and spend more time meeting voters. “The Democracy Voucher Program has proven to be a transformative tool for our democracy,” said Cinthia Illan-Vazquez, executive director of the Washington Bus, a civic engagement group for young people in the state. “In a time of increasing threats to democracy nationwide, this program is more important than ever. It gives Seattle residents—especially those who have historically been excluded from political power—a stronger voice in how our city is run.” By Seattle’s 2021 cycle, outside spending on city council races by heavy hitters like Amazon [fell](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) when compared with over $4.1 million the company spent on those races in 2019\. Washington State advocates say the funding independence offered to candidates through the voucher program has helped to [reduce](https://www.peoplepoweredelections.org/dvp-impact-analysis) the influence of Big Money donors in the city’s elections. Renewing the voucher program is [supported](https://harrell.seattle.gov/2025/03/10/mayor-harrell-proposes-renewal-of-seattles-first-in-nation-democracy-voucher-program/) by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Councilmember Bob Kettle, and has been cheered by more members on Seattle’s nine-seat City Council, [including](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/28/seattle-democracy-voucher-renewal-set-for-august-ballot/) Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Dan Strauss. Kim Albert and Barbara Tengtio of League of Women Voters of Seattle King County similarly cheered the City Council’s decision to send the Democracy Voucher Program to voters for renewal. “This program has already made a tremendous difference in diversifying the candidate pool, increasing voter engagement, and making our elections more competitive,” they said. See more of our past coverage of democracy vouchers [here](https://readsludge.com/tag/democracy-vouchers/). 🙏🏼 **Thank you for reading! With wealthy special interests and billionaire donors dominating election spending, our independent newsletter is covering how small-donor programs are pushing back for a more responsive democracy. This two-person newsletter depends on subscription support from readers like you to relentlessly follow the money in politics—please* [**sign up as a subscriber*](https://readsludge.com/membership/) *for full access to our daily reporting and bonus links.* [Subscribe ](#/portal/signup) *Sludge videos by* [*Spencer Snyder*](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder) *— watch on* [*Instagram*](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJmRpfNN6NU/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) *and* [*YouTube*](https://youtu.be/msApv-7yWII?si=83lVVvv2aXJZKFq-) ### Former Qatar Lobbyist Pam Bondi Approves Jet Deal URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/12/former-qatar-lobbyist-pam-bondi-approves-jet-deal/ Last updated: 2025-05-13T12:52:35.000Z ✈️ **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Former%20Qatar%20Lobbyist%20Pam%20Bondi%20Approves%20Jet%20Deal%20for%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/12/former-qatar-lobbyist-pam-bondi-approves-jet-deal/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Former%20Qatar%20Lobbyist%20Pam%20Bondi%20Approves%20Jet%20Deal%20for%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/12/former-qatar-lobbyist-pam-bondi-approves-jet-deal/) Attorney General Pam Bondi, a former lobbyist for Qatar and principal at a lobbying firm for L3Harris, has given the go-ahead for President Trump to accept Qatar’s gift of a $400 million luxury jet, a deal that will benefit both the foreign nation and the defense contractor. Last week, Bondi issued a legal memo arguing that the jet gift is legally permissible because ownership will be transferred to Trump’s Presidential Library Foundation before the end of his term, according to [ABC News.](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-poised-accept-palace-sky-gift-trump/story?id=121680511) The jet will be used by Trump as a new Air Force One. The U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause generally forbids officials like Trump from accepting gifts from foreign nationals, making Bondi’s approval suspect. “Trump’s plan to accept a luxury plane from Qatar is blatantly unconstitutional, a textbook violation of the emoluments clause,” said Public Citizen’s Robert Weissman. “The concern with foreign gifts is that they can sway a president’s policy and predilections—and there’s little doubt that Qatar wants to gift Trump a ‘palace in the sky’ for exactly that reason.” Bondi, a former partner at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, first [registered](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar/) to lobby for Qatar in July 2019, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings. Disclosures indicate that her lobbying for the country focused on human trafficking issues. After taking a leave in November 2019 to defend Trump during his first impeachment trial, she resumed lobbying for Qatar in 2020, a period during which human rights organizations like Amnesty International were accusing the country of labor abuses of migrant workers involving its preparations for hosting the 2022 World Cup. Bondi was named as key personnel on Ballard Partners’ Qatar contract, meaning she was personally and substantially engaged in the lobbying, for which the firm was paid $115,000 per month. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who’s Profiting From ICE? URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/09/whos-profiting-from-ice/ Last updated: 2025-05-09T19:45:08.000Z 💥 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Who%E2%80%99s%20Profiting%20From%20ICE%20Abuse?%0A%0AUse%20this%20map%20to%20see%20the%20companies%20near%20you%20with%20active%20ICE%20contracts.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/09/whos-profiting-from-ice/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/09/whos-profiting-from-ice/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Who%E2%80%99s%20Profiting%20From%20ICE%20Abuse?%0A%0AUse%20this%20map%20to%20see%20the%20companies%20near%20you%20with%20active%20ICE%20contracts.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/09/whos-profiting-from-ice/)! Since January, the Trump administration has dramatically escalated its immigrant deportation and detention operations, triggering widespread condemnation from human rights advocates, legal experts, and international observers. Leveraging the wartime authorities of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to bypass standard legal processes, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sent hundreds of migrants, many without criminal records or due process, to notorious facilities like Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador’s CECOT prison. Reports indicate that detainees have been subjected to inhumane treatment and physical abuse, with some individuals misidentified as gang members based on tattoos. Domestically, immigrants are being jammed beyond capacity into ICE facilities run by companies like GEO Group, which have been found to have deficiencies in mental health care, inadequate suicide prevention, and excessive use of force against detainees. The revelations about the conditions at these facilities underscore the harsh reality of a profit-driven immigration enforcement system. Critics often focus on private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic, but hundreds of other businesses quietly profit from ICE’s ramped up activities. Private charter airlines and transport companies earn millions from handling detainee transfers, and tech firms providing surveillance tools like face scanning and ankle monitors take a piece of ICE’s more than $9 billion annual budget. Even food service companies, tent manufacturers, healthcare contractors, telecom services, and uniform suppliers cash in. The people behind this sprawling web of contracting businesses, from small vendors to large corporations, are profiting from a system where financial incentives often overshadow humane treatment of immigrants. Use the map below to view details on the U.S. companies with active ICE contracts. The data comes from [USASpending.gov](http://usaspending.gov), and the amounts provided are the totals for all of the companies’ currently active contracts. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Pro-Crypto GENIUS Act, for Now, Falls Short of Advancing in Senate URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/08/pro-crypto-genius-act-for-now-falls-short-of-advancing-in-senate/ Last updated: 2025-05-08T20:26:50.000Z This afternoon, a major cryptocurrency industry-supported bill, the GENIUS Act, fell short of proceeding in the Senate. Several key Democrats who had been negotiating with Republicans to advance the legislation, which would establish a regulatory framework for the digital assets known as stablecoins, opted against moving forward with the version of the bill in front of them—for today, at least. Ahead of the vote, [Sludge reported with More Perfect Union](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/senate-gop-tees-up-vote-on-crypto?r=bqby&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) on what’s in the GENIUS Act, and how its provisions could benefit the businesses of President Donald Trump, his family, and his associates, in ventures like their new “USD1” stablecoin. Ethics watchdogs warn that the Trump family’s crypto ventures aren’t just unseemly, or a potential ethics trap—rather, that they may amount to criminal violations of anti-corruption laws. The cloture vote, brought by Senate Republican leader John Thune, came out 48 "aye" to 49 "nay," with all Democrats and three Republicans voting against the measure. The procedural vote was shy of the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed with the legislation—but talks will continue over the next week. "We need time,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who had been leading a group of Democrats in negotiations to advance the bill, told [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/08/cryptocurrency-legislation-senate-vote-00336381). “We’re not shutting down." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Harris 'Dark Money' Group Spent Over $300 Million, New Report Reveals URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/07/harris-dark-money-group-spent-over-300-million-new-report-reveals/ Last updated: 2025-05-07T21:42:57.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Harris%20'Dark%20Money'%20Group%20Spent%20Over%20$300%20Million,%20New%20Report%20Reveals%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/07/harris-dark-money-group-spent-over-300-million-new-report-reveals/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Harris%20'Dark%20Money'%20Group%20Spent%20Over%20$300%20Million,%20New%20Report%20Reveals%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/07/harris-dark-money-group-spent-over-300-million-new-report-reveals/). A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice reveals record-breaking sums of dark money spent during the 2024 election cycle—and shows that Democrats spent even more secret cash in their attempt to elect Kamala Harris than was previously known. According to the [report](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dark-money-hit-record-high-19-billion-2024-federal-races), which includes both FEC-reported expenditures and unreported ad spending, the pro-Harris dark money nonprofit Future Forward USA Action poured $304 million into the election. As Sludge [reported](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/02/a-dim-milestone-for-dark-money-in-politics/) last November, the more than $260 million that Future Forward USA Action passed along to its super PAC affiliate, FF PAC, made it the first time that a dark money group was a presidential candidate’s largest funder. The additional spending identified by the Brennan Center only adds to that discouraging fact. In total, Future Forward raised more than $950 million during the 2024 cycle, the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/us/politics/harris-future-forward.html) reported. Beyond the money it received from its own dark money affiliate, FF PAC received significant support from other non-disclosing groups or pass-throughs, such as LCV Victory Fund, Climate Power Action, and Sixteen Thirty Fund. This heavy reliance on secretive funding sources stands in stark contrast to years of Democratic messaging. Prominent figures like [Harris](https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1102375748776673280) and [Joe Biden](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/27/biden-re-election-benefits-from-dark-money-he-says-erodes-public-trust/) have forcefully argued that dark money was a scourge on American politics and was eroding public trust. Yet, cycle after cycle since 2018, the data shows that the Democrats make far greater use of dark money in elections than the Republicans. Future Forward USA Action alone spent more than twice as much as the top-spending GOP-aligned group. The Brennan Center also found that six of the ten highest-spending dark money groups last cycle were aligned with Democrats. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Cabinet Officials’ Former Clients Are Now Lobbying Their Offices URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/06/trump-cabinet-officials-former-clients-are-now-lobbying-their-offices/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T20:46:30.000Z 👀 **Share this story on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Cabinet%20Officials%E2%80%99%20Former%20Clients%20Are%20Now%20Lobbying%20Their%20Offices%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/06/trump-cabinet-officials-former-clients-are-now-lobbying-their-offices/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Cabinet%20Officials%E2%80%99%20Former%20Clients%20Are%20Now%20Lobbying%20Their%20Offices%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/06/trump-cabinet-officials-former-clients-are-now-lobbying-their-offices/) Several former clients of the lobbyists now serving in the Trump administration—among them Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy, and Susie Wiles—reported lobbying the offices those officials now oversee in the first quarter of the year, underscoring the revolving door between private and public interests at the heart of the government. Attorney General Bondi previously worked as a lobbyist with the Trump-aligned firm Ballard Partners from mid-2019 into the fourth quarter of 2024, where she lobbied for [dozens of clients](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar/), including Amazon, for whom she lobbied in the first half of 2020\. As part of the team at Ballard on the Amazon account, Bondi [lobbied](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/f9fd2007-6cf4-488e-9f98-2751030ee358/print/) Congress, the White House, and other agencies on issues including surface transportation, IT modernization, and trade policy. Now, Amazon is lobbying Bondi’s Department of Justice on [topics](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/398f753d-72fb-4dee-8c2b-eadc2f48ea7c/print/) like copyright reform and intermediary liability, consumer protections like privacy and law enforcement access, and labor issues including contracting and minimum wage. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC’s Anti-BDS Bill Is Derailed, at Least for Now URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/05/aipacs-anti-bds-bill-is-derailed-at-least-for-now/ Last updated: 2025-05-05T19:27:49.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=AIPAC%E2%80%99s%20Anti-BDS%20Bill%20Is%20Derailed,%20at%20Least%20for%20Now%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/05/aipacs-anti-bds-bill-is-derailed-at-least-for-now/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=AIPAC%E2%80%99s%20Anti-BDS%20Bill%20Is%20Derailed,%20at%20Least%20for%20Now%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/05/aipacs-anti-bds-bill-is-derailed-at-least-for-now/)! The American Israel Public Affairs Committee suffered a rare setback this weekend as Representatives Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), two of its heavily-funded allies in Congress, saw their [IGO Anti-Boycott Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/867) pulled from the House calendar. The bill’s sudden withdrawal, amid powerful opposition from free speech and pro-Palestinian advocates, marks a major blow to AIPAC’s campaign to expand anti-BDS laws. The bill, an amendment to the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018, targets Americans participating in boycotts of Israel or its settlements that are promoted by international governmental organizations (IGOs) like the United Nations or European Union, such as refusing to do business with Israeli companies. It would do so by extending existing federal boycott restrictions, which bar compliance with foreign government-led boycotts, to cover IGO-initiated boycotts, proposing fines of up to $1 million or prison terms of up to 20 years for boycott activities in commercial contexts involving interstate or foreign commerce. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five Dems Vote With GOP to Push Pentagon Budget Over $1 Trillion URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T23:49:17.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Five%20Dems%20Vote%20With%20GOP%20to%20Push%20Pentagon%20Budget%20Over%20$1%20Trillion%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Five%20Dems%20Vote%20With%20GOP%20to%20Push%20Pentagon%20Budget%20Over%20$1%20Trillion%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/02/five-dems-vote-with-gop-to-push-pentagon-budget-over-1-trillion/) This week, five House Democrats joined Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee to approve a $150 billion defense spending increase for fiscal year 2025, advancing President Trump’s budget plan, dubbed his “megabill.” The committee voted 35-21 to approve its part of Trump’s far-reaching budget framework, which pairs tax cuts with sharp reductions in programs like Medicaid and food stamps. If it becomes law, the defense boost would push annual defense spending above $1 trillion for the first time, though total national security spending has topped this threshold for years. The five Democrats who supported the $150 billion defense increase were, in order of seniority, Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, Don Davis of North Carolina, George Whitesides of California, and Eugene Vindman of Virginia, with the latter two being freshmen. The votes of the five run counter to the positions of their Democratic colleagues on the panel, who said in a [statement](https://democrats-armedservices.house.gov/press-releases?ID=6236199E-77D2-4C83-8050-213DB484473C) that boosting defense spending should not come at the expense of cuts to social programs and the Department of Education. It also runs against Democratic congressional leaders’ calls for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s resignation amid concerns over his leadership and security malpractice. The committee’s Democrats [introduced](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/29/congress/dems-join-gop-to-boost-defense-spending-00317618) more than 20 amendments to the [bill](https://armedservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/bill%5Ftext.pdf), including one from ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) to withhold 75% of the new funding until the Pentagon devises a new plan to keep classified information from being shared outside of approved systems. All Democratic amendments were [rejected](https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=5061), mostly on party-line votes of 29-26. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Top Corporate PAC Money Recipient Leads GOP Tax Overhaul URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/05/01/top-corporate-pac-money-recipient-leads-gop-tax-overhaul/ Last updated: 2025-05-02T11:41:17.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Top%20Corporate%20PAC%20Money%20Recipient%20Leads%20GOP%20Tax%20Overhaul%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/01/top-corporate-pac-money-recipient-leads-gop-tax-overhaul/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Top%20Corporate%20PAC%20Money%20Recipient%20Leads%20GOP%20Tax%20Overhaul%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/05/01/top-corporate-pac-money-recipient-leads-gop-tax-overhaul/)! As Republicans in Congress craft their budget megabill, the House Ways and Means Committee is at the center of high-stakes decisions on tax policies that could pour billions into corporate pockets. Leading that charge is Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), the committee chair and Congress’ top 2024 election cycle recipient of corporate PAC money, including donations from the PACs of giants like AT&T, Duke Energy, and Bank of America that have paid low effective tax rates in recent years and have billions at stake in the pending tax code overhaul. Smith raked in more than [$3.3 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/top-recipients/2024?type=B) from business PACs during the 2024 election cycle, the most of any House member in any cycle since at least 2002, according to OpenSecrets. Dozens more corporate PACs, including Google, Bank of America, and Anheuser-Busch, continued to cut him $5,000 checks—the annual maximum—in early 2025, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. The Ways and Means Committee’s portion of the giant reconciliation bill centers on provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Bonus depreciation, letting companies deduct equipment costs upfront, is scheduled to phase out and could cost hundreds of billions to extend. R&D expensing, which is now spread over 5–15 years instead of immediately, may be restored at a cost of $150 billion or more, aiding tech and aerospace firms like Boeing and pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer. The corporate tax rate, which was cut from 35% to 21% by the TCJA, is likely to remain at the new lower level, though some Republicans are calling for pushing it even lower, to 15%, and Smith [said](https://www.semafor.com/article/05/09/2024/corporate-tax-rate-hike-jason-smith) last year that some other Republicans are wondering why the idea of raising the rate is not on the table. These measures would boost corporate profits but risk pushing up the already $30 trillion-plus national debt. The bill’s $2 trillion in required spending cuts, as directed by the House’s 2025 budget resolution, is expected to target Medicaid and SNAP benefits, hitting low-income families the hardest. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Meta Bulks Up Lobbying Power to Head Off Possible Break Up URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/30/meta-bulks-up-lobbying-power-to-head-off-possible-break-up/ Last updated: 2025-04-30T17:18:57.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Meta%20Bulks%20Up%20Lobbying%20Power%20to%20Head%20Off%20Possible%20Break%20Up%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/30/meta-bulks-up-lobbying-power-to-head-off-possible-break-up/)**,* [**Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/30/meta-bulks-up-lobbying-power-to-head-off-possible-break-up/)**, and* [**X*](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/29/fec-faces-paralysis-once-again/) Just two weeks before opening arguments in its blockbuster antitrust trial with the Federal Trade Commission, Meta hired its first new lobbying firm in nearly two years. The tech giant brought on Mehlman Consulting, a bipartisan shop with deep Capitol Hill ties, including four former senior Republican staffers and one former FTC liaison to Congress. The hiring comes alongside record spending: Meta reported spending [$8 million](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/64017c56-028d-489d-91df-9326dc7d0d6d/print/) on federal lobbying in the first quarter of this year, its highest quarterly lobbying outlay ever. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### FEC Faces Paralysis Once Again URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/29/fec-faces-paralysis-once-again/ Last updated: 2025-04-29T14:46:01.000Z 💡 ***Share this post on** [***X**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=FEC%20faces%20paralysis%20once%20again%3A%20A%20Trump-nominated%20commissioner%20is%20stepping%20down,%20leaving%20the%20agency%20without%20the%20quorum%20it%20needs%20to%20enforce%20campaign%20finance%20rules.%20%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/29/fec-faces-paralysis-once-again/) **or** [***Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=FEC%20faces%20paralysis%20once%20again%3A%20A%20Trump-nominated%20commissioner%20is%20stepping%20down,%20leaving%20the%20agency%20without%20the%20quorum%20it%20needs%20to%20enforce%20campaign%20finance%20rules.%20%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/29/fec-faces-paralysis-once-again/)***!** The agency in charge of enforcing campaign finance laws is once again poised to lose its ability to function, as Republican commissioner Allen Dickerson, a Trump appointee, is reportedly planning to announce his resignation from the Federal Election Commission. His departure on April 30 will leave the agency without the quorum it needs to conduct enforcement actions, issue advisory opinions, or promulgate new regulations, effectively paralyzing the agency ahead of the midterm elections. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reps Kickstart Effort to Ban Congressional Stock Trading URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/29/reps-kickstart-effort-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading/ Last updated: 2025-04-29T11:43:57.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Reps%20Kickstart%20Effort%20to%20Ban%20Congressional%20Stock%20Trading%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/28/reps-kickstart-effort-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading/) *or* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Reps%20Kickstart%20Effort%20to%20Ban%20Congressional%20Stock%20Trading%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/28/reps-kickstart-effort-to-ban-congressional-stock-trading/) A bipartisan coalition in the U.S. House is working to negotiate compromise legislation that would ban congressional stock trading, drawing from a pair of bills they have introduced. The group is trying to take advantage of momentum that was generated by recent statements of support for banning congressional stock trades by President Trump and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) [told Semafor](https://www.semafor.com/article/04/28/2025/house-members-push-stock-ban-while-leadership-stays-quiet) late last week that he and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), his partner in proposing the TRUST in Congress Act, are working on merging their bill with a similar measure from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). Both bills would require members of Congress and their families to divest their stocks or place them in a blind trust, though the measures have some differences. Magaziner said that Jeffries is supporting their proposal; however, no House Republican leaders have yet said they will bring a stock trading ban up for a vote. Jeffries reiterated his support for banning congressional stock trading on April 15, the day after Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) disclosed she had purchased up to [$315,000](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20029138.pdf) of stocks shortly ahead of Trump’s unexpected announcement that his global tariffs plan would be paused. In an appearance on MSNBC, Jeffries said, “we do need to change the law so that sitting members of Congress cannot trade stock, period.” Jeffries reiterated his position in an Instagram post, saying, “It’s time to ban Congressional stock trading,” while calling out Greene’s latest stock moves. Jeffries previously endorsed banning congressional stock trades in 2022. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Attacks Dem Fundraising Platform ActBlue URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/25/trump-attacks-dem-fundraising-platform-actblue/ Last updated: 2025-04-25T16:16:25.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Attacks%20Dem%20Fundraising%20Platform%20ActBlue%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/25/trump-attacks-dem-fundraising-platform-actblue/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Attacks%20Dem%20Fundraising%20Platform%20ActBlue%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/25/trump-attacks-dem-fundraising-platform-actblue/)! Yesterday, President Trump signed a [presidential memorandum](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/investigation-into-unlawful-straw-donor-and-foreign-contributions-in-american-elections/) directing the Department of Justice to investigate online political fundraising platforms, most notably ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s primary small-dollar donation tool. The order alleges that the platforms may have facilitated “straw donor” schemes—where donors funnel money through intermediaries to get around contribution limits—and singled out ActBlue for allegedly processing illegal foreign contributions. The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to report back on the matter within 180 days. Though Trump framed the order as an election integrity issue, it appears to be an escalation in Trump’s efforts to disrupt Democratic infrastructure ahead of the midterms and the next presidential election. The order comes amid broader concerns about the politicization of federal law enforcement and executive power under Trump, who has repeatedly used the Justice Department to target his perceived enemies and protect his allies. ActBlue, a political action committee that operates as a conduit for processing donations, has raised billions for Democratic candidates and aligned organizations. In 2024, the platform reportedly processed [$3.8 billion](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/actblue/C00401224/summary/2024), compared to [$1.8 billion](https://winred.com/blog/2024-cycle/) through WinRed, the Republican equivalent. This online fundraising gap represents one of the few financial advantages that Democrats currently hold over Republicans—and it could be the reason Trump is launching this investigation. The Democratic Party certainly sees it that way. “Donald Trump’s memorandum targeting ActBlue is designed to undermine democratic participation,” the chairs of the DNC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Democratic Governors Association wrote in a joint statement. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Real Estate Industry Bankrolls Cuomo Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T13:38:03.000Z 💵 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Real%20Estate%20Industry%20Bankrolls%20Cuomo%20Super%20PAC%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/)**,* [**Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/)**, and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Real%20Estate%20Industry%20Bankrolls%20Cuomo%20Super%20PAC%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/24/real-estate-industry-bankrolls-cuomo-super-pac/) In the crowded race for New York City mayor, real estate companies and executives have been pouring donations into a super PAC backing Andrew Cuomo over the past two months, counting on the former governor to enable higher rents. Cuomo’s allies formed the super PAC earlier this year to raise and spend unlimited sums from wealthy donors. A large chunk of the [$5.5 million](https://www.nyccfb.info/FTMSearch/IndependentSpenders/Contributions?ec=2025&rt=ind&indId=Z193) the PAC has raised so far has come in contributions of $250,000 from interests like Two Trees real estate company, whose CEO Jed Walentas is the chairperson of lobbying group the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY). During his time in office, the real estate industry was one of Cuomo’s main financial backers. While New York City campaign finance laws cap contributions to candidates participating in the public matching funds program, as Cuomo is, at $2,100, the pro-Cuomo super PAC gives businesses, contractors, and billionaires a way to help fund Cuomo’s run without donation limits. (For donors that do business with the city, the contribution limit to a mayoral candidate is only $400.) Other real estate industry titans that have donated to the Fix the City super PAC include Scott Rechler, CEO of RXR Realty ($250,000), and billionaire Stephen Ross, CEO of Related Ross and owner of the Miami Dolphins football team ($50,000), according to campaign finance records. The group has already spent $1.9 million on video ads for Cuomo. Fisher Brothers, a real estate firm that had been under scrutiny in 2014 by the Moreland Commission, also gave to the super PAC. The Moreland Commission was a New York panel investigating corruption—before then-Gov. Cuomo abruptly [disbanded](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/nyregion/cuomos-push-to-end-moreland-commission-draws-backlash.html) it halfway through its planned tenure, as its work began [touching on](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/nyregion/governor-andrew-cuomo-and-the-short-life-of-the-moreland-commission.html) the state executive branch. The prominent Manhattan-based developer Fisher Brothers, which also has an arm overseeing family investments, gave $100,000 to the PAC from its real estate management company on April 11—continuing the firm’s history of backing Cuomo’s political campaigns. Cuomo has reportedly walked back his support for a tenant protection law he signed as governor in 2019\. According to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/25/cuomo-rent-reforms-00246267), Cuomo told the heads of REBNY in a private meeting last month that he regretted parts of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA), a law that capped rent increases tied to repairs and strengthened renter rights. Donations from the real estate industry—including those from Fisher Brothers, Two Trees, and more executives like Kamran and Frederick Elghanayan of TF Cornerstone—rolled into the pro-Cuomo super PAC in the weeks following the meeting. In contrast, some progressive rivals in the primary contest are [calling](https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2025/04/18/cuomo-housing-rent-freeze) on the city’s Rent Guidelines Board to freeze rents, while others are emphasizing tenant protections. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### PhRMA Spends Record Lobbying Sum to Keep Drug Prices High URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/23/phrma-spends-record-lobbying-sum-to-keep-drug-prices-high/ Last updated: 2025-04-24T11:50:13.000Z ****Share this post on** [****X**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=PhRMA%20Spends%20Record%20Lobbying%20Sum%20to%20Keep%20Drug%20Prices%20High%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/23/phrma-spends-record-lobbying-sum-to-keep-drug-prices-high/) **and** [****Bluesky**](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=PhRMA%20Spends%20Record%20Lobbying%20Sum%20to%20Keep%20Drug%20Prices%20High%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/23/phrma-spends-record-lobbying-sum-to-keep-drug-prices-high/)****!** In the first quarter of the year, Big Pharma’s top lobbying group spent a record-breaking $12.9 million on federal lobbying—an unprecedented blitz that coincided with a string of Trump administration decisions benefiting drugmakers. As the industry secured delays to drug price controls and other policy changes that will boost company profits, the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) was paying Trump-linked lobbyists, including top campaign bundlers Jeff Miller and Geoff Verhoff, to push its agenda in Congress and the administration. PhRMA’s $12.9 million in quarterly lobbying outlays, disclosed this week in a [U.S. Senate filing](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/75a3fc67-1a86-4825-a3d0-d29f4b8b5fd6/print/), is a big increase above what it has ever spent in the past. The group’s previous high was just under $10 million in Q1 2018, suggesting it’s working overtime to influence the new Trump administration, which has been marked by a mix of anti-pharma populist rhetoric with a deference to corporate interests. Within hours of taking office on January 20, 2025, Trump handed the pharmaceutical industry a major victory by rescinding a Biden executive order aimed at reducing drug prices. The now-dismantled [October 2022 order](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-14087-lowering-prescription-drug-costs-for-americans) aimed to lower drug costs through testing Medicare reforms like a $2 co-pay for generic drugs in Medicare Part D, multi-state purchasing pools for expensive gene therapies, and lower payments for drugs fast-tracked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The plans were still in the process of being developed, but with the stroke of a pen, Trump wiped them out. Fast forward to April 15, 2025, and Trump signed another executive order, “[Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/lowering-drug-prices-by-once-again-putting-americans-first/),” that is packed with provisions potentially benefiting pharmaceutical industry profits. The order modifies the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, which allows the government to negotiate prices for high-cost drugs. Under the IRA, small molecule drugs like statins or blood pressure medication can face negotiation seven years after FDA approval, while biologics like vaccines or insulin get 11 years before negotiations kick in. Trump’s order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with Congress to align these timelines, giving small molecule drugs the same 11-year buffer. The change could delay price cuts for blockbuster drugs like Entresto and Keytruda, letting drugmakers pocket higher prices for longer. PhRMA cheered the move, calling it a fix to the so-called “pill penalty.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Allies Cash In: Lobbying Firms With Administration Ties Report Surge in Revenues URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/22/trump-allies-cash-in-lobbying-firms-with-administration-ties-report-surge-in-revenues/ Last updated: 2025-04-22T21:04:07.000Z 💸 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Allies%20Cash%20In%3A%20Lobbying%20Firms%20With%20Administration%20Ties%20Report%20Surge%20in%20Revenues%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/22/trump-allies-cash-in-lobbying-firms-with-administration-ties-report-surge-in-revenues/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Allies%20Cash%20In%3A%20Lobbying%20Firms%20With%20Administration%20Ties%20Report%20Surge%20in%20Revenues%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/22/trump-allies-cash-in-lobbying-firms-with-administration-ties-report-surge-in-revenues/) Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm closely entwined with the Trump administration, saw its lobbying revenue soar in the first quarter of this year as it helped clients navigate everything from Trump’s trade wars to culture issues. Ballard Partners reported more than $14.4 million in federal lobbying revenue in the first three months of 2025, according to a review of Senate disclosures released by yesterday’s deadline. The amount is more than triple the $4.4 million that the firm was paid for lobbying in D.C. in the first quarter of 2024. The firm’s ties to the Trump administration run deep. Founder Brian Ballard, a top bundler for Trump’s 2024 race, raised more than $50 million for the former president, according to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-lobbyists.html), and helped set up [meetings](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/11/trump-corporate-interests-drain-the-swamp/) for clients. Several former lobbyists from the firm now hold top administration positions, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi. More than 120 new [clients](https://readsludge.com/2025/04/02/trump-tied-lobbying-firms-rake-in-hundreds-of-new-clients/) have registered with Ballard Partners since Election Day, likely seeking access to Trump and other decision-makers in his administration. Its highest-paying Q1 client was ​TotalEnergies EP Mozambique Area 1, spending $400,000\. The liquified natural gas (LNG) project [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/f40117ae-73dd-4dfa-91f6-cb15165b83c3/print/) the firm as of Jan. 7 to lobby on issues including “LNG refining opportunities in Africa and Europe.” The project had been [beset](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-frees-up-almost-47-billion-loan-totalenergies-mozambique-gas-project-ft-2025-03-13/) by attacks and allegations of serious human rights violations, but in March, the U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a $4.7 billion loan for it that had initially been awarded during the first Trump administration. The firm’s president Brian Ballard lobbied for the TotalEnergies client alongside firm managing partner Dan McFaul, who had also been a member of Trump’s 2016 transition team. The Mozambique project was [slammed](https://oilchange.org/news/exim-mozambique-approval/) by Colin Rees, U.S. campaign manager for the group Oil Change International, as “a climate and human rights nightmare.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s Top Inaugural Donor Is Poultry Company Fined for Price Fixing and Antitrust Violations URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/21/trumps-top-inaugural-donor-is-poultry-company-fined-for-price-fixing-and-antitrust-violations/ Last updated: 2025-04-24T11:51:17.000Z 🥚 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Top%20Inaugural%20Donor%20Is%20Poultry%20Company%20Fined%20for%20Price%20Fixing%20and%20Antitrust%20Violations%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/21/trumps-top-inaugural-donor-is-poultry-company-fined-for-price-fixing-and-antitrust-violations/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Top%20Inaugural%20Donor%20Is%20Poultry%20Company%20Fined%20for%20Price%20Fixing%20and%20Antitrust%20Violations%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/21/trumps-top-inaugural-donor-is-poultry-company-fined-for-price-fixing-and-antitrust-violations/)! Pilgrim’s Pride, the second-largest poultry processor in the U.S., gave a $5 million contribution to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee—the single largest donation to the fund, according to a new Federal Election Commission filing. The donation, which secured access to exclusive inaugural events including an ”intimate dinner” with President Trump, comes as the company faces ongoing antitrust lawsuits for price-fixing, hundreds of millions in settlements, and a slate of new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules targeting unfair grower contracts. Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of Brazilian meat giant JBS SA, has spent years embroiled in antitrust scrutiny. In 2021, the company [pleaded guilty](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/one-nation-s-largest-chicken-producers-pleads-guilty-price-fixing-and-sentenced-107-million#:~:text=The%20District%20Court%20accepted%20Pilgrim's,a%20criminal%20fine%20of%20$107%2C923%2C572.) to conspiring to fix prices and rig bids on broiler chickens between 2012 and 2017, paying a $107.9 million criminal fine. According to the Department of Justice, the conspiracy inflated prices across the supply chain, ultimately passing along additional costs to consumers. The company paid $75 million in 2021 to settle with poultry buyers over claims they colluded with Tyson Foods, and another $100 million in 2023 to resolve claims from poultry farmers alleging it colluded with rivals to underpay them through unfair tournament-style payment systems. A related shareholder class action settlement, finalized in January 2025, cost Pilgrim’s Pride an additional $41.5 million. The company is currently a defendant in the sweeping *In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation*, a class action lawsuit that accuses multiple poultry giants of coordinating and manipulating prices, driving up costs for consumers even as feed prices dropped. The case has implicated several other politically connected companies, including those linked to GOP megadonor Ron Cameron (Mountaire Farms). The $5 million donation for Trump’ inauguration comes after the Biden administration finalized a series of USDA rules aimed at reining in exactly the kind of abuses that got Pilgrim’s Pride in trouble. The Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments rule, which took effect last February, requires poultry “integrators” like Pilgrim’s Pride to disclose the terms and performance metrics used in their grower contracts. Another rule, finalized in March 2024, is designed to prohibit practices relating to discrimination, retaliation, and deception in contracting. And a rule set to take effect in July 2026 will regulate the payment systems for growers and limit companies’ ability to require costly capital improvements from farmers without justification. Both are designed to shift some power back toward the chicken growers, who’ve long alleged that large companies like Pilgrim’s Pride use their market positions to suppress pay and punish dissent. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Fossil Fuel and Finance Donors Pour Millions Into House GOP War Chest URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/18/fossil-fuel-and-finance-donors-pour-millions-into-house-gop-war-chest/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T17:22:52.000Z 💰 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20and%20Finance%20Donors%20Pour%20Millions%20Into%20House%20GOP%20War%20Chest%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/18/fossil-fuel-and-finance-donors-pour-millions-into-house-gop-war-chest/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Fossil%20Fuel%20and%20Finance%20Donors%20Pour%20Millions%20Into%20House%20GOP%20War%20Chest%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/18/fossil-fuel-and-finance-donors-pour-millions-into-house-gop-war-chest/) House Speaker Mike Johnson’s joint fundraising committee, Grow the Majority, raised more than $24.1 million in the first quarter of the year, led by billionaires in the fossil fuel and investment industries. The donations, mostly from two dozen big donors, help House Republicans protect their razor-thin majority as they work to pass energy legislation cheered by the fossil industry lobby and extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Overall, Johnson said he raised $32.3 million in Q1, which he touted in a press release as his largest quarterly haul as speaker. Formed in 2023 after he became speaker, the committee gives Johnson a way to accept large donations of up to low-seven-figure amounts that get split out to dozens of participating PACs, including Johnson’s campaign, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), and the campaigns of numerous front-line members like Arizona’s Rep. David Schweikert. The largest [donors](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00858373/1887287/) were oil and gas billionaire Tim Dunn and retired investor Rex Sinquefeld, each of whom gave $1.1 million in March. Dunn, the CEO of Texas fracking company Crownquest, reportedly banked around [$2.2 billion](https://www.eenews.net/articles/meet-the-christian-oil-mogul-spending-big-to-elect-trump/) from the sale of his fracking company to Occidental Petroleum, a deal that closed in August 2024\. Occidental bills itself as a top producer in the U.S. Permian Basin and belongs to lobbying groups like the American Petroleum Institute ([API](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/14/big-oil-sends-trump-its-wish-list/)) that are cheering Trump’s deregulatory energy policies. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### As Activists Rally, Jeffries Rakes in Finance Industry Cash URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/17/as-activists-rally-jeffries-rakes-in-finance-industry-cash/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T13:33:06.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=As%20Activists%20Rally,%20Jeffries%20Rakes%20in%20Finance%20Industry%20Cash%20as-activists-https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/17/as-activists-rally-jeffries-rakes-in-finance-industry-cash/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=As%20Activists%20Rally,%20Jeffries%20Rakes%20in%20Finance%20Industry%20Cash%20as-activists-https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/17/as-activists-rally-jeffries-rakes-in-finance-industry-cash/)! Three months into Trump’s presidency, many Democratic voters feel sidelined and ignored. As the administration ramps up attacks on civil liberties, corporate oversight, and democratic institutions, progressive activists are decrying the lack of urgency from Democratic leaders. Their frustration during Trump’s first 100 days has often centered on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose cautious response to Trump’s agenda has sparked growing unease among the party’s base. In private meetings, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has voiced frustration with activists flooding Democratic congressional offices with calls for a more aggressive stance against President Trump, according to [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/democrats-jeffries-move-on-indivisible-trump). (Jeffries quickly disputed the characterization given by an anonymous colleague.) Jeffries has underscored his caucus’s limited influence, stating at a February press conference, “It’s their government,” referring to the Republicans, and questioning, “What leverage do we have?” Meanwhile, protesters have held large [rallies](https://www.salon.com/2025/02/21/hes-not-standing-up-want-hakeem-jeffries-to-lead-an-aggressive-opposition-to/) outside Jeffries’ Brooklyn office, urging him to lead a bolder opposition to Trump. At the same time, the Democratic Party’s favorability has plummeted to a [historic low](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/16/politics/cnn-poll-democrats/index.html), fueled in part by growing disillusionment among loyalists frustrated with the party’s response to Trump’s agenda. Fundraising records reveal that during the first three months of the year, a period of heightened frustration for grassroots Democrats, the House Minority Leader was busy raising large checks from finance industry executives, representatives of Trump-aligned companies, and corporate lobbyists. According to a Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00768200/1887388/) reviewed by Sludge, Jeffries' joint fundraising committee, the Jeffries Victory Fund, raised about $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2025 from donors tied to hedge funds, private equity, and other areas of the finance sector. One of the largest contributors was Henry Laufer, vice president at Renaissance Technologies, who gave $300,700\. Renaissance, a New York-based hedge fund founded by Jim Simons, has been scrutinized by the IRS over its use of “basket options,” a controversial trading strategy that regulators said allowed the firm to avoid billions in taxes. Laufer's spouse kicked in an additional $300,700\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Republicans Are Just Wrong About the SAVE Act and Real ID URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/15/republicans-are-just-wrong-about-the-save-act-and-real-id/ Last updated: 2025-04-15T13:41:02.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Republicans%20Are%20Just%20Wrong%20About%20the%20SAVE%20Act%20and%20Real%20ID%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/15/republicans-are-just-wrong-about-the-save-act-and-real-id/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Republicans%20Are%20Just%20Wrong%20About%20the%20SAVE%20Act%20and%20Real%20ID%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/15/republicans-are-just-wrong-about-the-save-act-and-real-id/)! Last Friday, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) claimed that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was misleading voters by labeling the SAVE Act as “voter suppression.” In a Fox Business appearance, Donalds argued that the Real ID, which is already implemented in all states, ensures voter eligibility including for women who change their names after marriage, framing Democratic objections as “gaslighting.” The segment was [posted](https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1910701960228974753) on X by The Vigilant Fox who said that Donalds “exposed just how desperate Democrats are to keep illegals voting,” and Elon Musk amplified the post to his more than two hundred million followers, quote-posting the post with a simple “True.” But does Real ID truly address the voter eligibility concerns as Donalds and Musk claim? The [Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22/text), passed by the House on April 10, mandates “documentary proof of United States citizenship” for registering to vote in federal elections. Acceptable documents would include a Real ID-compliant driver’s license, but only if it “indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States,” the bill states. This specific requirement is where Donalds’ claim falls short—most Real IDs don’t meet this standard. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Congressional Leaders Warning of ‘Insider Trading’ Could Have Banned Officials From Stock Trading URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/15/congressional-leaders-warning-of-insider-trading-could-have-banned-officials-from-stock-trading/ Last updated: 2026-02-25T03:51:13.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Congressional%20Leaders%20Warning%20of%20%E2%80%98Insider%20Trading%E2%80%99%20Could%20Have%20Banned%20Officials%20From%20Stock%20Trading%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/14/congressional-leaders-warning-of-insider-trading-could-have-banned-officials-from-stock-trading/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Congressional%20Leaders%20Warning%20of%20%E2%80%98Insider%20Trading%E2%80%99%20Could%20Have%20Banned%20Officials%20From%20Stock%20Trading%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/14/congressional-leaders-warning-of-insider-trading-could-have-banned-officials-from-stock-trading/) Over the past week, many people have raised the prospect of “insider trading,” sparked by a spike in trading volume that preceded President Trump’s social media post on the morning of April 9 that it was a good time to buy. A few hours after he posted, Trump announced he would be pausing certain tariffs for 90 days, news that sent the S&P 500 on a one-day jump of 9.5%. The tantalizing question is whether Trump allies—administration officials, members of Congress, or supporters from the investment industry—might have been given advance notice to take positions in assets, like exchange-traded funds (ETFs), that saw their values soar. Today, one Trump ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), released a financial disclosure showing nearly two dozen stock purchases made on April 8 and 9, just before Trump’s announcement. Over the past seven-plus years, many bills have been introduced in Congress that would have greatly limited the ability of members of Congress and the executive branch to trade, or own, stocks and other shares like ETFs. The lax ability for executive branch officials to buy stocks and other securities could have been dramatically constrained, if these ethics measures had been signed into law. Poll after poll shows that banning stock trading, or ownership, by government officials is highly popular. Many of the bills have been sponsored by the rank and file of both parties, and have been co-sponsored by scores of House members. According to a Sludge review, more than 100 unique members of Congress have co-sponsored such bills during the previous two sessions of Congress. But the bills have effectively been stopped by congressional leaders of both parties: no bill limiting lawmakers’ stock trading has been granted a committee vote in the House, and no bill on the topic has been voted on by the full Senate. Congressional leaders like Chuck Schumer who are now voicing concerns over “insider trading” are the ones who have been sitting on bills that could have constrained insiders from making moves for profit. On Wednesday at 9:37 am ET, President Trump posted on his social media platform that it was a "great time to buy," and a few hours later announced a 90-day pause on most of his “reciprocal” tariffs, except for his large tariffs on China and a universal 10% import tariff—sending stock markets rocketing upward in just minutes. After the announcement, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) posted on X, “An insider trading scandal is brewing.” Chatter ran through Congress, according to news reports, about the chances of Trump’s inner circle getting a timely tip. Video [posted](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/did-trump-engage-in-insider-trading-experts-say-hes-unlikely-to-have-legal-troubles) on social media of a meeting in the Oval Office later that day showed Trump bragging about the day’s stock market gains with billionaire Charles Schwab, a large Republican campaign donor. “He made $2.5 billion today, and he made $900 million,” Trump said, pointing at a pair of his guests. On Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a [letter](https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/20250411%20Letter%20to%20SEC%20re%20DJT%20Tariff%20Insider%20Trading.pdf), joined by five Democratic senators, addressed to newly-confirmed Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins. The senators, including Minority Leader Schumer, asked for an investigation into potential securities law violations around Trump’s tariffs announcements. More Democratic leaders in Congress [picked up](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/04/11/congress/tariffs-insider-trading-allegations-democrats-00286880) on the talking point, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for scrutiny of “possible stock manipulation unfolding before the American people—including what, if any, advance knowledge members of the House Republican Conference had of Trump’s decision to pause the reckless tariffs he put in place.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was quick to highlight the potential for insider trading, [posting](https://x.com/AOC/status/1910153921252696559) on Wednesday night about a suspicious spike in NASDAQ trading volume before the announcement, and writing, “It’s time to ban insider trading in Congress.” At a Los Angeles event over the weekend attended by tens of thousands of people, AOC said, “I don't care what party you are, Democrat or Republican, I don't care what position one holds—members of Congress and elected officials holding and trading individual stock is wrong. It must end and we must ban it.” Certain executive branch [officials](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47320) are required to file transaction reports of any stock trades over $1,000 within 45 days, but that requirement only applies to public filers, who make up a small set of high-level officials. Many more non-public filers have to file annual disclosures, but any trades made last week would not be reported on those disclosures until May 15 of next year at the earliest. Also, some executive branch advisors who are classified as special government employees, like [Elon Musk](https://readsludge.com/2025/02/14/elon-musks-pentagon-conflicts/), are able to evade public financial disclosure requirements. The federal agency that typically takes the lead in investigating insider trading cases, the SEC, has reportedly seen its staff [reduced](https://cooleypubco.com/2025/03/31/sec-death-1000-cuts/) by around 10% due to buyout offers, including employees in enforcement. The recent Senate Democrat [letter](https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/20250411%20Letter%20to%20SEC%20re%20DJT%20Tariff%20Insider%20Trading.pdf) pointed to reduced enforcement at the agency. Insider trading cases are often prosecuted with the Justice Department, now led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is widely described as a Trump loyalist. The only bill limiting stock trading that has seen any movement was a modified version of a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called the [ETHICS Act](https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/dems/in-historic-first-committee-advances-peters-merkley-hawley-ossoff-and-rosen-bipartisan-legislation-to-ban-member-stock-trading/), which finally last year was advanced by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, though it did not receive a full Senate vote. One bill that sought to crack down on conflicted stock trading in government was the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, [introduced](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3357) by Warren in August 2018\. The first Trump administration broke precedent by not divesting the president’s assets, spurring interest in anti-corruption measures. Among its many ethics reforms, Warren’s bill would have [banned](https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Master%20Summary%20of%20Anti%20Corruption%20Act%20-%20FINAL.pdf) “individual stock ownership by Members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, senior congressional staff, federal judges, White House staff and other senior agency officials while in office,” according to an official summary. The summary goes on to say that the bill would “prohibit all government officials from holding or trading stock where its value might be influenced by their agency, department, or actions.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Granholm Cashes In URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/11/granholm-cashes-in/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T20:10:45.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Jennifer%20Granholm,%20fresh%20off%20her%20role%20as%20Biden%E2%80%99s%20Energy%20Secretary,%20is%20now%20drawing%20paychecks%20from%20firms%20tied%20to%20fossil%20fuel%20and%20utility%20interests%20that%20lobbied%20her%20while%20she%20shaped%20U.S.%20energy%20policy.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/11/granholm-cashes-in/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Jennifer%20Granholm,%20fresh%20off%20her%20role%20as%20Biden%E2%80%99s%20Energy%20Secretary,%20is%20now%20drawing%20paychecks%20from%20firms%20tied%20to%20fossil%20fuel%20and%20utility%20interests%20that%20lobbied%20her%20while%20she%20shaped%20U.S.%20energy%20policy.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/11/granholm-cashes-in/)! Jennifer Granholm, fresh off her role as Biden’s Energy Secretary, is now drawing paychecks from firms tied to fossil fuel and utility interests that lobbied her while she shaped U.S. energy policy. Recently, she joined the boards of Edison International and its subsidiary, Southern California Edison, led by executives who headed a powerful industry lobbying group during her tenure, and took a senior counselor role at DGA Group, a global advisory firm serving energy clients, including those in oil and gas. As Energy Secretary, Granholm managed billions of dollars in investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand renewables, battery storage, and hydrogen production. However, under her leadership the DOE also approved significant oil and gas projects, including ConocoPhillip’s oil drilling Willow Project in Alaska and the expansion of Cheniere’s natural gas export terminal in Corpus Christi, Texas. Granholm supported carbon capture technologies with DOE grants, which some environmentalists argue extended the country’s fossil fuel reliance. She also defended the Biden administration’s record-high oil drilling permits on federal land, as a response to global energy demands like those triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her new roles as a board member of Edison International and Southern California Edison, which began April 1, tie her to a utility that was part of a consortium that received over [$600 million](https://floridacapitalstar.com/news/granholm-energy-department-gave-california-utilities-600m-now-shell-sit-on-their-boards/jtnews/2025/02/25/) in DOE grants for grid upgrades during her tenure. Edison International’s president, Pedro Pizarro, was chair of the powerful utility industry lobbying group Edison Electric Institute (EEI) during Garnholm’s tenure, from 2023-2024\. Ganholm was a keynote speaker at the group’s 2023 annual meeting. In 2022, the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/10/what-one-utility-ceo-said-after-biden-left-room/) reported on a closed-door meeting where Pizarro pushed Ganholm for changes to energy tax credit policies that would allow companies to claim financial benefits from the credits more quickly. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House Republicans Vote to Kill the CFPB’s $5 Overdraft Fee Cap URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/10/house-republicans-vote-to-kill-the-cfpbs-5-overdraft-fee-cap/ Last updated: 2025-04-11T01:46:24.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20Republicans%20Vote%20to%20Kill%20the%20CFPB%E2%80%99s%20$5%20Overdraft%20Fee%20Cap%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/10/house-republicans-vote-to-kill-the-cfpbs-5-overdraft-fee-cap/) *or* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20Republicans%20Vote%20to%20Kill%20the%20CFPB%E2%80%99s%20$5%20Overdraft%20Fee%20Cap%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/10/house-republicans-vote-to-kill-the-cfpbs-5-overdraft-fee-cap/) On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House passed two resolutions along party lines overturning rules—on capping bank overdraft fees and oversight of consumer payment apps—that were adopted in the last months of 2024 by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The votes represent major wins for the consumer banking industry and Big Tech companies that offer—or are planning to offer—digital wallet services. Both rules are being overturned by the Republicans using the Congressional Review Act, a law that allows Congress to reverse agency rules within 60 legislative days of them being finalized by passing joint resolutions of disapproval in both chambers, then having the president sign the bills into law. In a vote of [217-211](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202596) in favor, with five House members abstaining, the House overturned a $5 cap on bank overdraft fees. The rule, [finalized](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-closes-overdraft-loophole-to-save-americans-billions-in-fees/) by the CFPB in December as part of the Biden administration’s clampdown on “junk fees,” was set to take effect later this year for banks and credit unions with more than $10 billion in assets. According to [Consumer Reports](https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press%5Frelease/house-votes-to-repeal-cfpb-limits-on-excessive-bank-overdraft-fees/), large banks typically charge $35 for overdrafts of less than $26\. The CFPB estimated the cap would have saved Americans up to $5 billion a year in fees. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Picks Apollo Co-Founder’s Son for DFC After Firm Shows Interest in X Debt URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/09/trump-picks-apollo-co-founders-son-for-dfc-after-firm-shows-interest-in-x-debt/ Last updated: 2025-04-09T17:11:23.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Picks%20Apollo%20Co-Founder%E2%80%99s%20Son%20for%20DFC%20After%20Firm%20Shows%20Interest%20in%20X%20Debt%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/10/trump-picks-apollo-co-founders-son-for-dfc-after-firm-shows-interest-in-x-debt/) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Picks%20Apollo%20Co-Founder%E2%80%99s%20Son%20for%20DFC%20After%20Firm%20Shows%20Interest%20in%20X%20Debt%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/10/trump-picks-apollo-co-founders-son-for-dfc-after-firm-shows-interest-in-x-debt/)! Private equity firm Apollo Global Management and its billionaire co-founder Leon Black are poised to gain a direct link to the Trump administration. On January 31, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Ben Black—Leon’s 40-year-old son and a former Apollo associate—to serve as CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The announcement came three days after Bloomberg [reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-28/pimco-apollo-among-funds-looking-at-next-3-billion-of-x-debt-m6ghgntn) Apollo’s interest in purchasing debt tied to Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform X. Black’s nomination was unexpected. As of mid-January, Black was not among the candidates [reporters](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-17/trump-team-has-wealth-fund-ambitions-for-small-lending-agency?sref=VDXBDESF) had linked to the position, who included several arguably more qualified candidates like former Bridgewater Associates executive David Bohigian and former Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), the chief sponsor of the legislation that created the DFC. In February 2025, Apollo [purchased](https://www.ft.com/content/6d1925d2-6057-4451-b3e9-c365ac710f1e) an unspecified amount of X’s debt at 97 cents on the dollar, part of a broader sale of the billions in debt that financed Musk’s 2022 acquisition of the platform that also involved companies like Pimco and Citadel. The debt sales significantly bolstered X’s financial situation, enabling Musk’s AI venture xAI to acquire the platform at a $45 billion valuation late last month. The valuation is a stark reversal from the company’s struggles since Musk’s $44 billion purchase in October 2022, a price that was widely seen at the time as inflated. In September of last year, Fidelity [estimated](https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/29/fidelity-has-cut-xs-value-by-79-since-musk-purchase/#:~:text=Manish%20Singh-,Fidelity%20has%20cut%20its%20estimate%20of%20X's%20value%20by%2079,new%20estimate%20from%20investor%20Fidelity.) that the company had lost 79% of its value since Musk’s acquisition. But Trump’s election and the desire by businesses to curry favor with Musk in his new role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) appear to have been a boon for investor interest in the company. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Peter Thiel Ally in Line to Oversee Drug (De-)Regulation URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/09/peter-thiel-ally-in-line-to-oversee-drug-de-regulation/ Last updated: 2025-08-29T01:14:21.000Z 💊 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Peter%20Thiel%20Ally%20in%20Line%20to%20Oversee%20Drug%20%28De-%29Regulation%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/08/peter-thiel-ally-in-line-to-oversee-drug-de-regulation/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Peter%20Thiel%20Ally%20in%20Line%20to%20Oversee%20Drug%20%28De-%29Regulation%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/08/peter-thiel-ally-in-line-to-oversee-drug-de-regulation/) Jim O’Neill, a close aide to billionaire investor Peter Thiel and a senior health official during the George W. Bush administration, is President Trump’s pick to be deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services—a position where his past calls for deregulation of drug approvals could benefit medical startups like those in Thiel’s portfolios. Financial disclosures for O’Neill that were released last week show that he currently works as an adviser to vaccine makers and healthcare companies. From 2008 to 2019, O’Neill worked atop investment firms founded by the self-described libertarian Thiel, and he was formerly the CEO of the Thiel Foundation. If confirmed by the Senate, O’Neill would oversee day-to-day operations at the nearly $2 trillion agency, including development of HHS regulations, federal research, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. O’Neill has pledged to resign from his healthcare industry positions if confirmed. In a 2014 speech at a biotech conference, O’Neill argued that the Food and Drug Administration’s drug approval process was hindering innovation and proposed a dramatically-expanded approach called “progressive approval.” “We should reform FDA so that it is approving drugs after their sponsors have demonstrated safety, and let people start using them at their own risk,” O’Neill said at the conference. “Let’s prove efficacy after they’ve been legalized.” Health industry watchdogs warn that O’Neill’s proposed approach could mean government approval of a slew of ineffective treatments. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### MTG Bought Treasuries Ahead of Market Crash URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/07/mtg-bought-treasuries-ahead-of-market-crash/ Last updated: 2025-06-24T11:39:13.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=MTG%20Bought%20Treasuries%20Ahead%20of%20Market%20Crash%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/07/mtg-bought-treasuries-ahead-of-market-crash/) or [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=MTG%20Bought%20Treasuries%20Ahead%20of%20Market%20Crash%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/07/mtg-bought-treasuries-ahead-of-market-crash/)! Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a close ally of President Donald Trump, invested as much as $750,000 in U.S. Treasury bonds from mid- to late March, according to transaction disclosures reviewed by Sludge. The purchases, made in three transactions between March 17 and March 25, align with her vocal support for Trump’s recently imposed tariffs—policies that have triggered a sharp decline in stock markets. Greene’s Treasury bond purchases were made in the days before the tariff plans were finalized, during a period when investors and foreign nations were scrambling to figure out what Trump’s plans were for April 2, the day he had announced for tariffs to go into effect. On March 25, the day of Greene’s last purchase of up to $250,000 worth of U.S. Treasury bonds, Trump told reporters of his tariff plans, “I have them set,” though investors and foreign leaders didn’t find out the details of the tariffs until April 2\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Republicans Push SAVE Act Vote, Potentially Disenfranchising Millions URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/04/republicans-push-save-act-vote-potentially-disenfranchising-millions/ Last updated: 2025-04-04T22:54:14.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Republicans%20Push%20SAVE%20Act%20Vote,%20Potentially%20Disenfranchising%20Millions%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/04/republicans-push-save-act-vote-potentially-disenfranchising-millions/)**,* [**Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/04/republicans-push-save-act-vote-potentially-disenfranchising-millions/)**, and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Republicans%20Push%20SAVE%20Act%20Vote,%20Potentially%20Disenfranchising%20Millions%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/04/republicans-push-save-act-vote-potentially-disenfranchising-millions/) House Republicans are teeing up a vote on the SAVE Act as soon as next week, a bill to change voter registration policies that voting-rights advocates warn could disenfranchise tens of millions of eligible voters—with one expert even [calling](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/restricting-freedom-vote) it “one of the worst voting laws in congressional history.” The bill is supported by the Heritage Foundation's advocacy arm and conservative groups led by former Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell that work to pass restrictive election laws in states. If passed again by the House—as it was last year in a July 2024 vote of [221-198](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024345), with no Republican dissenters—the bill would be sent to the now GOP-controlled Senate. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act ([H.R. 22](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22)), would require that citizens registering to vote or updating their registration information appear in-person to present documentary proof of citizenship. For the vast majority of Americans, this would require presenting a passport or birth certificate, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. A Brennan Center [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/millions-americans-dont-have-documents-proving-their-citizenship-readily) found that more than 21 million citizens don’t have these documents available—more than 9 percent of eligible voters—and that tens of millions of voters would routinely run into the law’s restrictions when updating their address after moving, or re-registering between elections. The bill would allow “Enhanced Drivers Licenses” that show proof of citizenship to be used for voter registration, but only [five states](https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/nx-s1-5301676/save-act-explainer-voter-registration)—Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington—currently offer them. Most “Real ID”-compliant documents would not be accepted under the law, according to the nonpartisan [Voting Rights Lab](https://votingrightslab.org/2025/04/01/trump-executive-order-sends-message-to-state-allies-to-implement-upheaval-of-election-laws/), because they generally do not state the holder is a citizen. Neither would most military or tribal IDs. The nonprofit Campaign Legal Center and other groups [flag](https://campaignlegal.org/update/what-you-need-know-about-save-act) that people of color, young people, elderly people, and married people who have changed their names are more likely to lack access to their passport or birth certificate. Around 69 million American women who changed their names in marriage do not have a birth certificate that could be used as proof, according to the [Center for American Progress](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-save-act-overview-and-facts/) (CAP). Socioeconomic differences exacerbate the bill’s problems: only 1 in 5 Americans with income below $50,000 have a valid passport, CAP says. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### SpaceX Poised for Massive Profit From Pentagon Rocket Initiative URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/03/spacex-poised-for-massive-profit-from-pentagon-rocket-initiative/ Last updated: 2025-04-03T17:29:13.000Z 🚀 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=SpaceX%20Poised%20for%20Massive%20Profit%20From%20Pentagon%20Rocket%20Initiative%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/03/spacex-poised-for-massive-profit-from-pentagon-rocket-initiative) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=SpaceX%20Poised%20for%20Massive%20Profit%20From%20Pentagon%20Rocket%20Initiative%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/03/spacex-poised-for-massive-profit-from-pentagon-rocket-initiative)! A federal rocket program that could be massively profitable for Elon Musk’s SpaceX was quietly pushed forward by the Trump administration last month. In a notice of proposed action posted on March 3, the Air Force announced its plan to construct a testing and demonstration site on the remote Johnston Atoll—a decommissioned military atoll 700 nautical miles from Hawaii—for up to 40 test reentry vehicle landings to be conducted over four years. The program is focused on testing the feasibility of using reusable rockets to quickly transport cargo across the globe, paving the way for rapid troop deployments or sensitive equipment delivery. Public review of the plan will begin this month, according to the notice, signaling a fast-tracked effort. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump-Tied Lobbying Firms Rake in Hundreds of New Clients URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/02/trump-tied-lobbying-firms-rake-in-hundreds-of-new-clients/ Last updated: 2025-04-02T20:24:52.000Z 📣 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump-Tied%20Lobbying%20Firms%20Rake%20in%20Hundreds%20of%20New%20Clients%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/02/trump-tied-lobbying-firms-rake-in-hundreds-of-new-clients/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump-Tied%20Lobbying%20Firms%20Rake%20in%20Hundreds%20of%20New%20Clients%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/02/trump-tied-lobbying-firms-rake-in-hundreds-of-new-clients/) Lobbying firms with ties to the Trump administration have been raking in business since the election—especially the firms founded by Trump’s campaign bundlers. Several of the Trump-tied firms previously employed administration officials, like White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi, giving them personal connections to a government that in its previous term was marked by dysfunction. Ballard Partners, the Florida-based firm founded by a top Trump campaign bundler, Brian Ballard, has registered to lobby for 101 new clients since Election Day, recently signing up one of the top corporate lobbying spenders. Ballard has yet to report how much money its new clients are paying it, but based on the median amount its lobbying clients paid last year, the firm is likely to earn an estimated $6 million this year just from the clients it has signed since the election. The Business Roundtable (BRT), a trade group for CEOs of major U.S. corporations, hired Ballard Partners to lobby effective Feb. 1 on the issues of “corporate & international taxation” and “international trade and supply chains,” according to a new [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/5860316a-8253-41aa-a810-ea5529b54a4a/print/). This year, the Republican-controlled Congress will move to extend and make permanent provisions in the Trump-signed tax laws of 2017—with [billions of dollars annually](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/top-10-corporations-reaped-disproportionate-share-benefits-trump-tax-scam-report-finds/) in tax breaks at stake for the corporate giants behind the BRT’s members. The BRT is now pushing policymakers to preserve the 21% corporate tax rate, ensure that taxes on foreign earnings aren't nudged upward, and make permanent a tax break for research & development spending that expired in 2022. In last year’s Trump comeback, Brian Ballard was one of the campaign’s top fundraisers, bundling more than $50 million and arranging meetings with the former president, campaign sources told multiple news outlets. Ballard has known Trump for decades and worked as a Florida lobbyist for the Trump organization, as related in a 2018 [profile](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/02/most-powerful-lobbyist-in-trump-washington-217759/) dubbing him “The Most Powerful Lobbyist in Trump’s Washington.” After the 2016 election, Ballard was a member of Trump’s transition and vice chair of the inaugural committee, and quickly harnessed his connections to bring in 100 federal lobbying clients by the start of 2019\. This year, Ballard [is back](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/in-trumps-washington-it-pays-to-be-from-florida-db227cb1) at the center of power, throwing parties near the White House ahead of the inauguration. Wiles [worked](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/08/trump-selects-corporate-lobbyist-susie-wiles-as-chief-of-staff/) for the firm in Florida as managing partner from 2011 into 2022; Bondi [lobbied](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar/) with the firm from 2019 until her confirmation, for clients including Amazon and GEO Group. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Former Wiles Client Boosted by Mining EO URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/04/02/former-wiles-client-boosted-by-mining-eo/ Last updated: 2025-04-02T00:35:26.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Former%20Wiles%20Client%20Boosted%20by%20Mining%20EO%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/01/former-wiles-client-boosted-by-mining-eo/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/01/former-wiles-client-boosted-by-mining-eo/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Former%20Wiles%20Client%20Boosted%20by%20Mining%20EO%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/04/01/former-wiles-client-boosted-by-mining-eo/)! A former client of President Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and megabundler Brian Ballard saw its stock price skyrocket last week following the signing of an executive order on mining. On March 20, Trump signed an [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-measures-to-increase-american-mineral-production/) titled “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” aimed at boosting domestic mining and reducing U.S. reliance on foreign critical minerals like copper, uranium, and gold. Invoking the Defense Production Act, the order is designed to expedite permitting procedures, accelerate mineral mining on federal lands, and increase project funding, with a stated goal of enhancing national security and economic growth. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Crypto Industry Spends Millions to Hold GOP House Seats URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/31/crypto-industry-spends-millions-to-hold-gop-house-seats/ Last updated: 2025-03-31T20:50:38.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Crypto%20Industry%20Spends%20Millions%20to%20Hold%20GOP%20House%20Seats%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/31/crypto-industry-spends-millions-to-hold-gop-house-seats/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Crypto%20Industry%20Spends%20Millions%20to%20Hold%20GOP%20House%20Seats%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/31/crypto-industry-spends-millions-to-hold-gop-house-seats/) A cryptocurrency industry super PAC is dropping millions of dollars to help House Republicans hold two seats in Florida special elections on April 1\. The spending from Defend American Jobs (DAJ) comes as the House GOP holds a narrow majority of five seats in the chamber, votes that will be critical as the caucus tries to pass major pieces of the Trump agenda, including legislation championed by the crypto industry for lighter regulatory oversight. The ad support from DAJ makes it the second-highest spending outside group in both Florida races. DAJ is the Republican-backing affiliate of the crypto company-funded Fairshake network that spent a whopping $133 million during the 2024 election cycle to knock off candidates it deemed anti-crypto. The Fairshake network was formed in 2023 and rocketed to become one of the highest outside spenders in all federal races that cycle. After the outside spending giants aligned with presidential candidates and congressional leaders, only the flagship super PACs of Elon Musk and Charles Koch spent more last cycle. The Fairshake network [announced](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/crypto-pac-fairshake-has-116-million-on-hand-for-2026-elections.html) in January that it had a hefty $116 million in cash on hand, and that its major backers including Coinbase, Ripple Labs, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) were again opening their wallets to help elect more pro-crypto candidates. In Florida’s Sixth Congressional District, Republican state senator and gambling industry [consultant](https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2024/02/29/brevards-millionaire-politicians-and-what-makes-up-their-wealth-assets-net-worth-florida/72761606007/) Randy Fine faces Democratic candidate Josh Weil for the seat formerly held by Michael Waltz, now Trump’s national security advisor. Weil, a public school teacher, has hugely outraised Fine and has been polling well in a conservative district that turned out for Waltz by 30 points in November. The special election, shaping up to be more competitive than expected, has become a proxy skirmish over the Trump administration’s agenda in Congress. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Has Already Let 100 Companies Off the Hook URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/28/trump-has-already-let-100-companies-off-the-hook-2/ Last updated: 2025-12-31T19:36:32.000Z 🗞️ Share this news on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Has%20Already%20Let%20100%20Companies%20Off%20the%20Hook%20%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/28/trump-has-already-let-100-companies-off-the-hook-2/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/28/trump-has-already-let-100-companies-off-the-hook-2/), and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Has%20Already%20Let%20100%20Companies%20Off%20the%20Hook%20%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/28/trump-has-already-let-100-companies-off-the-hook-2/)! The Trump administration has dropped, withdrawn, or halted over 100 corporate investigations and enforcement actions within its first two months in office, according to an [analysis](https://www.citizen.org/news/enforcement-actions-against-over-100-corporations-stopped-by-trump/) by Public Citizen. That’s 20% of all the active corporate enforcement actions that Public Citizen was tracking as of the end of the Biden administration. Public Citizen’s research director Rick Claypool expects the dropped cases will lead to more corporate abuse. “Trump’s soft on corporate crime approach invites a corporate crime spree and potentially catastrophic abuses for America’s consumers, workers, and communities,” Claypool said. Several of the companies and their leaders have been major Trump campaign or inaugural donors, including GEO Group, JP Morgan Chase, Amazon, Ripple Labs, and Robinhood, as well as Elon Musk’s SpaceX. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Tesla Gets a Recharge From Trump’s Auto Tariffs URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/27/tesla-gets-a-recharge-from-trumps-auto-tariffs/ Last updated: 2025-03-27T23:24:36.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Tesla%20Gets%20a%20Recharge%20From%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Auto%20Tariffs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/27/tesla-gets-a-recharge-from-trumps-auto-tariffs/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Tesla%20Gets%20a%20Recharge%20From%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Auto%20Tariffs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/27/tesla-gets-a-recharge-from-trumps-auto-tariffs/) In the latest turn of a tariff saga, President Trump yesterday announced 25% tariffs on foreign-made automobiles and car parts, piling onto increased steel and aluminum tariffs [imposed](https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-timeline-trade-war-trump-canada-mexico-china-a9d714eea677488ef9397547d838dbd0) on March 12\. The auto tariffs would take effect on April 3—although previous Trump administration tariffs have been walked back or canceled—and were touted by the president as a measure that would raise $100 billion and boost domestic manufacturing. The timeline leaves automaker executives a week in their lobbying efforts to influence Trump and his allies on the policy. Over the past couple of months, auto CEOs [made their case](https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/auto-executives-try-to-sway-trump-on-tariffs-ev-subsidies-0ea77872) to the president that tariffs would hurt domestic companies by driving up costs throughout the supply chain. A study by consultant Anderson Economic Group [projected](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/trump-new-car-tariffs) that the tariffs could increase car prices by up to $12,000. Musk’s Tesla stands to be the winner from Trump’s latest trade salvo: Deutsche Bank analysts [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/auto-stocks-trump-tariffs.html) today that Tesla and Ford would be the automakers most shielded from tariffs, largely because their assembly facilities are in the U.S.—all of Tesla's U.S.-sold vehicles, and around 80% of Ford's. GM would be hard-hit due to its plants in Mexico. Tesla has been [losing](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/trump-tariffs-tesla-musk.html) sales to EVs like those made by GM and Ford in Mexico, which also have more imported parts. By comparison, Tesla’s components are between 60-75% manufactured in the U.S., according to [analysts](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-27/most-carmakers-stand-to-lose-as-trump-s-tariffs-spread-the-pain). Volkswagen and Hyundai would be among the most affected foreign carmakers by the sweeping tariffs. Musk, in a post on X, took pains to claim that Tesla would be “NOT unscathed” by the measure, though didn’t add any information. Tesla’s [sales](https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/26/business/tesla-shares-rebound/index.html) have fallen and its U.S. market share is on the [decline](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-19/is-tesla-in-trouble-why-tsla-stock-and-sales-are-falling) over the past four years. It faces strong competition abroad from EV automakers like China’s BYD—and a roller-coaster stock price, with protests over Musk’s high-profile role in the administration. Musk gave at least [$264 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/06/elon-musk-spent-over-a-quarter-billion-to-elect-trump/) to super PACs backing Trump’s White House comeback last year, a sum that doesn’t include possible “dark money” donations. Musk is continuing to [open his wallet](https://readsludge.com/2025/03/25/elon-musk-is-spending-big-to-tip-the-wisconsin-supreme-court/) to back Republican-favored candidates—and [protect](https://www.wpr.org/news/ron-johnson-elon-musk-brad-schimel-wisconsin-supreme-court) House GOP seats against redistricting efforts—as his DOGE team [moves](https://readsludge.com/2025/02/05/musks-doge-pushes-into-labor-department-now-investigating-tesla/) into federal agencies. One industry analyst, Dan Ives of Wedbush, [said](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/) last year that Tesla could benefit if the Biden-era tax credits for electric vehicles are revoked, combined with a round of foreign tariffs, by virtue of its established market position. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Exxon Consultant Revolves Back to DOE URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/26/exxon-consultant-revolves-back-to-doe/ Last updated: 2025-03-26T21:06:56.000Z 📲 ****Share this on** [****Bluesky**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Exxon%20Consultant%20Revolves%20Back%20to%20DOE%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/26/exxon-consultant-revolves-back-to-doe/)****,** [****Facebook**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/26/exxon-consultant-revolves-back-to-doe/)****, and** [****X**](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Exxon%20Consultant%20Revolves%20Back%20to%20DOE%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/26/exxon-consultant-revolves-back-to-doe/)****!** You’ve likely heard about Trump’s selection of fracking CEO Chris Wright to serve as Energy Secretary, but there is another nominee with fossil fuel company ties that Trump has selected to serve alongside Wright at the Department of Energy (DOE) who has received less attention. In a late January post to Truth Social, Trump announced his selection of Preston Wells Griffith, a seasoned Republican operative and former administration official, for under secretary of energy at the DOE where he will manage offices focused on energy production. One is the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, which handles research and development of programs involving oil, coal, and natural gas. Trump’s [announcement](https://x.com/WellsGriffith/status/1879965225115656236) said that Griffith will work with Wright to “DRILL, BABY, DRILL,” and Griffith echoed the sentiment on X, saying, “I am truly honored… to unleash American Energy Dominance!” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Elon Musk Is Spending Big to Tip the Wisconsin Supreme Court URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/25/elon-musk-is-spending-big-to-tip-the-wisconsin-supreme-court/ Last updated: 2025-03-25T20:05:58.000Z 🔎 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Elon%20Musk%20Is%20Spending%20Big%20to%20Tip%20%20the%20Wisconsin%20Supreme%20Court%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/25/elon-musk-is-spending-big-to-tip-the-wisconsin-supreme-court/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/25/elon-musk-is-spending-big-to-tip-the-wisconsin-supreme-court/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Elon%20Musk%20Is%20Spending%20Big%20to%20Tip%20%20the%20Wisconsin%20Supreme%20Court%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/25/elon-musk-is-spending-big-to-tip-the-wisconsin-supreme-court/) A pair of groups funded by Elon Musk are among the top three outside spenders in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, a pivotal contest that could determine state laws around reproductive rights, fair congressional district maps, collective bargaining rights, and more. The election, where majority control of the Wisconsin high court is at stake, has been flooded with more than $73 million in spending, according to a [tally](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/wisconsin-supreme-court-race-breaks-spending-record-fueled-out-state) by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. The spending shatters the state’s previous spending record, and watchdogs predict it will surpass $100 million. Early voting began on March 18 ahead of Election Day on April 1, and ads are blanketing the state’s airwaves and running on social media. The two Musk-tied groups—the super PAC America PAC, and the nonprofit Building America’s Future—have spent more than $14.3 million combined so far backing former state Attorney General Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate. Schimel faces the liberal candidate, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, for the seat of retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, a liberal. Two years ago, Wisconsin voters flipped the court to a 4-3 liberal majority after more than a decade of conservative control. America PAC has spent $8.4 million backing Schimel so far, according to Wisconsin Ethics Commission filings, making it the top-spending group in the election after the campaigns themselves. Much of it has gone to digital ads, mailers, and canvassing. The super PAC was founded by Musk in May 2024 to back Trump’s presidential campaign, along with those of other federal candidates, and was bankrolled by hundreds of millions of dollars last cycle by Musk. Recently, America PAC began [offering](https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-musk-trump-b9be6119d500bdacc9c6341be013cd62) $100 to Wisconsin voters to sign its petition and refer other registered voters to sign, repeating a data-harvesting tactic it used in battleground states last year. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### ‘Blatantly Pro-Corruption’: Trump Guts Anti-Money Laundering Rule URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/24/blatantly-pro-corruption-trump-guts-anti-money-laundering-rule/ Last updated: 2025-04-01T17:43:27.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=%E2%80%98Blatantly%20Pro-Corruption%E2%80%99%3A%20Trump%20Guts%20Anti-Money%20Laundering%20Rule%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/24/blatantly-pro-corruption-trump-guts-anti-money-laundering-rule/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/24/blatantly-pro-corruption-trump-guts-anti-money-laundering-rule/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%98Blatantly%20Pro-Corruption%E2%80%99%3A%20Trump%20Guts%20Anti-Money%20Laundering%20Rule%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/24/blatantly-pro-corruption-trump-guts-anti-money-laundering-rule/)! The Trump administration has gutted a key anti-corruption tool meant to combat illicit finance through opaque shell companies. The rollback protects donors who use shell companies to conceal their identities or make illegal political contributions. Last Friday, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)—a Treasury Department office—issued an [interim final rule](https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/federal%5Fregister%5Fnotices/2025-03-21/CTAIFR3-21-25-FINAL508.pdf) scaling back the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), a 2021 law designed to force companies to report the people behind them, also known as their “beneficial owners,” to the government. Under the rollback, only foreign companies doing business in the U.S. will have to comply, while domestic companies will get a free pass. Passed on a bipartisan basis as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the CTA was an attempt to pierce the veil of secrecy that surrounds shell companies such as LLCs that exist only on paper in order to obscure the flow of funds. The law took effect last year, forcing companies to report their owners’ personal information, but a federal court in Texas issued a nationwide injunction in December that halted its enforcement and compliance dates. Now, the Trump administration finished the job by effectively gutting it. The Treasury Department claims that the move was necessary to protect small businesses from having to comply with burdensome reporting requirements. Without ownership data, law enforcement can’t spot if an unknown LLC dropping millions into a super PAC is legit or a straw donor masking banned contributors like foreign firms or government contractors. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Corporate Law Giant Paul Weiss Caves to Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/21/corporate-law-giant-paul-weiss-caves-to-trump/ Last updated: 2025-03-22T03:42:53.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Corporate%20Law%20Giant%20Paul%20Weiss%20Caves%20to%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/21/corporate-law-giant-paul-weiss-caves-to-trump/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Corporate%20Law%20Giant%20Paul%20Weiss%20Caves%20to%20Trump%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/21/corporate-law-giant-paul-weiss-caves-to-trump/) Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, a powerful law firm with Democrat-tied leaders, has caved to pressure from President Trump, offering $40 million in pro bono legal services for Trump administration initiatives and agreeing to take on clients regardless of their political affiliations. The decision, sealed after a March 20 meeting between Trump and the firm’s chair Brad Karp, marks a major turning point for the firm’s liberal public image. But with corporate clients like Amazon and ExxonMobil paying the firm to represent its interests, the pivot suggests a move to keep its influential position amid a new political landscape. After the agreement, Trump [reversed](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/trump-rescinds-executive-order-paul-weiss) a March 14 [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/addressing-risks-from-paul-weiss/) that had threatened to yank security clearances for Paul Weiss attorneys, end the firm’s federal contracts, and largely block its attorneys from federal buildings. Trump has also issued orders targeting the Democratic Party-affiliated law firms Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling. “It is a sad day for the legal industry,” Democratic lawyer Marc Elias [said](https://bsky.app/profile/marcelias.bsky.social/post/3lkttui7sdk24). “Paul Weiss, didn't just bend a knee, it set a new standard for shameful capitulation. This is a stain on the firm, every one of its partners, and the entire legal profession.” But the firm’s chair Brad Karp [defended](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/business/paul-weiss-memo-trump-deal.html) the deal as being in line with the firm’s principles. After Karp and the White House finalized the text of the agreement, Trump’s statement posted to his Truth Social platform added language that the firm would also reject the use of DEI in hiring, according to the New York Times. On Truth Social, Trump said that Karp “acknowledged the wrongdoing” of former Paul Weiss partner Mark Pomerantz. While at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Pomerantz led an investigation into Trump’s finances and payments to Stormy Daniels, then resigned in February 2022 when the D.A.’s office declined to press charges. Paul Weiss is also one of the Big Law firms that [scrubbed](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/big-law-firms-scrub-mueller-references-as-trump-targets-enemies) their websites of mentions of its work for former special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigations of Trump and alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election after Trump was elected for a second term. The Wall Street Journal [reported](https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-firm-in-trumps-crosshairs-fired-by-white-collar-client-082bf6da) that one client had already dropped Paul Weiss in a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case following Trump’s order targeting it. At another white-shoe law firm, Skadden Arps, associate Rachel Cohen publicly [resigned](https://www.yahoo.com/news/skadden-associate-quits-mdash-calls-145319111.html) as she says the firm has not opted to sign onto a defense of Perkins Coie, which is suing the Trump administration to stop the executive order barring its attorneys from federal buildings. In a company-wide email, she wrote, “This is not what I saw for my career or evening, but Paul Weiss’ decision to cave to the Trump administration on DEI, representation and staffing has forced my hand." "The firm has been given time and opportunity to do the right thing. Thus far, we have not. This is a moment that demands urgency," she wrote. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dems Double Down on Fundraising From SpaceX and Palantir Lobbyists URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/20/dems-double-down-on-fundraising-from-spacex-and-palantir-lobbyists/ Last updated: 2025-04-08T00:44:43.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Dems%20Double%20Down%20on%20Fundraising%20From%20SpaceX%20and%20Palantir%20Lobbyists%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/20/dems-double-down-on-fundraising-from-spacex-and-palantir-lobbyists/), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/20/dems-double-down-on-fundraising-from-spacex-and-palantir-lobbyists/), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Dems%20Double%20Down%20on%20Fundraising%20From%20SpaceX%20and%20Palantir%20Lobbyists%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/20/dems-double-down-on-fundraising-from-spacex-and-palantir-lobbyists/)! They’ve done it again. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has taken in another $1.3 million from lobbyists at Invariant—the bipartisan firm representing Trump-friendly companies SpaceX and Palantir—according to a new FEC filing. Hot on the heels of the $2.5 million it took from the same group of lobbyists in January, this latest haul shows House Democrats’ campaign arm is more than comfortable cozying up to the very corporations thriving under the administration they say they are fighting. Invariant, the highest-paid lobbying firm for both Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the Peter Thiel co-founded Palantir, has now bundled nearly $4 million to the DCCC since the beginning of the year. And it’s not just House-side Democrats raising money from the firm. According to a post on LinkedIn, Invariant hosted a fundraiser for the Senate Democratic leaders last month as well, where its cadre of lobbyists likely helped to bundle big bucks for leadership members like Chuck Schumer or potentially the Kirsten Gillibrand-led Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/03/2025-03-16_16-50-27.jpg) Senate Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Invariant founder and CEO Heather Podesta pictured together at a mid-February fundraiser for Senate Democratic Leaders. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Schumer Surrenders On Air URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/19/schumer-surrenders-on-air/ Last updated: 2025-03-19T17:27:52.000Z 💡 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Sen.%20Chuck%20Schumer%20said%20that%20he%20will%20wait%20for%20Trump%20to%20defy%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20before%20taking%20stronger%20action.%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/19/schumer-surrenders-on-air/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sen.%20Chuck%20Schumer%20said%20that%20he%20will%20wait%20for%20Trump%20to%20defy%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20before%20taking%20stronger%20action.%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/19/schumer-surrenders-on-air/) Last night, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer visited “All In With Chris Hayes” on MSNBC and said that he does not think democracy is at stake yet from the Trump administration’s actions, and that he will wait for President Trump to defy the Supreme Court and for a massive popular uprising to take place before taking any stronger actions. Schumer’s appearance was a return to the show after a remote interview last Thursday, on the heels of leading a group of Senate Democrats to vote for cloture on the Republicans’ six-month continuing resolution on government funding. It was a chance for him to expand on his reasoning in the fraught political moment of the second Trump administration. Pressed by Hayes on the argument that the nation is now undergoing a constitutional crisis under President Trump, Schumer [said](https://youtu.be/gQSiuunmuL4?si=hbPtxzP6RfJyi9ug) that "our democracy will be at stake" if Trump disobeys a Supreme Court ruling, but "we're not there." Schumer is essentially ceding Congress' oversight powers, until Trump defies further court orders or a possible Supreme Court ruling. Schumer placing a red line at the Trump administration flouting Justice John Roberts’ high court, as opposed to breaking laws passed by Congress, is a strange position for the highest-ranking elected member of the opposition party and a member of Congress since 1980\. If Trump disobeying the unelected Supreme Court is the ultimate decider of a constitutional crisis, what role in checking executive power does that leave for Congress, much less a minority party? In his first 100 days, Trump has signed executive orders and taken other actions that disregard congressional appropriations and the operations of independent federal agencies. Law professors including Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, [have pointed](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/trump-constitutional-crisis.html) to a laundry list of illegal actions taken by Trump: attempting to undo birthright citizenship, shutting down federal agencies, firing government employees without process under civil service protections, and more. Recently, the Trump administration [ignored](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/us/politics/trump-deportations-constitutional-crisis-impeachment.html) an order from a federal judge to halt deportations of a group of Venezuelan men, asserting its ability to detain and remove people without due process. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lawmakers Invest in Palantir Amid Trump Privatization Push URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/18/lawmakers-invest-in-palantir-amid-trump-privatization-push/ Last updated: 2025-03-18T15:30:53.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lawmakers%20Invest%20in%20Palantir%20Amid%20Trump%20Privatization%20Push%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/18/lawmakers-invest-in-palantir-amid-trump-privatization-push/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Lawmakers%20Invest%20in%20Palantir%20Amid%20Trump%20Privatization%20Push%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/18/lawmakers-invest-in-palantir-amid-trump-privatization-push/)! A surge of U.S. House members have recently snapped up shares in Palantir Technologies, a data analytics firm with deep ties to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, just as it’s poised to benefit from the administration’s plans to outsource and privatize much of the federal government. Congressional transaction filings reveal a striking uptick: lawmakers with direct influence over defense and national security—sectors where Palantir rakes in hundreds of millions in contracts—are suddenly betting on its stock. Records from the [Capitol Trades](https://www.capitoltrades.com/trades?issuer=2331336) website show that prior to Trump’s inauguration, only one lawmaker reported buying Palantir stock in the previous three years. Since January 20, however, at least five members have acquired shares. Palantir, co-founded by key Trump ally and Vice President J.D. Vance mentor Peter Thiel, relies on U.S. government contracts for more than half of its revenue. Its software is sold primarily to the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies, and the company has aligned itself with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) plans to implement new technological solutions for many government operations. CEO Alex Karp recently [said](https://x.com/unusual%5Fwhales/status/1901347988443730298) in a Fox Business segment that he and his company are “pro-DOGE” and that it’s “going to be great and I’m supportive of it,” telling viewers to “read into that what you will.” “America’s going to become more lethal, more economically strong, and we’re participating in that, and we’re thrilled,” Karp said, praising the Musk-led effort. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dems Visit With Wall Street Journal and Trump Allies for Communications Advice URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/18/dems-visit-with-fox-news-and-trump-allies-for-communications-advice/ Last updated: 2025-03-20T18:35:27.000Z **Update:** This headline and story has been edited to reflect that post-travel U.S. House disclosure forms listed a scheduled event at FOX News which did not take place. A FOX News spokesperson tells Sludge, "The Progressive Policy Institute never scheduled a tour or networking discussion with FOX News producers and bookers and the network has no record of a meeting with our staffers ever taking place.” --- Last month, while Democrats in Congress were struggling with their messaging strategy for responding to Trump, a group of their staffers traveled to New York to get communications advice from the Wall Street Journal and other corporate media outlets. The communications-focused trip, paid for by a corporate-funded centrist group and disclosed in gift travel filings, came at a crucial time for the Democrats. While Trump was mass-firing federal workers and attempting to end birthright citizenship, the party’s response was seen by its own leaders as fragmented and ineffective, and voters and groups like MoveOn and Indivisible were pushing Democrat leaders to show more fight. While some House Democrats have been experimenting with digital outreach in the style of younger caucus members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the group of staffers for House Democrats who attended the trip, alongside their Republican counterparts, were seeking to improve communications strategies by consulting with corporate media concentrated on the finance industry. Among the attendees were the communications directors for the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the House Democrats’ chief deputy whip. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Senate Dems Vote to Hand Trump the Keys After Months of Fundraising Off Resistance URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/14/senate-dems-vote-to-hand-trump-the-keys-after-months-of-fundraising-off-resistance/ Last updated: 2025-03-15T14:32:12.000Z 💥 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Senate%20Dems%20Vote%20to%20Hand%20Trump%20the%20Keys%20After%20Months%20of%20Fundraising%20Off%20Resistance%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/14/senate-dems-vote-to-hand-trump-the-keys-after-months-of-fundraising-off-resistance/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Senate%20Dems%20Vote%20to%20Hand%20Trump%20the%20Keys%20After%20Months%20of%20Fundraising%20Off%20Resistance%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/14/senate-dems-vote-to-hand-trump-the-keys-after-months-of-fundraising-off-resistance/) This evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and nine other Democrats and Democrat-aligned senators voted with Republicans to advance a continuing resolution that empowers the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to keep ignoring Congress and treating government funding like a slush fund subject to their whims. The crucial vote, on a cloture motion, came after Senate Democrats had fundraised for months off their plans to “stop” Trump and Musk. Since President Trump’s inauguration, the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm has been urging Democratic voters to sign petitions and send donations to help them fight back against Trump and Musk, warning that democracy and freedom are under threat. In ads running on Facebook and other platforms, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) gives the impression that the Democratic caucus is energized and ready to “fire Elon Musk,” as long as they have the support of grassroots Democrats. One ad running on Meta features the committee’s chair, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, warning that Elon Musk is trying to dismantle the government. “He's gaining unprecedented power every single day,” the ad reads. “Only a historic groundswell of everyday Americans can stop him.” In another DSCC ad, consultant James Carville says, “Trump is backing Elon Musk’s power trip, threatening federal workers, and issuing executive orders like a dictator. This ain't normal, and we can’t sit back and let them win!” Schumer and Gillibrand both voted for cloture on the CR, known formally as the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act FY2025, which received a total of 62 Senate votes in favor. They were joined by Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), Deputy Democratic Conference Secretary Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Gary Peters (Mich.), and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), as well as Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine). The vote allowed Republicans to move the bill towards final passage, which was agreed to shortly after by a vote of 54-46. The Republican-crafted resolution, which passed the House on Tuesday, extends government funding at current levels for six months, but grants Trump flexibility to redirect funding without congressional oversight. Unlike regular appropriation bills, which have accompanying reports detailing how money must be spent, the CR [lacks](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/14/trump-cr-power-government-spending-doge/) this language, allowing the administration more leeway to repurpose funds at will. Democrats had hoped to add such language to this bill to restrain Trump and DOGE from making allocation decisions, but they were not able to force changes to the bill since House Republicans did not need Democratic support to pass the bill. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump EPA Threatens Decades of Climate Progress URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/13/trump-epa-threatens-decades-of-climate-progress/ Last updated: 2025-03-13T16:04:54.000Z 🗨️ Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20EPA%20Threatens%20Decades%20of%20Climate%20Progress%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/13/trump-epa-threatens-decades-of-climate-progress/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20EPA%20Threatens%20Decades%20of%20Climate%20Progress%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/13/trump-epa-threatens-decades-of-climate-progress/)! Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced yesterday that his agency will reconsider the 2009 Endangerment Finding, a scientific determination that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide threaten public health and welfare of current and future generations, as well as all actions that rely on it. This move, announced by Zeldin in a [video posted to X](https://x.com/epaleezeldin/status/1899876025363837292) as part of “the greatest day of deregulation in U.S. history,” could unravel decades of climate policy, handing a major win to fossil fuel interests that have spent years—and millions of dollars—lobbying to kill it. It’s a major step in President Trump’s agenda to promote oil, gas, and coal production, and a reward to the fossil fuel executives he recruited to raise money for his campaign. The Endangerment Finding, officially titled the "[Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act](https://www.epa.gov/climate-change/endangerment-and-cause-or-contribute-findings-greenhouse-gases-under-section-202a)," emerged from a 2007 Supreme Court ruling in *Massachusetts v. EPA*. That decision forced the EPA to assess greenhouse gas risks after years of delay, leading to the 2009 conclusion that six gases endanger human health through climate impacts like heatwaves, storms, and worsened air quality. Backed by assessments of reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other climate research organizations, the ruling has been upheld by federal courts, including the D.C. Circuit in 2012\. It’s the legal foundation for many of the EPA’s climate regulations, and reversing it could lead to the cancellation of vehicle greenhouse emissions standards, carbon pollution standards for power plants, the oil and gas methane emissions standard, and more. Daren Bakst, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/nx-s1-5326354/trump-epa-environmental-rules-rollback-deregulation) that reversing it "would preclude future greenhouse gas regulations." _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Huckabee Keeps Stake in Company Paid by Qatar Amid Israel Ambassador Role URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/12/huckabee-keeps-stake-in-company-paid-by-qatar-amid-israel-ambassador-role/ Last updated: 2025-03-12T22:20:46.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Huckabee%20Keeps%20Stake%20in%20Company%20Paid%20by%20Qatar%20Amid%20Israel%20Ambassador%20Role%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/12/huckabee-keeps-stake-in-company-paid-by-qatar-amid-israel-ambassador-role/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Huckabee%20Keeps%20Stake%20in%20Company%20Paid%20by%20Qatar%20Amid%20Israel%20Ambassador%20Role%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/12/huckabee-keeps-stake-in-company-paid-by-qatar-amid-israel-ambassador-role/) Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, tapped by President Trump to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, has potential conflicts of interest as he plans to retain his ownership stake in a consulting company that was paid $50,000 by a foreign agent of Qatar in 2017, while planning to divest the company’s Israel travel subsidiary to his adult son, keeping the profits within his immediate family. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democratic PR Firm SKDK Registers as Foreign Agent for Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/11/democratic-pr-firm-skdk-registers-as-foreign-agent-for-israel/ Last updated: 2025-03-11T16:06:49.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Democratic%20PR%20Firm%20SKDK%20Registers%20as%20Foreign%20Agent%20for%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/12/democratic-pr-firm-skdk-registers-as-foreign-agent-for-israel) and/or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Democratic%20PR%20Firm%20SKDK%20Registers%20as%20Foreign%20Agent%20for%20Israel%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/12/democratic-pr-firm-skdk-registers-as-foreign-agent-for-israel)! A powerful Democratic Party consulting firm has registered as a foreign agent to represent Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month. SKDK, known for its extensive connections to Democratic leaders, began work in late February to shape U.S. policy and public perception on behalf of Israel, per its FARA registration. The firm’s efforts center on media relations, though the financial terms have not yet been spelled out in a finalized contract. A subsidiary of Mark Penn’s Stagwell Group, SKDK boasts a leadership team with deep Democratic ties. Co-founder Anita Dunn, a former senior advisor to President Joe Biden until July 2024, became an advisor for Future Forward, a major Democratic nonprofit, and its super PAC, which spent heavily to back Kamala Harris in 2024\. Several SKDK figures have direct links to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Justin Goodman, an executive vice president at SKDK since 2022, served nearly a decade as Schumer’s communications director, earning the senator’s praise as “one of my most trusted staffers” in a 2022 speech. Mike Morey, another ex-Schumer communications aide, is a partner with the firm, while Josh Isay, SKDK’s former CEO, was Schumer’s chief of staff in the 1990s. Other Democratic connections include Hilary Rosen, a SKDK partner who campaigned as a surrogate for both Obama and Biden, and CEO Doug Thornell, a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee consultant and Democratic National Committee senior advisor. These ties give SKDK powerful relationships and insider knowledge that they can leverage to advance Israel’s agenda. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Gottheimer, Who Pushed TikTok Ban, Invests in Microsoft as It Bids to Buy the App URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/11/gottheimer-who-pushed-tiktok-ban-invests-in-microsoft-as-it-bids-to-buy-the-app/ Last updated: 2025-03-11T23:32:23.000Z 📡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=After%20Pushing%20TikTok%20Ban,%20Gottheimer%20Invests%20in%20Microsoft%20as%20it%20Tries%20to%20Buy%20the%20App%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/10/gottheimer-who-pushed-tiktok-ban-invests-in-microsoft-as-it-bids-to-buy-the-app/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=After%20Pushing%20TikTok%20Ban,%20Gottheimer%20Invests%20in%20Microsoft%20as%20it%20Tries%20to%20Buy%20the%20App%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/10/gottheimer-who-pushed-tiktok-ban-invests-in-microsoft-as-it-bids-to-buy-the-app/) Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) helped to push a bill into law last year that forces TikTok’s owner, the Chinese company ByteDance, to sell the app or be banned in the United States. Now, Gottheimer is loading up on millions of dollars in stock options in Microsoft, his former employer, as the tech giant is in talks to buy TikTok. According to a stock transaction [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2025/20027901.pdf) released on March 7, Gottheimer and his spouse bought and sold millions of dollars worth of Microsoft stock options last month. While the values of the transactions are only provided in broad ranges, it appears they bought more than they sold. The value of their Microsoft options purchases in February was between $3.5 million and $16 million, and the value of the sales that month was between $2.7 million and $11.5 million. In March 2024, Gottheimer [co-introduced](https://gottheimer.house.gov/posts/release-gottheimer-helps-leads-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-americans-from-tiktok) bipartisan legislation to force a sale of TikTok, which he said was being leveraged by the Chinese Communist Party to undermine American democracy. The measure was signed into law by President Biden in April 2024 as part of a foreign aid bill for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Upon taking office again, President Trump signed an executive order pausing the TikTok ban and setting a new April 5 deadline to find a buyer for the app. In January, Trump [said](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/28/donald-trump-microsoft-tiktok-purchase-claims) that Microsoft was in talks to buy TikTok—it had been a leading contender to acquire TikTok in 2020, after Trump called the app a national security threat. In addition to Microsoft, several groups of investors and the search engine Perplexity AI are reportedly placing bids. Trump [recently told](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2025/03/10/tiktok-update-ban-deadline-trump/82225088007/) a press gaggle that his administration is working with “four different groups” on negotiations. Closing a deal to own TikTok, with about 170 million U.S. users, would give Microsoft a marquee app to rival social media giants like Google's YouTube and Meta's Facebook. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s Corporate Clemency Spree URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/07/trumps-corporate-clemency-spree/ Last updated: 2025-03-07T19:33:08.000Z Inaugural donors and companies linked to president's associates have seen federal enforcement cases against them dropped since Trump took office. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Sherrill Seeks to Skirt Soft Money Ban, Watchdog Warns URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/05/sherrill-seeks-to-skirt-soft-money-ban-watchdog-warns/ Last updated: 2025-03-06T14:31:13.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Mikie%20Sherrill%20Seeks%20to%20Skirt%20Soft%20Money%20Ban,%20Watchdog%20Warns%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/05/sherrill-seeks-to-skirt-soft-money-ban-watchdog-warns/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Mikie%20Sherrill%20Seeks%20to%20Skirt%20Soft%20Money%20Ban,%20Watchdog%20Warns%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/05/sherrill-seeks-to-skirt-soft-money-ban-watchdog-warns/)! Backed by the law firm of Democratic Party superlawyer Marc Elias, House Democrat Mikie Sherrill is looking to poke a new hole in campaign finance law that could give her more influence over the outside spending groups supporting her run for governor of New Jersey. The request is opposed by the nonpartisan watchdog Campaign Legal Center, while the Koch-funded Institute for Free Speech, which opposes limits on campaign donations, is backing the Democrat’s petition. In a January [advisory opinion request](https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/aos/2025-01/202501R%5F1.pdf) filed with the Federal Election Commission, Sherrill’s lawyers ask if her campaign and leadership PAC can legally transfer up to $5 million to independent groups—like super PACs—that can pour unlimited cash into her 2025 New Jersey governor’s race. Sherrill proposes five donation levels— from $100,000 to $5 million—and asks the FEC to rule on whether these donations would “finance” a recipient group if they constitute up to 50% of their overall funding, something that would be illegal under the 2002 McCain-Feingold law’s ban on candidates financing or controlling “soft money” groups. She’s also seeking clarity on if the timing of such donations matters and if her campaign and PAC funds should be combined in the calculations. “Requestor hopes these organizations would use the funds to assist her gubernatorial campaign,” the filing states, though laws block her from coordinating with super PACs or telling them how to spend their money. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Think Tank Funded by Elites and Corporations Tells Democrats to Drop Small Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/03/04/think-tank-funded-by-elites-and-corporations-tells-democrats-to-drop-small-donors/ Last updated: 2025-03-04T16:53:07.000Z 💡 Share this post on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Think%20Tank%20Funded%20by%20Elites%20and%20Corporations%20Tells%20Democrats%20to%20Drop%20Small%20Donors%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/04/think-tank-funded-by-elites-and-corporations-tells-democrats-to-drop-small-donors) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Think%20Tank%20Funded%20by%20Elites%20and%20Corporations%20Tells%20Democrats%20to%20Drop%20Small%20Donors%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/03/04/think-tank-funded-by-elites-and-corporations-tells-democrats-to-drop-small-donors)! After the Democrats’ 2024 election losses, the neoliberal think tank Third Way is pushing the party to reduce its dependence on small-dollar donors. While Third Way doesn’t specify how the Democrats should replace those funds, its own funding comes from wealthy investors and groups backed by billionaire Democratic donors like Bill Gates and Reid Hoffman, raising questions about whether these elites are angling for greater sway over the party’s direction. In a five-page [memo](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000195-5511-d4a2-afbf-dd7121940000) of “takeaways” from a recent [retreat](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/03/02/democrats-in-despair-00206883?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f10d-dd93-ad7f-f90de50d0003) with Democratic staffers and consultants, Third Way asserts that small-dollar donors’ preferences “may not align with the broader electorate” and urges a shift away from their dominance. The memo stops short of naming alternative funding sources, but the implication is clear: less grassroots support would likely mean more reliance on big checks from super PACs and wealthy donors. Alongside calls to curb “far-left influence,” adopt a “pro-capitalist” stance, and stop “demonizing wealth and corporations,” the memo paints a picture of a party steered by the wealthy, for the wealthy. Founded in 2005, Third Way has long nudged the Democratic Party toward market-friendly policies, backing corporate-shaped proposals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership while opposing measures like Medicare for All that threaten insurance profits. Closely tied to influential congressional Democrats—Sens. Chris Coons, Colin Allred, and Lisa Blunt Rochester were among its latest [honorary co-chairs](https://x.com/ppolitics/status/1868293759399797215)—the group has a direct line to shape party priorities. As a “dark money” nonprofit, Third Way is not required to disclose its donors—and it doesn’t do so voluntarily. But with the group angling to steer Democrats away from grassroots support, I dug into tax filings and corporate disclosures to uncover who’s been bankrolling its efforts in recent years. The results reveal a web of billionaire liberal megadonors, Democratic dark money funnelers, Fortune 500 CEOs, and corporations with plenty to gain from a more corporate-friendly Democratic Party. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Musk’s DOGE Aide Linked to Drone, Tech Lobbying Efforts URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/28/musks-doge-aide-linked-to-drone-tech-lobbying-efforts/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T19:26:22.000Z 💡 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Musk%E2%80%99s%20DOGE%20Aide%20Linked%20to%20Drone,%20Tech%20Lobbying%20Efforts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/28/musks-doge-aide-linked-to-drone-tech-lobbying-efforts) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Musk%E2%80%99s%20DOGE%20Aide%20Linked%20to%20Drone,%20Tech%20Lobbying%20Efforts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/28/musks-doge-aide-linked-to-drone-tech-lobbying-efforts)! Working alongside Elon Musk in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is another “special government employee” who doubles as a public affairs consultant and represents companies that are looking to profit from the slashing of federal programs. According to the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-administration-special-government-employees-75b2b6e5), DOGE aide Katie Miller is also drawing a full salary from P2 Pathway Public Affairs, a Republican consulting firm where she has worked as a principal since 2021\. The Journal highlighted her work for Apple as a corporate client, but Miller’s role at P2 also connects her to a wider network of firms under the umbrella of GP3 Partners, which included GuidePost Strategies, a lobbying outfit that specializes in defense acquisitions and federal appropriations. GuidePost and P2 work collaboratively to give clients federal lobbying representation alongside public affairs campaigns aimed at influencing public sentiment. According to GuidePost’s website, “Through our partnership with our sister firm, P2 Pathway Public Affairs, we possess the toolkit and expertise to lead national campaigns that rally support for policy, shape public opinion, and drive action in your favor." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New York Used a New Public Campaign Financing Program in 2024. How Did It Work? URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/27/new-york-used-a-new-public-campaign-financing-program-in-2024-how-did-it-work/ Last updated: 2025-02-28T16:53:33.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=New%20York%E2%80%99s%20Public%20Campaign%20Financing%20Program%20Boosted%20Small-Dollar%20Donations%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/27/new-york-used-a-new-public-campaign-financing-program-in-2024-how-did-it-work/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=New%20York%E2%80%99s%20Public%20Campaign%20Financing%20Program%20Boosted%20Small-Dollar%20Donations%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/27/new-york-used-a-new-public-campaign-financing-program-in-2024-how-did-it-work/) The role of superwealthy donors in influencing elections, flooding the airwaves with ads and targeting voters with digital messages, can seem overwhelming. Billionaire donors are playing a huge role in contests for the White House: some 44% of all the funds raised to back Donald Trump’s 2024 run came from 10 individual megadonors, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/11/big-money-big-stakes-5-things-everyone-should-know-about-money-in-2024-election). And the total cost of federal elections has been [rising](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/total-2024-election-spending-projected-to-exceed-previous-record/)—only the 2020 cycle was more drenched in spending than 2024’s, when taking inflation into account. But there are encouraging steps being taken in states and cities across the country that are helping candidates to orient their campaigns toward their constituents rather than wealthy financiers. New York State’s experience in 2024 elections resoundingly shows a way that states, counties, and cities can offer a program to counteract the role of big money in elections, as found in a [new brief](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/new-york-states-public-campaign-financing-program-empowers-constituent) from the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. The institute’s study looks at the [first go-around](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/02/public-campaign-financing-is-already-changing-new-york-elections/) for an optional public campaign financing system in New York elections, which was offered in 2024 to state legislative candidates, and will be offered to statewide races including governor and attorney general in 2026\. Here’s how New York State’s public campaign finance program works. First, candidates must qualify for the program by raising a threshold of small donations, from $5 up to $250, from residents in their districts. After agreeing to abide by program rules, like limiting their personal spending on their runs, participating candidates are then allowed to have eligible contributions matched with public funding from a fund administered by the state’s Public Campaign Financing Board ([PCFB](https://pcfb.ny.gov/)). For New York State legislative candidates in the last cycle, donations from individuals in their districts were amplified so that the first $50 of a contribution was matched at a 12:1 ratio, the next $100 at a 9:1 ratio, and the next $100 at an 8:1 ratio—an innovative tiered formula. It was modeled on a [successful](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) matching program used widely by candidates in New York City elections for decades. The first go-around of the voluntary program proved very popular with New York political hopefuls. More than 70% of candidates signed up for the program, totaling 328 legislative candidates, the Brennan Center [reports](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/new-york-states-public-campaign-financing-program-empowers-constituent)—incumbents and challengers, Democrats and Republicans, hailing from more than three-quarters of the state’s districts. A first major finding from New York’s debut offering of the program: Campaign financing made up of small contributions and the public matching funds they unlocked was 45% of overall funding in the 2024 cycle, whereas small contributions made up just 5% of campaign financing in prior cycles before the public funding was available. A related finding shows there is a strong indication that state candidates spent more time talking to voters in the district they were running to represent—the number of small-dollar donors who made in-district donations doubled compared with the 2020 and 2022 cycles, with around 50,800 New Yorkers making qualifying donations. In the executive budget proposal for 2026, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met the PCFB’s request by allocating $114.5 million for the statewide matching system, a program funding level [praised](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-york-state-executive-budget-includes-1145-million-small-donor-public) by the Brennan Center. Many candidates are already signing up. In an [op-ed this month](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-yorks-answer-billionaire-fueled-campaigns) examining the New York matching-funds program’s success in encouraging small-dollar donations from residents, Celina Avalos Jaramillo and Ian Vandewalker of the Brennan Center wrote, “Candidates advertised the public match in their fundraising pitches to recruit new donors in their communities. These shifts show that the program is already meeting the goal of increasing engagement between candidates and the constituents they seek to represent, rather than a wealthy few.” In past cycles, campaign funding in New York’s elections had been [dominated](https://readsludge.com/2020/06/18/grassroots-ny-challengers-take-on-the-pandemic-and-the-big-money-machine/) by donations from private companies and PACs, according to campaign finance analysis by a nonprofit that is now part of OpenSecrets. But under the latest program, the Brennan Center found, large contributions of $1,000 or more and donations from PACs and corporations fell as a percentage of campaign funding: from 70% of candidates’ funding in 2020, to 72% in 2022, to 38% in 2024. The program [caps](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) how much candidates can receive from the program: in 2026, it will be $3.5 million for each of the primary and general elections for New York governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, and attorney general. The awarded matching funds data is [posted](https://publicreporting.elections.ny.gov/PCFBCandidateRegList/PCFBCandidateRegList) transparently online and subject to post-election audits by the PCFB, and participating candidates must participate in a public debate, among other requirements. The law that established the public campaign financing program also [lowered](https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2022/12/what-you-need-know-about-new-yorks-new-statewide-public-campaign-finance-program/380387/) New York’s very-high campaign finance limits, which previously had allowed individuals to give $69,700 per election cycle. Candidates in 37 of New York’s 63 Senate districts received matching funds, boosting the value for their campaigns of the small donations they raised from locals. Minita Sanghvi, a candidate in the area surrounding Albany, [spoke](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/new-york-states-public-campaign-financing-program-empowers-constituent) about how the program gave her the ability to focus on voters: “Instead of, you know, running after big donors, and hearing about those issues, I’m hearing from our residents on issues that matter to them… The community is fueling this, this idea of me running for Senate.” Ahead of the election, Sludge [spoke over video chat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvXjr9W-6%5F0) with Joanna Zdanys, deputy director in the Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program, in more detail about how the program was already transforming state elections by empowering small-donor driven campaigns. While big donors and out-of-state donors traditionally dominated New York campaign funding, Zdanys said, the program “rebalances that and gives candidates the opportunity to meaningfully fundraise, seeking their campaign support from the very people they’re seeking to represent.” The path to the program’s debut was not effortless in the state Capitol. Early on in 2023, there were political [rumblings](https://readsludge.com/2023/05/03/public-campaign-financing-is-coming-to-new-york/) in Albany that the statewide matching program, which was passed into law as part of the massive New York State budget in April 2020, would be delayed, but lawmakers ultimately came to agree on an adequate funding level for the new PCFB. Versions of public campaign financing programs are in effect in more than three dozen states, counties, and localities across the country, according to a Brennan Center [resource](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-public-financing-programs-nationwide). Once adopted, the programs often prove [popular](https://readsludge.com/2021/04/02/democrats-public-financing-proposal-could-give-small-donors-more-influence/) with both candidates and small-dollar political donors, participation rates show. In recent years, flavors of public campaign financing options have been studied in [Los Angeles](https://readsludge.com/2023/12/08/los-angeles-considers-democracy-vouchers-to-expand-engagement-in-city-elections/) and introduced in [Chicago](https://readsludge.com/2024/06/20/chicago-ethics-chair-introduces-public-campaign-financing-proposal/), among [other places](https://readsludge.com/tag/public-campaign-financing/). Said the Brennan Center [experts](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-yorks-answer-billionaire-fueled-campaigns) on the push to counteract billionaire-fueled elections: “New York’s program offers a powerful alternative that can help regular Americans reclaim our democracy and ensure that our elected officials are truly accountable to the people they seek to represent.” --- 💊 ICYMI — [Pharma Lobbyists Are Behind This Shadowy Group Attacking Drug Pricing Reforms](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/pharma-lobbyists-are-behind-this) — At More Perfect Union, we took a look at a front group launching attack ads on what it calls the “Biden pill penalty." We found that the group, Seniors 4 Better Care, is a project of a “dark money” shell organization run by health care industry and pharmaceutical company lobbyists. Check out more about the ads that the group is seemingly targeting at President Trump and his circle to see when he’s watching TV at Mar-a-Lago. ### Congress’ Newcomers Hold Millions in Stocks Tied to Their Committees URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/26/congress-newcomers-hold-millions-in-stocks-tied-to-their-committees/ Last updated: 2025-02-26T18:45:56.000Z 💡 Share this post on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Financial%20disclosures%20of%20freshman%20representatives%20reviewed%20by%20%40sludge.bsky.social%20show%20large%20stock%20holdings%20in%20companies%20that%20will%20be%20directly%20impacted%20by%20the%20lawmakers'%20committee%20work.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/26/congress-newcomers-hold-millions-in-stocks-tied-to-their-committees) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Financial%20disclosures%20of%20freshman%20representatives%20reviewed%20by%20%40Sludge%20show%20large%20stock%20holdings%20in%20companies%20that%20will%20be%20directly%20impacted%20by%20the%20lawmakers'%20committee%20work.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/26/congress-newcomers-hold-millions-in-stocks-tied-to-their-committees)! As President Trump’s nominees work their way through the process of joining the administration, many are being required to divest from stocks and other assets that could pose conflicts of interests for them in their new jobs. For example, Trump’s pick for deputy secretary of the Department of Labor, Keith Sonderling, was asked by the Office of Government Ethics to sell his shares in companies including Amazon, McDonald’s, Apple, and Lowe’s that could very likely have stakes in matters that come before the department. Troy Edgar, Trump’s nominee for deputy secretary of Homeland Security, has agreed to divest from companies that the department has contracts with, including Palantir, RTX, and Honeywell. But over in the Capitol, it’s a totally different story. Dozens of freshman members of Congress were sworn in last month with no pressure to address the potential conflicts of interest posed by their stock portfolios, and several of them were placed on legislative committees that specialize in making laws affecting the very companies and industries in which they hold large investments. While executive branch employees are covered by conflict-of-interest statutes that prohibit them from participating in matters that directly affect their financial interests, there is no such law that applies to Congress. The [House Ethics Manual](https://ethics.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dec-2022-House-Ethics-Manual-website-version.pdf) explains, “No statute or rule requires the divestiture of private assets or holdings by Members or employees of the House upon entering their official position.” The manual goes on to say that members may be required to vote on matters affecting their financial interests, but that does not require abstention because most legislation’s effects would not benefit just them but instead would benefit an entire class of shareholders. Freshman Texas Republican Rep. Craig Goldman was placed on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and its Subcommittee on Energy. The subcommittee handles “all laws, programs, and government activities affecting energy matters, covering fossil fuel exploration, pipelines, and the strategic petroleum reserve. According to his [financial disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2024/10061257.pdf), Goldman holds shares in three corporate securities, two of which are fossil fuel interests. He owns up to $1 million in Exxon Mobil stock and up to $1 million in oil and natural gas company Diamondback Energy. Goldman reports earning between $50,000 and $100,000 in dividends income per year from each of his oil stock investments. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House GOP Targets Rollback of CFPB Rule on Big Tech Payment Apps URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/25/house-gop-targets-rollback-of-cfpb-rule-on-big-tech-payment-apps/ Last updated: 2025-02-26T12:45:52.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=House%20GOP%20Targets%20Rollback%20of%20CFPB%20Rule%20on%20Big%20Tech%20Payment%20Apps%0A%0A%E2%80%94%20the%20move%20would%20be%20a%20giveaway%20to%20Big%20Tech%20companies%20and%20Elon%20Musk's%20X%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/25/house-gop-targets-rollback-of-cfpb-rule-on-big-tech-payment-apps/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=House%20GOP%20Targets%20Rollback%20of%20CFPB%20Rule%20on%20Big%20Tech%20Payment%20Apps%0A%0A%E2%80%94%20the%20move%20would%20be%20a%20giveaway%20to%20Big%20Tech%20companies%20and%20Elon%20Musk's%20X%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/25/house-gop-targets-rollback-of-cfpb-rule-on-big-tech-payment-apps/) House Republicans announced they may seek to reverse a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule giving the agency oversight of Big Tech’s ventures into digital payments and prevent it from creating similar rules in the future. The GOP’s move would be a giveaway to Big Tech giants including Apple and Google, non-banking companies with payment apps that would come under the CFPB’s supervision. It would also be a boon to Elon Musk’s X, which announced it will roll out X Money this year, with digital payments features like peer-to-peer transfers and instant bank transfers. Last week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) released a [list](https://scalise.house.gov/press-releases/Scalise-Highlights-Potential-CRA-Targets) of 10 federal rules that Republicans are “prioritizing as potential targets” to roll back using Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures. The CRA enables Congress to reverse agency rules by passing joint resolutions of disapproval within 60 legislative days of a rule being finalized, and getting the president to sign the reversal into law. When a CRA resolution is enacted, the disapproved rule “shall not take effect (or continue)”—and more than that, the agency that created the rule is [barred](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43992) from issuing a rule in “substantially the same form,” unless it is specifically authorized to do so in a later law. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### DCCC Scores Massive Palantir and SpaceX Lobbyist Cash Haul URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/24/dccc-scores-massive-palantir-and-spacex-lobbyist-cash-haul/ Last updated: 2025-02-25T01:51:50.000Z 💡 Share this post on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=CCC%20Scores%20Massive%20Palantir%20and%20SpaceX%20Lobbyist%20Cash%20Haul%20via%20%40sludge.bsky.social%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/24/dccc-scores-massive-palantir-and-spacex-lobbyist-cash-haul), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/24/dccc-scores-massive-palantir-and-spacex-lobbyist-cash-haul), and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DCCC%20Scores%20Massive%20Palantir%20and%20SpaceX%20Lobbyist%20Cash%20Haul%20via%20%40Sludge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/24/dccc-scores-massive-palantir-and-spacex-lobbyist-cash-haul)! House Democratic leaders are “pissed,” not necessarily at President Trump or the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, but at groups like MoveOn and Indivisible that are urging them to take a more confrontational approach to oppose the administration. According to [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/democrats-jeffries-move-on-indivisible-trump), members of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) held a closed-door meeting earlier this month to vent their frustrations with the groups, whose members have been calling their offices and demanding action. "There were a lot of people who were like, 'We've got to stop the groups from doing this.' ... People are concerned that they're saying we're not doing enough, but we're not in the majority," said one person who attended the meeting. Their powerlessness to oppose Trump and DOGE has been a repeated theme from congressional Democratic leaders. "What leverage do we have?,” Jeffries asked during a [press briefing](https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/house-minority-leader-weekly-briefing/655506) on Feb. 7\. “Republicans have repeatedly lectured America — they control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It's their government." There are a lot of factors for why the elected Democrats can’t seem to muster a powerful opposition to the administration, one of which is that they have financially tied their political futures to the companies and industries that benefit from it. A recent campaign finance filing that has so far gone unnoticed provides a good case in point. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### SEC Drops Coinbase Lawsuit Following $1 Million Donation URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/21/sec-drops-coinbase-lawsuit-following-1-million-donation/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T18:16:47.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=SEC%20Drops%20Coinbase%20Lawsuit%20Following%20$1%20Million%20Donation%20%E2%80%94%C2%A0Trump%20campaign%20co-manager%20Chris%20LaCivita%20recently%20joined%20advisory%20council%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/21/sec-drops-coinbase-lawsuit-following-1-million-donation/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=SEC%20Drops%20Coinbase%20Lawsuit%20Following%20$1%20Million%20Donation%20%E2%80%94%C2%A0Trump%20campaign%20co-manager%20recently%20joined%20advisory%20council%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/21/sec-drops-coinbase-lawsuit-following-1-million-donation/) Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange that has become a political force through massive election spending in the 2024 cycle, has gotten a win from the Trump administration: the Securities and Exchange Commission is [withdrawing](https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-securities-regulator-drop-lawsuit-against-coinbase-exchange-says-2025-02-21/) a lawsuit against the company that had alleged it was operating an unregistered securities exchange. In a [post](https://www.coinbase.com/blog/righting-a-major-wrong) celebrating the decision, Coinbase cited the change in “political leadership at the SEC” for the 2023 lawsuit being dropped. The announcement is another sign from the Trump administration that it will go easier on the cryptocurrency industry, which has become a huge source of political cash in federal elections, mainly for Republicans. Coinbase has worked to cozy up to Trump since the election. In November, its CEO Brian Armstrong met privately with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, reportedly to discuss personnel appointments. On December 2, the company donated [$1 million](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/) to President Trump’s inauguration. In late January, Coinbase brought on Trump’s campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita as a member of its Global Advisory Council. The company’s chief legal officer Paul Grewal attended multiple Trump fundraisers before the November elections, according to [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/06/coinbase-ceo-brian-armstrong-2-billion-richer-on-election-stock-pop.html). As the election results were rolling in, Grewal posted on [X](https://x.com/iampaulgrewal/status/1854028953658577240), “I hope @SECGov understands what has happened tonight…Stop suing crypto.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Top Dem Hires UnitedHealth Lobbyist URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/20/top-dem-hires-unitedhealth-lobbyist/ Last updated: 2025-02-20T20:20:09.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Clyburn's%20new%20senior%20advisor%20has%20spun%20through%20the%20revolving%20door%20from%20UnitedHealth,%20where%20she%20was%20a%20registered%20lobbyist%20and%20VP%20of%20external%20affairs.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/20/top-dem-hires-unitedhealth-lobbyist/), [Bluesky,](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Clyburn's%20new%20senior%20advisor%20has%20spun%20through%20the%20revolving%20door%20from%20UnitedHealth,%20where%20she%20was%20a%20registered%20lobbyist%20and%20VP%20of%20external%20affairs.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/20/top-dem-hires-unitedhealth-lobbyist/) and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/20/top-dem-hires-unitedhealth-lobbyist/). Facing a public relations crisis focused on its claim denials, one of UnitedHealth Group’s top lobbyists has taken a trip through the revolving door and into the office of a powerful Democratic congressman. Acacia Salatti, a vice president of external affairs for UnitedHealth until last month, is [now a senior advisor](https://www.legistorm.com/pro%5Fnews/3254/former-unitedhealth-group-vp-returns-to-capitol-hill.html) for Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The 17-term congressman, who was instrumental in orchestrating Biden’s nomination in the crowded 2020 Democratic primaries, held Democratic leadership roles for more than a decade, including House Democratic caucus chair, majority whip, and assistant Democratic leader. Salatti previously worked in Clyburn’s office from 2004-2009, holding positions including press aide and legislative assistant. Salatti did not respond when asked if she will be working on health care matters for the congressman’s office or if she has any employment agreements with UnitedHealth or any other companies. As VP of external affairs, Salatti was responsible for managing the company’s relationships with outside stakeholders, especially including the U.S. Congress and government agencies like Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. From the third quarter of 2021 through the third quarter of 2023, Salatti was named as a lobbyist on the company’s quarterly disclosures, which indicate she held discussions with members of Congress on topics including “Medicare Advantage,” “commercial health insurance reforms,” and “surprise medical billing.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Pentagon Eyes Moving Money to 'Trump's Priorities' URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/20/hegseth-orders-defense-cut-plans/ Last updated: 2025-02-20T12:50:00.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Hegseth%20Orders%20Defense%20Cut%20Plans%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/19/hegseth-orders-defense-cut-plans/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Hegseth%20Orders%20Defense%20Cut%20Plans%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/19/hegseth-orders-defense-cut-plans/) *Update:* [*Defense One*](https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/02/hegseth-seeks-shift-50-billion-fy26-budget-proposal/403128/) *on Wednesday evening reported that a statement from acting deputy defense secretary Robert Salesses contradicts the Post's report, and says the Pentagon will aim to redirect around $50 billion from next year's budget proposal.* Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering Pentagon leaders to make recommendations for cuts to military spending, according to a memo obtained by the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/19/trump-pentagon-budget-cuts/), setting up a showdown with congressional Republicans. The Trump administration’s new Pentagon chief is instructing senior military officials to develop plans for cutting 8% from the defense budget for each of the next five years, the Washington Post reported. Hegseth’s memo lays out 17 areas that he wants exempt from plans, including southern border enforcement, modernization of nuclear weapons, missile defense, and acquisition of one-way attack drones. On Friday, [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-14/hegseth-set-to-seek-8-spending-shift-at-pentagon-as-doge-looms) reported that other sacrosanct programs in the memo include Virginia-class submarines, the Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft, “priority critical cybersecurity,” and munitions, among others. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### FEC Considers Streamlined Process for Hiding Donor Information URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/18/fec-considers-streamlined-process-for-hiding-donor-information/ Last updated: 2025-02-18T17:21:43.000Z 💡 Share this post on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=FEC%20Considers%20Streamlined%20Process%20for%20Hiding%20Donor%20Information%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/18/fec-considers-streamlined-process-for-hiding-donor-information) or [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=FEC%20Considers%20Streamlined%20Process%20for%20Hiding%20Donor%20Information%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/18/fec-considers-streamlined-process-for-hiding-donor-information)! The Federal Election Commission is once again moving forward with a proposal initiated by a Trump-nominated commissioner to make it easier for political donors to conceal their identities from the public. Under the [proposed rulemaking](https://sers.fec.gov/fosers/showpdf.htm?docid=425657), the FEC would create a streamlined process for donors who claim there is a “reasonable probability” that they could face harassment for their donations to request that the commission redact their personal information, including their mailing addresses, occupation, and employer names. When requests are approved, donors would be identified in public reports simply by their first and last names, which in most cases is not enough information to positively identify who was behind a given donation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Joe Manchin Heads to K Street URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/17/joe-manchin-heads-to-k-street/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T20:43:28.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Joe%20Manchin%20Heads%20to%20K%20Street%E2%80%94and%20Wall%20Street%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/17/joe-manchin-heads-to-k-street/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Joe%20Manchin%20Heads%20to%20K%20Street%E2%80%94and%20Wall%20Street%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/17/joe-manchin-heads-to-k-street/) Joe Manchin has landed his K Street gig, with a Wall Street gig on the side. The 77-year old retired senator, a former Democrat turned independent, will [join](https://www.bondipartners.com/former-u-s-senator-joe-manchin-joins-bondi-partners/) lobbying, consulting, and investment firm Bondi Partners as a senior advisor, the company announced on Friday. The news comes on the back of the [announcement](https://www.athene.com/news/annuities-news/2025/former-u.s.-senator-joe-manchin-to-serve-as-adviser-to-apollo-and-appointed-to-athene-board-of-directors.html), earlier this month, that Manchin had been named an advisor to investment giant Apollo, on matters including energy markets, and that he would join the board of its insurance arm, retirement services company Athene. Bondi Partners, founded by former Australian Ambassador Joe Hockey, has also brought on several former Trump administration officials in recent years. Its announcement of Manchin touts its “growing” U.S. team: its staff already included former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former principal deputy chief of staff Emma Doyle, and others. Bondi Partners has offices in Sydney and Washington D.C. and advises clients seeking to expand into the U.S. market. In addition to lobbying and policy analysis, the firm’s services include reputation management and arranging access to capital, from sources ranging from private equity firms to global banks. “Senator Manchin’s extensive knowledge of energy markets and economic policy will be invaluable to our clients and partners,” its announcement said. The firm has a lobbying arm, Pacific Partners, which [touts](https://www.bondipartners.com/emma-doyle-shares-unique-insight-on-donald-trump-in-afr-profile/) its senior advisor Doyle’s nickname as “the Trump whisperer,” due to her insight into the president’s management style. It also has an investment fund, 1941 Fund, focused on the defense and cyber industries, a joint initiative with Australia-based Ellerston Capital. Manchin was a key centrist figure in Capitol Hill drama since joining the U.S. Senate in 2010\. He frequently broke from his Democratic colleagues to halt major legislation and was opposed to reforming the Senate rules to eliminate the de facto filibuster that has increasingly made passing bills difficult for both parties over the past decade or so. In the first years of the Biden administration, he gained notoriety for doling out [favors](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/16/manchins-latest-donor-gift/) to his fossil fuel industry donors and [raking in](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/30/manchin-raked-in-record-q4-donations-while-killing-build-back-better-act/) corporate PAC donations. Bondi Partners is not a large Capitol Hill lobbying shop, but its top federal lobbying client represents many of the largest companies in the world. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Another Lobbyist at the Helm URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/16/another-lobbyist-at-the-helm/ Last updated: 2025-02-16T18:46:46.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Another%20Lobbyist%20at%20the%20Helm%3A%20Trump%20has%20named%20the%20president%20of%20a%20powerful%20oil%20and%20gas%20industry%20lobbying%20group%20to%20lead%20the%20agency%20that%20manages%20public%20lands.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/16/another-lobbyist-at-the-helm) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Another%20Lobbyist%20at%20the%20Helm%3A%20Trump%20has%20named%20the%20president%20of%20a%20powerful%20oil%20and%20gas%20industry%20lobbying%20group%20to%20lead%20the%20agency%20that%20manages%20public%20lands.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/16/another-lobbyist-at-the-helm)! President Trump has named another industry lobbyist to lead the agency they had been working to influence for years on behalf of corporate interests. Kathleen Sgamma is Trump’s pick to be director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), according to the [Congressional Record](https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-171/issue-28/senate-section/article/S869-2?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22sgamma%22%7D&s=1&r=2). Since 2006, Sgamma has been the president of the Western Energy Alliance, a Colorado-based trade association that advocates for oil and gas companies in the American West. The group, which says it represents “200 companies engaged in all aspects of environmentally responsible exploration and production of oil and natural gas across the West,” keeps its membership hidden, but according to an [archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20160507082425/http://www.westernenergyalliance.org/alliance/our-members) of its website, as of 2016 its members included smaller producers like Chippewa Resources and FourPoint Energy, as well as industry giants such as Occidental Petroleum and Chevron. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Elon Musk’s Pentagon Conflicts URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/14/elon-musks-pentagon-conflicts/ Last updated: 2025-02-19T18:33:41.000Z 🛰️ **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Elon%20Musk%E2%80%99s%20Pentagon%20Conflicts%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/13/elon-musks-pentagon-conflicts/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Elon%20Musk%E2%80%99s%20Pentagon%20Conflicts%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/13/elon-musks-pentagon-conflicts/) Elon Musk’s DOGE team is headed into the Pentagon soon. Their work could bolster defense contracts for Musk’s companies that are worth billions of dollars. DOGE has been rushing into federal agencies, with President Trump’s blessing, in what ethics [experts](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/10/elon-musk-doge-agency-illegal), dozens of Democratic [members of Congress](https://www.axios.com/2025/02/07/house-democrats-education-department-doge-musk), and some [government officials](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/04/elon-musk-government-legal-doge/) are saying is an illegal push for control of government under the mantle of slashing federal spending. Even the Republican Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office, [says](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-cuts-based-more-political-ideology-than-real-cost-savings-so-far-2025-02-12/) that DOGE is being driven by conservative ideology rather than sound cost-cutting practices. Musk’s team of neophytes did not start by examining the largest sources of federal spending, like the Department of Defense (DOD) and its $800 billion-plus budget this year, or draw on [existing reports](https://prospect.org/economy/2025-01-27-we-found-the-2-trillion-elon-musk-doge/) of wasteful spending. Initially, DOGE pressed for access to smaller agencies opposed by many conservatives like the [Department of Labor](https://readsludge.com/2025/02/05/musks-doge-pushes-into-labor-department-now-investigating-tesla/), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ([CFPB](https://www.npr.org/2025/02/12/nx-s1-5293382/x-elon-musk-doge-cfpb)), and the U.S. Agency for International Development ([USAID](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/02/politics/usaid-officials-leave-musk-doge/index.html)). On Friday, Trump [said](https://defensescoop.com/2025/02/07/trump-directs-elon-musk-doge-review-pentagon-dod-spending/) during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that DOGE would soon be turning its attention to the Pentagon, the department that has received more than half the federal discretionary budget in recent years. Trump has [claimed](https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/pentagon-doge-elon-musk-pete-hegseth) he intends to increase defense spending, so DOGE’s cost-cutting activities, which new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says will be done “in coordination” with the DOD, would ostensibly look to eliminate waste. While he serves as head of DOGE, Musk’s company SpaceX, which includes Starlink and business unit Starshield, is a growing Pentagon contractor, sparking objections to his conflict of interest. Musk is [classified](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/04/elon-musk-special-government-employee-meaning/) as a “special government employee,” or SGE for short. A 2006 Justice Department rule holds that SGEs are not required to file a public financial disclosure, and may file a confidential report if they are shaping agency policy. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Sinema’s Post-Senate Moves URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/12/sinemas-post-senate-moves/ Last updated: 2025-02-19T17:14:10.000Z Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who helped to kill Democratic proposals like raising the minimum wage and narrowing the carried interest tax loophole while she was in office, has a new business venture where she is leveraging her political experience for profit. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### 2024’s Top Lobbying Risers URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/11/2024s-top-lobbying-risers/ Last updated: 2025-02-11T19:49:07.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=2024%E2%80%99s%20Top%20Lobbying%20Risers%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/11/2024s-top-lobbying-risers/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=2024%E2%80%99s%20Top%20Lobbying%20Risers%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/11/2024s-top-lobbying-risers/) Companies, trade associations, and other groups spent more money on federal lobbying last year than ever before, according to data from [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying). Taking inflation into account, the total of $4.4 billion spent on lobbying last year was the most since 2012\. Of the top 20 spenders on federal lobbying last year, 15 of them increased their spending over 2023\. In the presidential election years of 2012, 2016, and 2020, lobbying spending cooled slightly compared with the prior years, a sign that large influence spenders scaled back as campaigns heated up. Last year’s spending total bucked the trend. The real estate industry had the largest jump in 2024, in OpenSecrets’ [categorization](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries) of lobbying spenders, with its spending increasing by 37% over the prior year to more than $150 million. The industry’s rise was fueled by a huge increase from the **National Association of Realtors** (NAR), the number one spender in 2024 and one of the top two lobbying spenders in Washington D.C. in recent years. The trade association NAR represents brokers, salespeople, and others who work in the real estate industry, and whose dues make up the majority of the group’s revenue. NAR juiced its lobbying spending by a whopping two-thirds, reaching almost [$86.4 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2024&id=D000000062&name=National+Assn+of+Realtors) last year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump DOL Pick Is Revolving Door Personified URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/10/trump-dol-pick-is-revolving-door-personified/ Last updated: 2025-02-11T14:13:51.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20DOL%20Pick%20Is%20Revolving%20Door%20Personified%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/10/trump-dol-pick-is-revolving-door-personified/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20DOL%20Pick%20Is%20Revolving%20Door%20Personified%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/10/trump-dol-pick-is-revolving-door-personified/)! President Trump’s nominee for the number two position at the Department of Labor was recently a consultant for Walmart, the largest private employer in the country, but won’t have to recuse from matters involving the giant retailer that may come before the agency. Last month, Trump nominated lawyer Keith Sonderling to serve as the new deputy labor secretary, a position that requires Senate confirmation. During the first Trump administration, Sonderling worked in various positions at the Department of Labor’s wage and hour division, before beginning a new role in September 2020 as a commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that investigates civil rights issues in the workplace. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Tries to Fire FEC Chair URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/07/trump-tries-to-fire-fec-chair/ Last updated: 2025-02-07T20:24:01.000Z 📣 Share this on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Move%20to%20Fire%20FEC%20Commissioner%20Sparks%20Outcry%20by%20Watchdogs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/07/trump-tries-to-fire-fec-commissioner/) and [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%E2%80%99s%20Move%20to%20Fire%20FEC%20Commissioner%20Sparks%20Outcry%20by%20Watchdogs%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/07/trump-tries-to-fire-fec-commissioner/) President Trump tried to fire Ellen L. Weintraub, the chair of the Federal Election Commission, as the FEC is considering complaints involving the 2024 Trump campaign and Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC. Election law watchdogs say Trump’s move is not only unprecedented in the history of the FEC, but could also be a violation of federal law governing independent agencies. Weintraub, a longtime Democratic commissioner of the FEC, yesterday posted on [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/ellenlweintraub.bsky.social/post/3lhkb5cl6hk2e) and [X](https://x.com/EllenLWeintraub/status/1887648967300694270), “Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of @FEC. There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it.” In comments to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/us/politics/federal-election-commission-weintraub-trump.html), Weintraub said she was considering her options in response, and said that she wasn’t surprised to be targeted by the Trump administration. She said she had publicly raised how the FEC’s structure of six commissioners, no more than three of which can be from the same political party, ensures 3-3 gridlock on enforcement matters, including ones involving the president’s campaigns. Daniel I. Weiner, director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and a former FEC staffer, told Sludge, “It has long been accepted that since the FEC is an independent agency, with a highly sensitive mission, its commissioners can only be removed for cause. The president's communication did not invoke any cause for the removal. To say that the president can remove FEC commissioners for any reason is unprecedented, and in my view highly dangerous.” ## Get Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. Commissioners are appointed to six-year terms and may remain on the FEC, as Weintraub has since her term expired in 2007, until the president nominates a member and the Senate confirms them. With three Republican-appointed [commissioners](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/) already on the FEC, Weintraub’s replacement could not be a Republican. During the first Trump White House, Weintraub used her public platform to [criticize](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/18/stymied-by-polarized-agency-fec-chair-ellen-weintraub-finds-her-voice-trump-critic/) the administration’s statements, like those by the president alleging widespread voter fraud. As commissioner, she has [proposed](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/06/fec-chair-takes-another-go-at-regulating-online-ads/) stronger transparency rules for the sources of funding behind “dark money” online political ads. The FEC website highlights Weintraub’s record of support for “meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure.” The FEC canceled its scheduled Feb. 13 open meeting. Its next meetings would be on Feb. 27 and March 13\. Weiner said in a Bluesky thread that the FEC was preparing to rule on dozens of complaints from the 2024 election, some involving Trump and Musk: > Also noteworthy: the president is trying to fire the FEC’s Democratic chair when it is set to rule on dozens of complaints from the 2024 election — including complaints against Trump and Elon Musk (who spent almost $300M to support his campaign) and complaints Trump filed against Harris + the media > > — [Dan Weiner (@danw329.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3aig7og5qsqtfpjjxd5fk5n?ref%5Fsrc=embed) [2025-02-07T01:22:42.450Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3aig7og5qsqtfpjjxd5fk5n/post/3lhkgszgimk2c?ref%5Fsrc=embed) While open FEC enforcement cases are kept confidential until they are closed, some complaints involving Trump and Musk have been published by complainants: - In July, the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA action filed a [complaint](https://priorities.org/news-and-press/priorities-usa-action-files-fec-complaint-against-elon-musk-backed-america-pac-for-violating-campaign-finance-rules/) against Musk’s America PAC for running ads consisting of repurposed Trump campaign content. - In August, the Democratic-aligned group End Citizens United filed a [complaint](https://endcitizensunited.org/latest-news/press-releases/end-citizens-united-files-fec-complaint-against-trump-campaign-and-x-over-illegal-corporate-contribution/) against the Trump campaign and Musk’s X over an online event they allege was an impermissible corporate in-kind contribution. - In October, the watchdog Public Citizen filed a [complaint](https://www.citizen.org/news/public-citizen-files-fec-complaint-over-elon-musk-gimmick-to-buy-votes/) over Musk and his America PAC’s $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states, which the group says runs afoul of federal law against paying people to register and vote. The Trump campaign also filed FEC complaints against their rival, former VP Kamala Harris’ campaign: - In July, the Trump campaign filed a [complaint](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-campaign-files-complaint-against-harris-taking-over-biden-war-chest-2024-07-24/) arguing that Harris should not be allowed to take over campaign funds after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. - In early November, the Trump campaign filed a [complaint](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/11/01/donald-trump-campaign-violations-washington-post-advertising-fec-complaint/) alleging illegal in-kind contributions by the Washington Post to Harris’ campaign through its advertising campaigns. Last August, Weintraub [dissented](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/06/fec-guts-anti-corruption-law-that-separates-super-pacs-and-candidates/) from the commission’s 4-1 decision regarding an advisory opinion over how super PACs and campaigns can collaborate on joint fundraising committees; Biden administration nominee Dara Lindenbaum joined the panel’s three Republicans in that opinion. Weintraub wrote that the FEC opinion erodes the wall that should divide candidates from the super PACs, which can accept donations of unlimited size, backing their runs for office. ### Bondi Scales Back FARA URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/06/bondi-scales-back-fara/ Last updated: 2025-02-06T15:30:18.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Bondi%20Scales%20Back%20FARA%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/06/bondi-scales-back-fara/) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Bondi%20Scales%20Back%20FARA%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/06/bondi-scales-back-fara/)! On her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi dramatically scaled back enforcement of laws designed to prevent people in America from covertly lobbying as foreign agents. In a [memo](https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1388541/dl?inline) sent to Department of Justice staff on Feb. 5, Bondi described a new, more limited role for the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA. “Recourse to criminal charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and 18 U.S.C. § 951 shall be limited to instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors,” Bondi wrote. Further, Bondi’s memo says that the section of the National Security Division that contains the FARA unit, the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, “shall focus on civil enforcement, regulatory initiatives, and public guidance.” Bondi is a former foreign agent herself. In 2019, the lobbying firm Ballard Partners registered through FARA to work for the government of Qatar to provide “advocacy services relative to US-Qatar bilateral relations, \[including\] guidance and assistance in matters related to combating human trafficking.” Bondi was designated one of the key personnel on the Qatar contract, for which Ballard Partners was paid $115,000 per month. Ballard Partners, where Bondi was employed until her confirmation, is currently registered to work as a foreign agent lobbyist for Japan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the FARA database. In her [ethics agreement](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/FC3B6F6F496E257B85258C150032F344/$FILE/Bondi%2C%20Pam%20%20finalEA.pdf) with the Office of Government Ethics, Bondi pledged that she would not “participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know Ballard Partners is a party.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Musk’s DOGE Pushes Into Labor Department Now Investigating Tesla URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/05/musks-doge-pushes-into-labor-department-now-investigating-tesla/ Last updated: 2025-02-07T13:51:32.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Musk%E2%80%99s%20DOGE%20Pushes%20Into%20Labor%20Department%20Now%20Investigating%20Tesla%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/05/musks-doge-pushes-into-labor-department-now-investigating-tesla/) *and* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Musk%E2%80%99s%20DOGE%20Pushes%20Into%20Labor%20Department%20Now%20Investigating%20Tesla%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/05/musks-doge-pushes-into-labor-department-now-investigating-tesla/) Elon Musk’s DOGE team is targeting the Department of Labor, as Musk’s companies Tesla and SpaceX are under multiple labor investigations by federal agencies. The scheduled meeting at DOL this afternoon, an initial step in gaining access to the department’s IT systems, has drawn [protests](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/elon-musk-doge-labor-department-protest) from employees arguing that DOGE's incursions at the behest of Musk are unaccountable and threaten workers’ rights. Officials at more than a half-dozen agencies have [raised](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/04/elon-musk-government-legal-doge/) concerns internally that Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)'s actions are illegal, flouting checks on executive branch power. In November, SpaceX [argued](https://apnews.com/article/amazon-nlrb-unconstitutional-spacex-elon-musk-ab42977117d883e97110a7bf8e8b257f) in federal court that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is unconstitutional, a case joined by Amazon. The NLRB, created in 1935, is an independent agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act and decides labor complaints. Musk’s companies are facing enforcement actions from a slew of federal agencies, as followed by the nonprofit Public Citizen in its [Corporate Enforcement Tracker](https://www.citizen.org/article/corporate-enforcement-trump-tracker/), many of them over labor protections. - At the NLRB, Tesla faces seven cases alleging unfair labor practices that would cover more than 140,474 employees. - Tesla is also under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the DOL, regarding a workplace death in an Austin, Texas factory. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lutnick Could Sit on Crypto Council Despite Conflicts URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/04/lutnick-could-sit-on-crypto-council-despite-conflicts/ Last updated: 2025-11-14T13:56:28.000Z 📎 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lutnick%20Could%20Sit%20on%20Crypto%20Council%20Despite%20Conflicts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/04/lutnick-could-sit-on-crypto-council-despite-conflicts/) and [Bluesky](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Lutnick%20Could%20Sit%20on%20Crypto%20Council%20Despite%20Conflicts%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/04/lutnick-could-sit-on-crypto-council-despite-conflicts/)! Despite his Wall Street firm’s heavy involvement with Bitcoin and the Tether stablecoin project, Trump’s Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick has declined to say whether he would recuse himself from the president’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell asked Lutnick if he will recuse himself from the group, which has been tasked with developing stablecoin policies, and if not, to “please explain how this decision does not present a conflict or the appearance of a conflict, given your extensive ties to Tether.” “I will follow applicable government ethics laws and regulations based on guidance from the Ethics Office of the Department of Commerce,” Lutnick [wrote](https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/01C4706D-6E4A-4869-8785-D9166C796DE7) in response to her question. No answer was provided for her second question regarding an explanation. It was the same, canned non-answer that Lutnick provided to several other Democrats who asked him if he would recuse from other matters that appear to pose a conflict of interest with his business or his family’s investments. Cantor Fitzgerald is the primary custodian for Tether and holds the Treasury bills that make up a majority of the company’s reserves. It is also developing a $2 billion Bitcoin financing program that will be supported by Tether, according to the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/howard-lutnick-giancarlo-devasini-tether-cryptocurrency-3d0a961c). Lutnick has been CEO of the firm since 1991. Trump’s [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/) establishing the crypto working group says that the secretary of Commerce shall be a member, along with the secretary of the Treasury, the attorney general, and others. The group is tasked with proposing a regulatory framework governing digital assets, including stablecoins, as well as evaluating the potential creation of a national digital asset stockpile. Lutnick has said he will hand his company’s involvement with Tether over to his Cantor Fitzgerald colleagues, if he is confirmed. One of those colleagues is his son Brandon Lutnick, a chairman with the firm who previously interned for Tether’s Swiss business unit. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Ally Fires Warning Shot at Republican AG Group With Leonard Leo Ties URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/02/03/trump-ally-fires-warning-shot-at-republican-ag-group-with-leonard-leo-ties/ Last updated: 2025-02-03T21:19:24.000Z 💥 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Ally%20Fires%20Warning%20Shot%20at%20Republican%20AG%20Group%20With%20Leonard%20Leo%20Ties%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/03/trump-ally-fires-warning-shot-at-republican-ag-group-with-leonard-leo-ties/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Ally%20Fires%20Warning%20Shot%20at%20Republican%20AG%20Group%20With%20Leonard%20Leo%20Ties%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/02/03/trump-ally-fires-warning-shot-at-republican-ag-group-with-leonard-leo-ties/%0A) A GOP feud is spilling out into the open over the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) as the organization seeks its next leader. Last month, President Trump’s campaign co-manager, Chris LaCivita, called RAGA a “joke” in a [tweet](https://x.com/ChrisLaCivita/status/1876453161315270887) that urged high-flying GOP donors to shake up the organization. His remarks about the state AG campaign arm could be a subtweet of influential arch-conservative legal activist Leonard Leo. LaCivita’s tweet mentions a seemingly obscure issue: “They have been using a search firm that knows nothing of politics - for a new ED.” His tweet argues that not having a campaign expert atop the organization could hamper Republican AG causes in states. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/02/LaCivita_tweet_RAGA.png) The RAGA website’s jobs page invites applicants to send their resumes to an email address at the executive search firm CarterBaldwin. The firm was also tapped last year by the conservative Federalist Society, of which Leo has been a leader for decades, to find its new president and CEO. Upon the selection of the Federalist Society’s new president in December (Walmart senior lead counsel Sheldon Gilbert), CarterBaldwin’s website featured praise of the hire from Leo. RAGA’s head of six years, Peter Bisbee, [resigned](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/11/10/dems-internal-culture-war-00188624) at the end of last year. After the November elections, RAGA celebrated a pickup in Pennsylvania, giving the GOP a record 29 attorneys general nationwide. LaCivita’s tweet about RAGA got a response from Casey Phillips, a GOP media consultant, who wrote, “You can thank Chris Jankowski for destroying that organization for his own gain.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2025/02/Phillips_tweet_RAGA.png) Jankowski is a longtime GOP operative who previously worked for the Republican State Leadership Committee, making his name with the 2010 Project REDMAP redistricting push. Over the years, Jankowski has been [named](https://www.levernews.com/the-leonard-leo-presidential-primary/) as a consultant to Leo’s network, including as the creator of the Marble Freedom Trust. The Marble Freedom Trust, run by Leo, was the recipient of a historic $1.6 billion donation in 2021 from industrialist Barre Seid, [reporting](https://www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-leonard-leo-barre-seid) by ProPublica and The Lever found. Leo has been a key Trump legal advisor, “judge whisperer” for short, on Trump’s judicial picks in 2016 and on a consequential trio of Supreme Court nominations. For decades, Leo’s groups have [worked](https://19thnews.org/2024/01/leonard-leo-center-medication-abortion-restriction-efforts/) to undermine access to abortion rights and medication like mifepristone. LaCivita’s tweet is a sign that Trump’s allies want more control over strategy and spending in state AG races as they pursue the MAGA agenda over the next four years. State AGs are [already enmeshed](https://19thnews.org/2025/01/state-attorneys-general-lawsuits-trump-second-term/) in legal battles over the Trump administration’s rapid moves to limit birthright citizenship and freeze federal loan programs, among other areas. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Get Money in Politics News Investigative reporting and link roundups, delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. ### **RAGA and Leo’s Funder Ties** RAGA raises tens of millions of dollars annually in donations from “dark money” groups, corporate interests, and billionaire megadonors. For the past decade, the Concord Fund, a [Leo-controlled](https://readsludge.com/2023/10/06/leonard-leos-dark-money-fuels-state-republican-groups/) funding vehicle, has been the largest donor to RAGA, according to information in tax records compiled by ProPublica. The scale of the Concord Fund’s giving to RAGA can be seen in a [review](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2024/04/16/leonard-leos-concord-fund-top-funder-of-republican-ags-group-in-2024/) by the nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy (CMD): from 2014 into 2024, the Concord Fund has given the 527 organization more than $17.8 million, and it gave millions of dollars more to RAGA last year. Other RAGA top donors since 2014 include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Koch Industries, Sheldon Adelson, Anadarko Petroleum, Reynolds American, Comcast, and oil and gas exploration company Noble Energy, its tax filings show. Leo-tied nonprofits that make large donations to RAGA are also major spenders with Leo’s for-profit consulting firm CRC Advisors. Leo-tied groups the Concord Fund and The 85 Fund paid Leo’s public affairs firm [$35 million](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2025/01/13/leos-consultancy-raked-in-millions-from-affiliated-nonprofits-00197999) last year, a review from the liberal group Accountable.US found. Adding in the Federalist Society, Leo-tied nonprofits have paid over $133 million to CRC Advisors since 2012, supporting a [luxurious lifestyle](https://www.propublica.org/article/we-dont-talk-about-leonard-leo-supreme-court-supermajority%5C) for Leo. Last year, RAGA raised more than $22 million and spent over $31 million as of Nov. 25, according to its IRS [filings](https://projects.propublica.org/527-explorer/orgs/464501717/). RAGA’s outgoing chairman recently highlighted its work in “enormously successful legal challenges against the Biden-Harris Administration and holding companies accountable for illegal ESG policies.” In previous years, RAGA has been a [major spender](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/16/corporate-america-is-helping-to-elect-anti-abortion-attorneys-general/) in races backing conservative candidates like those who would restrict access to reproductive health care. RAGA had a public schism in the 2023-2024 election cycle, after its former executive director Bisbee donated $250 to the campaign of his friend Will Scharf, who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge to incumbent Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Scharf’s camp [trumpeted](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2023/08/23/raga-leadership-backs-challenger-00112526) the donation, and Scharf reportedly received donations from Leo and his ally, billionaire hedge fund founder Paul Singer. The Concord Fund was by far the [top donor](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/05/missouri-attorney-general-credentials-trump-maga-supporters) to a super PAC that backed Scharf. The Missouri showdown illustrates how Republican hopefuls for office in recent years compete for Trump’s endorsement—and how increasing Trump’s control of RAGA could make candidates even more beholden to the MAGA agenda. One other intra-GOP feud is still simmering, one that Trump’s allies are not likely to forget. Leo’s sometimes-consultant Jankowski was formerly the CEO of the super PAC Never Back Down that backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his presidential bid last cycle. The Trump camp’s resentment toward DeSantis’ allies extends to former DeSantis strategist Jeff Roe: Trump reportedly [warned](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/18/trump-jeff-roe-republican-strategist-00136240) GOP candidates against hiring Roe and his firm Axiom Strategies, and LaCivita slammed his GOP rival Roe publicly. ### On the Bernie/RFK Pharma Money Spat URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/31/on-the-bernie-rfk-pharma-money-spat/ Last updated: 2025-01-31T16:31:23.000Z 💡 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=On%20the%20Bernie/RFK%20Pharma%20Money%20Spat%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/31/on-the-bernie-rfk-pharma-money-spat/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=On%20the%20Bernie/RFK%20Pharma%20Money%20Spat%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/31/on-the-bernie-rfk-pharma-money-spat/)! A clip is going viral of Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders arguing yesterday at Kennedy’s confirmation hearing over the senator’s pharmaceutical industry contributions. “The problem of corruption is not just in the federal agencies. It’s in Congress too,” Kennedy said. “Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests.” “No, no, no,” Sanders responded. “I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives, not one nickel of PAC money from the pharmaceutical industry. They came from the workers.” Kennedy went on to say that Sanders was the largest receiver of pharmaceutical industry dollars in 2020, with $1.5 million. While Kennedy’s point about massive drugmaker donations to lawmakers may be generally correct—the pharmaceutical industry does have tremendous undue influence in politics, including [among his opponents](https://www.leefang.com/p/industry-lobbyists-lead-public-health)—it’s almost completely not true in Bernie’s case. The figures Kennedy cited almost certainly came from OpenSecrets, the widely-used campaign finance tracking website that categorizes donors by industry. For 2020, OpenSecrets says Sanders received more than [$1.4 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips?cycle=2020&ind=H04) from the pharmaceuticals/health products industry, and for 2016 it says he got [$439,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips?cycle=2016&ind=H04). OpenSecrets tallies Kennedy’s pharmaceuticals/health products industry contributions for the 2024 cycle at [$325,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/robert-f-kennedy-jr/industries?id=N00052560). According to these figures, in 2020, Sanders’ campaign did receive more money from the pharmaceutical industry than any other member of Congress. But a closer examination shows that with perhaps just a few exceptions the money in OpenSecrets’ tallies came from rank-and-file employees looking to support Sanders’ campaign and not from executives, lobbyists, or PACs that often use their contributions to support their companies’ political interests. During his 2020 campaign, Sanders [pledged](https://berniesanders.com/no-insurance-money-pledge/) to reject all contributions over $200 from the PACs, executives, and lobbyists of pharmaceutical and health insurance companies. His campaign website listed the drug companies that are members of the largest pharma trade association in the country, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and specified that the pledge did not apply to donations from rank-and-file workers. Campaign donors have to report their employers and occupations to the Federal Election Commission, and OpenSecrets uses that information to determine which industry to categorize a donation in. OpenSecrets tallies up money donated by company and trade group PACs, plus money donated by company employees, to generate industry totals. To get the full picture though you have to look at the source data from the FEC. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Takes Aim at Electric Vehicles URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/ Last updated: 2025-02-05T02:23:56.000Z 📣 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Takes%20Aim%20at%20Electric%20Vehicles%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Takes%20Aim%20at%20Electric%20Vehicles%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/01/30/trump-takes-aim-at-electric-vehicles/%0A%0A) During his campaign to return to the White House, Donald Trump made a heavy appeal to oil and gas industry executives, asking them during an April dinner at Mar-a-Lago to raise $1 billion for him with the expectation that he would roll back environmental regulations. Donors in the fossil fuel industry did open their wallets for the Republican at the top of the ticket, with the New York Times estimating Trump’s haul from oil and gas interests at more than [$75 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/climate/oil-gas-donations-trump.html). As promised, President Trump moved immediately to begin rolling back Biden-era rules curbing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting electric vehicles. His efforts are being backed by one of the largest fossil fuel industry lobbying groups, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), which spent a record high amount on lobbying last year to keep U.S. consumers burning fuel in cars and trucks, even as the costs of climate change mount. Last March, the Biden administration finalized a far-reaching [rule](https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/final-rule-multi-pollutant-emissions-standards-model) to ramp down U.S. greenhouse gas emissions: an EPA standard that would increasingly limit the pollution belching out of tailpipes into the atmosphere. For model years 2027-2032, vehicle manufacturers would have to meet new average emissions standards for their fleets of cars, SUVs, light pickup trucks, medium-duty large pickups, and vans, helping to keep the U.S. in line with international climate goals by the end of this decade. According to the EPA, the rule, which is technology agnostic, would boost EVs to be up to [56%](https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239092833/biden-epa-auto-emissions-evs) of new passenger vehicles sold from 2030-2032, and new hybrid vehicles would make up an additional [16%](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/climate/biden-phase-out-gas-cars.html) of sales. On Day One, President Trump signed an [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/) that says it is the policy of the United States to eliminate what he calls “the electric vehicle (EV) mandate,” a reference to Biden’s emissions rules. The Trump-favored term is misleading, because [no such mandate exists](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/04/the-fossil-fuel-lobbys-stealth-ev-misinformation-campaign/)—if the rule was to stay in effect, tons of new gas-powered cars will still be sold, just not the majority. The transportation sector, including car and truck exhaust, is the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the economy, according to EPA figures. Trump’s move to begin repealing the EPA’s emissions rule was high on the [policy wish list](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/14/big-oil-sends-trump-its-wish-list/) of the American Petroleum institute (API), a fossil fuel industry lobbying group. But it was the fuelmaker lobbying group AFPM, whose members include oil giants like ExxonMobil and fuel refiner Valero Energy, that most increased its lobbying spending as it fought against the vehicle emissions standards. The trade association AFPM absolutely shattered its federal lobbying spending in 2024, reaching nearly $20.7 million—close to tripling its previous high from 2023\. During the first six months of the year, AFPM’s lobbying skyrocketed to $19 million. Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign of the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, said of Trump’s rollback of clean car policies, “That’s a victory for his cronies in the oil and auto industries but may well leave his voters with buyer’s remorse. Consumers will pay more at the pump, automakers will lose EV buyers, and health care costs will go up from people breathing dirtier air.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Prison Company Banking on ICE Raids Donated to Trump Inauguration URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/29/prison-company-banking-on-ice-raids-donated-to-trump-inauguration/ Last updated: 2025-01-29T16:19:10.000Z 📣 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Prison%20Company%20Banking%20on%20ICE%20Raids%20Donated%20to%20Trump%20Inauguration%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/29/prison-company-banking-on-ice-raids-donated-to-trump-inauguration/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Prison%20Company%20Banking%20on%20ICE%20Raids%20Donated%20to%20Trump%20Inauguration%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/29/prison-company-banking-on-ice-raids-donated-to-trump-inauguration/)! Among his barrage of day-one executive orders, President Trump signed a measure reversing a Biden administration policy that barred contracts between the Department of Justice and private detention centers. The executive order will affect contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service, which combined currently have more than 200,000 people in their custody. The largest federal prison contractor, the GEO Group, was a large donor to Trump’s campaign, and now a new federal filing shows that the second-largest one, CoreCivic, is a major inaugural donor. According to a lobbying disclosure posted yesterday, CoreCivic donated [$500,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/5a0d4a72-8d3c-4dd0-acc0-33db21fe6866/print/) to the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee on Dec. 19\. On the company’s Q3 earnings call, held on Nov. 7, CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger told investors that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Biden administration’s private prison ban overturned early on by the Trump administration. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Hininger also said that he expects the election results to lead to an “increased need for detention capacity” for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. “So how we're approaching that is that we have about 18,000 vacant beds in our system, and that includes our beds that we had available in Dilley, Texas," Hininger said regarding the company’s preparations for detaining undocumented immigrants. “We are taking proactive steps and working on the plan to activate and make available every single bed that we've got in the enterprise.” Besides detention beds, Hininger said that his company is ready to help the federal government in other ways. “One thing we think that we're probably going to need is additional transportation resources,” Hininger said. “And with our wholly-owned subsidiary, TransCor, who has got decades of experience on working with our federal partners, both the Marshals Service and ICE, we've got the capability and the leadership in place to scale up and provide additional capacity if there's transportation needed, primarily on ground transportation, but also we've got the competency to do air transportation too.” Hininger donated $300,000 to Trump’s joint fundraising committee last year, according to Federal Election Commission records. The GEO Group subsidiary GEO Acquisitions II donated $1 million to the pro-Trump Make America Great Again super PAC in 2024\. The stock prices of both CoreCivic and the GEO Group have both nearly doubled since Trump was elected. GEO Group recently hired a career ICE official, Daniel Bible, as an executive vice president, the Project On Government Oversight [reported](https://www.pogo.org/investigations/private-prison-giant-hired-ice-detention-chief). Bible, who had been in charge of the agency’s detainment of undocumented immigrants, raised the issues of more bed space and monitoring technology in a February 2024 briefing with former President Biden. CoreCivic employs Trump ally and fundraiser Jeff Miller as a federal lobbyist. According to Miller’s [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/89029820-7dda-4912-a588-69ffb9a9abd7/print/) covering Q4 of last year, he represented the company on “Issues pertaining to the construction and management of privately-operated prisons and detention facilities” and “Issues related to prisoner re-entry programs and facilities.” Miller’s firm, Miller Strategies, was paid $140,000 by CoreCivic last year. According to data from USA Spending, CoreCivic has had contracts worth more than $6 billion with the Department of Justice since 2000\. ### ### How Trump’s Meme Coin Enables Corruption—Even Without a Direct Payoff URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/28/how-trumps-meme-coin-enables-corruption-even-without-a-direct-payoff/ Last updated: 2025-06-05T12:35:21.000Z A reader wrote in with a question about President Trump’s cryptocurrency meme coin and how it could be used for unseemly influence, so today I wanted to highlight an aspect of Trump’s latest crypto venture that’s gotten some mentions in the political press, but could use even more awareness. Days before his inauguration, Donald Trump launched a crypto token named $TRUMP, sparking a buying spree among Trump fans that briefly put the meme coin’s market cap as high as [$15 billion](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/official-trump/). The market cap is lower now, but still almost $6 billion. Disclaimer copy in the footer of its website states, amusingly, that Trump’s coin “has nothing to do with any political campaign or any political office or governmental agency,” though Trump has [stated](https://x.com/unusual%5Fwhales/status/1883153098354393208) that he launched the coin. First Lady Melania Trump launched one too, and at the moment its market cap is $424 million. Take these figures with caveats: technology researcher Molly White has [explained](https://www.citationneeded.news/trump-memecoin-valuation/) that market cap figures in crypto are flawed, when compared with traditional currencies. This is because early estimates of market cap generally come from extrapolating out the price of a small number of tokens, compared with the larger amount of reserve tokens yet to enter circulation. Trump-owned companies [own 80%](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/01/26/trump-crypto-meme-coin-scheme-supporters/77929813007/) of the $TRUMP coins, which gives it the classic signature of a potential “[pump-and-dump” scheme](https://www.wired.com/story/the-trump-memecoins-money-grab-economics/) rather than a collectible whose value could appreciate as Trump’s legend grows. On the official website, collectors can “buy now with a debit card or crypto,” and other registered users on crypto exchanges like Coinbase can purchase the token after connecting a bank account, debit card, or other methods like Google Pay. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Emhoff Returns to Corporate Law URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/27/emhoff-returns-to-corporate-law/ Last updated: 2025-04-04T16:48:51.000Z Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has taken a job as a partner at the corporate law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the firm [announced](https://www.willkie.com/news/2025/01/willkie-welcomes-douglas-c-emhoff-as-partner) today. Emhoff, formerly a partner with the law and lobbying DLA Piper prior to the start of the Biden-Harris administration, will advise clients “on their most consequential business challenges, sensitive investigations, and complex litigation,” according to the announcement. Emhoff will be splitting his time between Los Angeles and New York. Willkie Farr & Gallagher works with a broad swath of corporate clients and is well known for its representing businesses in the finance and private equity industries on mergers and acquisitions. For years it has worked with CVC Capital Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, advising it on acquisitions involving companies like Bosch, Cooper Consumer Health, Viatris, and The Quality Group. Other large private equity firms that Willkie has worked with frequently over the years include Warburg Pincus and Bain Capital. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here Is All the Money AIPAC Spent on the 2024 Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/ Last updated: 2025-01-24T21:56:54.000Z 📣 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Here%20Is%20All%20the%20Money%20AIPAC%20Spent%20on%20the%202024%20Elections%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Here%20Is%20All%20the%20Money%20AIPAC%20Spent%20on%20the%202024%20Elections%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/24/here-is-all-the-money-aipac-spent-on-the-2024-elections/) Lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was by far the largest PAC contributor to members of Congress and federal candidates in the 2023-2024 election cycle, funneling hard dollars to the campaigns of lawmakers who approved military aid packages for Israel’s war in Gaza. Below are the complete totals of how much money congressional campaigns, leadership PACs, and party committees received from AIPAC PAC last cycle, according to Federal Election Commission data. The money that AIPAC PAC contributed during the election cycle was overwhelmingly provided by individual donors who used the group as a conduit that passed their money along to candidates and other political groups. The data table below also includes the totals of how much AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), spent in the elections, largely opposed to candidates that the group deems insufficiently supportive of Israel, as well as spending that supported its endorsed candidates. AIPAC’s PAC and UDP spent nearly $126.9 million combined during the 2023-2024 election cycle, according to the FEC. This includes more than $55.2 million in donations given to federal candidates—at least [$45.2 million](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/07/the-119th-congress-brought-to-you-by-aipac/) of which went to the campaigns of members of the new 119th U.S. Congress, Sludge identified. UDP made almost [$61 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00799031/) in disbursements last election cycle, of which around $37.9 million was independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates for U.S. House. In 2023 and 2024, UDP received seven-figure sums from more than a handful of billionaire donors. Its spending went in large part to media and ad blitzes that did not mention the issue of Israel. In addition, UDP made nearly $8.6 million in contributions to six other PACs last cycle. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### MAHA? Junk Food and Seed Oil Lobbyist Tapped for Top USDA Position URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position-2/ Last updated: 2025-01-23T18:38:54.000Z 🔗 Share this on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=MAHA?%20Junk%20Food%20and%20Seed%20Oil%20Lobbyist%20Tapped%20For%20Top%20USDA%20Position%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=MAHA?%20Junk%20Food%20and%20Seed%20Oil%20Lobbyist%20Tapped%20For%20Top%20USDA%20Position%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/23/maha-junk-food-and-seed-oil-lobbyist-tapped-for-top-usda-position)! In his big inauguration day speech at Capitol One Arena, President Trump declared that we will “Make America Healthy Again.” The next day his administration named a career junk food lobbyist as chief of staff to the federal agency that oversees the nation’s food and nutrition guidelines. Kailee Tkacz Buller has been chosen for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) chief of staff, where she will be the right-hand woman for the agency’s secretary—expected to be Brooke Rollins—and help implement policies, manage staff, and assist in messaging. Tkacz Buller, a USDA alumni from the first Trump administration, has most recently worked for the seed oil industry lobby as President and CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and the Edible Oil Producers Association (EOPA). Prior to joining the first Trump administration, she was a lobbyist for top junk food industry lobbying groups the Corn Refiners Association and SNAC International. Many health advocates and online influencers aligned with the MAHA mission have blamed high omega 6 seed oils such as canola and soybean oil that are made by NOPA and EOPA member companies for contributing to many of the poor health conditions that Americans deal with, like obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy has said that Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by them, and at the recent “MAHA Inaugural Ball,” attendees were served a seed oil-free menu. The Corn Refiners Association lobbies for the interests of companies that make critical ingredients for our nation’s junk food supply, including high-fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, modified corn starch, and dextrose monohydrate. Its member companies include Archers Daniel Midland, Cargill, and Ingredion Incorporated. Processed corn products are heavily utilized in highly-processed foods, increasing their calorie density and sugar content. Tkacz Buller worked as a lobbyist for the organization from October 2015 until July 2017, where she pushed federal policymakers on federal food policy, nutritional labeling, free trade agreements, and more, according to federal disclosures. Prior to her work for the corn refiners, Tkacz Buller was a lobbyist for SNAC International, which prides itself on being “the only snack-centric trade association.” Its members include The Hershey Company, PepsiCo, Wise Foods, and many more companies whose names you may see on the packaged food products at the grocery store. Tkacz Buller was hired by the USDA in July 2017 as a policy adviser in the agency’s Office of Congressional Relations to work on the nation’s Dietary Guidelines. She quickly began taking meetings with representatives of the companies for which she had recently been lobbying the government. According to emails obtained by Sludge through the Freedom of Information Act, Tkacz Buller set up a meeting with the director of federal government relations with Corn Refiners Association Cargill in September 2017\. “Looking forward to it,“ she wrote in an email confirming the meeting, which was scheduled as a lunch in early October. In Dec. 2017, SNAC International Director of Government Affairs Jessica Hixson sent Tkacz Buller a letter expressing her organization’s interest regarding flexibilities for milk, whole grains, and sodium requirements in the Child Nutrition Program. Tkacz Buller replied warmly: “Thanks so much Jessica. We are incredibly appreciative of this letter and look forward to working with you. Let us know what else you may need, our door is always open.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Meta Spends Record Lobbying Sum Amid TikTok Ban Debate URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/22/meta-spends-record-lobbying-sum-amid-tiktok-ban-debate/ Last updated: 2025-01-22T16:58:38.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Meta%20Spends%20Record%20Lobbying%20Sum%20Amid%20TikTok%20Ban%20Debate%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/22/meta-spends-record-lobbying-sum-amid-tiktok-ban-debate/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Meta%20Spends%20Record%20Lobbying%20Sum%20Amid%20TikTok%20Ban%20Debate%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/22/meta-spends-record-lobbying-sum-amid-tiktok-ban-debate/) Meta spent more on D.C. lobbying in 2024 than in any previous year, as the government debated whether to enforce a ban on its rival TikTok. The surge in spending also came as Congress considered new content moderation laws, which Meta’s lobbying helped to block from passing in a year-end legislative push. Meta’s lobbying spending rose to $24.4 million last year, according to filings with the Senate, an increase of more than a quarter over the previous year at the federal level. In the first quarter of 2024, the period when the TikTok ban was initially approved by the U.S. House, Meta had its [highest-ever lobbying](https://readsludge.com/2024/04/23/meta-shatters-lobbying-record-as-house-passes-tiktok-ban/) spend, at $7.6 million. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Rewards Fossil Fuel Donors on Day One URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/21/trump-rewards-fossil-fuel-donors-on-day-one/ Last updated: 2025-01-21T13:26:29.000Z 📣 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Rewards%20Fossil%20Fuel%20Donors%20on%20Day%20One%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/21/trump-rewards-fossil-fuel-donors-on-day-one) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Rewards%20Fossil%20Fuel%20Donors%20on%20Day%20One%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/21/trump-rewards-fossil-fuel-donors-on-day-one)! Several of the fossil fuel executives who Trump asked at an April meeting at Mar-a-Lago to help him raise him $1 billion for his campaign are already benefiting from the new president’s actions on day one. Among the dozens of executive orders that Trump signed yesterday was one on “[unleashing American energy](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/)” that lifted the Biden administration’s moratorium on new licenses to export liquid natural gas (LNG) and orders the Department of Energy to review pending export applications as expeditiously as possible. Lifting the moratorium, which was put in place by Biden in January 2024, was [reportedly](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/) a top priority for the executives at the Mar-a-Lago meeting, who were told by Trump, “You’ll get it on the first day.” ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The largest LNG export terminal pending approval, in terms of peak capacity, is a project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, owned by Venture Global. Mike Sabel, the company’s CEO, was one of those in attendance at the April meeting. According to the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/venture-global-ipo-e653994c), Venture Global is a $1 million donor to the Trump inaugural committee. The company employs former Trump administration Department of Energy spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes as its VP of public affairs. Venture Global has received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for its massive CP2 LNG terminal that would export natural gas to markets in Europe and Asia, but it has not received export authorization from the Department of Energy. The company filed regulatory documents for its initial public offering last week, saying that it hoped to raise $3.2 billion from selling shares of its stock and is targeting a valuation of about $110 billion. The startup Venture Global could become the second-largest exporter of LNG in the country once its second Louisiana terminal is at full capacity. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Could Pick a Big Tech Ally for Next CFPB Head URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/20/trump-could-pick-a-big-tech-ally-for-next-cfpb-head/ Last updated: 2025-01-21T04:07:09.000Z One of the names being floated for the Trump administration’s next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Melissa Holyoak, a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, previously worked as an attorney for an industry-funded think tank that is fighting the agency’s plans to protect consumers against tech companies like Meta and Google. The tech industry has stacked itself up against the CFPB of late. Last week, two tech industry trade groups that represent Apple, Google, and Meta [sued](https://www.reuters.com/legal/tech-groups-sue-us-cfpb-block-rule-payment-apps-digital-wallets-2025-01-16/) the agency seeking to halt a new rule that gives it oversight of payment apps from non-banks. In a high-profile appearance on the Joe Rogan show this month, Mark Zuckerberg complained about the CFPB after it launched an investigation into Meta's improper use of third-party financial data in ad targeting. On the same show, Trump ally and Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen said in late November that the CFPB was involved in debanking tech companies, a claim that the American Economic Liberties Project [says](https://x.com/econliberties/status/1861844193796301095) is false. Andreessen’s attacks on the CFPB were echoed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a libertarian think tank with a mission to “eliminate harmful bureaucratic controls.” The group rushed to Andreessen’s defense with a [blog post](https://cei.org/blog/cei-has-warned-about-debanking-for-20-years-we-were-right/) saying it had warned against a federal crackdown on cyberpayments. In another December [blog post](https://cei.org/blog/google-case-just-the-beginning-of-cfpb-fintech-power-grab/), the think tank’s senior fellow John Berlau argued that the CFPB’s rule extending its supervision over digital payment apps “threatens not just Google, but every fintech firm and technology firm that ventures into finance.” Holyoak was an attorney for CEI from 2015-2019 before becoming solicitor general of Utah, and along the way the think tank has applauded her rise to the FTC. The group is a prominent [inside-the-Beltway ally](https://prospect.org/power/2023-10-04-one-night-with-elvis-competitive-enterprise-institute/) of big business interests. Large tech companies have disclosed giving to CEI in their voluntary political disclosures: Google, with regular contributions to CEI going back years, as well as Amazon and Meta over the past decade. The Trump transition team is considering several candidates for CFPB director, according to a report last week in [American Banker](https://www.americanbanker.com/news/trump-team-eyes-hiring-freeze-regulatory-rollbacks-for-cfpb): Travis Hill, vice chairman of the FDIC; Jonathan McKernan, FDIC board member; and Holyoak, who was confirmed in March as one of two Republican commissioners on the FTC. (The CFPB head can hold dual titles, as Mick Mulvaney did in the previous Trump administration.) In her FTC position, Holyoak has criticized the reinvigorated antitrust activities of the agency under Biden administration Chair Lina Khan. In the last week of Khan’s leadership, Holyoak tweeted that she voted against holding a meeting of the FTC and abstained from votes, preferring to hold out for the incoming Trump-Vance administration. But her FTC confirmation process was not untroubled among Republican activists. The conservative group the Bull Moose Project sent a [letter](https://nypost.com/2024/01/08/business/ftc-nominee-melissa-holyoak-traded-chummy-emails-with-google-backed-firm-that-advocates-abolishing-antitrust-rules/) to Republicans on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, addressed to then-ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), asking them to vote no on Holyoak’s nomination over her record of objecting to class action settlements against companies like Google. CEI has sought to counter the idea that Big Tech firms need a regulatory crackdown to curb their power: for example, when House Republicans brought in Google CEO Sundar Pichai for a three-hour grilling over the alleged suppression of conservative viewpoints in its search engine and products like YouTube, a CEI expert [pushed back](https://cei.org/news%5Freleases/claims-that-google-suppresses-conservative-views-lack-evidence/) that the claims were “utterly lacking in evidence.” When Holyoak was Utah solicitor general, she was one of the state officials negotiating a $700 million settlement with Google over anticompetitive app store practices that was [panned](https://nypost.com/2023/12/21/business/ftc-nominee-melissa-holyoak-could-face-scrutiny-amid-google-settlement/) as weak, compared with the states’ initial case for $10.5 billion worth in damages. Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, which has successfully sued Google in recent years over Android store fees, slammed the settlement as an “injustice to all Android users and developers.” Emails obtained by the [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2024/01/08/business/ftc-nominee-melissa-holyoak-traded-chummy-emails-with-google-backed-firm-that-advocates-abolishing-antitrust-rules/) during this period show Holyoak swapping legal advice with CEI’s Ken Lassman, president and CEO, with Holyoak seeking input on “the question of market definition.” The email back-and-forth included a column written by CEI tech-antitrust expert Jessica Melugin arguing that consumers could be harmed by Epic Games’ lawsuits against Google and Apple. "Holyoak is a threat to the very people that the government exists to protect because her rapid rise is due to her success fighting for the corporations that threaten ordinary Americans,” said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project. “Normally I'd be ecstatic at the idea of a committed veteran of the public interest bar taking over at the CFPB or other consumer safety related jobs across the executive branch, imagining the figure to be a middle class warrior on behalf of the 99%,” Hauser said. “But Holyoak is a long time member of the 1% who has risen up because of her deep commitment to the .0001% like Google's founders and senior executives, which means that consumers will not only have to beware trickery from banks and Big Tech, but from corporate lawyers wearing the costume of consumer protection." For her chief of staff at the FTC, Holyoak [chose](https://thecapitolforum.com/the-antitrust-agenda-inside-the-team-supporting-new-ftc-commissioner-holyoak/) Chris Mufarrige, a former associate at Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini, where his clients included Google and Twitter. In an August 2020 [article](https://www.wsgr.com/a/web/28843/jacobson-0820.pdf) in a publication The Antitrust Source, Mufarrige and his co-author Jonathan Jacobson made the case that targeting Big Tech companies with antitrust enforcement was “largely misguided,” arguing that acquisitions of competitors “tend to add useful new features to products consumers already love, eliminate little or no current competition,” and other things. In a September [speech](https://www.adexchanger.com/privacy/ftc-commissioner-melissa-holyoak-decries-the-term-surveillance-advertising/), Holyoak threw cold water on the FTC’s use of the term “surveillance” in examining business practices like personally-adjusted “surveillance pricing,” calling the term a “straw man.” “This new moniker does nothing to tease out the complexity of the privacy debate concerning the costs and benefits of behaviorally targeted advertising,” she said. Holyoak made known her “strong concerns” with the FTC’s release of a report studying the data collection practices of social media platforms and streaming video sites, which detailed what the agency described as “vast surveillance of users with lax privacy controls and inadequate safeguards for kids and teens.” The think tank CEI saw its total revenue jump in its fiscal year 2023 by nearly a third, according to its most recent tax filing, reaching a new high of more than $10 million. The group’s [donors](https://prospect.org/power/2023-07-17-climate-denialist-think-tank-ftc/) include companies from Big Oil (ExxonMobil), Big Tobacco (Altria), and PhRMA ($150,000 given in 2023, according to tax records). The conservative donor Searle Freedom Trust, whose fortune derives from the G.D. Searle pharmaceutical company, gave [$400,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/367244615/202433209349102098/IRS990PF) to CEI in 2023, and the [right-wing](https://www.monitoringinfluence.org/org/sarah-scaife-foundation/) funder Sarah Scaife Foundation gave [$475,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/251113452/202403209349104590/IRS990PF). Some leading Republicans, like the new House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. French Hill (Ark.), have called for the consumer watchdog agency to be abolished, a position shared by Elon Musk, who [posted](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/us/politics/cfpb-republicans-rohit-chopra.html), “Delete C.F.P.B.” But outright eliminating the agency would likely pose too heavy a lift for the closely-divided Congress. Rather, consumer advocates expect plenty of deregulation and a gutted CFPB under Trump. The CFPB [says](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/the-bureau/) it has returned more than $21 billion in monetary compensation to consumers, from $19 billion in enforcement and more in supervisory work. Even former Trump White House budget director Mick Mulvaney [acknowledged](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/01/10/cfpb-delete-why-trump-musk/77197606007/) in 2018 that the CFPB cases he inherited “were pretty good lawsuits,” going after “bad actors” in the financial sector. A full house of tech giants including Amazon, Google, and Meta are among the [million-dollar donors](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/) to Trump's inauguration. 💡 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Trump%20Could%20Pick%20a%20Big%20Tech%20Ally%20for%20Next%20CFPB%20Head%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/20/trump-could-pick-a-big-tech-ally-for-next-cfpb-head/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump%20Could%20Pick%20a%20Big%20Tech%20Ally%20for%20Next%20CFPB%20Head%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/20/trump-could-pick-a-big-tech-ally-for-next-cfpb-head/) ### Bondi Paid in Trump Media Shares for SPAC Merger Consulting, Pledges to Divest URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/17/bondi-paid-in-trump-media-shares-for-spac-merger-consulting-pledges-to-divest/ Last updated: 2025-01-17T16:12:24.000Z Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general Pam Bondi has pledged to divest millions of dollars worth of shares she owns in Trump Media & Technology Group that she earned through consulting for a disaster relief company that merged with the media company, a pair of new disclosures reveal. In her [ethics agreement](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/FC3B6F6F496E257B85258C150032F344/$FILE/Bondi%2C%20Pam%20%20finalEA.pdf) posted by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics this morning, Bondi wrote that her consulting for the company, Renatus LLC, ended in March 2024, and that she “will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know Trump Media & Technology Group is a party or represents a party, unless I am first authorized to participate.” ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Renatus LLC, also known as Renatus Advisors, was founded and is run by Eric Swider, who is a director with Trump Media & Technology Group. It provides disaster relief advisory services as a government contractor and infrastructure consulting for public utilities and energy projects, according to its website. Swider is [alleged](https://www.wired.com/story/truth-social-hacking-lawsuit/) in a lawsuit to have hacked into the computer networks of a business owned by the former CEO of Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) in order to execute a “coup d'état” and have him ousted. The lawsuit from former DWAC CEO Patrick Orlando claims that the hacking was part of an “audacious scheme to seize control of and enlarge their holdings in a publicly-traded company poised to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.” Trump’s media company began public trading on March 26, 2024, after merging with special-purpose acquisition company DWAC. The acquisition company’s investors at one point [included](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/26/trump-sees-4-billion-windfall-from-deal-with-megadonor-tied-firm/) billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass of Pennsylvania. According to Bondi’s [financial disclosure](https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/ABF60CD8EC97BBB585258C150032DCB2/$FILE/Bondi%2C%20Pam%20%20final278.pdf), she was paid for her Renatus consulting work with shares of DWAC worth more than $2.9 million. The disclosure also says that Bondi was paid more than $1 million by Ballard Partners, the lobbying firm owned by Trump associate Brian Ballard where she is currently employed. Swider, who was installed as DWAC CEO in June 2023, sold all of his shares in Trump Media & Technology Group shortly after Trump was elected in November, according to a report from [1100 Pennsylvania.](https://www.1100pennsylvania.com/p/key-trump-media-insiders-sell-off) Bondi pledged in her ethics agreement to sell her shares of the Trump media company if confirmed. “I will divest my interests in Trump Media & Technology Group, as soon as practicable but not later than 90 days after my confirmation,” Bondi wrote. “I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of this entity until I have divested it, unless I first obtain a written waiver.” The Senate is expected to vote on Bondi’s confirmation as attorney general next week. ### ALEC’s Latest Tax Filing Shows Record Revenues URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/16/alecs-latest-tax-filing-shows-record-revenues/ Last updated: 2025-01-16T17:09:20.000Z 💡 **Share this story on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=ALEC%E2%80%99s%20Latest%20Tax%20Filing%20Shows%20Record%20Revenues%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/16/alecs-latest-tax-filing-shows-record-revenues/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=ALEC%E2%80%99s%20Latest%20Tax%20Filing%20Shows%20Record%20Revenues%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/16/alecs-latest-tax-filing-shows-record-revenues/) In early December, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) held its annual States & Nation Policy Summit in downtown Washington, D.C., bringing together conservative politicians, think tanks, and corporate lobbyists to plan for the 2025 legislative session. The attendees at the upscale Grand Hyatt Washington hotel had more reasons to be buoyant than conservatives’ gains in the 2024 elections. The 501(c)3 nonprofit ALEC boosted its revenues in 2023 by 11% over the year prior, according to its tax return filed in November, setting a new all-time annual revenue high for the group of [$11.3 million](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520140979/202423169349301217/full). The influential [ALEC](https://readsludge.com/tag/alec/) operates as a membership organization, bankrolled by industry donors and conservative "dark money" networks, that develops and spreads model policies for legislatures to adopt, from defending fossil fuels to restricting voting access. Some [speakers](https://alec.org/press-release/state-and-local-leaders-gather-in-washington-dc-for-states-nation-policy-summit/) at the latest summit included DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, and the now-retired chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). (As a nonprofit, ALEC is ostensibly nonpartisan, but virtually all ALEC legislators are Republicans.) After Donald Trump’s presidential win, ALEC’s CEO Lisa B. Nelson hailed it as a “clear victory,” saying that its members looked forward to working with Washington to “return power to the states where it belongs.” Weeks later, Nelson cheered his selection of oil and gas company executive Chris Wright to be secretary of the Department of Energy. Wright had addressed ALEC’s summer conference, where she says he “explained that energy is not just about convenience; it’s about survival and growth.” Trump [ran](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/14/big-oil-sends-trump-its-wish-list/) on promoting unchecked fossil fuel drilling and rolling back environmental protections. One ALEC model policy that was finalized in December is a resolution for counties to express support for propane and natural gas in new residential and commercial buildings. Michigan state Rep. Phil Green chairs ALEC’s Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force alongside Matthew Kiessling, a senior director for state affairs at the American Gas Association. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mark Zuckerberg Is Hosting an Inauguration Party for Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/15/mark-zuckerberg-is-hosting-an-inauguration-party-for-trump/ Last updated: 2025-03-18T20:29:47.000Z Fresh off his appearance on the podcast of Trump supporter Joe Rogan, and his decision to copy Elon Musk by replacing his platforms’ content moderation policies with community notes, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is planning to host an inaugural ball reception on Monday for the incoming president. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Biden Admin Scraps Climate Disclosure Rule for Contractors URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/14/biden-admin-scraps-climate-disclosure-rule-for-contractors/ Last updated: 2025-01-14T23:41:00.000Z 💡 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Biden%20Admin%20Scraps%20Climate%20Disclosure%20Rule%20for%20Contractors%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/14/biden-admin-scraps-climate-disclosure-rule-for-contractors/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Biden%20Admin%20Scraps%20Climate%20Disclosure%20Rule%20for%20Contractors%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/14/biden-admin-scraps-climate-disclosure-rule-for-contractors/) Over the past couple of years, a lobbying battle has been underway over a Biden administration proposal that would have required large federal contractors to publicly disclose their annual greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks. In his announcement of the proposal in November 2022, President Biden said that it would make the U.S. the first country to require “major” contractors to set emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement on climate. But on Jan. 10, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council), which helps coordinate procurement policy, [announced](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/13/2024-30621/federal-acquisition-regulation-disclosure-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-climate-related-financial) it had withdrawn the climate disclosure rule, which was titled Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk. In part, the announcement said that agencies had run out of time during the Biden-Harris administration to finalize the proposal, given the outpouring of regulatory comments on it. The rule’s fizzling out was described as a win by one of many industry trade associations that lobbied against it. The federal government is the [largest](https://www.sustainability.gov/federalsustainabilityplan/fed-supplier-rule.html) purchaser of goods and services in the world, with around $630 billion in annual purchasing. The rule would have required major contractors (those with $50 million and above in annual contracts) to publicly disclose emissions information, climate-related financial risks, and set science-based emissions reduction targets. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Astroturf Against RFK URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/13/astroturf-against-rfk/ Last updated: 2025-01-13T19:43:26.000Z Ahead of the confirmation process for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, an online letter allegedly signed by nearly 20,000 physicians that calls the nomination “an affront to the principles of public health” and urges the U.S. Senate to reject Kennedy’s confirmation is being widely reported in the news. Outlets including The Guardian, CBS News, United Press International, Reuters, the New York Times, and many others have recently covered the letter, outlining its list of concerns with Kennedy’s record on medical matters. None of the outlets, however, mention that the organization behind the petition is funded by Democratic dark money and tied to Democratic super PACs. The [letter](https://committeetoprotect.org/RFK-ACTION/) is hosted by the Committee to Protect Health Care, a dark money group that has received grants from some of the largest funders of Democratic super PACs and has its own affiliated super PAC that spent more than $400,000 supporting Kamala Harris and opposing Donald Trump during the elections. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Secret DNC Member List Revealed in New Report URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/10/secret-dnc-member-list-revealed-in-new-report/ Last updated: 2025-01-23T23:35:53.000Z 💡 **Share this post on* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Secret%20DNC%20Member%20List%20Revealed%20in%20New%20Report%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/10/secret-dnc-member-list-revealed-in-new-report/) *and* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Secret%20DNC%20Member%20List%20Revealed%20in%20New%20Report%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/10/secret-dnc-member-list-revealed-in-new-report/) The next chair of the Democratic National Committee will be elected on Feb. 1, and today The American Prospect [posted a leaked list of the 448 voting DNC members](https://prospect.org/politics/2025-01-10-opening-dncs-black-box/), in an article by [Micah Sifry](https://theconnector.substack.com/p/opening-the-dncs-black-box) that is the first to reveal the full roster. The chair vote will be [decided by](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/26/a-fight-for-the-soul-of-the-dnc/) members attending in-person, or their proxies, at the DNC Winter Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. By Sludge’s count, at least a half-dozen DNC members who are likely to be voting for the next chair are employed in roles to influence the government for corporate clients. Micah’s great story surveys exceedingly well the corporate influence peddlers in DNC leadership. Many of the names of corporate lobbyists and consultants who are DNC members might be recognized by Sludge readers from our [series](https://readsludge.com/tag/dnc/page/3/) on “who runs the DNC,” which began four years ago. Throughout the series, Sludge has highlighted that the DNC’s list of its national members is [kept private](https://readsludge.com/2020/11/26/dnc-members-outline-party-reforms-in-letter-to-biden/), even from other members, and that there is no official public list of top DNC committee members, like the decision-makers who sit on the Rules and Bylaws Committee. A few prominent DNC members are executives at lobbying firms: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### House GOP Rushes to Protect Netanyahu URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/09/house-gop-rushes-to-protect-netanyahu/ Last updated: 2025-01-09T19:21:09.000Z 💡 **Share this on* [**X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Following%20AIPAC's%20record%20contributions,%20the%20House%20GOP%20is%20fast-tracking%20a%20vote%20to%20protect%20Benjamin%20Netanyahu%20from%20the%20International%20Criminal%20Court.%20via%20%40sludge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/09/house-gop-rushes-to-protect-netanyahu) *or* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Following%20AIPAC's%20record%20contributions,%20the%20House%20GOP%20is%20fast-tracking%20a%20vote%20to%20protect%20Benjamin%20Netanyahu%20from%20the%20International%20Criminal%20Court.%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/09/house-gop-rushes-to-protect-netanyahu) *Update: The bill covered below, H.R. 23, passed the U.S. House this afternoon by a vote of* [*243-140*](https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2025/roll007.xml)*, with 45 House Democrats voting with Republicans.* On Monday, I [wrote](https://readsludge.com/2025/01/07/the-119th-congress-brought-to-you-by-aipac/) about how the new Congress was elected with record-shattering money from the pro-Israel group AIPAC—the group gave more money to candidates during the 2023-24 election cycle than any other group ever. Now, the House of Representatives is starting to get down to business and its second piece of legislation, scheduled to be voted on today, is designed to give the head of the Israeli government an important international benefit. The House will vote today on a bill that would protect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from war crime prosecutions by the International Criminal Court (ICC) through imposing sanctions. In November of last year, the ICC [issued arrest warrants](https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges) against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the ICC, its pre-trial chamber determined there were “reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals \[Netanyahu and Galant\] intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024.” ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant on the same day against the believed-to-be-deceased Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif) for the mass killings carried out on Oct. 7\. The House bill, titled the [Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/23), declares that the ICC’s actions against the Israeli figures are "illegitimate and baseless” and requires the President of the United States to impose sanctions if the ICC engages in any attempt to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any American, Israeli, or person from other American ally countries that have not consented to the ICC’s jurisdiction. The sanctions would be applied to anyone who has “directly engaged or otherwise aided” with the court’s effort or who has “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of” its efforts. The bill’s primary sponsor is Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and is co-sponsored by several Republicans with heavy AIPAC backing, including Michael McCaul (at least $464,000 from AIPAC PAC during the 2024 cycle) and Brian Mast (at least $213,000 from AIPAC PAC during the 2024 cycle). AIPAC, which is based in D.C., has [lobbied](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/db033c64-6f06-4019-b7db-caaa264c3f50/print/) Congress in favor of the bill, which it says “Sends a strong message to the court that the United States will not sit idly by while Americans or our allies are unjustly attacked.” The bill was one of the 12 that House Republicans included in the House rules package for the 119th Congress that are automatically [placed in order](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/5/text#HCF4279D4F89845B7947163E919CDA0DC) for consideration by the House. The rules package waives all points of order against the 12 bills and limits debate to one hour. A version of the legislation was passed by the House last year, but not taken up by the Senate. It received unanimous support from all Republicans who were present and voted, as well as the support of 42 Democrats. Several of the House Democrats voting for the measure received more than half a million dollars in campaign contributions each earmarked by AIPAC PAC last cycle, including Reps. Don Davis (N.C.), Jared Golden (Maine), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.). The roll call details can be viewed [at this link](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024242). ### ### The Known Trump Inaugural Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/ Last updated: 2025-01-20T19:11:18.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Here%E2%80%99s%20Who%E2%80%99s%20Funding%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Inauguration%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Here%E2%80%99s%20Who%E2%80%99s%20Funding%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Inauguration%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/08/the-known-trump-inaugural-donors/) President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration committee is expected to more than double its donations compared with 2017, raking in seven-figure gifts from large companies and CEOs as he prepares his administration. Since Election Day, Trump’s groups have raised more than $200 million for his inauguration, political operation, and presidential library, sources told the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/us/politics/trump-inaugural-donations.html) last week. For the inaugural committee, which [ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-vance-inaugural-committee-track-raise-record-amount/story?id=116918692) was told has raised $150 million as of mid-December, [Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-inauguration-draws-big-crypto-donations) was told the haul will reach $225 million. Trump’s previous inauguration committee brought in [$106.8 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00629584/), while President Biden’s raised [$61.9 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00765040/?tab=summary). The complete list of donors to Trump’s festivities is not publicly known, and the committee is not expected to disclose certain donors before the 90-day deadline after the ceremony. In the absence of an official disclosure, the names of companies and executives making, or pledging, million-dollar-plus donations have been sprinkled out in news articles. The companies paying tribute to Trump are jockeying for favorable treatment on a number of fronts. Cryptocurrency firms are lobbying for industry-favored legislation and [light-touch](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/) financial regulation. Automakers have their eyes on potential Trump administration tariffs. Big businesses and their lobbying groups, as well as their wealthy executives, are dreaming of the planned continuation of the GOP-passed lucrative [corporate](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/less-us-corporations-pay-executives-uncle-sam/) [tax](https://itep.org/a-distributional-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tax-plan-2024/) [breaks](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/2017-trump-tax-law-windfall-rich-big-corporations-not-extended-2025/) from 2017 and relaxed regulatory scrutiny of mergers. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. Here are the known, deep-pocketed donors to Trump’s inauguration. *Companies marked with a \* also donated to the Biden 2021 inauguration.* - Ripple: $5 million donation in the form of its cryptocurrency token ([Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-inauguration-draws-big-crypto-donations)) _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The 119th Congress, Brought to You by AIPAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/07/the-119th-congress-brought-to-you-by-aipac/ Last updated: 2025-01-09T14:35:06.000Z The members of the new Congress, sworn in last Friday, were elected in November with an unprecedented amount of campaign contributions from the pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### This Testimony Is Sponsored by Lockheed Martin URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/06/this-testimony-is-sponsored-by-lockheed-martin/ Last updated: 2025-01-06T22:21:51.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X* ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A%20new%20report%20uncovers%20the%20think%20tanks%20getting%20big%20bucks%20from%20Pentagon%20contractors.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/06/this-testimony-is-sponsored-by-lockheed-martin/)**and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=A%20new%20report%20uncovers%20the%20think%20tanks%20getting%20big%20bucks%20from%20Pentagon%20contractors.%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/06/this-testimony-is-sponsored-by-lockheed-martin/) Think tanks that shape national defense policy are awash in donations from Pentagon contractors like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, according to a new resource from the nonprofit Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. From 2019-2023, Pentagon contractors have contributed more than $34.7 million to think tanks whose experts have hands in the defense policy-making process, the [new report](https://quincyinst.org/research/big-ideas-and-big-money-think-tank-funding-in-america/#executive-summary) from the Quincy Institute found—a tally that only includes donations to those think tanks that disclose their donors. Out of the 50 think tanks analyzed in the report, 18 of them were opaque, with no transparency into their funding sources. The [Think Tank Funding Tracker](https://thinktankfundingtracker.org/) also details donations to a set of the top 50 think tanks that came from foreign governments like the United Arab Emirates, U.S. government arms led by the Department of Defense, and defense contractors’ consulting firms like Accenture. According to the report, the think tanks received more than $110 million from foreign governments during the period. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Harris Super PAC Leaders Profited From Spending Splurge URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/03/harris-super-pac-leaders-profited-from-spending-splurge/ Last updated: 2025-01-07T18:10:40.000Z 📢 Share this post [on X ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Harris%20Super%20PAC%20Leaders%20Profited%20From%20Spending%20Splurge%20via%20%40Sludge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/03/harris-super-pac-leaders-profited-from-spending-splurge)or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Harris%20Super%20PAC%20Leaders%20Profited%20From%20Spending%20Splurge%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/03/harris-super-pac-leaders-profited-from-spending-splurge). From May through October last year, a company owned by a board member and treasurer of the Harris campaign’s top dark money group was paid nearly $18 million for media consulting by the group’s super PAC arm, Future Forward PAC, with more than $5 million of it coming in October. The company is called GCJ Research, and according to tax filings from the dark money group, Future Forward USA Action, it is owned by the group’s treasurer Gaurav Shirole. The New York Times has [reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/us/elections/future-forward-kamala-harris-ads.html) that the company is named after the initials of Shirole and Future Forward’s other two founders, Chauncey McLean and Jon Fromowitz. The payments to GCJ Research look like a form of self-dealing and may raise questions about whether they were the most effective expenditures for the Democrats’ cause in the 2024 election or if they were unduly influenced by Shirole. GCJ Research conducts public opinion surveys via text messages and pays participants with Amazon gift cards. There are several threads on the r/scam subreddit from people who have gotten texts out of the blue from “Alex w/ GCJ Research” where people attest that the company is not a scam and that they have in fact received their promised gift cards. The company has created websites such as [ncopinions.com](http://ncopinions.com) where respondents would answer questions. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Future Forward took over from Priorities USA Action as the leading Democratic super PAC for this presidential election cycle. GCJ Research’s nearly $18 million in receipts disclosed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was a dramatic increase from what it had been paid previously—just $7,200 in 2022 from Jake Auchincloss for Congress. GCJ Research was Future Forward’s second highest-paid vendor as of Oct. 16, according to the FEC. GCJ Research has also received payments in past years from Future Forward's nonprofit arm, and any additional payments it received through that route during the 2024 election year won’t be disclosed to the public until its tax filings are made public later this year. The [Washington Examiner](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3240767/harris-future-forward-paid-companies-linked-founders/) and independent journalist [Lee Fang](https://www.leefang.com/p/kamala-harris-superpac-spent-lavishly) have both reported on GCJ Research’s payments from Future Forward, but not the full extent of the spending including payments that were disclosed to the FEC after the election. McLean’s company PFB Media was also paid by Future Forward PAC. The company was paid more than $1.2 million by the PAC for ad production, according to FEC records. Shirole and McLean were both part of the [Obama 2012 digital team](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/magazine/the-obama-campaigns-digital-masterminds-cash-in.html). According to his LinkedIn, Shirole, lead reporting and analytics for a $120 million digital advertising operation, including analyzing voter records and set-top box data. After the 2012 campaign, Shirole and McLean formed Analytics Media Group, which worked for the Democrats but also corporate clients such as Walmart and Uber before being acquired by Dolan Family Ventures in 2016\. Future Forward PAC spent more than $500 million during the 2024 campaign cycle, making it by far the highest-spending PAC ever. A substantial portion of its funding came from its nonprofit arm, which does not disclose its donors but reportedly received large donations last year from Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg. ### Four Reps Cleared of Ethics Charges Over Misused Campaign Funds URL: https://readsludge.com/2025/01/02/four-reps-cleared-of-ethics-charges-over-misused-campaign-funds/ Last updated: 2025-01-02T21:06:21.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Four%20Reps%20Cleared%20of%20Ethics%20Charges%20Over%20Misused%20Campaign%20Funds%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/02/four-reps-cleared-of-ethics-charges-over-misused-campaign-funds/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Four%20Reps%20Cleared%20of%20Ethics%20Charges%20Over%20Misused%20Campaign%20Funds%20%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2025/01/02/four-reps-cleared-of-ethics-charges-over-misused-campaign-funds/) Feel like you could use a trip to the Ritz-Carlton beachfront resort in Aruba right about now? How about if the $10,000 trip for you and your family was paid for by a business partner? Such a free vacation was a finding of a 2021 investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics into Rep. Alexander Mooney (R-W.V.), as [compiled in a post this week](https://firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/the-new-years-eve-ethics-massacre) by Daniel Schuman, executive director of the nonprofit American Governance Institute. That year, the OCE also filed a report alleging that Mooney steered campaign funds for his personal use, in what would be a violation of House rules and potentially federal law. The OCE reports went further in detailing Mooney’s alleged use of House staff and official resources for campaign work and personal errands, like babysitting and party planning. As detailed by Schuman in his [First Branch Forecast](https://firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/the-new-years-eve-ethics-massacre) newsletter, the departing congressman Mooney and three other re-elected House members who had been under ethics investigation are heading into 2025 with a clean slate in these ethics cases, despite a combined six OCE reports between them over the past few years. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Crypto Ally French Hill to Lead Financial Services Committee URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/ Last updated: 2024-12-31T19:08:20.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Crypto%20Ally%20French%20Hill%20to%20Lead%20Financial%20Services%20Committee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Crypto%20Ally%20French%20Hill%20to%20Lead%20Financial%20Services%20Committee%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/31/crypto-ally-french-hill-to-lead-financial-services-committee/) The cryptocurrency industry has a champion set to take the gavel of the House Financial Services Committee in January, the body that is poised to advance its legislative wish list in the next Republican-controlled Congress. Arkansas Rep. French Hill, the incoming committee chair, edged out his chief rival for the position, Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, after telling colleagues he would prioritize crypto industry-favored legislation that would provide a regulatory framework for digital assets. Hill also [beat out](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/12/lxx-wins-house-financial-services-gavel) Bill Huizenga (Mich.) and Frank Lucas (Okla.) this month for the nod from the House Republican steering committee, replacing retiring committee Chair Patrick McHenry (N.C.). Hill is currently the chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion. He is one of the original sponsors of the major crypto bill known as FIT21, for Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, that [passed](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4763) the GOP-controlled House in May in a bipartisan vote of 279-136, but was not brought to a vote in the Senate. The industry-supported FIT21 bill treats digital assets that operate on decentralized blockchains as commodities regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), seen as a friendlier agency, while putting other digital assets that are considered securities under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Hill and McHenry both received a standing ovation from the Blockchain Association Summit held at the InterContinental - The Wharf DC this month, according to [Bloomberg](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pro-crypto-lawmaker-hill-eyes-185506261.html). On his priorities as chair, Hill [told](https://www.theblock.co/post/330851/incoming-committee-chair-rep-french-hill-plans-to-prioritize-digital-asset-legislation-in-the-new-year) CNBC recently, “We need a market structure for digital assets,” and said that House GOP leaders were on board with passing legislation addressing stablecoins in the first 100 days. Ron Hammond, director of government relations at the Blockchain Association, [told The Block](https://www.theblock.co/post/330896/new-congress-new-crack-at-crypto-legislation-whats-up-next-on-the-hill-in-2025) that under incoming chairman Hill, “We will see a reintroduction of a lot of bills that we are very, very familiar with.” This cycle, Coinbase was the fifth-largest donor to Hill’s campaign and leadership PAC, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/french-hill/contributors?cid=N00035792&cycle=2024&type=C), with the company’s employees and PAC combining for $48,000 contributed. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong gave nearly $12,000 of that amount this cycle. Coinbase [lobbyist](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/426c7586-1321-4e19-b756-b72e81e4bfe2/print/) Kara Calvert Campbell, a vice president of U.S. policy for the company, gave Hill’s committees more than $8,000\. The company’s employees had not donated to Hill during the previous two cycles, according to Federal Election Commission records. Also, the two co-founders and employees of major crypto investor Andreessen Horowitz donated $32,500 to Hill this cycle. Hill was the top House candidate recipient of Coinbase donations in the 2024 cycle, according to OpenSecrets’ [tally](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/coinbase/recipients?id=D000072255). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Khanna Stock Bill Laden With Spouse Loophole. Khanna Says It Will Be Fixed Next Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/30/ro-khannas-loophole-laden-stock-ban/ Last updated: 2024-12-31T00:21:00.000Z UPDATE: After publication, Khanna reached out to Sludge with a statement: "The intent of the resolution has always been to ban members and family members and require them to put their assets in an approved trust. That’s why we explicitly referenced the Trust Act in the whereas clause. But next Congress we will make it clear in the resolved clause as well that the Trust Act is the vehicle for a stock ban so there is absolutely no room for interpretation." Outside of the elite media bubble, one political topic that comes up time and again is the corruption posed by lawmakers trading stocks in the companies they regulate through their legislation. While this issue gets occasional play from the good government groups in Washington, it’s a constant theme on podcasts like Joe Rogan, where Nancy Pelosi’s net worth is a frequent topic of conversation, and on popular X finance accounts like WatcherGuru, Quiver Quantitative, and Unusual Whales, channels that reach millions of people on a daily basis. For whatever reason, those accounts have repeatedly highlighted Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-Calif.) calls to ban congressional stock trading, even though Khanna is just one of dozens of reps who have publicly taken that position. Just last Friday, for example, the 2.6-million-follower account WatcherGuru [posted](https://watcher.guru/news/us-congressman-calls-to-ban-congress-from-stock-trading) about a tweet Khanna put out on the topic, prompting a proposal from Khanna to become a [trending X topic](https://x.com/i/trending/1872780439200354388/normal). Here’s the X post from Khanna that caught fire: > It’s time to clean up corruption in Washington. Let’s pass my bill to: > > \- Ban PAC & lobbyists donations > \- Ban members from becoming lobbyists > \- Ban stock trading by members of Congress > \- Enact term limits for Congress & SCOTUS > \- Enact a code of ethics for SCOTUS > > — Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) [December 27, 2024](https://twitter.com/RepRoKhanna/status/1872688902156501023?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Khanna’s bill that he is calling on Congress to pass, [H. Res. 938](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/938?s=3&r=2), says, “Members of Congress should not be able to hold, unless in a blind trust, and trade stocks while retaining access to confidential information or crafting policies, as this leads to conflicts of interest, corruption, and even the possibility of insider trading.” It also notes that “Over 80 percent of Americans across political parties support a ban on Members of Congress holding and trading stocks.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Top Dem Bundler Lobbies Against Worker Protections for Amazon URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/27/top-dem-bundler-lobbies-against-worker-protections-for-amazon/ Last updated: 2024-12-27T20:47:00.000Z Top Democratic Party bundler Steve Elmendorf and his firm Avoq lobbied for Amazon on a warehouse worker safety bill, one targeting the company’s working conditions, that is supported by labor unions and opposed by business groups. The bicameral bill was a congressional priority this year for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which is representing thousands of workers at the major New York City fulfillment center that was the site of labor actions from Dec. 19 to Christmas Eve. Workers joined the strike at Amazon delivery facilities in Southern California, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Skokie, Illinois. Elmendorf and other Avoq lobbyists lobbied for Amazon with the U.S. House, Senate, and Executive Office of the President regarding “Issues related to workplace safety, including S. 4260, Warehouse Worker Protection Act,” according to Senate [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/aa709887-3824-4331-b496-ae8bbe864a41/print/) for Q2 and Q3 of this year. Elmendorf and his firm, formerly known as Subject Matter, have lobbied on labor, workplace, and antitrust issues for Amazon since 2019\. Amazon has paid the Democratic Party insider’s firm nearly $1.3 million for its lobbying on labor issues. Elmendorf, a longtime senior adviser and chief of staff to former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, [bundles six-figure amounts](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/09/top-democratic-fundraiser-is-a-registered-unitedhealth-group-lobbyist/) every six months for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), according to Federal Election Commission records. In the first half of 2024, he raised [$185,800](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00000935/1803973/sa/3L) for the DCCC, and he has also bundled hundreds of thousands for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). The Warehouse Worker Protection Act was [introduced](https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sens-markey-smith-casey-introduce-warehouse-worker-protection-act-to-crack-down-on-dangerous-warehouse-quota-systems) in May by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), with Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and the recently defeated Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) as original co-sponsors. The bill aims to prohibit high-speed work quotas for warehouse workers that have led to high injury rates among Amazon workers. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined as a co-sponsor in September, making the measure bipartisan, with a [dozen](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/5208/cosponsors) Senate cosponsors on the Democratic side of the aisle, like the recently defeated Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio). The House [version](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8639/cosponsors) is also bipartisan, with 50 co-sponsors. “The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is about protecting the health and dignity of workers from the scourge of corporate greed at Amazon and other large companies,” Markey [said](https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/bipartisan-momentum-builds-for-warehouse-worker-protection-act) in a statement. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DOGE’s Ties to the Military-Industrial Complex URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/23/doges-ties-to-the-military-industrial-complex/ Last updated: 2024-12-23T17:55:05.000Z 📢 Share this post [on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=DOGE%E2%80%99s%20Ties%20to%20the%20Military-Industrial%20Complex%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/23/doges-ties-to-the-military-industrial-complex/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=DOGE%E2%80%99s%20Ties%20to%20the%20Military-Industrial%20Complex%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/23/doges-ties-to-the-military-industrial-complex/) A political group funded by Elon Musk that until recently employed one of his partners in the Department of Government Efficiency is deeply tied to a lobbying firm that helps several of the largest Defense contractors secure contracts from the Pentagon and appropriations from Congress. In 2022, Musk [reportedly](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/elon-musk-political-donations-stephen-miller-desantis-39464294) began donating tens of millions to a nonprofit called Building America’s Future. The group raised more than $53 million that year, a big uptick from the $11 million it raised the year prior, and according to the Wall Street Journal, at least $43 million of that funding was provided by Musk. According to the group’s latest tax filing, it raised $20.9 million in 2023\. During the 2024 election cycle, Building America’s Future set up and funded a network of groups that supported Trump’s election, including the fictitious [Project 2028](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/pro-trump-dark-money-network-tied-to-elon-musk-behind-fake-pro-harris-campaign-scheme/), a group that pretended to be Harris’ version of the controversial Project 2025 document, and [Future Coalition PAC](https://thehill.com/business/4941848-super-pac-hits-harris-with-contradictory-ads-on-israel/), which targeted Arab and Jewish voters in battleground states with contradictory messages on Kamala Harris’ stance on Israel. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Building America’s Future is closely connected to a public affairs firm led by Republican strategist Phil Cox called P2 Public Affairs. Its board members include Katherine Neal, a senior vice president at P2, and it was formerly led by Generra Peck, a partner and president with the company. P2 principal Katie Miller was working as a [senior advisor](https://flvoicenews.com/building-americas-future-launches-ad-campaign-thanking-gop-governors-for-dismantling-dei-programs/) for Building America’s Future as recently as this past September, though this weekend she was [named](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-names-former-staffer-katie-miller-musk-led-doge-panel-2024-12-22/) by President-elect Trump to join the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), alongside Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Miller, the spouse of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, was formerly a press secretary for vice president Mike Pence. While P2 Public Affairs does not disclose the companies it provides its services to, it works closely with its “sister firm” GuidePost Strategies, a lobbying firm that publicly reports its clients in mandatory filings with the House and Senate. “Through work with our sister firm, P2 Public Affairs, GuidePost has the toolkit and experience to run national campaigns to activate voices in support of policy, shape public opinion, and create actions on behalf of your interests,” the company’s website says. GuidePost and P2 Public Affairs share the same office in Washington D.C. According to lobbying filings, the Cox-led lobbying company works for some of the largest government contractors in the world, companies that could have billions of dollars at stake in DOGE’s decisions on where to make cuts in the federal budget. GuidePost Strategies lobbies the government on Defense appropriations for three massive Department of Defense contractors: [General Dynamics](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/34c1eb95-0f73-430b-97a3-deb50676e3c3/print/), [Honeywell](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/02cc06c9-b419-4615-94bc-c9d26c492e64/print/), and [General Atomics](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/94c1fcb8-5e75-46cf-b4ad-d19c7ef18bb1/print/). According to [figures](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/) from Defense News, General Dynamics had nearly $34 billion in Defense revenue in 2023, the fourth-highest amount among U.S. companies, while Honeywell had almost $5 billion. Honeywell executives [see](https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/honeywell-targets-unmanned-market-as-interest-in-drone-wingmen-grows/) drone warfare as a growth opportunity, and Musk has highlighted drones as a military solution for the DOGE commission to examine. The Defense budget is by far the largest discretionary portion of federal spending, and [about half](https://readsludge.com/2023/09/22/big-five-contractors-get-one-sixth-of-pentagon-budget-analysis/) of it goes to private contractors. The Defense budget is notorious for wasteful spending through its contractors, who face little oversight and almost no market competition. Just last month, the Pentagon [failed](https://responsiblestatecraft.org/pentagon-fails-audit/) its 7th annual audit in a row, for failing to provide auditors with sufficient data. Defense spending is an area where some Democrats have been hoping to find common ground with Musk and DOGE. Earlier this month, House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) published an [op-ed](https://khanna.house.gov/media/in-the-news/opinion-democrats-can-work-doge-i-know-exactly-where-start) urging Democrats to work with DOGE on cutting the Defense budget through better contracting. “We should make defense contracting more competitive, helping small and medium-sized businesses to compete for Defense Department projects,” Khanna wrote. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has taken a [similar position](https://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/bernie-sanders-backs-doge-as-it-eyes-pentagon-budget-cuts-elon-musk-is-right-department-of-government-efficiency-trump-vivek-ramaswamy-department-of-defense), writing on X that “Elon Musk is right” to be looking at cutting the Pentagon budget. Several of GuidePost’s lobbyists have specialized in working on appropriations matters, including principal Ryan Canfield, former legislative director for the then-Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Hal Rogers, and principal Michael Bain, who was a Democratic staffer of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee for nearly a decade. 🎁 [****Give the gift of Sludge**](https://readsludge.com/gift-subscription/) — all gift subscriptions through the end of the year will be ****matched** by the Institute for Nonprofit News! The NewsMatch drive is a crucial opportunity for our reader-supported newsroom. Your recipient will get an email welcoming them right away to a year of full access to our reporting and our news archives. ### Top Pharma Cash Recipient Takes Key Industry Oversight Job URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/20/top-pharma-cash-recipient-takes-key-industry-oversight-job/ Last updated: 2024-12-20T21:33:23.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Top%20Recipient%20of%20Pharma%20Money%20in%20Congress%20Takes%20Key%20Pharma%20Oversight%20Job%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/20/top-pharma-cash-recipient-takes-key-industry-oversight-job/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Top%20Recipient%20of%20Pharma%20Money%20in%20Congress%20Takes%20Key%20Pharma%20Oversight%20Job%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/20/top-pharma-cash-recipient-takes-key-industry-oversight-job/) The next chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce was the top recipient of campaign cash in Congress from the pharmaceuticals and health products industry this election cycle. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) secured the chair of the E&C committee, which has vast oversight over the health sector, Medicare and Medicaid, and prescription drug safety, this month by winning the nod from the House Republican Steering Committee. The committee’s chair went up for grabs when Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) announced her retirement in February. Guthrie has received over $1.8 million from the pharmaceuticals and health products industry over his career, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?code=H04++&cycle=All&ind=H04++&mem=Y&recipdetail=H)—more than any other currently-serving Republican in the House. The haul is second all-time among GOP House members only to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had over $2.2 million. This election cycle, Guthrie was the [number one](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?code=H04++&cycle=2024&ind=H04++&mem=Y&recipdetail=M) recipient of donations from the pharmaceuticals and health products industry among all congressional incumbents, outpacing even Senate candidates Bob Casey and Jon Tester. Guthrie received [$507,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?code=H04++&cycle=2024&ind=H04++&mem=Y&recipdetail=H) from the industry during the 2024 cycle. The industry, as calculated by OpenSecrets, includes the employees and PACs of Pfizer, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, and other drugmakers, as well as companies like medical device maker Abbott Labs. It is perennially one of the top spenders on lobbying and campaign contributions in D.C. “Energy and Commerce is one of the most powerful committees in Congress impacting drug pricing policy,” said Steve Knievel, access to medicines advocate at the nonprofit Public Citizen. “As its Chair, Rep. Guthrie will have the power to advance proposals to repeal or gut Medicare drug price negotiations.” Guthrie is ready to change the historic drug pricing reforms that became law in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): earlier this year, he introduced [H.R. 7174](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7174/cosponsors), legislation that would extend the period of exemption from Medicare drug price negotiations for small-molecule drugs to match the exemption period that was given to large-molecule biologics by the IRA. The bill is frequently mentioned in lobbying disclosures by trade association PhRMA, as well as drugmakers like Pfizer and Merck. After the November elections, pharma lobbyists [told Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/big-pharma-pushes-trump-team-ease-medicare-drug-price-negotiation-rules-2024-11-27/) that they are seeking to “delay the timeline under which medications become eligible for price negotiations by four years for small molecule drugs,” altering the IRA’s drug pricing provisions. The lobbyists expect that legislative changes will occur through the budget reconciliation process in the Republican-controlled Congress, needing only a majority of Senate votes to pass. The eighth-term Guthrie, who currently chairs the Subcommittee on Health, was also the top recipient among all House members during the 2024 cycle from the health services industry ([$221,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries//recips?ind=H03%20%20&cycle=2024&recipdetail=H&Mem=Y&sortorder=U)), which is defined by OpenSecrets as including companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealth. It was a step up for him, after being the industry’s second-highest recipient during the 2022 midterms cycle. Guthrie was also the top recipient among all members in Congress from two other related industries in OpenSecrets’ categorization this cycle: the medical devices and suppliers industry ([$138,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips?Mem=Y&code=H4100&cycle=2024&ind=H4100&recipdetail=A&sortorder=U)), which in addition to Abbott Laboratories includes donors like technology and device company Medtronic; and pharmaceutical manufacturing ([$177,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries//recips?ind=H4300&cycle=2024&recipdetail=H&Mem=Y&sortorder=U)), which in addition to Pfizer includes groups like PhRMA. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s Lobbyist Buddies Cash In URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/19/trumps-lobbyists-buddies-cash-in/ Last updated: 2024-12-19T21:58:00.000Z Some of Trump’s close advisers have been cashing in since the election by signing lucrative lobbying contracts with new clients for whom they will work to influence the administration or other parts of the government. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Groups Urge State AGs to Bring Antitrust Cases Against Nvidia URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/18/groups-urge-state-ags-to-bring-antitrust-cases-against-nvidia/ Last updated: 2024-12-18T20:48:36.000Z 💡 **Share this post* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Consumer%20Groups%20Ask%20State%20AGs%20to%20Bring%20Antitrust%20Cases%20Against%20Nvidia%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/18/groups-urge-state-ags-to-bring-antitrust-cases-against-nvidia/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Consumer%20Groups%20Urge%20State%20AGs%20to%20Bring%20Antitrust%20Cases%20Against%20Nvidia%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/18/groups-urge-state-ags-to-bring-antitrust-cases-against-nvidia/) A coalition of groups focused on corporate power is calling on state attorneys general to bring antitrust actions against chipmaking giant Nvidia, which is facing a federal investigation over anti-competitive business practices. In a letter sent today to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), the groups urge the state officials to initiate antitrust enforcement action against Nvidia over alleged anti-competitive practices that lock in customers—and lock out smaller players. The [letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25463078-state-ag-nvidia-letter-12-18-24/), sent to NAAG executive director Brian A. Kane by the nonprofit Demand Progress Education Fund and eight other organizations, calls attention to the impacts on state economies and startups when a company at the scale of Nvidia can pick favorites among its Big Tech buyers, warning it can leave “small businesses paying higher prices and consumers subject to privacy violations and other harms.” The letter argues that antitrust actions brought by state attorneys general (AGs) should complement federal probes and scrutiny from regulators, and can lead to more comprehensive resolutions. “State attorneys general can be champions in the equitable development of A.I. by taking on Nvidia’s near-total stranglehold on the market for chips that power A.I.,” said Emily Peterson-Cassin, Demand Progress Education Fund’s corporate power director. “By taking action, state AGs can turn up the heat on Nvidia and send a strong message that this kind of anti-competitive market manipulation has real consequences. State AGs are uniquely poised to protect businesses in their state by ensuring that one single company doesn’t own the future of A.I.,” Peterson-Cassin said. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Nvidia’s explosive growth over the past few years has made it the darling of Wall Street and one of the most valuable companies in the world. The company’s dominance in the chip market is stark: it has [88%](https://www.xda-developers.com/nvidia-88-gpu-market-share/) of the total market for GPU chips, and an incredible [98%](https://www.hpcwire.com/2024/06/10/nvidia-shipped-3-76-million-data-center-gpus-in-2023-according-to-study/) of the market for data-center chips powering A.I. projects, by reports this year. Regulators have taken notice of Nvidia’s massive market position. In September, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, sending subpoenas to it and other technology companies looking into anti-competitive practices that hinder smaller companies, according to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-17/databricks-to-hit-62-billion-valuation-in-massive-funding-round). In addition to requesting information on alleged preferential pricing and supply to exclusive customers, the D.O.J. probe is scrutinizing Nvidia’s acquisition of the A.I. startup RunAI. China has also launched an antitrust [investigation](https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-investigates-nvidia-over-suspected-violation-antimonopoly-law-2024-12-09/) into the company over violations of antitrust laws and the terms of a 2020 agreement related to its acquisition of Mellanox Technologies. The new letter urges state AGs to bring focus on Nvidia’s business practices during a time of presidential transition. “State-level lawsuits can lead to more tailored remedies that address specific harms faced by local communities, which might be overlooked in the broader federal and international cases,” it says. The incoming Trump administration will turn over the leadership at D.O.J., but antitrust-focused lawmakers in Congress are keeping up pressure on Nvidia’s dominance in the A.I. space. Last week, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on antitrust issues, [sent a letter](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25463081-scanlon-doj-antitrust-division-letter/) addressed to outgoing Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter, encouraging the D.O.J.’s Antitrust Division to continue its investigation into Nvidia’s anti-competitive practices, such as pushing clients into bundling and exclusivity deals. “In an era marked by rapid advances in A.I technologies, it is important that the D.O.J. and other enforcers prevent anti-competitive behavior that undermines innovation and harms consumers,” the Scanlon letter states. Several lawsuits have been filed against Nvidia this year accusing the company of anti-competitive behaviors. One suit [filed](https://www.fierceelectronics.com/electronics/xockets-lawsuit-seeks-billions-nvidia-microsoft) in September by a Texas-based startup Xockets accuses Nvidia and Microsoft of patent infringement and monopolizing chip markets, disadvantaging smaller A.I. companies. In the third quarter of this year, Nvidia more than [doubled](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-crushes-expectations-more-doubling-225313632.html) its profits over last year, and its stock price has more than doubled in 2024. In its most recent [report](https://s201.q4cdn.com/141608511/files/doc%5Fgovernance/2023/06/NVDA-Political-Contributions-and-Expenditures-Policy-External.pdf) on its political activity from June 2023, Nvidia disclosed membership in trade associations that spend millions of dollars annually on lobbying the federal government, including the Information Technology and Innovation Council and the National Venture Capital Association. The previous year, the company [disclosed](https://s201.q4cdn.com/141608511/files/doc%5Fgovernance/2023/02/NVIDIA-Political-Contributions-and-Expenditures-%28External%29-Feb-14-2023.pdf) membership in the Consumer Technology Association, of which Apple and Microsoft are among the core members. At the end of 2022, Nvidia started up its own D.C. lobbying activity, after not spending on federal lobbying in previous years, according to Senate records. The chipmaker [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/2167d1f6-4ff8-4362-b785-4b9b8e431499/print/) four lobbyists with the bipartisan Tiber Creek Group, and last year [beefed up](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/048420b9-a40d-4c9b-80bc-82a58ea9c1ed/print/) its corps with a handful more from the Nickles Group, a firm founded by longtime Republican Oklahoma senator Don Nickles. The letter to the state AG association was also joined by the Artist Rights Alliance, Economic Security Project Action, Future of Music Coalition, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Lake Research Partners, NextGen Competition, Open Markets Institute, and the Revolving Door Project. Even with Nvidia’s market dominance, startups are angling for a foothold in the burgeoning A.I. field. This June, Fernando Vidal, co-founder of 3Fourteen Research, told [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/02/nvidia-dominates-the-ai-chip-market-but-theres-rising-competition-.html), “Nobody can deny that today Nvidia is the hardware you want to train and run A.I. models. But there’s been incremental progress in leveling the playing field, from hyperscalers working on their own chips, to even little startups, designing their own silicon.” ### Sabotage in the Democratic Party URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/17/sabotage-in-the-democratic-party/ Last updated: 2024-12-17T17:43:31.000Z Once again, third-term House Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been opposed by the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for a prominent committee position, in favor of a more senior, establishment-oriented member of the caucus. Last night, the committee voted 34-27 to endorse 74-year old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) over AOC to be the ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Ocasio-Cortez will continue her bid to lead the committee today by seeking the support of the full House caucus. The Democrats’ committee leadership positions are officially approved by a caucus-wide vote, but the caucus typically votes to confirm the endorsements of the Steering and Policy Committee. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In announcing her candidacy for the position last week, Ocasio-Cortez said she would be focused on “both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life.” Shortly after announcing, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi [reportedly](https://punchbowl.news/article/house/nancy-pelosi-aoc-house-oversight-committee/) began working behind the scenes to sink Ocasio-Cortez’s candidacy for the job by making calls to her colleagues asking them to instead vote for Connolly, a long-time ally who supported her over the years amid contentious speakership votes. While Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democrats’ progressive flank known as “The Squad,” Connolly is a member of the industry-aligned New Democrat Caucus, which endorsed him for the position. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Kamala Harris’ Popstar Splurge URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/16/kamala-harris-popstar-splurge/ Last updated: 2024-12-16T22:25:15.000Z The Harris campaign may have lacked the enthusiasm and popular support it needed to win the election, but it had more than a billion dollars to spend on rallies and paid media to try and drum up more interest. One of the ways the Harris campaign used its enormous financial advantage over the Trump campaign was paying pop stars who appeared at her rallies to perform their hit songs and endorse her candidacy. Some such payments have been identified by other outlets, but Sludge reviewed the campaign’s [latest FEC disclosures](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00703975/1858333/), covering contributions and expenditures from mid-October through mid-November, and identified several more Harris campaign payments to celebrities. On Election Day eve, Christina Aguilera rocked the stage at a Harris rally in Las Vegas. “Taking to the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the singer, 43, sang a powerful rendition of her iconic hit Fighter with election-themed lyrics,” the [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14042623/Christina-Aguilera-Kamala-Harris-Las-Vegas.html) reported. “She looked incredible in an edgy ensemble, consisting of a black satin blouse with lace-up hot pants and fishnet stockings.” “Let's raise our voices and vote for freedom!,” said Aguilera. > [Unlock this post with a free trial>> ](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) Three Wishes Productions, Inc., the company that owns the trademark to “Christina Aguilera," was paid $375,000 by Harris for President for campaign event entertainment on Nov. 19, according to the FEC disclosure. Later in the evening on Election Day eve, popstar Katy Perry appeared at a Harris campaign event in Pittsburgh. Perry performed a medley of her songs and strongly endorsed Harris, who she said she has known since before she was a U.S. senator. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Michigan Groups Urge Lawmakers to Ban Monopoly Utilities and Government Contractors From Making Political Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/16/michigan-groups-urge-lawmakers-to-ban-monopoly-utilities-and-government-contractors-from-making-political-donations-2/ Last updated: 2024-12-19T13:32:53.000Z 💡 **Share this story* [**on X*](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Taking%20Back%20Our%20Power%20in%20Michigan%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/16/michigan-groups-urge-lawmakers-to-ban-monopoly-utilities-and-government-contractors-from-making-political-donations-2/) *and* [**Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Taking%20Back%20Our%20Power%20in%20Michigan%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/16/michigan-groups-urge-lawmakers-to-ban-monopoly-utilities-and-government-contractors-from-making-political-donations-2/) --- Michigan residents pay the highest utility rates in the Midwest, but for decades they have had more power outages than just about any other state. The nonprofit news outlet Bridge Michigan [reported](https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-near-tops-nation-outages-utilities-want-raise-rates) earlier this year that the state’s residential power bills are 17% higher than the average in Great Lakes states, with only two other states, Texas and California, experiencing more major outages. A coalition of community and environmental groups in Michigan are calling for a legislative fix that aims to restore accountability in service delivery and rein in rising rates. Formed in February, the [Taking Back Our Power](https://takingbackmi.org/) coalition is urging state lawmakers to pass legislation that would prevent regulated monopoly corporations like electric companies DTE Energy and Consumers Energy from making political contributions. Time is running out to pass the reforms, the coalition says. The Michigan legislature is now in its lame-duck session, and next year, the state House will flip to Republican control, with the GOP taking a 58-52 majority in the elections. The changeover will break up a Democratic trifecta in the state obtained in 2022\. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDpahoyxRKZ/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Sludge (@readsludge)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDpahoyxRKZ/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) The bills that would block regulated energy companies and other monopolies from political giving are House Bills 5520 and 5521, sponsored by state Rep. Dylan Wegela (D). A pair of related bills, HB 5975 and 5976, sponsored by Rep. Donavan McKinney (D), would bar major government contractors and companies seeking government contracts from covered political contributions. All four bills are supported by House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash, who has [called](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/utilities-gave-big-michigan-lawmakers-now-weighing-reforms-records-show) the utility company contributions to state officials a “major conflict of interest.” Fifteen states and the federal government limit political giving by regulated monopolies or government contractors, according to the coalition. The state’s two biggest utilities, DTE and Consumers, are hefty corporate donors: at least 102 of the 148 sitting lawmakers have [received PAC donations](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/utilities-gave-big-michigan-lawmakers-now-weighing-reforms-records-show) from them in recent years. State legislators have considered rules for utilities like compensation after long outages, but the two utilities have deflected pushes to pay out more customer credits. Watch full conversation with Michigan groups on [YouTube >>](https://youtu.be/d7zREFa7vXk?si=ODIL4IBx7OtGfAJm) A [recent poll](https://michiganadvance.com/2024/09/05/michigan-voters-support-limiting-corporate-political-contributions-new-poll-says/) found that the vast majority of Michiganders support barring contributions from monopolies and government contractors. In a survey of state voters by the firm Emma White Research, 81% of voters supported a bill to limit contributions from regulated monopolies and government contractors. The popularity is strong across partisanship: among the respondents, 90% of Democrats favored the measures, 84% of Independents, and 66% of Republicans. The legislation’s rollout was accompanied by rallies from the coalition, whose members include Clean Water Action, Climate Cabinet, Community Change Action, Detroit Action, Detroit Jews for Justice, Emergent Justice, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Michigan United Action, MOSES Action, and Voters Not Politicians. With an organizing push from the coalition, [26 state lawmakers](https://takingbackmi.org/#the-pledge) have joined the Taking Back Our Power pledge in support of the legislation, which says, “Stopping these companies from manipulating our democracy through political spending means Michiganders can vote with more faith that their voice matters." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/20240222_120657.jpg) Scott Holiday of Detroit Action, at a Taking Back Our Power campaign announcement Last week, the bills got a boost from the [endorsement](https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/uaw-and-seiu-throw-support-behind-legislation-limiting-political-contributions-from-utilities/) of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The large labor unions included the measures in a list of legislation they called on Democrats to pass in the lame duck, saying the Wegela and McKinney bills would “fight back against corporate greed by fighting corporate influence in our politics and policy making.” Coalition groups tell Sludge that the upcoming week in the state legislature’s calendar is critical if Michigan Democrats are to live up to their commitments to make progress on pocketbook issues for working families. Scott Holiday, executive director of the community group Detroit Action, said, “I think this is an opportunity for Democratic leadership to show voters that they're standing with working people for once, despite the pressure from corporate donors.” “Right now we're in this lame-duck session,” said Em Perry, organizing director of the nonprofit Michigan United. “It's really the last chance for the Democrats that hold the majority for just a little bit longer to do the right thing and show that they actually do support their constituents and the working class—and care about health care, and environmental justice, and all the things that they say.” Nichole Keway Biber, campaign organizer with Clean Water Action, said of the campaign, “We want to get to the point where we can come forward with the solutions that we have had for decades now, on how this could get better, and have a chance to bring that onto the agenda—without always having to push back against the outsize influence of those with the money to influence our politicians, who are supposed to be our representatives.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/DSC01011.jpg) Nichole Keway Biber of Clean Water Action, at a coalition rally at the State Capitol House Bills 5520 and 5521 would [prohibit](https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2023-2024/billintroduced/House/pdf/2024-HIB-5520.pdf) contributions from electric or natural gas utilities to a number of committees for candidates and state parties, as well as 501(c)4 or 527 organizations controlled by a candidate or state official. House Bills 5975 and 5976 would [prohibit](https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2023-2024/billintroduced/House/pdf/2024-HIB-5975.pdf) other large state contractors (those with $250,000 or more in awards, or those seeking government contracts) from making political contributions, which the Taking Back Our Power coalition says would cover state giants like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Comcast, and insurer Delta Dental. The period of the prohibition for contractors would be 18 months before a contract, during its term, and 18 months after its termination. ### **The Costs of Outages** First-term state Rep. Wegela [introduced](https://michiganadvance.com/2024/02/23/lawmakers-band-together-with-newly-formed-coalition-to-ban-political-contributions-from-utilities/) the legislation to block power utility donations in February, saying, “It is much cheaper for these corporations to spend money buying influence in the political process than it is for them to improve the quality of their services.” A pair of storms last year knocked out power to more than 700,000 customers, beset by an unreliable energy grid. The number of major outages in Michigan has been rising over the past three years, [data](https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-near-tops-nation-outages-utilities-want-raise-rates) shows, and thousands of outage complaints were lobbed into the Michigan Public Service Commission last year. In introducing his bill, Wegela pointed to the need for the companies to be held accountable for addressing the causes of frequent outages: upgrading the power grid, trimming trees, burying power lines, and the like. Perry of Michigan United says the group’s listening sessions statewide zeroed in on not only the monetary cost, but also the wider disruptions of power outages that can last eight hours or longer. “We have many folks that are not only disabled people, but elderly people and folks that just run into different medical issues that end up being bankrupt or just struggling financially for so long because of medical bills and then public power,” said Perry. Perry said the group has been door-knocking and holding meetings at institutions like churches to have conversations about what mattered most to communities, and what they heard back was access to affordable and universal healthcare, followed by the importance of public oversight of energy utilities, toward improving on environmental concerns and restoring accountability. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/DSC02175.jpg) Taking Back Our Power coalition testimony in Michigan “We have these ridiculous power outages where people are losing hundreds of dollars or more,” Perry said. “And not just the generator costs, hotels, and spoiled food, but irreplaceable things, like breast milk, medication, and much more. Michigan ratepayers “keep fighting to get any sort of reimbursement. Instead, they just get another rate hike and another rate hike every single year,” Perry said. “That's because our legislators that we are electing, whose job is to represent their constituents, are being bought and paid for by these exact corporations, by DTE, by Consumers Energy… and they're drowning out the voices of the people.” DTE requested that state regulators approve a [$456 million](https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-near-tops-nation-outages-utilities-want-raise-rates) rate increase, an almost ten percent increase for residential customers that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel deemed excessive. Holiday of Detroit Action said that the group has built support for the pledge through lobby days in the state capital of Lansing, having members call and email legislators, and setting up in-district meetings. Holiday said the group, of working-class Detroiters from communities of color, is driving for transparency in state government from the utility companies. “From what we know, the response from the past two years is less addressing the grid and more pumping money into their advertisements, and making themselves look like good community partners,” Holiday said. “And I think that a good community partner is one that is responsive to the community that it serves, and is governed by the body that is supposed to govern it.” While Michigan Democrats opened the first 100 days of their trifecta by passing a slew of progressive bills, the American Prospect [reported](https://prospect.org/power/2024-12-03-michigan-democrats-deliver-lame-duck-disappointment/) this month, the lame-duck session has been dominated by corporate subsidy legislation, overshadowing criminal justice reform, public health, and other measures. Biber of Clean Water Action told Sludge, “When people bring forward their stories of struggling with utilities, struggling with the power outages, they're largely both outraged and mystified as to how this keeps happening, year after year. “People have solutions at the ready on what they would need to improve reliability, improve the water quality, take care of long-neglected matters,” Biber said. “The reason they're neglected is because of corruption. Then we need to get rid of the corruption.” ### **Millions in Donations From DTE and Consumers** Jonathan Hogstad, director of strategic campaigns and strategic research for the multiracial democracy and economic justice organization Community Change, said the Michigan legislation follows precedent in other state governments’ regulations. “It's been called, a little wonky term, anti-pay-to-play,” Hogstad says. “The courts have affirmed that states, despite the Supreme Court decision in *Citizens United*, are allowed to ban political contributions under an anti-corruption framework. “Then we looked at all of the top corporate contributors, and virtually all of them were government contractors or regulated monopolies,” Hogstad said. “If your business model is predicated on disproportionate influence over elected officials, it's just a simple return on investment.” In an FAQ document for lawmakers shared with Sludge, the coalition pointed to similar measures that have been made law in Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Georgia that limit contributions by government contractors, aiming to reduce “pay-to-play” corruption. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/DSC01149.jpg) Taking Back Our Power coalition lobby day in Michigan Research from Taking Back Our Power, shared with Sludge, found that 14 of the top 20 corporate contributors in Michigan are regulated monopolies, government contractors, or their lobbyists, according to their review of data from the state-level resource FollowTheMoney. According to the analysis from the coalition, which includes contributions to state party committees and candidates over the past 10 years, [DTE Energy](https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?d-eid=851#[%7B1%7Cgro=y,d-ad-st) has given at least $2.8 million and [Consumers Energy](https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?d-eid=610#[%7B1%7Cgro=d-ad-st,y) has given at least $1.8 million in the state. The utilities trail only corporate giant Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s $3.4 million given over that time. Due to gaps in disclosures, these figures do not include several major avenues of influence spending: donations to leadership PACs, which politicians use to advance in caucus leadership, and donations to “dark money” 501(c)4 nonprofits, which do not appear in campaign finance records. Both [DTE](https://energynews.us/2023/08/28/new-settlement-agreement-aims-to-put-spotlight-on-dte-linked-dark-money/) and [Consumers](https://energyandpolicy.org/consumers-energy-citizens-for-energizing-michigans-economy-2020/) have funneled large amounts into non-disclosing groups that made donations and promoted candidates. “This shouldn't be a radical thing,” Hogstad said. “If we want to actually have utilities that provide affordable, dependable energy, we can't allow them to have the power that they do.” DTE and Consumers Energy were [major corporate donors](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/) to Michigan Republican legislators who sought to advance restrictive voting measures in 2022, before losing the House majority. Michigan groups in the Defend Black Voters coalition had [called out](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/02/protesters-target-michigan-businesses-over-voter-suppression/) both utilities in protests over the voter disenfranchisement proposals. Hogstad mentioned that in the recent [poll](https://michiganadvance.com/2024/09/05/michigan-voters-support-limiting-corporate-political-contributions-new-poll-says/), Republican respondents’ support rose the most when presented with the best arguments on both sides, rising from 66% to 80%. “You have to go to something like ice cream if you want to get that kind of bipartisan agreement,” Hogstad told Sludge. “There's nothing in today's world that has, from a voter's perspective, that kind of support across the spectrum.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/DSC01077.jpg) Taking Back Our Power rally at the Michigan State Capitol Utility companies have been behind headline-grabbing political scandals over the past decade, as documented in a [January 2023 report](https://energyandpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Getting-Politics-Out-of-Utility-Bills.pdf) titled “Getting Politics Out of Utility Bills” from the watchdog Energy and Policy Institute, which recommends states adopt tighter limits on utilities’ political donations. In Ohio, FirstEnergy was recently ordered to pay [$100 million](https://apnews.com/article/firstenergy-ohio-bribery-9873386a884ee33396a8d6b7e9e36713) for its role in a [$61 million bribery scheme](https://readsludge.com/2021/06/05/firstenergy-defends-its-role-in-61-million-bribery-scheme/) involving dark money groups and the state General Assembly. In Florida, a dark money group [coordinated](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/25/florida-republican-introduces-alec-bill-to-protect-dark-money-in-politics/) with electric monopoly Florida Power & Light to run so-called “ghost candidates” to pull away votes. In Illinois, powerful former Illinois House speaker Mike Madigan was [charged](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/31/with-chicagos-mayoral-race-awash-in-big-money-reformers-aim-to-amplify-small-donors/) with racketeering and bribery, including for [demanding](https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/03/02/mike-madigan-indicted-on-federal-charges-accused-of-using-bribery-schemes-report-says/) jobs and contracts from the state’s largest utility company ComEd. The Madigan trial is [underway](https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/michael-madigan-trial-live-updates-prosecutors-resting-case-former-illinois-speaker/15636275/entry/15569554/). In the 10 states that elect their utility commissioners, the nonprofit newsroom Floodlight [reported last month](https://floodlightnews.org/utility-regulators-are-taking-millions-from-industries-they-oversee/), more than a third of the contributions of $250 or larger that commissioners raised came from fossil fuel interests and electric utilities. Electric utility monopolies also use funds from captive ratepayers for lobbying pushes of legislators and regulators, according to a [September report](https://www.economicliberties.us/our-work/reforming-the-utility-system-to-better-serve-the-american-public/) on reforming the utility system from the nonprofit American Economic Liberties Project (AELP). The group mentions Dominion Energy in Virginia, which was caught trying to bill customers for $9 million a year in dues to trade associations. The volatility of energy generated from fossil fuels, AELP’s report notes, disproportionately affects low-income and moderate-income families, citing [research](https://rmi.org/1-in-7-families-live-in-energy-poverty-states-can-ease-that-burden) from the nonpartisan Rocky Mountain Institute that one in seven U.S. households has an average energy burden of 14% or more. Biber said that anti-corruption measures are popular with Michigan voters because they've seen how an issue as straightforward as access to clean water is treated by corporations as an inconvenience. “It's a matter of whether we’re considering the bottom line for these very lucrative companies, or are we going to consider the basic needs of the people, things like homes with reliable utilities, health care, and also something as basic as water,” Biber said. “So Taking Back Our Power, really, it's taking back our power to come forward with our good ideas,” said Biber. 🎥 [**Like this story's video on Instagram Reels*](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDpahoyxRKZ/) *Sludge video produced by* [*Spencer Snyder*](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder) ### Here’s What Big Oil Spent on This Year's Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/13/heres-what-big-oil-spent-on-this-years-elections/ Last updated: 2024-12-16T17:18:28.000Z Six American “Big Oil” companies spent more than $29 million combined on federal political contributions during the 2023-24 election cycle, a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission and ProPublica 527 Explorer data found. The donations helped propel Republicans to control Congress, where lawmakers are preparing to expand oil and gas drilling and reverse environmental protections. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Manchin and Sinema’s Parting Gift to Corporate America URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/12/manchin-and-sinemas-parting-gift-to-corporate-america/ Last updated: 2025-11-14T15:51:46.000Z 💡 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Manchin%20and%20Sinema%E2%80%99s%20Parting%20Gift%20to%20Corporate%20America%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/12/manchin-and-sinemas-parting-gift-to-corporate-america/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Manchin%20and%20Sinema%E2%80%99s%20Parting%20Gift%20to%20Corporate%20America%0A%0Ahttps%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/12/manchin-and-sinemas-parting-gift-to-corporate-america/). Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, former Democrats turned Independents, handed the incoming Trump administration control of a key labor rights watchdog by siding with Senate Republicans on another vote as they near the end of their terms in Congress. The two retiring centrist lawmakers [voted on Wednesday](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1182/vote%5F118%5F2%5F00320.htm) to block the nomination of Lauren McFerran to another term on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The vote sinks an effort by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to extend a 3-2 Democratic majority on the board into 2026, and allows Donald Trump to pick her replacement when he takes office, giving the GOP a majority on the board. The NLRB oversees employees’ rights to organize, addresses unfair labor practices, and adjudicates worker disputes at companies like Amazon, Trader Joe’s, and Starbucks. With the Trump administration expected to weaken the NLRB’s labor regulations, Democrats had [urged](https://www.axios.com/2024/12/11/schumer-nlrb-vote-manchin-sinema) Schumer to vote on another five-year term for McFerran. Sinema (Ariz.) voted “no” with every Senate GOP member except Roger Marshall (Kansas), who did not vote. Congressional reporter Jamie Dupree [noted](https://x.com/jamiedupree/status/1866541358376423863) that Sinema had missed numerous recent votes, but not this one. With the cloture vote tied 49-49, Manchin (W.V.) returned to the chamber floor to vote “no” on advancing, sealing it. Trump’s NLRB picks during his first term [largely sided](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lauren-mcferran-senate-confirmation%5Fn%5F6759e9d9e4b02802b83c2a7a) with business against workers. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, [said](https://apnews.com/article/nlrb-labor-board-manchin-sinema-5e6dea85b147b4f53da000cef813b996) that the senators who blocked McFarren’s re-nomination “voted against the working people of this country." Around 140 former Trump administration employees were involved in the Project 2025 conservative policy agenda laid out by the Heritage Foundation, a [blueprint](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/project-2025s-plan-to-crush-unions) that seeks to quash the ability of private-sector workers to form unions, severely restrict or even ban public-sector unions, undermine long-standing worker protections, and roll back national labor rules such as overtime pay. Manchin [told reporters](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lauren-mcferran-senate-confirmation%5Fn%5F6759e9d9e4b02802b83c2a7a) that his opposition was driven by McFerran’s support for a “joint-employer” rule, which holds that a company might be considered a joint employer if it controls working conditions or employees’ wages and hours, despite not being the primary employer. The rule was successfully [challenged](https://www.uschamber.com/employment-law/unions/new-joint-employer-rule-gives-nlrb-license-to-declare-joint-employment-relationship) in court by the powerful U.S Chamber of Commerce, annually among the top lobbying spenders in D.C. Among the scores more business groups that joined a coalition [letter](https://savelocalbusinesses.com/app/uploads/2023/12/FINAL-Coalition-Letter.pdf) against the NLRB rule included the National Retail Federation, whose [leaders](https://nrf.com/about-us/board-directors) include executives from Walmart and Target, and the Real Estate Roundtable. ## Join Our Newsletter Independent reporting on the money behind the headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. Yesterday’s votes are being [seen](https://www.commondreams.org/news/manchin-sinema-workers) by progressives as a fitting cap on Manchin and Sinema’s record in blocking the Democrats’ legislative agenda during the first two years of the Biden administration. On one front, Manchin and Sinema were the [lone Democratic holdouts](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/15/dems-spent-half-of-2021-blocked-by-filibusters-of-voting-rights-bills/) against reforming the Senate filibuster rules to be able to hold votes on bills with a majority in favor of proceeding—a reform that would have cleared the way for a vote on the major [House Democrat-passed](https://readsludge.com/2021/03/03/house-dems-pass-sweeping-campaign-finance-and-voting-reform-bill/) government ethics and election reform bill, the For the People Act. (The voting rights bill was twice filibustered by the Senate GOP and expired at the end of 2022.) In a climactic appearance on Fox News in December 2021, Manchin [dealt the fatal blow](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/30/manchin-raked-in-record-q4-donations-while-killing-build-back-better-act/) to the Democrats’ social spending and climate package, the Build Back Better Act (known as the BBB). In the key fourth quarter of that year, Manchin posted his highest-ever fundraising total in a year-end report, with contributions [flowing in](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/21/joe-manchin-pac-saw-surge-of-corporate-donations-as-he-fought-biden-agenda.html?) from business PACs like Verizon and coal companies. The sweeping legislation would have [included](https://readsludge.com/2021/10/15/manchin-got-400k-from-fossil-fuel-industry-in-the-three-months-before-axing-clean-energy-program/) a major Clean Energy Performance Program (CEPP) to promote renewable energy, composed of grant and penalty incentives that [mirror](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46934/2) aspects of a clean energy standard, as well as a [15% minimum tax rate](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/25/bidens-million-dollar-inaugural-donors-lobbied-against-his-agenda/) on large corporations that often dodge taxes. As Sludge [reported](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/06/manchin-bailed-out-plant-that-pays-millions-to-his-familys-coal-company/) in August 2021, Manchin, as governor of West Virginia in 2009, directed the state legislature to pass an energy bill that specifically defined “alternative fuels” as including so-called waste coal—the niche business of his family-held company, in which his stake is worth [up to $5 million](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/01/manchin-profits-from-coal-sales-to-utility-lobbying-group-members/). The secretive family coal business provided Manchin with more than $5.2 million in income from 2010 into 2021. In the first quarter of 2021, Sinema became a meme by voting [thumbs-down](https://thebrick.house/congratulations-senator-sinema/) on a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15, a measure being combated by the U.S. Chamber. Later that year, Sinema [single-handedly killed](https://perfectunion.us/before-her-party-switch-sinema-was-flooded-with-donations-from-wall-street-private-equity/) a plan to raise revenue for the [BBB](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/28/president-biden-announces-the-build-back-better-framework/) by reducing the Republican-passed tax cuts for large corporations. Also in 2021, Sinema was one of [three Senate Democrats](https://inthesetimes.com/article/democrats-pro-act-labor-kelly-sinema-warner-dsa-unions) withholding support for the pro-union PRO Act, first introduced in 2021\. A top legislative priority of labor unions, the [PRO Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/20) would, among many updates to labor law, allow the NLRB to set meaningful penalties for companies and executives that violate workers’ rights. Under the [PRO Act](https://www.epi.org/publication/pro-act-problem-solution-chart/), employees and the NLRB would set union procedures without employer involvement or interference through “captive audience” meetings, reducing the prospect of a long litigation process with the board. The measure is fiercely [opposed](https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-democrats-and-a-lone-republican-revive-pro-act-to-strengthen-workers-rights) by the U.S. Chamber and other business lobbying groups. In 2022, Sinema’s notoriety grew when she demanded that Senate Democrats [remove provisions](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/18/investment-industry-donors-bankroll-sinema-in-q2/) from the Inflation Reduction Act that would have narrowed the “carried interest” loophole used by investment managers, like private equity executives, to reduce their tax rates. Her campaign committees were [raking](https://perfectunion.us/sinema-more-than-doubled-private-equity-fundraising-before-killing-carried-interest-provision/) in [donations](https://perfectunion.us/sinemas-private-equity-donations-keep-flowing-after-saving-tax-loophole/) from the investment industry, much of it going to fund luxury travel and fundraising trips. ### **Big Business Donors** Both Manchin and Sinema’s congressional runs were buoyed by hefty shares of corporate cash. Manchin’s top donor industry, across his entire Senate career, has been securities and investment, in [OpenSecrets’](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/joe-manchin/industries?cid=N00032838&cycle=CAREER) calculations, and employees of financial firms like Goldman Sachs have been among his top career [contributors](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/joe-manchin/contributors?cid=N00032838&cycle=CAREER). Sinema’s career congressional haul of almost [$5 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/kyrsten-sinema/industries?cid=N00033983&cycle=CAREER&type=I) from the securities and investment industry is close to double that of Manchin’s, and employees of major investment firms like Blackstone and Apollo Global are among her top [contributors](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/kyrsten-sinema/contributors?cid=N00033983&cycle=CAREER). After bowing out of a Senate re-election contest in West Virginia and opting against a [presidential run](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/28/no-labels-funnels-finance-money-to-congress/), Manchin’s next move was to [launch](https://theintercept.com/2023/11/20/joe-manchin-senate-nonprofit-heather-bresch/) a centrist nonprofit with his daughter, Heather Bresch, for which they are seeking to raise $100 million. Sinema, who re-registered as an Independent in December 2022, bowed out of a re-election contest in Arizona. Several big-name Republican megadonors [made rare contributions across the aisle](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/16/republican-billionaires-are-donating-to-manchin-and-sinema/) to Manchin and Sinema as the pair played out their dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ major budget reconciliation bill, the BBB, in 2021\. They included Timothy Mellon, a gigantic donor to the pro-Trump super PAC this cycle, who donated to Manchin, and private equity billionaire John W. Childs gave to Sinema. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Lobbyists Wine and Dine Members of Congress Despite Gift Ban URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/11/how-lobbyists-wine-and-dine-members-of-congress-despite-gift-ban/ Last updated: 2024-12-11T19:04:30.000Z 🫧 Share this post on [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=How%20Lobbyists%20Wine%20and%20Dine%20Members%20of%20Congress%20Despite%20a%20Gift%20Ban%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/11/how-lobbyists-wine-and-dine-members-of-congress-despite-a-gift-ban) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=How%20Lobbyists%20Wine%20and%20Dine%20Members%20of%20Congress%20Despite%20a%20Gift%20Ban%20https%3A//readsludge.com/2024/12/11/how-lobbyists-wine-and-dine-members-of-congress-despite-a-gift-ban). A picture-perfect day visiting Virginia’s rolling countryside: a 5-star spa, horse riding, treetop zip-lining, a renowned winery. For a young congressional staffer drawing a starter salary in the expensive city of Washington D.C., the getaway might be a memorable one—paid for by lobbyists who may soon be calling to set up a meeting. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their staff are prohibited from accepting gifts worth more than $50 from lobbyists, but each year lobbying groups and nonprofits funded by corporate trade associations pay for representatives and staff to take thousands of trips, where they are wined and dined, and often put up at luxurious resorts. Sludge analyzed gift travel disclosures filed with the House Ethics Committee during the 2023-24 session of Congress and found that of the nearly 4,000 trips that were disclosed, the most frequent sponsors are nonprofits that are led by corporate lobbyists and funded by lobbying organizations. In describing the reason for banning lobbying gifts, the House Ethics Committee website says, “the public has a right to expect that \[members of Congress and their staff\] are impartial in performing your official duties and are not influenced by gifts or favors.” However, the ethics guidelines allow members to accept gifts of privately-sponsored, officially-connected travel, as long as they provide written justification of why the trip is related to their public duties and get pre-approval from the Ethics Committee. The guidelines say that such trips must be for 7 days or less, and it places additional time limits on trips that are funded by lobbying groups. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The most frequent congressional travel sponsor was the Congressional Institute, a nonprofit that says it is “dedicated to helping members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature." The Congressional Institute financed 646 trips this session of Congress to conferences it held in Virginia Beach, Hot Springs, Virginia, and Cambridge, Maryland. At the Congressional Institute events, staffers attended sessions led by corporate consultants and lobbyists. For example, Ben Howard, a partner with lobbying firm the Duberstein Group, was featured by the Institute on a Feb. 8 panel focused on how to deal with the administration during a divided government. Duberstein lobbies the government for more than two dozen clients, including Amazon, Pfizer, and Northrop Grumman. That same day, attendees of the Congressional Institute trip also heard from representatives for Microsoft, Google, Meta, the American Investment Council, and lobbying giant Squire Patton Boggs. The Congressional Institute’s board of directors is made up of corporate figures such as JPMorgan Chase Global Head of Corporate Responsibility and Chairman Tim Berry and Anne Bradbury, the CEO of oil and gas group American Exploration and Production Council. It does not disclose its funding sources, but according to tax filings and lobbying contribution disclosures, its funders include trade groups such as the Business Roundtable, Edison Electric Institute, and Biotechnology Innovation Organization, as well as companies including Southwest Airlines, Pacific Gas & Electric, and DaVita Healthcare Partners. The second-most frequent congressional travel sponsor this session has been the centrist think tank Center Forward, whose trips for moderate Democratic and Republican staffers are often highly luxurious. The group finances international trips and brought dozens of staffers to Mexico and Portugal this year. One of its most frequent destinations, however, is close to D.C., at the opulent Salamander Resort in the elite town of Middleburgh, Virginia, known for its foxhunting and steeplechases. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/12/aerial-grandlawn-eric-2-1-.jpg) Aerial view of the Salamander Resort grounds in Middleburg, Va. Center Forward, which has its roots in the Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats, is led by corporate lobbyists such as board member Jeff Murray, whose lobbying clients include Northrop Grumman, Visa, and Wells Fargo. The organization relies heavily on annual funding support from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers (PhRMA), which has given it at least [$9.4 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/12/04/phrma-showers-millions-on-dark-money-groups-fighting-drug-price-reforms/) from 2016-2023, according to a Sludge review of tax information. Center Forward also receives its funding from lobbying groups including the Bank Policy Institute and Consumer Brands Association, and it has an affiliated super PAC that receives funding from the oil industry. Another major congressional trip sponsor is the American Israel Education Foundation, the charitable arm of pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The group paid for 173 trips during this session of Congress for House members and staff to fly to visit Israel and Rwanda. The trips, which frequently include congressional spouses as well, often cost the group more than $20,000 per attendee, according to the disclosures. Meetings are held with officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Knesset, and travelers are often hosted at the 5-star King David Hotel in Jerusalem. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdCE1r8pGkjJ3kIuStwLUQQGlOlNYg6RPiwH55g9G0tyJZ7axAiHwz6sg_7vdMNTQDY8-nkByhmg9rlyRG28CtIk_KqDkgDIi3NNqr4bnWlSWZWnAOVAyH3Vrc1vUX9CV1iBwgy?key=AwR8bOz_Ro7JxU91_6QwIfe3) Pool at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, where AIPAC hosts members of Congress and their spouses. The American Israel Education Foundation’s parent group AIPAC was one of the largest and most influential campaign funders during the 2024 elections, giving money to [hundreds](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) of members of Congress, and spending millions through its super PAC to successfully oust critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza. The group is also a major lobbyist, spending millions each year to push Congress on approving military aid for Israel, opposing the Israeli boycott movement, sanctioning its rivals in the Middle East, and amending U.S. law to endorse a definition of antisemitism that includes “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” Companies also directly sponsor congressional travel, such as when pipeline company [Equitrans last year flew staffers to Virginia](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/30/despite-test-failure-mountain-valley-pipeline-nears-completion/) to the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline project to tour the construction progress and water crossings. The trip was held just days after the pipeline failed hydrostatic testing when a segment burst and began spilling testing fluid into surrounding wetlands. Other companies that sponsored congressional travel this session include Microsoft, seed company Beck’s Hybrids, Growmark, Marathon Oil, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Overall, federal lobbying spending has risen steadily since 2015, reaching a nominal high $4.2 billion in 2023, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/01/state-and-federal-lobbying-spending-tops-46-billion-after-federal-lobbying-spending-broke-records-in-2023/). Foreign destinations that private groups flew members and their staff to visit included Japan, Ireland, Austria, Kenya, France, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Norway. ### Trump Got Last-Minute ‘Dark Money’ Injection URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/10/trump-got-last-minute-dark-money-injection/ Last updated: 2024-12-10T19:34:55.000Z Trump’s super PAC received a large injection of “dark money” in late October from a group whose leader the president-elect has since named as one of his deputy chiefs of staff. According to a recently posted [FEC filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00825851/1858167/) covering the final stretch of the campaign, a group called Securing American Greatness (SAG) gave $62 million toward the end of October to Trump’s super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.). The West Palm Beach-based SAG, which does not disclose its donors, gave MAGA Inc. $52.6 million on Oct. 22, and an affiliated super PAC that is wholly funded by the group gave an additional $9.4 million on Oct. 18\. SAG is run by veteran Trump campaign aide Taylor Budowich, who also founded the MAGA Inc. super PAC before leaving it in August to join the Trump campaign. On Nov. 13, [Trump announced](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4988270-trump-white-house-staff-stephen-miller-scavino-blair-budowich/) he was hiring Budowich as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Trump’s announcement of the Budowich hire came alongside his naming of senior White House positions for Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, and James Blair. “Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.” ## Join Our Daily Newsletter Get the best reporting on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. MAGA Inc. had just $31 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 16, so the money from SAG, which made up the vast majority of what it raised during the period covered by the post-general report, provided critical support to help it keep up pro-Trump media spending during the closing weeks of the campaign. From Oct. 18 through Election Day, MAGA Inc. spent more than $99 million on TV ads, text messages, and billboards to promote Trump and oppose VP Kamala Harris. The super PAC’s TV spots during the campaign homestretch hammered Harris with images of migration at the southern border and rising prices for households. MAGA Inc. was the top spender on Trump’s behalf this election cycle, helping the Republican nominee make up a campaign fundraising deficit with Harris’ campaign. By SAG making its contributions after the last pre-election disclosure deadline, the funding remained hidden from the public until after Election Day. SAG’s donations were a huge step up in dark money for the group and for pro-Trump PACs more broadly: Sludge calculated that pro-Trump super PACs had received about [$23.2 million in dark money](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/23/harris-backed-by-9-6x-more-dark-money-than-trump/) as of Oct. 23, only a slice of the nearly $200 million in dark money backing Harris’ super PACs. Most pro-Trump [megadonors](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/), in other words, seemed content to make public their largesse for much of the campaign. MAGA Inc. also received a late boost from a new Trump megadonor—an Australian billionaire cardboard magnate and Mar-a-Lago fixture—as well as from millions of dollars worth of stock given by Trump’s Commerce secretary pick Howard Lutnick, and a top-off donation from Big Tobacco. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Top Democratic Fundraiser is a Registered UnitedHealth Group Lobbyist URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/09/top-democratic-fundraiser-is-a-registered-unitedhealth-group-lobbyist/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T23:05:03.000Z One of the top fundraisers for the House Democratic Caucus is a registered lobbyist for UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurance company in the United States. Steve Elmendorf, a former staffer for Democratic leadership members, has been a lobbyist for UnitedHealth Group since 2006, according to Senate records. Elmendorf and his firm, recently renamed Avoq, have been paid more than $6.5 million by the insurance giant for their lobbying efforts, as the company has worked to protect its profits from legislation and quash public support for a single-payer health care system or a public insurance option. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Elmendorf has lobbied the Congress on behalf of UnitedHealth on a range of topics including “Issues related to health insurance tax and health reform,” “Issues related to Medicare Advantage,” and “Federal tax issues, including the PPACA Health Insurance Tax.” In 2009, ahead of passage of the Affordable Care Act, he disclosed lobbying Congress on “Legislation relating to Healthcare Reform.” According to Federal Election Commission disclosures, Elmendorf has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for House Democrats and their campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). In the first half of this year, he raised [$185,800](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00000935/1803973/sa/3L) for the DCCC, which is on par with what he typically raises for the group every six months. Elmendorf [hosted a fundraiser](https://www.commondreams.org/views/2009/09/12/unitedhealth-lobbyist-announces-pelosi-fundraiser-she-begins-backing-public-option) for former House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, just as Pelosi was backing away from supporting a public health care option as part of the Affordable Care Act. In January, Elmendorf told Politico that he strives to host the first fundraiser of the year for the DCCC each and every year, whether the House Democrats are in the majority or the minority. An event he hosted that month featured DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as speakers, with tickets ranging from $5,000 to $15,000\. Elmendorf has also hosted fundraisers for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and has raised hundreds of thousands in bundled contributions for the Senate campaign-focused group. In addition to his fundraising. Elmendorf is a major Democratic donor. Federal Election Commission records show he has personally donated more than $700,000 to the DCCC and DSCC since 2006\. UnitedHealth Group has also been employing one of Elmendorf’s colleagues at Avoq who has deep ties to the Democrats. Cedric Grant, the former chief of staff to Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, began lobbying for UnitedHealth Group in 2019, and continues to represent the company before Congress. UnitedHealth Group is a founding member of a lobbying campaign called Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF), which was formed in 2018 to push Democratic politicians away from embracing a single-payer healthcare system, such as the popular “Medicare for All” proposal. Leading Democratic Party [vendor](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/13/the-democratic-consultants-getting-rich-off-the-harris-campaign-2/) Bully Pulpit Interactive has worked as a consultant for PAHCF, according to tax forms. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Vance and Pals Ask SCOTUS to Scrap Party Coordination Limits URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/09/vance-and-pals-ask-scotus-to-scrap-party-coordination-limits/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T17:26:14.000Z The group's petition asks the Supreme Court to consider eliminating the limits on how much money political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Elon Musk Spent Over a Quarter Billion to Elect Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/06/elon-musk-spent-over-a-quarter-billion-to-elect-trump/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T21:58:04.000Z The final Federal Election Commission reports for the 2024 elections are in, and we now have a fuller accounting of how much Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, spent to help elect Donald Trump. Musk donated at least $264 million since July of this year to super PACs that spent money backing Donald Trump’s election, according to FEC filings, including the just-filed post-general reports covering the period from Oct. 17 through Nov. 25\. > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) During the post-general period, Musk put an additional [$119.9 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00879510/1858330/) into the America PAC super PAC that he created in May, the just-released FEC records show. Most of that money—$79.2 million—was given directly by Musk, while the remainder—$40.8 million—was given by United States of America Inc., a Musk-formed company that was the name on the checks given out to the winners of his staged petition lottery. The FEC filing specifies that the United States of America Inc. money is attributable to Musk. It brings his total given to the group to $238,523,078.25. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s ‘Deep State’ Pick for State URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/05/trumps-deep-state-pick-for-state/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T21:53:26.000Z Trump campaigned on demolishing “the deep state” and promoting free speech, but his choice to lead the State Department is on the board of a federally-funded group that acts as an extension of the U.S. intelligence agencies and works to monitor social media around the world. Since 2018, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has been a board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI), a federally-funded nonprofit organization that epitomizes the deep state. The IRI is the Republican Party-affiliated arm of the National Endowment for Democracy, a semiautonomous organization that was created by the Reagan administration to intervene in foreign affairs without the stigma of the Central Intelligence Agency. It is mostly funded by the U.S. government through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, but it also receives donations from companies including Chevron, Meta, Citigroup, and AT&T. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The IRI, which describes its mission as “advancing democracy and freedom” abroad, works to strengthen establishment factions and counter populist movements. It has been active for decades in countries like Venezuela, Ukraine, and Brazil on what it calls “capacity building” initiatives, mostly to strengthen anti-socialist political factions favored by the U.S. government, but it has more recently shifted more of its focus to patrolling the internet for disinformation and helping to expand programs to address it in foreign countries. “IRI congratulates Senator Rubio on his historic nomination as the 72nd U.S. Secretary of State,” the organization said in a statement. “Throughout his service in the Senate, he has been one of America’s foremost advocates for freedom and democracy around the world, and he has played an invaluable role as a member of IRI’s board of directors.” Over the past decade-plus, IRI has attracted pushback from a number of independent media organizations and political watchdog groups. In 2012, economist Mark Weisbrot [looked skeptically in a Guardian op-ed](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/31/american-democracy-promotion-rings-hollow) at IRI’s record abroad, in countries like Brazil and Honduras, where it promoted regime change efforts under the banner of democracy. According to its playbook for countering online misinformation, IRI’s approach involves mapping information ecosystems to identify manipulation narratives, then responding by alerting election management bodies and reporting to social media companies. The playbook recommends that those working to counter online disinformation collaborate with social media companies’ content moderators and platform content policy teams, and that its Design 4 Democracy Coalition can put them in touch with the best point of contact at each company. > [*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) Design 4 Democracy is a partnership between IRI, civil society groups, and tech companies including Meta, Google and X that are “interested in protecting the integrity and quality of online political information.” The program’s website [says](https://d4dcoalition.org/index.php/tech-companies) it “has established a reciprocal flow of information between its global partners and tech companies,” including access to “dedicated escalation channels.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### PhRMA Showers Millions on Dark Money Groups Fighting Drug Price Reforms URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/04/phrma-showers-millions-on-dark-money-groups-fighting-drug-price-reforms/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T22:44:26.000Z Lobbying giant PhRMA funneled millions of dollars to “dark money” political groups last year as it battled drug pricing reforms, tilting to the Republican side but also making large donations to Democrat-aligned groups that don’t publicly disclose their donors, according to a new tax filing. In the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) tax filing for the 2023 calendar year, which the group delivered to Sludge by mail, one of the group’s largest contributions was $3.5 million given to the American Action Network (AAN), the conservative dark money advocacy group that the previous year spent millions on ads torching Democrat-proposed drug price reforms. The Republican-operative led AAN also functions as the dark money affiliate of the Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC that spends enormously to elect House Republicans. PhRMA has been a major donor to AAN, giving $38 million since the Citizens United decision that helped clear the way for unlimited super PAC spending in elections, the cross-partisan reform group [Issue One](https://issueone.org/press/new-tax-filing-illuminates-how-drug-industry-plays-political-dark-money-game/) tallied. During the 2024 election cycle, AAN sent more than [$40 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-action-network/recipients?id=D000060058) to CLF, which spent on campaign expenditures like attack ads against House Democratic candidates. Overall, PhRMA received more than $467.3 million in revenue in 2023, a step down from the $565.6 million the prior year and an amount closer to its 2018 revenue. The trade group reported making $32.9 million in grants and payments, also a step down from the year before. > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) PhRMA’s largest grant last year was to We Work For Health (WWFH), a drug industry advocacy group created by PhRMA and its member companies that in recent years has described itself as a “grassroots initiative,” giving more than $6.3 million. Sludge [previously reported](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/01/drug-lobby-revenues-skyrocket-during-covid-pandemic/) on documents from a public relations firm showing that the group aimed to mobilize pharmaceutical companies’ employees in advocacy campaigns. The group’s [figures](https://perfectunion.us/the-republicans-main-talking-point-against-drug-price-negotiations-comes-from-a-pharmaceutical-investor/) were cited by House Republicans in 2022 in a document that echoed PhRMA’s talking points against Medicare price negotiations, but WWFH's large amount of funding from PhRMA is not mentioned on its website. WWFH opposes the IRA negotiations, calling the program “flawed” and saying Congress should instead focus on incentivizing pharmaceutical research. PhRMA gave nearly $1.6 million in 2023 to the secretive advocacy group [Center Forward](https://readsludge.com/tag/center-forward/), a bipartisan group with roots in the Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Big Oil’s Cybermercenary Lobbyists Exposed URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/03/big-oils-cybermercenary-lobbyists-exposed/ Last updated: 2024-12-03T18:10:01.000Z The public affairs and lobbying firm DCI Group is under investigation by the FBI for its role in hacking and leaking emails from environmental activists on behalf of its client Exxon Mobil, [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exxon-lobbyist-investigated-over-hack-and-leak-environmentalist-emails-sources-2024-11-27/) reported this weekend. Beginning in 2015, the company allegedly compiled names of targets and provided them to Israeli private detective Amit Forlit, who then outsourced the hacking. The operation, which DCI nicknamed “Fox Hunt,” was designed to dig up compromising material on activists and others who were preparing to launch lawsuits against the oil company over claims that it had deceptively marketed fossil fuels while concealing that they knew they would exacerbate global warming, the report says. The oil industry and its defenders are still using the hacked materials to this day. Reuters found that an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court by the Exxon Mobil-funded National Association of Manufacturers cited a hacked internal memo from activists outlining their litigation strategy as part of its argument for why the court should throw out climate lawsuits that were brought by the city of Honolulu. DCI Group is led by former Republican political operatives Brian McCabe and Justin Peterson, and specializes in coalition building, media relations, and opposition research to help clients develop an “outside game” for winning their policy goals. While the company does lobby the government directly, it is primarily focused on developing and executing less conventional influence strategies, such as activating constituents and influencers to carry out their clients’ objectives. ### **Astroturfing for Telecom** Exxon Mobil is alleged to have paid DCI Group more than $10 million per year for its services, but the oil company is not the firm’s highest-paying client in terms of money spent on lobbying. According to a tally kept by [DeSmog](https://www.desmog.com/dci-group/), DCI Group’s biggest lobbying client from 2001 to 2016, the years when it was most active in lobbying, was Verizon, and also among its top clients have been the US Telecom Association trade group and AT&T. Internal Revenue Service filings show that DCI Group was also employed for years by telecom industry group Broadband for America. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In 2014, when the Federal Communications Commission was considering so-called “net neutrality” regulations, journalists scrutinized DCI Group for its possible role in creating phony coalitions opposing the proposal, and for paying people to spout telecom industry talking points during media appearances. [Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/community-groups-were-duped-into-joining-telecom-industrys-anti-net-neutrality-coalition/) reported that small businesses and community groups were “duped” into becoming coalition members of Broadband for America as the group was lobbying against net neutrality on behalf of its supposed 300+ members. Vice contacted companies that were listed as coalition members and found that several said they had never even heard of net neutrality and had no position on the matter. Vice also reported that anti-net neutrality media commentators such as the editor of news website Politic365 admitted to being [paid by DCI Group](https://www.vice.com/en/article/trolls-paid-by-a-telecom-lobbying-firm-keep-commenting-on-my-net-neutrality-articles-806/), though they denied that the money was given in exchange for them espousing the talking points of the consultancy’s telecom clients. Net neutrality activists have also faced well-documented attempts to hack into their emails, similar to what DCI Group is alleged to have done on behalf of Exxon Mobil. In 2017, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reported on an operation it dubbed "[Phish for the Future](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/phish-future),” in which activists affiliated with the groups Free Press and Fight for the Future faced repeated spearphishing attempts, all from the same attackers. The attacks were designed to access accounts on Google, Dropbox, and LinkedIn, and at least one email account was compromised, EFF reported. “The sophistication of the targeting, the accuracy of the credential phishing pages, the working hours, and the persistent nature of the attacks seem to indicate that the attackers are professionals and had a budget for this campaign,” EFF reported. “The working hours, as determined by the times the emails were sent seem to indicate that the attackers are working for hire out of an office, they took Saturday and Sunday off. Their hours are consistent with working hours in the UTC+3-5:30 timezone.” ### **DCI’s Other Clients** While its federal lobbying roster has shrunk over the years, DCI Group has been retained by many nonprofits and trade groups, according to a review of tax filings. One noteworthy client has been the New Venture Fund, a large charity and fiscal sponsor organization in the liberal “dark money” network surrounding Arabella Advisors. The New Venture Fund is a sister of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a social welfare group that donates millions of dollars each election cycle to Democratic super PACs like House Majority PAC, Future Forward, and Black PAC. In recent years, New Venture Fund has passed tens of millions of dollars per year to Sixteen Thirty Fund, according to tax filings. According to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/dark-money-networks-fake-news-sites/), New Venture Fund “has fiscally sponsored at least 80 groups and acted as a pass-through agency funneling millions of dollars in grants for wealthy donors to opaque groups with minimal disclosure.” From 2002 through 2021, New Venture Fund paid DCI Group more than $12 million in consulting fees, according to [Influence Watch](https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/new-venture-fund/). Other nonprofits that have paid DCI Group for its services in recent years include Protect Internet Freedom Inc, the American Financial Services Association, Pharmacy Choice and Access Now, Reforming America’s Taxes Equitably, and the Electric Power Supply Association. DCI Group picked up $339,000 in state lobbying for the conservative nonprofit Common Sense Leadership Fund (CSLF) in 2022, according to tax records. In 2021 and 2022, the advocacy group, which advocates to lower taxes and cut regulations, spent [tens of millions of dollars](https://www.axios.com/2022/04/20/gop-group-midterm-blitz) going after vulnerable House and Senate Democrats in the midterm elections, making it at one point the top-spending national advocacy group. CSLF’s president is Kevin McLaughlin, a former lobbyist for groups like the Business Roundtable and former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Fossil Fuel Lobbyists and Petrostates Stall U.N. Plastics Treaty URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/12/02/fossil-fuel-lobbyists-and-petrostates-stall-un-plastics-treaty/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T22:46:01.000Z A swarm of lobbyists for fossil fuel interests and petrostates succeeded at stalling a global plastics treaty at a United Nations meeting in Busan, South Korea that just wrapped up, according to environmental advocates who were in attendance. Member countries had aimed for the talks to be the fifth and final round of negotiations for a landmark treaty that would limit plastics production, phase out the use of certain chemicals, and adopt enforcement mechanisms. But after late-night negotiations and talks held mostly behind closed doors, the meeting adjourned without an agreement. That means there is no “Chair’s Text” to serve as the starting point for the next meeting of treaty negotiators, which will happen next year, though plans are not set. > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) While a majority of the nearly 200 nations in attendance endorsed a strong agreement that would limit plastics production and ban certain chemicals, a small bloc of petrostates blocked a treaty, said the nonprofit Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in a [statement](https://www.ciel.org/news/inc-5-conclusion/) at the meeting’s conclusion. Participants [pointed to](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/01/international-talks-on-curbing-plastic-pollution-fail-to-reach-agreement-busan) Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as some of the oil states that undermined the talks on curbing plastic production. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Taps Corporate Lobbyist Jamieson Greer for US Trade Rep URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/27/trump-taps-corporate-lobbyist-jamieson-greer-for-us-trade-rep-2/ Last updated: 2024-11-27T02:53:03.000Z 💡 ***Sludge exposes the money-in-politics facts that politicians and special interests groups don't want you to know about.** [***Sign up**](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) **for a free trial of our daily newsletter.** President-elect Trump has selected yet another revolving-door corporate lobbyist for his cabinet. On Tuesday evening, Trump announced he has chosen Jamieson Greer to serve as the next United States Trade Representative (USTR), a cabinet-level position that advises the president on trade matters and negotiates foreign trade deals. Greer was chief of staff to USTR Robert Lighthizer during the first Trump administration. According to a bio filed with U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), Jamieson was "deeply involved in the Administration’s implementation of tariffs on China and subsequent negotiations on the U.S.-China Phase One trade agreement," as well as being "a critical part of USTR’s efforts to negotiate and obtain Congressional approval of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement." Immediately upon exiting the administration in 2020, Greer took a job as partner with the King & Spalding law firm, where he serves on the International Trade team, with clients from the pharmaceutical, energy, financial and investment services, and defense companies. Greer’s practice “is focused on helping companies use international trade laws and policies to achieve geopolitically sustainable business models,” according to the USCC bio. Since registering as a lobbyist in October 2022, Greer has lobbied both chambers of Congress and the USTR office for WebuildUS, a subsidiary of a large Italian construction firm. According to [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/5593b084-71f0-4c26-8451-476e366c1e53/print/) filed with the Senate, he has lobbied regarding “Issues relating to Investment Arbitration Enforcement.” The company’s Italian group Webuild SpA is a contractor on the mega-project Neom being developed in Saudi Arabia, where in January the company inked a contract worth [$4.7 billion](https://www.webuildgroup.com/en/media/press-releases/webuild-signed-usd-47-billion-contract-trojena-lake-neom-saudi-arabia/), including for construction of three dams to form a freshwater lake. According to a [documentary](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/neom-deaths-saudi-the-line/) from the British network ITV, 21,000 migrant workers have died in Saudi Arabia in Neom’s construction, with some 20,000 indigenous people from Tabuk Province forcibly removed. King & Spalding has dozens of federal lobbying clients, including Genetech, Comcast, Sumitomo Chemical, Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Atara Biotherapeutics. Greer is the latest of several corporate lobbyists who Trump has selected for his cabinet, including his Transportation secretary pick [Sean Duffy](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/20/trump-taps-ex-pipeline-lobbyist-sean-duffy-for-transportation-secretary/), his attorney general pick [Pam Bondi](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar), and his chief of staff selection [Susie Wiles](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/08/trump-selects-corporate-lobbyist-susie-wiles-as-chief-of-staff/). On the campaign trail, Trump railed against revolving door lobbyists having access to presidents and other policymakers. “Well, you have to stop listening to lobbyists,” Trump said during an August 20 appearance on the Theo Von podcast. “You know, I was not a big person for lobbyists. And if they have even a little access to like a president or a senator or a congressman or woman \[...\] they get a lot of money.” ### A Fight for the Soul of the DNC URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/26/a-fight-for-the-soul-of-the-dnc/ Last updated: 2024-12-02T21:54:39.000Z 📰 ***Sludge exposes the money-in-politics facts that politicians and special interests groups don't want you to know about.** [***Sign up**](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) **for a free trial of our daily newsletter.** In a time of reckoning for Democrats, the race to lead the Democratic National Committee and oversee the party is shaping up. The first hopefuls for DNC chair officially announced their bids two weeks after the party’s Election Day defeats, and the election has been scheduled for February 1. Yesterday, I spoke with some reform-minded DNC members about their hopes for reshaping the DNC, addressing money in Democratic primaries, and challenging the corporate wing of the party over budget priorities and messaging. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, [a former corporate lobbyist](https://readsludge.com/2021/01/14/biden-picks-former-corporate-lobbyist-jaime-harrison-for-dnc-chair/) and South Carolina party chair who was tapped to be chair by Joe Biden, is not running for another four years in his position. Two candidates for DNC chair have announced: first was former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a former commissioner of the Social Security Administration, then Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin, a vice chair of the DNC. Others considering runs include Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler; Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha; former DNC vice chair Michael Blake, of New York; former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel; and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. Another name in the [mix](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/25/democratic-national-committee-chair-election/c4d4db1c-ab5e-11ef-b98c-b3bed6509e98%5Fstory.html) is former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke. ## **‘Get Dark Money Out’** This year, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner is wrapping up eight years as a voting DNC member from her state. In the wake of the election, Turner is calling for a searching autopsy report from Democratic Party leadership, a ban on dark money in the Democratic primary process, and a turnover in the top consultant class that steered Harris’ campaign. Turner told Sludge, “I think for Democrats looking at how they lost the popular vote and the Electoral College, it should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party that it cannot be business as usual. The party should utilize this moment to take the party in a new direction that answers to the needs of the people, the voters that they need to re-engage and win over again. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/steamdome-4.jpg) ## Follow the money with Sludge Get our reports about the corporations and special interests working to corrupt politics and win policies in their favor. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “The first thing I believe is that anybody running to be the new chair of the Democratic Party has to say that we will have no dark money, in primaries particularly,” Turner said. “One of the ways that the Democratic Party can set itself apart and also show that it has learned a lesson is to say, 'no dark money in Democratic primaries. “Another thing,” Turner said, “all of the consultant class that was a part of guiding both the DNC and Vice President Harris: they’ve all got to go—matter of fact, they owe us a refund. They owe the DNC and the folks who have donated their hard-earned money a refund.” As an example of the pressure needed from pro-reform DNC members to advance rules changes, Turner pointed to the recent cases of the DNC’s Resolutions Committee [twice](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/09/08/abhorrent-and-anti-democratic-outrage-dnc-panel-blocks-vote-dark-money-ban) [blocking](https://www.commondreams.org/news/dnc-blocks-dark-money-ban) a proposed amendment banning “dark money” in Democratic primaries. “This was a resolution put forward that the committee wouldn't even put on the floor under the leadership of Jaime Harrison because they knew that the members, including myself, would have voted for that resolution to get dark money out,” she said. Turner said, “The Democratic Party writ large did not read the tea leaves. In other words, this was about the economy, no doubt about it, and no amount of celebrity concerts was going to change the fact that the American people were still reeling from the ravages of inflation. For them, it was still about eggs and butter and milk and gas and rent. “There has to be an autopsy report,” Turner said. “There has to be a real commitment from Democratic Party leadership of analyzing what went wrong and having the courage to say, ‘We messed up,’ and we must make a change going into the midterms, as we work our way to 2028.” The 2024 election cycle was marked by [enormous](https://readsludge.com/2024/08/27/aipac-officially-surpasses-100-million-in-spending-on-2024-elections/) [spending](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/27/the-crypto-industry-could-decide-the-fate-of-the-senate/) by outside lobbying groups, much of it to knock out progressive incumbents in Democratic primary contests. In the summer of 2022, responding to the surge in super PAC spending bankrolled by wealthy donors, leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus [sent a letter](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/09/mysterious-super-pac-attacks-biaggi-in-homestretch-of-primary-against-dccc-chair-maloney/) calling on party leadership to condemn the outside spending deluge in Democratic primaries, but their calls did not receive a response. ### **‘Dirty Money’ in State Primaries** Longtime DNC member Larry Cohen is the chair of Our Revolution, founded after the 2016 presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. In looking at the contest for DNC chair and reforming the party’s operations, Cohen said his goal is: “Organizing in, dirty money out.” Toward having a serious plan at the top of the DNC for voter outreach, Cohen told Sludge, “There are more than 3,000 counties nationwide and no Democratic Party presence in most of them, no structure in most of them, no benchmarking being done in terms of voter registration and turnout—and in this election, turnout beat Vice President Harris and candidates like Bob Casey” in Pennsylvania. “And there’s no focus on organizing alliances with unaffiliated voters, who are often the biggest group,” Cohen said. “It’s the gateway to the primary where reform is needed,” Cohen said, pointing out that the primary election rules are set by states. “‘If you want to run for nomination, sign this pledge of no dark money in your campaign, repudiating all dark money'—that is absolutely within the purview of all state Democratic parties.” He envisions the next chair being empowered to set “big incentives based on your reaching your goals: what are state parties willing to do to get dirty money out of their nominating process?” Cohen said, “We need an official group similar to the Unity Reform Commission to look at what are the options for state parties. The DNC could give a handbook in the nominating process so it’s a grassroots process—I’m hoping one or more of the DNC chair candidates openly supports that. The state parties are the only real avenue for reform and the DNC insiders aren’t going to take the initiative unless activists in each state take the initiative.” Cohen pointed out that the DNC chair vote at the Winter Meeting would be held in-person, with DNC members likely being allowed to send a proxy if they are unable to attend—meaning it’s expected that many of the approximately 448 voting DNC members will not be casting ballots in the contest, or would be using proxies. ### **More Money for States** Jane Kleeb, in addition to leading the Nebraska Democratic Party, is the founder of the​​ Bold Alliance, a coalition of grassroots environmental groups based in rural states. She’s supporting Ken Martin for DNC chair for his willingness to take on the D.C. establishment. Kleeb told Sludge, “The most critical piece is that we hear a lot from DNC candidates about messaging, fundraising and bringing working class voters back into the party, and all those things are great. But unless we *radically* reform the structure of the DNC so that more than 10% of the budget is going to state parties—who are the most in touch with voters—the best messenger in a message box won’t matter. We have to get money back to the state parties because we’ve become too consultant- and too D.C.-centric.” Kleeb said, “We don’t need fancy consultants or message talking points to tell us what voters think, we know because we're closest to the ground. The fundamentals get lost—back to precinct and block captain programs, back to sending voters guides so they know who the Democrats are on the ballot. It’s been about the establishment not wanting to change—literally a handful of people are controlling the resources and direction of the DNC, and that’s not how we should be functioning.” ### **Two Declared Candidates** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/O-Malley_Martin_DNC.png) Two DNC chair candidates announced to date: Martin O'Malley and Ken Martin Candidates for chair have been calling DNC members to ask for their support and doing media interviews on how the party’s economic messaging to voters—many of whom were financially struggling and [voted](https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-economy-immigration-11db37c033328a7ef6af71fe0a104604) for change in the White House—can be overhauled. The Harris campaign’s [corporate-connected](https://readsludge.com/2024/11/18/the-corporate-consultants-behind-harris-for-president/) D.C. consultants came up far short in pitching the Democratic ticket to working-class voters. In a [letter](https://democrats.org/news/dnc-chair-jaime-harrison-sets-out-first-steps-in-process-for-electing-incoming-chair-dnc-officers/), Harrison announced that the DNC chair election will be held on Feb. 1, during the party’s Winter Meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. Before that date, on Dec. 12, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet to formalize the rules for nominating the DNC Chair and other officers, and in January, the DNC will hold a series of four candidate forums, both virtual and in-person. To run, candidates must gather signatures of 40 DNC members. The vote is open to 448 active DNC members, who include 73 “at-large” members put forward as a slate by the DNC chair and not subject to individual votes by DNC members from states and territories. In a New York Times [interview](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/us/politics/martin-omalley-dnc-chair-race.html) launching his bid, Martin O’Malley called for an “after-action report” on the party’s performance this year, an initiative for which Ken Martin has also called. Some of O’Malley’s comments in the interview echoed the Harris campaign’s themes of an “opportunity economy,” and in a NewsNation interview he recommended the party [focus](https://www.yahoo.com/news/dnc-chairman-candidate-dems-move-021408217.html) on Democrats who won in red areas. Sludge’s Donald Shaw recently spotlighted O’Malley’s role as a co-founder of the group NewDEAL, which is tied to the business-favoring New Democrat Coalition. > DNC Chair candidate Martin O’Malley is the founding chair of NewDEAL, a group for “pro-growth progressives” with ties to New Dem Coalition. The group’s advisory council and board include corporate lobbyists with Akin Gump and Fulcrum, and the president of Third Way. [pic.twitter.com/j9s5HADm47](https://t.co/j9s5HADm47) > > — Donald Shaw (@donnydonny) [November 19, 2024](https://twitter.com/donnydonny/status/1858722344513974359?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) NewDEAL’s [board](https://newdealleaders.org/about/our-board/) includes Arshi Siddiqui, a former lobbyist with large influence firm Akin Gump for more than 14 years who recently hung out her own shingle with the boutique firm Bellwether Government Affairs. Its advisory council includes Oscar Ramirez, co-founder of Fulcrum Public Affairs, which lobbies for clients including big business trade association the [Business Roundtable](https://readsludge.com/tag/business-roundtable/), and former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), a fossil fuel industry ally who became an oil [lobbyist](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/27/oil-lobbyist-mary-landrieus-foundation-brings-together-members-of-congress-and-corporate-execs/). The 501(c)4 nonprofit and its c(3) affiliate had more than $1.7 million combined in revenue in its most recent tax year available. Minnesota’s party head Martin is seen as an ally of smaller state parties. He published an op-ed in [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/dnc-vice-chair-heres-how-democrats-reconnect-voters) on Nov. 18 drawing attention to how voters in Missouri approved ballot measures like one to raise the state minimum wage, which would seem to be a core Democratic issue, while also handing Republicans statewide control. His diagnosis, in a recent HuffPost [interview](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ken-martin-run-for-dnc-chair%5Fn%5F673e3692e4b09ddca792bac8), is that the party has a “branding problem.” In interviews, both O’Malley and Martin did not take positions on the possibility of changing the presidential primary calendar schedule, which under Biden saw South Carolina moved to the front of the pack. Former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, a co-chair of the Harris campaign, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy have [opted out](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ken-martin-run-for-dnc-chair%5Fn%5F673e3692e4b09ddca792bac8) of DNC chair consideration. The last time the Democrats lost the White House, in 2016, DNC members proposed a raft of reforms, but most were discarded without coming to a vote of DNC members. The Unity Reform Commission, which had four meetings in 2017, was a body of 21 members, with 10 selected by Hillary Clinton, eight by Bernie Sanders, and three by then-chair Tom Perez. One of the [ideas](https://readsludge.com/2020/08/18/perez-put-lobbyists-in-charge-of-reviewing-dnc-member-qualifications/) that was [proposed](https://web.archive.org/web/20190604025157/https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/URC%5FReport%5FFINAL.pdf) in the Commission's report, though not ultimately approved by DNC members, was “the formation of a detailed financial conflicts of interest policy that expands on the Charter’s conflicts/ethics policy (Article One, Section 7).” The report also recommended that the Budget and Finance Committee provide the Executive Committee with a closed-session report on its goals, and that the DNC chair and leadership prepare an annual budget presented to DNC members at each regularly scheduled meeting. At the outset of his term, Harrison [appointed](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/19/corporate-consultants-voted-for-new-lobbyists-on-the-dnc/) more corporate lobbyists to top DNC groups like the Budget and Finance Committee, and in the weeks after the 2020 election he [did not respond](https://readsludge.com/2020/11/26/dnc-members-outline-party-reforms-in-letter-to-biden/) to requests from DNC members for internal party dialogue on reforming the DNC to make it more responsive to state organizers. ### Trump Is Building a Crypto Swamp URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/25/trump-is-building-a-crypto-swamp/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T22:46:57.000Z The Wall Street billionaire who is in charge of helping Trump pick financial regulators and other important positions is getting even more enmeshed in one the largest, most controversial and possibly fraudulent cryptocurrency projects. Transition co-chair Howard Lutnick is the CEO of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, which is pursuing a plan to have its Bitcoin financing program supported by Tether, the largest cryptocurrency stablecoin. According to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-24/lutnick-s-cantor-in-talks-with-tether-about-bitcoin-lending-program-usdt), Cantor Fitzgerald’s Bitcoin financing program, which will lend money to clients who provide Bitcoin as collateral, will launch at $2 billion and is expected to grow to tens of billions of dollars. A major Trump fundraiser, Lutnick is also Trump’s pick for secretary of Commerce. Lutnick and Cantor Fitzgerald are already highly enmeshed with Tether, a [popular tool for drug cartels](https://www.404media.co/email/ef0f90c6-19c0-4c1e-8dc0-2c2ff13cb25c/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter) that is reportedly [under federal investigation](https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/federal-investigators-probe-cryptocurrency-firm-tether-a13804e5) for possible violations of sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations. > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) Tether claims that it holds reserves for all of the $132 billion worth of stablecoins it has issued and that holders could exchange their tokens for U.S. dollars, but Tether has never submitted to a third-party audit and many industry observers doubt that all the reserves actually exist. Lutnick, however, has been a prominent industry voice vouching for Tether’s soundness. “They have the money they say they have,” Lutnick [said](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-16/tether-s-custodian-says-the-crypto-giant-has-the-money-it-claims) in an interview with Bloomberg earlier this year. “I’ve seen a whole lot and the firm has seen a whole lot and they have the money.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pam Bondi, Trump’s Attorney General Pick, Lobbied for Amazon, Uber, and Qatar URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/22/pam-bondi-trumps-attorney-general-pick-lobbied-for-amazon-uber-and-qatar/ Last updated: 2025-01-15T14:52:08.000Z Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and lobbyist whose clients have included Amazon and Uber, is President-elect Trump’s new nominee to serve as U.S. attorney general, announced in a post on Trump’s social media platform. A Trump ally, Bondi is a partner in the D.C. office of Ballard Partners, a lobbying and government affairs firm founded by Brian Ballard, who was [called](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/02/most-powerful-lobbyist-in-trump-washington-217759/) the “most powerful lobbyist in Trump’s Washington.” The attorney general of Florida from 2011 until 2019, Bondi was a member of Trump's Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first term. She was named hours after just-resigned Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz gave up his nomination for A.G. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). At Ballard, Bondi chairs the Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice, which is [described](https://ballardpartners.com/team-member/pam-bondi/) as rolling out initiatives to help clients “elevate their corporate responsibility reputation,” among other things. Some of the firm’s top-spending federal lobbying clients this year include British American Tobacco and US Sugar. Another firm client is [Nippon Steel](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/trump-allies-lobby-for-nippons-takeover), which has been working to acquire United States Steel and in April hired the firm’s president Brian Ballard and others. Ballard was one of the top Trump fundraisers in 2016 and a Trump campaign [bundler](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/30/harris-and-trump-keep-bundler-names-secret/) again this cycle—according to a New York Times [source](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-lobbyists.html), to the tune of $50 million. In July 2019, Bondi was [registered](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6415-Exhibit-AB-20190723-16.pdf) through Ballard to lobby for the government of Qatar on human trafficking issues, along with the firm’s James Rubin, for a fee of $115,000 per month. She [severed](https://x.com/kenvogel/status/1859779389799661890) her position at Ballard in November 2019 to help defend President Trump during his first impeachment trial—in lobbying [filings](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/b5894e52-a409-4e3f-8dae-73d196de9a30/print/), Bondi listed her former position as “special adviser to the president, office of White House Counsel, special government employee (2019-2020)”—then restarted her lobbying contracts. Bondi also holds two chair roles with the right-wing think tank America First Policy institute, a pro-Trump nonprofit that was led by Trump donor Linda McMahon, at its Center for Litigation and Center for Law and Justice. She was [appointed](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2020/12/22/trump-rewards-pam-bondi-prestigious-kennedy-center-board-seat/4018735001/) to be a Kennedy Center trustee by Trump in 2020 as a plum for her support, and she acted as a campaign surrogate this year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Senators Reject Resolutions on Blocking Weapons Sales to Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/21/senators-reject-resolutions-on-blocking-weapons-sales-to-israel/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T14:43:24.000Z For the first time, U.S. senators have voted on blocking U.S. weapons sales to Israel, amid its military campaigns in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. In a series of votes Wednesday evening, the Senate shot down three joint resolutions of disapproval that aimed to block the Biden administration’s transfers of offensive weapons to Israel. The resolutions, sponsored by Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, opposed the sale of tail kits for converting bombs into guided weapons known as joint direct attack munitions, mortar shells, and tank cartridges. The weapons addressed by the resolutions were approved by the Biden administration in August and have an estimated combined total cost of about $1 billion. It was the first time in history the U.S. Senate has voted on blocking specific arms sales to Israel. According to a fact sheet from Sanders’ office, these weapons were chosen because they have been used by Israel in violation of U.S. and international law for attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). Nineteen senators supported at least one of Sanders’ joint resolutions of disapproval, only Democrats and Independents. No Republicans voted in favor. The powerful pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)) worked to get senators to vote against the resolutions, running ads in 17 states and asking its supporters to call their senators and pressure them on the issue. [J Street](https://readsludge.com/tag/j-street/), a more liberal pro-Israel group, [called on senators](https://jstreet.org/press-releases/j-street-calls-on-senators-to-send-message-of-disapproval-to-netanyahu-government-and-us-administration-for-handling-of-gaza-war/) to vote in favor of at least one of the resolutions as a symbolic gesture that would indicate to the Israeli government that its conduct in Gaza in unacceptable. J Street has called for a ceasefire in the war, but it has stopped short of endorsing an arms embargo. The White House was also lobbying senators against the resolutions. In a talking points memo that was obtained by [HuffPost,](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-weapons-israel-senate%5Fn%5F673df15be4b0f17b35e0860a?cd) the administration wrote, “Now is the time to focus pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and stop the war. Cutting off arms from Israel would put this goal even further out of reach and prolong the war, not shorten it.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Taps Ex-Pipeline Lobbyist Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/20/trump-taps-ex-pipeline-lobbyist-sean-duffy-for-transportation-secretary/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T14:43:46.000Z President-elect Trump has tapped Sean Duffy, a former congressman and lobbying firm principal, to lead the Department of Transportation, overseeing the largest greenhouse gas emissions-producing sector of the United States. Trump’s nomination of Duffy was a bit unexpected given Duffy’s [lack of experience](https://rollcall.com/2024/11/19/trump-pick-for-dot-head-duffy-has-empty-transportation-resume/) on transportation issues, though not wholly unusual for the department’s heads. Duffy does have some previous contacts with the Department of Transportation, though: Duffy has lobbied the DOT for pipeline giant Enterprise Products Partners, among other clients that fall under its rules. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump's Latest Crypto Play URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/19/trumps-latest-crypto-play/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T19:50:17.000Z President-elect Donald Trump is looking to get more heavily invested in the cryptocurrency market as he prepares to take office, where he has promised to take a number of actions that are expected to pump the price of Bitcoin and other digital assets, and help the sector overall. Trump Media and Technology Group, the company that owns Truth Social, is in advanced talks to buy cryptocurrency trading platform Bakkt, according to the [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/d7f921d5-3668-4b6b-a98d-2681ad73610f). Trump is the majority shareholder of the publicly-traded Trump Media and Technology Group, and he has repeatedly said that he does not plan to sell his shares, including in a post on Truth Social after the election. Trump Media and Technology Group [merged](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/26/trump-sees-4-billion-windfall-from-deal-with-megadonor-tied-firm/) with a special purpose acquisition company connected to GOP donor Jeff Yass in March, catapulting Trump’s paper fortune by more than $4 billion. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). Bakkt is owned by Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s CEO is Jeffrey Sprecher, a billionaire Trump donor who gave $1 million this year to the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC and $824,600 to Trump 47 Committee, a joint fundraising vehicle, according to Federal Election Commission records. Sprecher also hosted a [fundraiser](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-05/billionaires-marcus-sprecher-to-host-trump-atlanta-fundraiser) for Trump in April. Trump’s inauguration committee co-chair Kelly Loeffler, the former U.S. senator from Georgia, was Bakkt’s CEO before she joined the Senate in 2019\. Loeffler and Sprecher are married. Earlier this year, Trump and his family members launched World Liberty Financial, a company that says it intends to use the Trump brand to attract more people to decentralized finance (DeFi) and “democratize access to financial opportunities.” The company began selling tokens last month for a penny and a half apiece, and a gauge on its website indicates it has sold about $20 million worth so far. The company’s “[gold paper](https://static.worldlibertyfinancial.com/docs/us/gold-paper.pdf)” says that a company affiliated with Trump called DT Marks DEFI LLC will get Trump “to promote the WLF and the WLF Protocol from time to time” and that it has “a right to receive 75% of the net protocol revenues.” Trump would have significantly more exposure to the cryptocurrency market if the deal is completed to acquire Bakkt, which has a market cap of about $400 million after its shares rocketed up in price yesterday on the news. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Corporate Consultants Behind Harris for President URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/18/the-corporate-consultants-behind-harris-for-president/ Last updated: 2026-04-02T23:28:51.000Z In the closing weeks of the presidential campaign, the Harris campaign pivoted its message to focus on the threats to democracy of a second Trump term, putting themes of economic populism on the back burner. The campaign’s shift away from populist messages in the home stretch, toward a bipartisan theme of defending democracy targeted at moderates and college-educated voters, was noted by [several](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/22/harris-working-class-voters-poll-election) [outlets](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/us/politics/kamala-harris-progressives-democrats.html). One anonymous aide [told](https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-progressives-bernie-sanders-closing-message-9b37850eec2c8181213fbe4980dcd79e) the Associated Press that the campaign believed that 10% of swing-state voters were undecided or persuadable, the majority of them “Cheney Republicans.” In one telling tally for October, Harris appeared [more often](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/us/politics/kamala-harris-progressives-democrats.html) with Republican former House member Liz Cheney and billionaire [Mark Cuban](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/28/what-does-mark-cuban-want/) than with labor leader Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers. The Harris campaign was led by what one consultant [called](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/harris-campaign-big-new-hires-sprint-election-day-rcna164383) the Democratic Party’s “A-Team,” but the campaign’s strategy of appealing to swing voters on the issue of saving democracy turned out to be unsound. How did the Harris campaign fumble its messaging on cost-of-living issues, and why did they struggle to convince financially-stressed voters that the Democratic ticket was on its side? Many of the Harris campaign’s brain trust had spent years in corporate consulting, facilitating access for CEOs, and some brought deep corporate networks to their advisory roles atop the presidential bid. Looking at the Harris campaign’s senior strategists sheds some light on the campaign’s trouble connecting with working-class voters—for example, its unwillingness to more clearly identify the forces, like billionaires and large corporations, standing in the way of populist policies. One leader of the Harris campaign was Democratic strategist Jen O’Malley Dillon, who stayed on as campaign chair from the Biden campaign, having previously served in that role in the president’s 2020 run. She [moved](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/top-biden-aide-expected-leave-white-house-campaign-leadership-role-rcna135380) from the White House to lead the Biden campaign in January 2024\. Soon after Biden dropped out of the race in July, she was joined by Democratic consultant Stephanie Cutter, with her one of the founding partners of consulting firm Precision Strategies. Two other figures in campaign leadership were senior adviser David Plouffe, the former Obama campaign manager in 2008 who later worked as a policy and strategy executive at Uber, and Tony West, Harris’ brother-in-law and Uber’s chief legal counsel. ### **Partners at Precision** Precision Strategies was co-founded in 2013 by O’Malley Dillon, Cutter, and Democratic digital strategist Teddy Goff, after O’Malley Dillon worked on President Obama’s re-election, with an initial client roster that [included](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/09/us/politics/biden-jen-omalley-dillon.html) General Electric, IBM, and major labor unions. Several other Precision [clients](https://www.precisionstrategies.com/about/) are corporate giants facing federal antitrust scrutiny, which could have contributed to a reluctance by the Harris campaign to hammer on ads calling out corporate pricing power. As a case study in the political shop’s services, one [example](https://www.precisionstrategies.com/case-studies/ibm/) on its website is positioning IBM as a leader on tech policy like artificial intelligence, helping to obtain coverage of the company’s Policy Lab in outlets like Bloomberg, CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, and Politico. “We work day to day with IBM to craft strategies that ensure amplification of its positions and technology among the world’s top thought leaders, government officials, academia, media and opinion leaders at key moments,” Precision’s website states. A partner at Precision, Deirdre Murphy Ramsey, previously led communications for IBM’s global government and policy team, according to her team [biography](https://www.precisionstrategies.com/team/deirdre-murphy-ramsey/). In July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [announced](https://siliconangle.com/2024/07/15/ibms-6-4b-hashicorp-acquisition-faces-ftc-antitrust-review/) an antitrust review of IBM’s proposed $6.4 billion takeover of cloud software company HashiCorp, requesting additional information on the deal. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/O-Malley_Dillon_CSPAN.png) Harris for President Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon speaks at an Aug. 20, 2024 event during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. ([C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5128947/harris-president-chair-jen-omalley-dillon-warns-complacency)) Precision Strategies client Microsoft has been one of the Big Tech companies under scrutiny by the FTC and the regulatory posture of the agency’s chair, Lina Khan. In June, the FTC [took the lead](https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/06/microsoft-openai-and-nvidia-investigated-over-possible-breach-of-antitrust-laws) in investigating Microsoft’s [$10 billion](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-23/microsoft-makes-multibillion-dollar-investment-in-openai) investment in OpenAI, maker of the ChatGPT tool, which made Microsoft its largest investor, with a significant minority stake. The New York Times reported that the deal was [structured](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/technology/nvidia-microsoft-openai-antitrust-doj-ftc.html) to avoid antitrust inquiry. The FTC is also investigating Microsoft’s recent $650 million deal with Inflection AI, where it hired much of the startup’s staff. More recently, the FTC is reportedly [readying](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/14/ftc-microsoft-cloud-investigation-khan/) an investigation into anticompetitive practices by Microsoft’s cloud computing business. Microsoft has been in the mix of Big Tech companies splurging on A.I. startups, acquiring 17 A.I. companies as of last year, according to a [blog post](https://www.cbinsights.com/research/big-tech-ai-acquisitions/) by market intel company CB Insights. Precision client CVS Health has also faced FTC probes and legal challenges into the dominance of its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) subsidiary CVS Caremark. In June 2022, the FTC [announced](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/06/ftc-launches-inquiry-prescription-drug-middlemen-industry) its inquiry into the PBM industry’s vertical integration, which enables the pharmacy middlemen companies to wield outsized market power over patients and independent pharmacists. An interim FTC [report](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-releases-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen) from July found that CVS Caremark is the largest PBM, filling more than one in three prescriptions in the United States. In its stack of companies, CVS also [owns](https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/06/09/federal-trade-commission-to-investigate-pharmacy-middlemen/) the country’s largest retail pharmacy chain, a mail-order pharmacy, and Aetna Health, the third-largest health insurance company. Some of the PBM practices under [scrutiny](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/05/ftc-deepens-inquiry-prescription-drug-middlemen) by the FTC included charging fees and clawbacks to unaffiliated pharmacies, steering patients toward PBM-owned pharmacies, and using opaque pharmacy reimbursement methods. In an August campaign speech, Harris [called for](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4945353-trump-harris-healthcare-costs/) transparency in pharmacy middlemen to lower the cost of insulin and other prescription drugs. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). Precision co-founder Cutter served as counselor to former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during the hectic earliest months of the Obama administration, from January until May 2009, according to her LinkedIn profile. The nation was being roiled by the 2007-08 financial crisis, and Geithner had become the [face of support](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/tim-geithners-legacy-an-unpopular-bailout-that-helped-save-the-economy/2013/01/24/f1bf4fb6-64af-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7%5Fstory.html) for a bailout of the financial system—especially Wall Street—that was signed into law in the final months of the George W. Bush administration. Later, in the 2012 presidential contest, Democrats successfully laid into Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s record of private equity deals at the firm Bain Capital that led to layoffs at companies like American Pad and Paper. After leaving the Obama administration in 2013, Geithner [joined](https://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/timothy-geithner-private-equity-firm-warburg-pincus-099947) private equity firm Warburg Pincus as president and managing director. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/Cutter_C-SPAN.png) Harris for President senior adviser Stephanie Cutter speaks on Nov. 5, 2021 at a New York University discussion on the 2024 elections, held in Washington, D.C. ([C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/video/?515902-3/york-university-discussion-2024-elections)) The firm Warburg is a member of industry trade group the American Investment Council (AIC), which in 2021 and 2022 paid Precision nearly $1 million for “public affairs” consulting, according to [tax](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/870792910/202223069349302637/IRS990) [records](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/870792910/202343199349302144/IRS990) filed by AIC. During the first year of the Biden administration, AIC [backed](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/09/how-wall-street-wooed-sen-kyrsten-sinema-and-preserved-its-multi-billion-dollar-carried-interest-tax-break.html) then-Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in her stand as she resisted Democratic efforts to narrow the “carried interest” loophole used by wealthy investment managers to lower their tax rates. Another Precision client is Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the U.S. by total assets. Last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) [ordered](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/bank-of-america-for-illegally-charging-junk-fees-withholding-credit-card-rewards-opening-fake-accounts/) the bank to pay $100 million to harmed consumers, and $150 million in penalties to the government, for charging illegal junk fees, withholding reward bonuses, and opening accounts without customer knowledge. Bank of America’s “double-dipping scheme,” the CFPB found, harmed hundreds of thousands of consumers over several years. The bank was previously hit with fines by the CFPB in 2014, for illegal credit card practices, and in 2022, for faulty disbursement of state unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic. Precision Strategies kept up its work for vaping company Juul Labs until the [end of 2018](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2018/12/21/k-street-prepares-for-a-shutdown-464810), dropping the client, Politico sources said, because of a 35 percent stake taken by tobacco company Altria. That year, the Democratic attorney general of North Carolina, Josh Stein, [began](https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-stein-reaches-agreement-with-juul-for-40-million-and-drastic-business-changes/) an investigation into the company’s marketing of e-cigarettes to young people and misrepresenting the health risks of nicotine, resulting in a lawsuit that was settled in 2021 for $40 million. Later lawsuits put Juul’s total settlements paid at [more than $1 billion](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/12/juul-to-pay-462-million-settlement-to-six-states.html) in 45 states for charges of marketing its addictive products to teens. ### **Uber Honchos** David Plouffe officially [came aboard](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/02/plouffe-joins-harris-campaign-as-senior-adviser-00172478) the Harris campaign in early August as senior adviser, reassessing the operation handed over by the Biden team. After managing Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, and serving as a senior adviser to the president from 2011 to 2013, Plouffe joined Uber, where he worked as senior vice president of policy and strategy from August 2014 to January 2017\. His responsibilities included harnessing his digital skills and political network to help the company [gain access](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jul/10/uber-campaign-how-ex-obama-aides-helped-sell-firm-to-world) in cities where the company squared off against regulators. Plouffe was [fined $90,000](https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/319970-chicago-board-fines-ex-obama-aide-90k/) in 2017 by the Chicago Board of Ethics for lobbying former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in favor of airport pickups by the ride-sharing company without registering as a lobbyist, and in 2022 he [did not respond](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/jul/10/uber-campaign-how-ex-obama-aides-helped-sell-firm-to-world) to questions from The Guardian about whether he had knowledge of a “kill switch” that could hide access to sensitive data after French regulators raided company offices. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/Plouffe_CSPAN.png) Harris for President senior adviser David Plouffe discusses the Harris-Walz campaign strategy at an event hosted by Axios on Aug. 20, 2024 in Chicago. ([C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/video/?537909-1/harris-campaign-senior-adviser-discusses-campaign-strategy)) From January 2017 to November 2019, Plouffe worked as [president](https://chanzuckerberg.com/newsroom/czi-announces-david-plouffe-to-lead-policy-and-advocacy-work/) of policy and advocacy for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, alongside a policy board led by George W. Bush administration official Ken Mehlman. Unlike a traditional nonprofit charity, CZI, which was to [house 99%](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/business/dealbook/how-mark-zuckerbergs-altruism-helps-himself.html) of the couple’s worth of around $45 billion, was [incorporated](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/technology/zuckerbergs-philanthropy-uses-llc-for-more-control.html) as an L.L.C., which allows investments in for-profit social enterprises. Its structure also likely avoided capital gains taxes that would be incurred if the company sold shares of Facebook stock, rather than donated shares to the recipients of its giving. One unnamed former employee who left CZI [called](https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/6/26/21303664/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-chan-zuckerberg-initiative-philanthropy-tension) it “Facebook’s PR machine.” In 2022, Plouffe signed on with the global advisory board of Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, to advise on regulatory, political, and social issues. With a wave of legislation introduced in Congress seeking to govern the crypto industry, Binance’s U.S. branch [tapped](https://www.axios.com/2022/12/16/binanceus-lobbyists-dc) three lobbying firms that year to expand its influence operation. The exchange was [banned](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2023/11/21/binance-got-huge-due-to-us-customers-that-was-illegal-us-says/) from U.S. operations in 2019 due to regulatory failures. Last year, Binance was named in enforcement actions by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ([CFTC](https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8680-23)) and Securities and Exchange Commission ([SEC](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023-101)) over charges of numerous violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and operating unregistered exchanges. In November 2023, Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, a Canadian national known as CZ, [pleaded guilty](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-federal-charges-4b-resolution) in a Department of Justice investigation that included its failure to register as a money transmitting business, paying over $4 billion in resolution. ## Join Our Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In a recent [article](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/biden-harris-2024-election/680560/) in The Atlantic, Harris adviser Tony West was named by an anonymous Biden aide as steering the campaign away from sharp criticism of corporate power, angling toward the approval of big business. West has worked as senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Uber since November 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2023, his compensation reached $10.4 million, composed of $7 million in stock and $3.3 million in cash, according to a [Bloomberg Law](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/ubers-top-lawyer-gets-10-million-in-pay-after-profitable-year&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1731947404222142&usg=AOvVaw1d83SSOwzzqYl4RIDqDD9d) review of company financials. West’s stock holdings in the company reportedly totaled about $14.7 million as of March. Before joining Uber, West was the general counsel, corporate secretary, and EVP of public policy and government affairs for PepsiCo for over three years, a role that had him [travel](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/04/us/politics/kamala-harris-tony-west.html) to Saudi Arabia to discuss a potential sugar tax. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/West_CSPAN.png) Tony West, Obama admininstration DOJ official and brother-in-law of Kamala Harris, speaks at day three of the DNC on Aug. 21, 2024\. ([C-SPAN](https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5129407/tony-west)) In 2019 and 2020, Uber and Lyft were at the forefront of a $200 million campaign supporting a ballot initiative, known as Prop 22, to protect their ability to classify rideshare drivers and other workers as independent contractors in California, as opposed to employees who would be eligible for benefits and other labor protections. According to the New York Times, West’s efforts on behalf of Uber [encompassed](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/04/us/politics/kamala-harris-tony-west.html) negotiating with unions, legislators, and aides to Gov. Gavin Newsom on a compromise measure that was fiercely opposed by state labor groups. After massive influence spending by Uber, the measure was [adopted](https://readsludge.com/2020/10/06/how-uber-and-lyft-are-buying-labor-laws/) by voters, and this year was upheld by California’s Supreme Court. At the federal level, Uber belongs to a coalition [suing](https://prospect.org/power/2024-08-09-why-tony-west-matters/) the Department of Labor over a rule on independent contractor status. High-profile surrogate Mark Cuban [said](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/04/us/politics/kamala-harris-tony-west.html) of West, “I’ve had conversations with Tony and people on their team, and I find them very smart, very open to all business ideas.” ### **Economic Populism Takes a Backseat** Whereas progressives [sought](https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-progressives-bernie-sanders-closing-message-9b37850eec2c8181213fbe4980dcd79e) a more immediate response to voters’ dissatisfaction with the economy, and more full-throated attacks on the effects of corporate power on daily household expenses, Harris’ talking points were often [diluted](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/us/politics/harris-trump-economy.html) by advice from wealthy Wall Street donors. For example, October reporting by the New York Times [said](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/business/harris-economic-plan-wall-street.html) that Harris walked back a proposed tax hike on capital gains in her speeches after talks with allies in finance and big business. To be sure, starting in early September, Vice President Harris’ campaign did run a [campaign ad](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/24/us/politics/kamala-harris-ad-economy.html) in battleground states highlighting her proposal for the first-ever federal ban on price gouging, to take on high grocery prices. Her “opportunity economy” agenda said it would [lower costs](https://time.com/7096579/kamala-harris-economy-plan-2024/) for healthcare and housing, and raise the minimum wage, among other things. Campaign [memos](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/us/politics/harris-campaign-finances.html) from October, first reported by the Washington Post, show the largest pro-Harris super PAC, Future Forward, pointing out an opportunity for the Harris campaign to juice spending behind a “high-performing” ad with a script that leads with Harris saying, “I get it. The cost of rent, groceries, and utilities is too high. So here's what we're gonna do about it.” The ad saw little airtime, the New York Times wrote. In the November contest, working-class voters went [63% for Trump](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/college-costs-working-class-voters-rcna179609), according to an NBC News exit poll, compared with their leaning Democratic in 2008\. Trump’s [gains](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-return-power-fueled-by-hispanic-working-class-voter-support-2024-11-06/) among Hispanic and working class-voters, especially in [seven battleground states](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/08/swing-states-how-democrat-vote-stayed-flat-while-republican-gains-won-it-for-trump) where Harris slightly underperformed compared with Biden in 2020, were plenty to deliver him the Electoral College, and wider [trends](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/us/politics/democrats-trump-harris-turnout.html) like lower turnout for Harris helped Trump win the popular vote. Harris’ campaign time spent with Liz Cheney ended up [losing ground](https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/liz-cheney-electoral-fiasco-kamala-harris/) to Trump compared with the 2020 election—the share of self-described conservatives voting for Biden in 2020 was 14%, versus just 9% for Harris this year, according to NBC News exit polls. Rumblings among swing-state Democrats, a month out from Election Day, that Harris was coming up short of [resonating](https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/kamala-harris-struggling-to-break-through-with-working-class-democrats-fear-fe2038b8) with working-class voters were borne out. In the past few days, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, lamented a “[disconnect](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/16/harris-campaign-working-class-union-economy)” with people in the working class who were “very much economically insecure” despite the Biden administration’s touting of its economic measures. Even Democratic insider and MSNBC host Jen Psaki, after Election Day, joined in the [criticism](https://x.com/kenklippenstein/status/1854962719071650292) of embracing the Cheneys’ support. *Thank you for reading — if you appreciate this newsletter’s focus on the corporate clients of top political decision-makers, please* [*sign up as a subscriber*](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) *and get full access to Sludge’s stories.* ### A Bailout for Toxic Pesticide Companies URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/15/a-bailout-for-toxic-pesticide-companies/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T21:52:10.000Z Swiss agtech company Syngenta is facing lawsuits in states across the U.S. for failing to warn consumers that one of the pesticides used in its products could cause the incurable neurological disorder known as Parkinson’s disease. According to reporting from The Guardian based on company documents, the company’s scientists and executives have known for decades that the chemical paraquat, one of the most widely-sprayed herbicides in the U.S., might cause neurological damage but publicly minimized the risks. > [*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) “When Syngenta’s own internal research showed adverse effects of paraquat on brain tissue, the company withheld that information from regulators while downplaying the validity of similar findings being reported by independent scientists,” [The Guardian reported](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/syngenta-weedkiller-pesticide-parkinsons-disease-paraquat-documents). “In addition, the records show company scientists were aware of evidence that exposure to paraquat could impair the central nervous system (CNS), triggering tremors and other symptoms in experimental animals similar to those suffered by people with Parkinson’s.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Big Oil Sends Trump Its Wish List URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/14/big-oil-sends-trump-its-wish-list/ Last updated: 2024-11-15T14:32:50.000Z The American Petroleum Institute (API), the top oil and gas lobbying group, sent President-elect Donald Trump its policy wish list this week, after donors from the industry helped power the largest pro-Trump super PAC and propelled Republicans to retake control of Congress next year. API sent Trump what it called a 5-point policy roadmap, calling on his administration to undo a swath of Biden-era environmental rules designed to slow climate degradation from polluting emissions. The roadmap, which is in a brochure addressed to “Dear President-Elect Trump,” calls on the incoming administration to repeal vehicle emission rules meant to promote the transition to electric vehicles, lift a pause on new export permits for liquefied natural gas, and other steps. In addition, API called on the Trump administration and Congress to repeal a just-finalized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fee on methane emissions beyond certain levels by large oil and gas facilities, a fee authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). ## Get our free newsletter Covering the moneyed interests behind the headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. “As an industry committed to American prosperity, we stand ready to work with you and Congress to reverse course and advance a robust vision for securing America’s energy dominance,” API President Mike Sommers wrote to Trump. API, a nonprofit trade association with a mission to influence public policy in support of the oil and gas industry, spent nearly $240 million in 2022, the most recent year for which its tax filings are available. Its lobbying spending totaled more than $5.8 million that year, while more than $45 million was spent on advertising and promotion, according to the filing. Among its hundreds of member companies are industry giants like Shell USA, Marathon Petroleum, and ExxonMobil. In one item under the heading “Protect consumer choice,” API calls on the Trump administration to deny California the ability to require tailpipe emission standards that are stricter than federal rules, urging the EPA to rescind a waiver applying to the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) rule. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Democratic Consultants Getting Rich off the Harris Campaign URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/13/the-democratic-consultants-getting-rich-off-the-harris-campaign-2/ Last updated: 2024-12-02T21:55:23.000Z After raising more than $1 billion, the Kamala Harris campaign is expected to end up with millions of dollars of debt once it’s done paying vendor invoices. The debt will likely get passed along to the Democratic National Committee and could [burden the party](https://www.axios.com/2024/11/13/kamala-harris-campaign-debt-democrats) as it works to rebuild after its catastrophic election season. President-elect Donald Trump is already scoring political points over the Democrats’ debt issues. Over the weekend, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do. We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much.” You’ve probably heard already about some of the Harris campaign’s most outlandish splurges, like the [$1 million it paid to the media company of surrogate Oprah Winfrey](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3222249/how-kamala-harris-plowed-through-1-billion/), or running [ads on the Las Vegas Sphere](https://www.avinteractive.com/territories-news/us-canada/kamala-harris-campaign-runs-spheres-first-political-ad-04-11-2024/), or spending [six figures to build a set for the “Call Her Daddy” podcast](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3222249/how-kamala-harris-plowed-through-1-billion/) while declining to appear for free on the Joe Rogan podcast. But these expenditures are peanuts compared to where the bulk of the billion-plus in spending went. With the campaign’s disproportionate dependence on paid media over the Trump campaign’s earned media strategy of podcast appearances and organic social interest, Democratic media consultants have been paid hundreds of millions by the Biden and Harris campaigns, money that is enriching the firms’ founders and partners through commissions. These Democratic consulting firms typically have their own revolving door ecosystem. They are often led by former Democratic Party officials or former staffers for Democratic elected officials who leverage their experience and connections to get a piece of the party’s election cycle spending splurges. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### **Media Buying and Analytics LLC** The Harris campaign’s largest vendor was the creatively named Media Buying and Analytics LLC, a front company for the Canal Partners Media firm. Media Buying and Analytics LLC lists an Atlanta UPS store on its [invoices](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25291301-biden-for-president-kyw-invoice-140047420-20240730-180809832-pdf?responsive=1&title=1) that can be accessed through the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), and it is registered in the state of Georgia by what appears to be a law firm based out of a suburban office plaza. However, some FCC filings show the firms are linked and Canal Partners Media’s president confirmed the tie to [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-ad-agencies-face-off-as-presidential-race-ends-2020-10) in 2020\. Formed in May 2019, Media Buying and Analytics LLC has overseen more than $280 million in ad production and placement spending for the Harris campaign, and that total is expected to increase once Federal Election Commission disclosures covering the final phase of the campaign are filed. Canal Partners Media’s president is Bobby Khan, a former chief of staff for Georgia Governor Roy Barnes and former chair of the Georgia Democratic Party. Khan formed LUC Media in 1993, and his firm merged with Abar Hutton Media in 2013 to form Canal Partners. Abar Hutton Media was formed by Barbara Burr and Shelli Hutton, who remain with the firm as partner/buyers. In addition to its work for Democrats, Canal Partners works for businesses and trade associations, including work that directly counters Democratic policy objectives, which may explain why it conducted its Harris work through a shell company. In 2022, it worked for a Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) front group Rare Access Action Project to help it run ads opposing the Biden administration’s policy allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, reported journalist [Andrew Perez](https://www.levernews.com/the-biden-consultants-working-to-sink-his-agenda/). In 2017, it worked for [Uber](https://littlesis.org/reports/silicon-valley-billionaires-spend-millions-manufacturing-consent-for-uber-lyft-in-wny/) as the company was lobbying for permission to operate in western New York state, a policy that was opposed by unions. A review of nonprofit tax documents show that Canal Partners Media has been working in recent years for charter school groups Families for Excellent Schools Inc. and Success Academy Charter Schools, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York, and pharmaceutical industry group Association for Accessible Medicines. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). ### **Gambit Strategies** The Washington, D.C.-based digital firm Gambit Strategies was paid $122 million for media production and placement by the Harris and Biden campaigns, as of the middle of October. Founded in 2021, Gambit Strategies specializes in digital persuasion and mobilization, and does not work on fundraising. Gambit Partner Megan Clasen was a senior paid media advisor to President Biden’s 2020 campaign, and according to her bio she began her career in advertising working with brands including Samsung and AT&T, and then in 2015 joined Hillary for America’s digital advertising team. The firm’s other partner, Patrick McHugh, was previously the executive director for Biden’s chief outside group in the 2020 cycle, [Priorities USA](https://readsludge.com/tag/priorities-usa/), including a super PAC, a dark money nonprofit, and a charitable foundation. Gambit was paid $17 million by Priorities USA Action during the 2022 midterm cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2022&vendor=Gambit+Strategies), before the super PAC was relegated to a minor role in the 2024 cycle and replaced with Future Forward. ### **Bully Pulpit Interactive** Founded and led by Obama campaign veterans, Bully Pulpit Interactive (BPI) has been a leading Democratic consultancy and media firm in recent election cycles. As of mid-October, the company had received disbursements of over $101 million from the Harris and Biden campaigns. Bully Pulpit’s president is Andrew Bleeker, who was the lead digital marketing strategist for Obama’s campaigns and for Biden’s campaign in 2020\. The firm has multiple partners, including Kim Axelrod, former Boeing spokesperson Bradley Ahubuiro, and Danny Franklin, whose bio says his work at BPI has served McDonald's, JPMorgan Chase, Blackstone, General Mills, and other companies. In addition to the Harris campaign, Bully Pulpit worked this cycle for several dark money groups in the Harris orbit, including Future Forward USA and Climate Power. A review of Snapchat data shows the firm’s political advertising this cycle focused on swing state users and targeted demographics like “Beauty Mavens,” “Clubbery & Party People,” “Reality TV Fans,” and “Battle Combat & FPS Gamers.” Like Canal Partners Media, Bully Pulpit has worked with business interests that are [misaligned](https://readsludge.com/2024/08/15/corporate-clients-of-top-democratic-firm-oppose-the-democratic-agenda/) with some Democratic Party policy positions. The company was paid almost $760,000 in 2018 by Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, a nonprofit that was formed to resist Democratic efforts to create a universal health care system, according to a collaborative report by [The American Prospect and MapLight](https://prospect.org/power/top-democratic-consultants-working-for-anti-medicare-for-all/). Partnership for America’s Health Care Future’ [members](https://americashealthcarefuture.org/members/) include the pharmaceutical company group Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), hospital industry group American Hospital Association, and the Healthcare Leadership Council, which counts among its members Blue Cross Blue Shield, Pfizer, and UnitedHealth Group. A review of tax documents shows that Bully Pulpit has also worked for business interests like the US Telecom Association and the Nuclear Energy Institute. The largest pro-Harris super PAC, Future Forward, paid more than $6.7 million to media buying firm Waterfront Strategies, an arm of D.C.-based media giant GMMB, as well as $2.9 million to BPI, according to FEC data. Bully Pulpit similarly is one of the top vendors of the Democratic National Committee over the past two decades. In recent years, DNC members have proposed [reforms](https://readsludge.com/2020/08/18/perez-put-lobbyists-in-charge-of-reviewing-dnc-member-qualifications/) that would increase transparency among party members over the party’s budget and the workings of the DNC Budget and Finance Committee, only to see the proposals rejected by opaque DNC committees. Read more of our DNC coverage [here](https://readsludge.com/tag/dnc/). ### Trump Selects Corporate Lobbyist Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/08/trump-selects-corporate-lobbyist-susie-wiles-as-chief-of-staff/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T21:58:44.000Z According to a press statement, President-elect Donald Trump has selected his campaign manager Susie Wiles to serve as his chief of staff. Wiles will be the first woman to serve as chief of staff. “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in the statement this evening announcing his selection. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again.” Until earlier this year, Susie Wiles was a lobbyist for tobacco company Swisher International, for which she worked to influence Congress on “FDA regulations,” according to [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/53da428d-ab2e-4be4-95e5-b2f355c6a267/print/) filed with the Senate. Wiles has not filed a termination report for her work with Swisher, but she has not reported lobbying for the company since the first quarter of the year, when the company paid her firm Mercury Public Affairs $30,000 in fees. Before joining Mercury Public Affairs as a co-chair in February 2022, Wiles was a lobbyist for Ballard Partners, the firm founded by Trump ally and campaign bundler Brian Ballard. There she worked as a lobbyist for coal company Alliance Resource Partners, insurance company Bankers Financial Corporation, General Motors, marketing company Zeta Global, transportation company Origin Logistics, and more companies. ## Join our newsletter Sludge produces investigative journalism on money in politics. Join to get our headlines in your inbox. Join Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Trump has worked to cultivate a populist image, in the past running on a pledge to “drain the swamp” and promising to end the revolving door and tax Wall Street. Before he left office in 2021, he [reversed](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/20/trump-revokes-rule-lobbying-by-white-house-staff-460608) his own executive order that would have barred his appointees from any lobbying related to their agencies for five years. One of the Trump campaign’s consistent messages to voters was that a Trump administration would “Make America Healthy Again,” with campaign figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledging to get ultra-processed foods removed from school lunches. Mercury has large lobbying contracts with several junk food companies that will be working to oppose that objective. It lobbies for sugar cereal company Kellogg’s, high fructose corn syrup sauce maker Kraft-Heinz, and Nestlé SA, the Swiss company whose brands include KitKat, Hot Pockets, and Nestea. Wiles maintained her position with Mercury Public Affairs throughout the course of the Trump campaign, and still held the position [as of yesterday](https://x.com/kenvogel/status/1854684101464227886). > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) Some of Mercury’s other clients, highlighted on its website, include Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, Tesla, Uber, Kaiser Permanente, AT&T, NBC Universal, Gavi: The Vaccine Alliance, and the nation of Qatar. It's registered federal lobbying clients include ConAgra, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Archer Daniels Midland, Exxon Mobil, Alibaba, Emergent BioSolutions, and dozens more. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Raises Massive Legal War Chest for Post-Election Fights URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/05/trump-raises-massive-legal-war-chest-for-post-election-fights/ Last updated: 2024-11-05T22:09:32.000Z *Correction: This totals raised by the RNC and DNC recount accounts have been corrected. Some funds were double counted in the original version of this article.* If the polls are accurate, today’s presidential election will likely be decided by razor-thin margins, coming down to which candidate can eke out a majority in a handful of hotly-contested swing states. Most polling aggregators have Trump and Harris within the margin of error in seven states. It’s very likely that at least some of the swing states will face recounts and legal challenges, and if they do, the Republican National Committee stands with a significant cash advantage over the Democrats. According to Federal Election Commission records, the RNC has raised more than $54 million for its recount and legal proceedings account this cycle, while the DNC has raised $13.8 million for those purposes. According to the Federal Election Commission, the funds that national parties raised for their “recount accounts” can only be used “to defray expenses incurred with respect to the preparation for and conduct of election recounts and contests and related legal proceedings.” Generally, the funds are used to hire attorneys to file legal challenges and defenses of election results and to oversee recounts, as well as for filing fees, travel expenses, and other costs related to these procedures. They cannot be used for campaign or general operating expenses. Despite the DNC’s smaller legal proceedings budget, it may be able to tap into its campaign funds for some of the work and raise money in the future to pay it back. Under a FEC [advisory opinion](https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/aos/2010-14/AO-2010-14.pdf) from 2010, the national parties can use general campaign funds to pay initially for some recount and legal activities, and then reimburse the campaign account from the recount account for the percentage of the work that was for legal and recount work. Additional funding for post-election legal and recount matters can come from whatever money the candidates have left in their campaigns after Election Day, and the candidates and parties can fundraise for these legal battles after the election, as the Trump and Biden campaigns both did in 2020\. The Harris campaign had $118 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 16 while the Trump campaign had $36 million, but it’s not yet known where their campaign accounts will stand after the election. Over the past six months, the RNC has fired off around 130 election-related lawsuits across 26 states, according to [ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/US/litigation-election-trump-harris-teams-head-court-flurry/story?id=114992499). The lawsuits have [touched on](https://apnews.com/article/trump-rnc-jan-6-legal-team-lawsuits-13d24822cc4899e5934a07661fe649e3) claims that non-citizens are voting, ensuring voter ID requirements, and pushing back against rules around mail ballots and absentee voting. The RNC’s litigation lead is Steve Kenny, a former Jones Day attorney who is now a senior counsel for the GOP group. Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, [said](https://abcnews.go.com/US/litigation-election-trump-harris-teams-head-court-flurry/story?id=114992499) that the record number of pre-election lawsuits was launched in order to undermine confidence in the outcome. “The lawsuits are not about getting legal relief, but about spreading conspiracy theories,” Weiser told ABC News. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Koch Super PAC Shatters Its Election Spending Record URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/04/koch-super-pac-shatters-its-election-spending-record/ Last updated: 2024-11-05T01:05:45.000Z Much media attention in the 2024 elections has gone to the world’s richest person, the ubiquitous Elon Musk, whose political spending has exploded this cycle for former President Donald Trump and Republican candidates. The frenetic cash outlays by Musk and his tech industry associates over the past six months have obscured record high spending in this election cycle by a more familiar conservative billionaire: industrialist Charles Koch and his Americans for Prosperity Action super PAC. Overall, AFP Action’s spending in 2024 federal elections has more than tripled over its level in the 2020 contests. About two-thirds of that amount this cycle has been to help Republicans hold control of the U.S. House and retake a majority in the Senate, where they need a net gain of at least one more seat if West Virginia elects the Republican candidate, as is widely expected. "The Koch network's premier PAC more than doubling its contributions over the last two election cycles is a clear indicator that our campaign finance system is badly broken," said David Kass, executive director of the coalition Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), which advocates for progressive tax reform. "Ultra-wealthy donors like the Kochs are using their vast resources to influence key Senate races, aiming to make Trump's tax cuts permanent, which would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and big corporations,” Kass said. Only the two super PACs tied to Republican congressional leaders, the Congressional Leadership Fund and Senate Leadership Fund, have spent more backing Republican candidates for the House and Senate this year than AFP Action has, according to a Sludge review of Federal Election Commission spending data. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Fossil Fuel Lobby’s Stealth EV Misinformation Campaign URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/04/the-fossil-fuel-lobbys-stealth-ev-misinformation-campaign/ Last updated: 2024-11-04T22:45:41.000Z A lobbying group for companies that make and sell gasoline has quietly been spending millions of dollars to help make electric vehicles a wedge issue in the presidential and congressional elections. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) says it has spent more than $10 million on ads this election year that go after Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic Senate candidates for their support of a variety of policies designed to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Although the ads are critical of Harris and the Democrats, they don’t explicitly advocate for any candidates to be elected or defeated, so they are not subject to the Federal Election Commission’s reporting requirements. AFPM’s donors are not public, but its members include many companies that make money by selling gas, including ExxonMobil, Citgo, and Valero. The ads oppose what they call “the Biden-Harris car ban” and the “EV mandate,” a misleading reference to a “technology agnostic” rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year that would toughen tailpipe emissions standards for gasoline cars over a period of several years in order to create a market shift toward electric vehicles. The EPA rule does not mandate which propulsion system vehicle manufactures must use to meet the emissions standards, but it has provided an estimate of how manufacturers are likely to adapt. EPA expects the regulation to bring EVs to between 35% and 56% of the new car market by 2032, after the original timeline of emissions tightening proposed by the EPA in 2023 was slowed in the final rule after industry pushback. The EPA also estimates that by 2032 its regulation will bring internal combustion engine vehicles down to between 17% and 29% of the market, with the rest of the market going to hybrids. “Vice President Kamala Harris wanted to end sales of all new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, taking away our choices and enforcing the extreme standards of her home state California nationwide,” says one of the ads. “Call Sen. Jon Tester and tell him to stop the Biden-Harris car ban,” the ad finishes. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A Dim Milestone for Dark Money in Politics URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/02/a-dim-milestone-for-dark-money-in-politics/ Last updated: 2024-11-03T13:59:32.000Z For the first time in modern presidential fundraising history, a nominee’s largest funder is a black box designed to mask the identities of its donors. The largest contributor to Kamala Harris this election cycle is Future Forward USA Action, a nonprofit that has given more than $136 million to her super PACs since the beginning of 2023, according to Federal Election Commission data. The group is an affiliate of the Harris campaign’s premier super PAC, Future Forward, that allows it to shield political donors’ identities while still legally engaging in politics. Super PACs have only filed their donors through October 16, so it’s possible–though highly unlikely–that another donor could overtake Future Forward USA Action or that the Trump campaign could suddenly have a new major dark money funder during the final stretch of the contest. As of October 16, the next highest contributors this cycle to super PACs that have made independent expenditures for Harris are two other “dark money” groups, AB Foundation (about $32 million) and League of Conservation Voters Inc. (about $42 million), and Trump’s largest dark money funder, Building America’s Future, has contributed just over $25 million. Two of Future Forward USA Action’s major donors are known. Democratic billionaires [Bill Gates](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/elections/bill-gates-future-forward-kamala-harris.html) and [Michael Bloomberg](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/28/us/elections/michael-bloomberg-presidential-race-donations.html) have each reportedly given the group $50 million in contributions that were meant to be kept under wraps but were leaked to the New York Times. However, it’s impossible to know how those donations impacted the group’s contributions to its pro-Harris super PAC affiliate. Section 501(c)4 nonprofits like Future Forward USA Action can only spend less than 50% of their money on politics in order to qualify for tax exemption. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Public Campaign Financing Is Already Changing New York Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/11/02/public-campaign-financing-is-already-changing-new-york-elections/ Last updated: 2024-11-03T14:17:28.000Z In New York State this year, voters and candidates are picking up a new public campaign financing program that is making its debut this election cycle. More than 300 candidates for New York State Senate and Assembly opted-in to the [Public Campaign Finance Program](https://pcfb.ny.gov/program-overview) (PCFP), which allows candidates to qualify for public matching funds based on small donations, from $5 up to $250, that they raise from residents in their districts. The program’s supporters, including the nonpartisan good-government institute the Brennan Center for Justice, say it will level the playing field for candidates who don’t bring wealthy donor networks to their runs for office, and prioritize time spent in outreach to everyday New Yorkers. An [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/analysis-shows-amplification-small-donors-under-new-ny-state-public) of the New York program’s potential statewide, released by the Brennan Center early last year, found that the matching formula would enable state legislative candidates to raise the majority of their campaign funds in small donations from residents in the districts they seek to represent. In the 2022 cycle, small donations made up only 11% of funds raised by state legislative candidates. If the PCFP incentivizes greater participation, small donations in the matching program could soar to fully two-thirds of the total, according to the analysis. ## 📹[**Share this post on Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/p/DB1tH4%5Fxd%5FR/) ## The statewide program was modeled in part after a [successful](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) small-donor matching system in New York City elections, one that was overwhelmingly [strengthened](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/05/nyc-progressives-coalesce-around-campaign-finance-ballot-initiative/) by voters in a 2018 ballot measure. A 2021 [analysis](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) by the Brennan Center found that with the program in place, the New York City Council reflected the makeup of the city’s population in terms of local council members who are women and people of color. More than 14 states and two dozen localities nationwide offer [versions](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-public-financing-programs-nationwide) of public campaign financing for political hopefuls. Sludge speaks with Joanna Zdanys, deputy director in the Brennan Center’s Elections & Government Program, about the program's strong participation in its debut cycle. The path to the program’s rollout this year had no shortage of hurdles. In 2019, New York’s massive budget law included the [establishment](https://readsludge.com/2020/06/18/grassroots-ny-challengers-take-on-the-pandemic-and-the-big-money-machine/) of the PCFP, scheduled to launch after the 2022 election cycle. But in last year’s state budget negotiations, [legislators were moving plans](https://readsludge.com/2023/04/07/new-york-groups-call-on-lawmakers-to-fully-fund-small-donor-matching-program/) that would delay funding for the program and the body that would administer it, the Public Campaign Financing Bureau (PCFB). At the start of May 2023, after activism from state pro-democracy groups like Citizen Action of New York, [an adequate funding level](https://readsludge.com/2023/05/03/public-campaign-financing-is-coming-to-new-york/) for the PCFP was secured. Then, toward the end of year, state legislators passed a bill that would have undermined the program’s matching formula, but Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) [vetoed](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-york-governor-vetoes-bill-would-have-weakened-small-donor-public) the measure on Dec. 27, preserving what supporters call a “key pillar” of the program. New York’s program offers an innovative tiered formula that encourages small donations: eligible contributions for state legislative office are matched where the first $50 of a contribution is matched at a 12:1 [ratio](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services), the next $100 is matched at a 9:1 ratio, and the next $100 is matched at an 8:1 ratio. Sludge talks with Rebecca Garrard, deputy executive director at Citizen Action of New York, about how New York's small-dollar matching program levels the playing field for state candidates. To qualify for the program, candidates must first meet matching [thresholds](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services), which this cycle for state Senate was at least $12,000 raised from 150 district residents, and for Assembly was at least $6,000 raised from 75 district residents. Contributions from PACs, companies, and anyone outside of the district are not eligible to be matched in the program, among other rules. Participating candidates are subject to maximum amounts that they can receive in matching payments for primary and general elections: $375,000 for Senate, and $175,000 for Assembly, with further limitations applying to unopposed races. Matching-contribution data for each candidate is [posted](https://publicreporting.elections.ny.gov/PCFBCandidateRegList/PCFBCandidateRegList) online, participating candidates are subject to spending [limits](https://pcfb.ny.gov/program-overview) of their personal funds, and statewide candidates must agree to participate in at least one public debate before each election, among other requirements like post-election audits. “We are pleased to see such a high level of interest in the Program in its inaugural year. It has attracted a high level of interest from candidates from all corners of the state,” said PCFB Co-Director Cheryl Couser, in a March [statement](https://pcfb.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/03/pcfb-strong-participation-release-03012024.pdf). Joanna Zdanys, deputy director in the Brennan Center's Elections & Government Program, told Sludge in an interview that the more than 300 enrolled candidates in New York this year was a greater number than typically seen in the rollout of such [programs](https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/public-campaign-financing) in other states. “We're also seeing that this is a program with really broad appeal across the state and the political spectrum,” Zdanys said. “Candidates from more than three quarters of the state's legislative districts are participating in the program, including candidates from rural, urban and suburban districts. That includes incumbents and challengers, Democrats and Republicans, and others across the political spectrum.” “With over 300 candidates signed up for the Public Campaign Finance Program, the momentum is undeniable,” said Rebecca Garrard, deputy executive director for Citizen Action of New York, a grassroots membership organization that campaigned for the program. “This is a seismic shift in New York’s elections—where real people, not just the ultra-wealthy, can finally elevate candidates who reflect their values. “For too long, millionaire and billionaire donors have overshadowed the voices of everyday New Yorkers, but this program is breaking their grip on our democracy,” Garrard said. New York's 2026 election cycle will be the first with statewide candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and comptroller eligible for the small-dollar match. *Sludge videos produced by* [*Spencer Snyder*](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder) ### Harris and Trump Keep Bundler Names Secret URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/30/harris-and-trump-keep-bundler-names-secret/ Last updated: 2024-10-30T17:38:14.000Z For the first time in twenty years, neither presidential campaign is disclosing information about the elite fundraisers known as bundlers that they have relied on to raise large sums for their campaigns. Bundler disclosure is not required by law, but it has been the tradition since the early 2000s for presidential candidates to voluntarily name them, particularly on the Democratic side. Harris is on course to be the first Democratic presidential nominee since Al Gore not to name her bundlers. Trump did not name his bundlers in his past elections, breaking with past Republican candidates like John McCain and George W. Bush, though Mitt Romney also did not disclose his bundlers. The only bundlers that the campaigns have disclosed are those who are registered lobbyists, which the law requires to be disclosed to the public on designated forms. While individual donors are capped in how much money they can give to campaigns and their joint fundraising committees, bundlers can tap into their personal and professional networks to raise funds far beyond those limits, often reaching into the millions of dollars. Bundlers are routinely rewarded by candidates who get elected–for example, Obama gave plum jobs and appointments to almost 200 of his bundlers after he took office, according to [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-rewarded-fundraising-bundlers-with-plum-jobs/). President Biden also appointed many bundlers to ambassadorships when he took office despite [pledging](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/19/one-third-biden-ambassador-nominees-so-far-are-campaign-bundlers/) in 2019 during the campaign that he would not appoint people based on their contributions. A Harris campaign spokesperson declined to comment on the campaign’s decision not to disclose its bundlers. The Trump campaign did not respond to Sludge’s inquiry. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC’s Republican-Funded Super PAC Boosts L.A. Incumbent House Democrat URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/29/aipacs-republican-funded-super-pac-boosts-l-a-incumbent-house-democrat/ Last updated: 2024-11-14T15:03:56.000Z After spending tens of millions of dollars on Democratic primaries earlier this year to unseat House incumbents who have criticized the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is back spending money to influence congressional elections. Since Oct. 7, AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has spent [$1.5 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00799031&is%5Fnotice=true&candidate%5Fid=H8CA34266&candidate%5Fid=H4CA34083&candidate%5Foffice=H&candidate%5Foffice%5Fstate=CA) to support the re-election of fourth-term Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who is facing immigration attorney David Kim, a Democrat, in California’s Thirty-Fourth Congressional District general election. The two Democrats advanced to the general election under California’s top-two primary system, which does not require general elections candidates to be from different parties. Gomez and Kim previously faced each other in the 2020 and 2022 elections, with Gomez winning by six points in the first contest and just over two points, or about 3,000 votes, in the second. The super PAC has been supporting the incumbent and opposing Kim with ads, direct mail, and phone calls, most recently with a $515,000 [TV ad buy](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/23/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/aipac-goes-in-for-jimmy-gomez-00185173) for Gomez. The sum makes UDP by far the top outside spender in the race, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2024&id=CA34&spec=N). Close to $382,000 of UDP’s spending so far has been to oppose Kim. The pro-Gomez buys are UDP’s first independent expenditures since August, when it [knocked out](https://readsludge.com/2024/07/30/aipac-is-trying-to-buy-another-house-seat/) progressive Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) in a primary, and it is the only general election race it has spent money on so far. The cryptocurrency industry-funded super PAC Protect Progress has also spent $511,000 to support Gomez. Its affiliated crypto industry PAC has spent more than [$40 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/27/the-crypto-industry-could-decide-the-fate-of-the-senate/) this cycle to take out Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, among other candidates targeted. UDP’s [top donors](https://readsludge.com/2024/08/27/aipac-officially-surpasses-100-million-in-spending-on-2024-elections/) this election cycle include several billionaire Republican megadonors: hedge fund founder Paul Singer, conservative Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, and WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, each of whom have contributed at least a million dollars to a super PAC backing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. While Gomez in November 2023 [called for](https://gomez.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2952) a “cessation of hostilities” in the war in Gaza, and has [criticized](https://gomez.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3142) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was endorsed by AIPAC in the primary earlier this year. On its endorsements page, AIPAC [cites](https://candidates.aipacpac.org/page/featured/) Gomez’s legislative record, among other factors, like the lawmaker’s 2010 and 2019 trips to Israel with AIPAC’s sibling foundation. In contrast, Kim’s foreign policy [platform](https://davidkimforca.com/foreign-policy-platform/) calls to “withhold all economic, diplomatic, and military aid to Israel” until a ceasefire in Gaza is achieved and humanitarian relief is restored. Kim’s platform also calls on the U.S. to “leverage diplomatic and economic influence to pressure the Israeli government to replace its far-right government, enabling more productive two-state negotiations.” Kim told Sludge, “This massive infusion of outside money is proof of exactly what’s wrong with politics today. Since day one, we’ve been clear that Jimmy Gomez has refused to support a ceasefire, an arms embargo, or any meaningful action to bring peace in Gaza. It seems that AIPAC believes in his approach too—one that ignores the voices calling for justice and humanity.” Gomez’s campaign did not respond to an inquiry about whether it embraces the spending by UDP, and UDP did not respond to a question about its late spending supporting Gomez. “We are disgusted yet unsurprised by AIPAC’s last-minute spending spree on this race,” said Leo Shaffer, volunteer organizer with the American Jewish organization IfNotNow Los Angeles. “Despite having completely flown under the radar, the outcome of this race will have major implications for U.S. politics, far beyond CA-34.” In addition to its ad spending, AIPAC’s PAC has contributed a total of $125,000 to Gomez’s campaign this cycle, according to FEC data, much of it in earmarked donations of $1,000 and above from individuals who support the group. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What Does Mark Cuban Want? URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/28/what-does-mark-cuban-want/ Last updated: 2024-10-29T16:28:13.000Z Billionaire investor and “Shark Tank” host Mark Cuban has been all over the place recently to promote Kamala Harris. He has spoken at rallies, hosted fundraisers, defended her policies on TV news, and he recently recorded a sit-down interview with Harris for her YouTube channel. The Harris campaign is hoping that Cuban can help them assuage voters who have concerns about how their plans could impact the economy. Because of his persona on the popular reality show “Shark Tank,” which he is leaving after this season, Cuban is seen as an authority on how to grow a small business and someone who cares about helping people live out the American dream. Cuban has given his business-centric backing to every Democratic presidential candidate since 2016 and he has consistently slammed Donald Trump. Earlier this year, he said he would back President Biden over Trump even if Biden was “being given his last rites.” Because of his strong endorsement, Cuban could have a big influence on a potential Harris administration. Last month, he even suggested that Harris should consider him to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, calling into CNBC to divulge that he speaks to the Harris team three to four times a week on business outreach. But while Cuban has been an outspoken liberal over the years on social issues like access to abortion and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion factors in hiring, he’s frequently been out of sync with the Democrats on economic issues and has railed against federal agencies when they put forth consumer-focused policies that could impact his investments. Mark Cuban Companies’ investments include tech startups in the areas of blockchain and artificial intelligence, as well as health care companies such as Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, a public benefit company that sells generic medications directly to consumers at a discounted rate. Forbes pegs Cuban’s net worth at $5.7 billion. On Big Tech, Mark Cuban opposes the government’s actions to apply antitrust laws to the largest companies like Google because, he says, he believes it would harm innovation in the development of artificial intelligence. “The DOJ Anti-Trust Case against[ ](https://x.com/Google)Google effectively comes down to: ‘If you dominate your market because you are better at AI then your competitors, we will come after you,” Cuban wrote on [X](https://x.com/mcuban/status/1318958923593011203?lang=en) in 2020 following the Trump administration’s antitrust case against Google. More recently, he’s come out against the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, who has made tackling Big Tech company abuses through antitrust law enforcement a top focus of her tenure. When he was asked earlier this month by [Semafor](https://x.com/josephzeballos/status/1843712767951548603) whether Harris should keep Khan at the helm of the FTC if she is elected, Cuban replied, “If it were me, I wouldn’t.” "By trying to break up the biggest tech companies, you risk our ability to be the best in artificial intelligence," said Cuban. In calling for Khan to be replaced, Cuban has echoed his fellow tech billionaire and Harris backer Reid Hoffman, who has argued that Khan is “waging war on American business.” Like Cuban, Hoffman invests in tech startups through his position as a partner with venture firm Greylock Partners. While this position might help Cuban and Hoffman win more support for Harris among tech industry billionaires, it’s not likely to help with voters at large. The Tech Oversight Project recently conducted a [poll](https://techoversight.org/2024/09/25/khan-kanter-poll/) of Democrats and found strong support for Khan and for antitrust actions against the tech industry. While the Tech Oversight Project is far from neutral on the topic—its primary cause is strengthening antitrust laws through legislation aimed at Big Tech— the results of its poll were overwhelming. The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling, found that 80% of Democrats want the government to be doing more to take on corporate monopoly power. After facing pushback from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, and others, Cuban has tried to moderate his position on Khan, saying that he is a fan of what Khan has done on everything except for the tech industry. He has also said that he has not discussed Khan with the Harris campaign. ## Join Our Newsletter Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. For tech industry venture capitalists like Cuban and Hoffman with investments in artificial intelligence and web3 companies, the Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Meta offer a way for them to cash out. These tech giants have made a habit of acquiring innovative startups in order to maintain their position in the market and stamp out competitors, and for many founders, being acquired is seen as a more viable exit strategy than going public. In September, Cuban told [Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-after-shark-tank-mark-cuban-just-wants-to-break-shit-especially-the-prescription-drug-industry/) that he wouldn’t want to run for public office because he could do more from the private sector. "You can't be president and change health care. You've got to get Congress behind you, and this, and that.” Cuban went on, "As an entrepreneur, you can change anything. Jensen Huang, what he's doing \[as CEO of the chipmaker giant\] Nvidia, he can pretty much define what's going to happen by how he prices things." Nvidia is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice for possibly using its dominant position in the artificial intelligence market in violation of antitrust laws. Antitrust isn’t the only area where Cuban has broken with the Democrats on tech policy. In 2014, Cuban was one of the loudest voices opposing the Obama administration’s attempt to enact strong “net neutrality” regulations through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Cuban said the plans would “fuck everything up” and that he was in favor of creating “fast lanes” on the internet. When the FCC voted 3-2 along partisan lines in April to restore net neutrality rules, the agency’s action was supported by senior Democratic lawmakers and opposed by top Republicans including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Cuban is also pushing Harris and the Biden administration on cryptocurrencies. In June, speaking at Coinbase’s State of Crypto Summit 2024, Cuban [criticized](https://cryptobriefing.com/gensler-sec-crypto-election-impact/) SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s regulatory proposals that would make it harder for firms to custody investors’ crypto assets. Cuban said at the summit that he had been lobbying policymakers against the regulations and that it was “a uniquely American[ @GaryGensler](https://x.com/GaryGensler) problem.” In a June tweet, Cuban said, “Biden has to choose between Gensler or crypto voters or it could cost him the Whitehouse.” Mark Cuban Companies is invested in nearly two dozen blockchain startups, including OpenSea, an NFT marketplace that received a Wells notice from the SEC earlier this year threatening a lawsuit because the agency believes the assets on its platforms are securities. According to data from [Arkham Intelligence](https://platform.arkhamintelligence.com/explorer/entity/mark-cuban), Cuban has transacted about $27 million worth of assets on cryptocurrency exchanges, though he does not appear to have a large cryptocurrency portfolio at the moment. Cuban blasted the SEC after a years-long case cleared him of insider trading charges, [telling](https://www.fa-mag.com/news/cuban-calls-sec-enforcement-a--joke-20149.html) a Las Vegas conference in 2014, “The SEC is a joke.” On taxes, Cuban has been undermining the Harris campaign’s embrace of a Biden proposal sometimes referred to as the “billionaire minimum tax.” Under the proposal, households worth $100 million or more would be responsible for paying a minimum tax on their total income, including unrealized gains in assets like stocks, real estate, and private companies. According to the administration, the tax would only apply to the top .01 percent of American households, and half of the total revenue it would raise would come from billionaires. In a September appearance on [CNBC](https://x.com/SquawkCNBC/status/1848347909462360420), Cuban said that Harris would not actually go through with implementing the tax, and that if she did he would switch his position and campaign against her in four years. The billionaire reiterated this line recently at a town hall event in Phoenix where he was supporting the campaign. "There is not going to be a tax on unrealized gains," he [said](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-cuban-breaks-silence-harris-131551439.html). "Kamala knows that an economy-killer like that would do more harm than good." In opposing the tax, Cuban is aligned with Trump, who has called it “the craziest idea” and said that it would drive rich people and corporations to flee the United States. Trump has also called it “a communist thing.” The billionaire minimum tax is a popular proposal, according to Democratic Party-aligned polling operation [Data for Progress](https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2024/9/12/voters-strongly-support-a-billionaire-minimum-tax). In a September poll of likely voters, the group found that 63% of all respondents support the proposal, including 82% of Democrats. The Data for Progress poll question described the proposal, including that it would include unrealized gains on private property, though it did not identify it as a Harris plan. Harris has not been emphasizing her support for the billionaire minimum tax as she tries to win over moderate Republican voters, but according to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-23/harris-goes-quiet-on-biden-s-push-to-tax-unrealized-gains) a campaign official recently said that the campaign still supports the plan. A year ago, more than 60 congressional Democrats joined as co-sponsors of the reintroduced Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act ([H.R. 6498](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6498)), which has a Senate companion sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and over a dozen other Democrats. During the same September interview on CNBC, Cuban said he opposes abolishing the Senate filibuster, something that the Harris campaign has embraced in order to pass legislation to federally protect abortion access. In taking that position, Cuban is aligned with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who says that getting rid of the filibuster would “break the institution” of the Senate. The exact role that Cuban is playing behind the scenes with the campaign is unknown, but he recently let slip that he attempted to set up a meeting between the Harris campaign and fellow billionaire Elon Musk, who he praised as “one of the best entrepreneurs.” According to a report from [ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mark-cuban-proposed-elon-musk-meet-harris-team/story?id=115040415), the Harris campaign declined the meeting because it did not think Musk would keep it private and would post about it on X. Musk has been one of the Trump campaign’s most impactful supporters through his [more than $100 million in donations](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/) and his social media influence through his control of the X platform. If Harris doesn’t win the election in November, Cuban says is willing to work with the Trump administration. “If Trump wins, last time when he won, he asked me to help on health care, on PPE, I sat with Peter Navarro and helped him come up with a mask company and helped them grow,” Cuban said on CNBC. “I’ll do the same thing. I’m America first.” ### The Final Pre-Election Reports Are In: Here Are Trump’s 20 Largest Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T14:48:51.000Z Yesterday, campaigns and political action committees filed their final disclosures before Election Day with the Federal Election Commission, revealing more huge donations to super PACs backing Donald Trump. Four megadonors have contributed a combined $459 million this election cycle to super PACs supporting former President Trump’s campaign, according to a Sludge review of FEC data through the latest reporting deadline of Oct. 16. As the Trump campaign runs at a deficit in direct fundraising compared with Vice President Kamala Harris, the billionaire-funded super PACs are helping to make up for the shortfall by bankrolling ads supporting Trump and attacking Harris, as well as shouldering costs of canvassing operations for the Trump campaign and more. Trump’s superwealthy donors could see their fortunes balloon if the Republican is elected and makes permanent the provisions in his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as the candidate has promised to do. Earlier this month, the nonpartisan think tank Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) [found](https://itep.org/a-distributional-analysis-of-donald-trumps-tax-plan-2024/) that the tax policy changes Trump has floated would create, on average, a tax cut for the richest 5% of Americans and a tax increase for all other income groups. If Trump’s changes are put into effect, the ITEP report analyzed, the top 1% would see an average tax cut of $36,300, while taxes owed would increase for 95% of Americans. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). The donors covered below contributed to a group of nine super PACs that have made pro-Trump expenditures and Trump’s fundraising committees. The super PACs included in this analysis are the six largest pro-Trump super PACs on [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/candidate?id=N00023864) as of Oct. 17: the flagship Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc., for short); Preserve America; America PAC; Right for America; Turnout for America; and Duty to America. This tally also includes donations made to three major pro-Trump super PACs spending for Trump this cycle: Restoration PAC; Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Victory Fund; and FC (Future Coalition) PAC. Here are 20 of the largest donors to pro-Trump outside spending groups. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/Sludge_Trump_top_20_donors_11-01-24.png) 1. Trump’s top backer has been investor **Timothy Mellon**, the reclusive 82-year-old [heir](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/08/heir-to-andrew-mellons-fortune-spends-over-165-million-to-support-trumps-reelection/) to a billionaire banking family, who has given **$150 million** to MAGA Inc., the largest Trump super PAC. Mellon’s most recent contribution to the group was [$25 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00825851/1833889/) on Sept. 17, after making $50 million donations in May and July. 1. **Elon Musk** has given **$118.6 million** to the pro-Trump super PAC he formed, America PAC, most recently $43.6 million in donations made from Oct. 4-14\. This month’s funding came on top of the $75 million he gave to the group in the third quarter of this year, as the world’s richest man campaigns for Trump in Pennsylvania and draws [campaign finance legal scrutiny](https://apnews.com/article/musk-1-million-giveaway-trump-voters-petition-b4e48acbfe04fde735e60b1911ad0197) for practices like his $1 million lottery giveaways to petition signers. This week, the Trump campaign [texted](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/politics/elon-musk-trump-campaign-donation.html) its supporters that Musk, whose net worth is around [$243 billion](https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/?list=rtb/) according to Forbes, would also be giving the Trump campaign the maximum of nearly $925,000, matching donations from Trump supporters. Musk is [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/15/us/elections/trump-money-building-americas-future.html) a major donor to the dark money group Building America’s Future, which has funneled more than $20 million to pro-Trump PACs. 1. Billionaire pro-Israel donor **Miriam Adelson** has given at least **$105.8 million** to Trump super PACs and fundraising committees. She gave $100 million to pro-Trump Preserve America super PAC she helped stand back up this cycle, nearly all of during in the third quarter. In August, Adelson also gave $5 million to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) Victory Fund, a group that’s spent an amount into the eight figures against Harris. Adelson also gave nearly $845,000 to the Trump 47 joint fundraising committee in May. 1. Billionaire conservative **Richard Uihlein**, CEO of packing supplies company Uline, has given more than **$84.1 million** this cycle to to pro-Trump groups: $76.1 million to the Restoration PAC super PAC that he’s [funded](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/cardboard-billionaire-uihlein-vaults) for the past decade and is spending on anti-Harris attack ads, as well as $5 million to MAGA Inc. in May and $3 million to the super PAC Preserve America on Oct. 15\. The billionaire also donated thousands of dollars to several Trump campaign groups this summer. His wife, conservative megadonor **Elizabeth Uihlein**, also gave $5 million to MAGA Inc. on the same date in May and donated thousands of dollars to the Trump campaign. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We broke these Big Money stories this year URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/24/we-broke-these-big-money-stories-this-year/ Last updated: 2024-11-08T01:42:30.000Z There have been a lot of important money-in-politics stories this year that Sludge was the first, or only, newsroom to cover. We were… - The first to list all of AIPAC’s [contributions](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) to members of Congress and candidates - The first and only to tally all the dark money [backing](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/23/harris-backed-by-9-6x-more-dark-money-than-trump/) both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s campaigns - The first and only to create a detailed analysis of the 50+ members of Congress who own stock in [defense](https://readsludge.com/2024/09/12/here-are-the-members-of-congress-invested-in-war/) contractors - The first and only to chart the [skyrocketing](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/17/fossil-fuel-donors-give-record-amount-to-congressional-gop-super-pacs/) fossil fuel industry donations to two giant Republican super PACs - ... and we created one of the most-current, most-comprehensive lists of Donald Trump's top 20 donors before Election Day, who have given [$635 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/). [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/Sludge_Trump_top_20_donors_11-01-24-3.png)](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/25/the-final-pre-election-reports-are-in-here-are-trumps-20-largest-donors/) While plenty of reporters focus on what politicians are saying at rallies, Sludge follows the money to give you the real story behind what’s happening in politics. That’s why we were the first to report these stories. But doing this work does not make us popular with wealthy funders, so we’re counting on our readers for support. We’ve set a goal of getting 100 free newsletter readers like you to [join as subscribers](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) by Election Day. All new subscribers will have the monthly cost of their subscription **matched 12x by the NewsMatch drive** from the Institute for Nonprofit News, and get full access to our stories. By tracking disclosures every day, Sludge was also early in providing our readers with coverage of enormous cryptocurrency industry super PAC spending in 2024 elections, who funded the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, and record-high donations from hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer—a benefactor of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito—for Republicans to take back control of the Senate, and potentially block ethics reform on the high court. (In the weeks ahead, you’ll read mainstream media postmortems of industry spending in 2024 elections that we [covered](https://readsludge.com/2024/04/20/aipacs-super-pac-raised-another-1-8-million-in-march-while-fighting-progressives/) in [April](https://readsludge.com/2024/04/11/billionaires-fund-the-gops-senate-takeover-attempt-with-tax-cuts-at-stake/)!) Unfortunately, we don’t have foundation grants or major philanthropists to report and publish this investigative work, though we’ve pursued such supporters vigorously. Money in politics is a funny topic: everyone knows it’s a major force behind elections and public policy, and our scoops do impressive traffic numbers for a two-person site, but few institutional funders want to directly fund muckraking. We rely on $5-a-month donations banded together from readers like you, who think that corruption is an important news topic. In the past few months, millions of people have seen the information that we compiled above flung out on social media by groups that didn’t cite it as coming from Sludge. But we can continue this original reporting if more of our readers [subscribe for just $5 a month](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup), and help secure a $60 match from the Institute for Nonprofit News. Five-dollars-a-month really keeps us going—this NewsMatch drive is the **biggest source of support** for our investigative journalism. [Subscribe in the NewsMatch](#/portal/signup) Thanks! \-David Moore and Donald Shaw, Sludge ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/11/dandd-2.png) *Featured image composite from photographs by Gage Skidmore on* [*Flickr*](https://flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/) ### Harris Backed by 8.4X More ‘Dark Money’ Than Trump URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/23/harris-backed-by-9-6x-more-dark-money-than-trump/ Last updated: 2025-02-21T15:29:41.000Z *Correction: This post originally said Building America’s Future had given $16 million to pro-Trump super PACs. It has in fact given $19 million.* The Kamala Harris campaign has a massive advantage over the Donald Trump campaign in super PAC contributions from secretive “dark money” groups. Super PACs supporting Harris have raised at least $195.8 million from dark money groups this election cycle, while those backing Trump have raised at least $23.2 million, according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission data. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. These dark money groups are organized as either social welfare groups or trade associations, both forms of nonprofits that are not required by the Internal Revenue Service to disclose their donors. **To conduct this analysis, Sludge analyzed contributions to the 30 super PACs that have spent the most on independent expenditure targeting Trump or Harris. There are nearly 300 super PACs that have made independent expenditures on the 2024 presidential race, but the 30 largest are responsible for 89% of the total spending. This analysis does not consider unions, LLCs, or family trusts to be dark money groups. It also does not include so-called “gray money” groups that disclose their donors but receive some funding from non-disclosing groups.* “The public has a right to know who is trying to influence their votes and who is trying to curry favor with political candidates through large contributions to outside groups like super PACs and dark money groups,” said Michael Beckel, research director for the cross-partisan group Issue One. “Wealthy special interests can use dark money contributions to help ingratiate themselves with their preferred candidate without any public scrutiny.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### In Michigan, Voting Rights Groups Are Preparing to Counter ‘Anti-Voter’ Activists on Election Day URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/19/in-michigan-voting-rights-groups-are-preparing-to-counter-anti-voter-activists-on-election-day/ Last updated: 2024-10-20T18:55:42.000Z --- On Election Night 2020, there was commotion at the convention center in downtown Detroit, Michigan, where absentee ballots were being counted. Republican groups had [called for](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/11/06/tcf-center-detroit-ballot-counting/6173577002/) a wave of supporters to show up at the site, and many of them raised claims of election fraud. Democratic and nonpartisan election groups dispatched volunteers to be present as well, adding to the crowds. The rush of volunteers who showed up—about double the permitted number of challengers at the site—initially flooded the counting floor at the arena, then called the TCF Center, in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of poll challengers roamed the basement where ballots were piled, with one observer urging her colleagues to “challenge every single ballot.” Some observers ignored the rule keeping their distance to an allowed 6 feet away from the counters, and began encircling tables and chanting “stop the count.” Some of those present had to be removed from the floor by police, like one challenger in a white full-face mask who yelled that the process was “crooked,” and protestors later banged on windows to the counting room. On social media, fevered claims circulated, like a photo of ballots supposedly being imported on a wagon—though the supposed proof was a snapshot of a local news photographer moving equipment. But after election administrators worked in the tense atmosphere until Thursday at 4:30 am, the Detroit ballots were counted, the Detroit Free Press [wrote](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2020/11/06/tcf-center-detroit-ballot-counting/6173577002/). Chris Thomas, a former director of elections for the Michigan Secretary of State who worked under the administrations of both parties, worked to fact-check claims on social media, saying he was "extremely confident" in Detroit’s vote-counting process. Video: Sludge's David Moore speaks with Kate Mason, election protection coordinator at Michigan United, about statewide efforts to safeguard the 2024 elections. A couple weeks later, the Michigan appeals court [rejected](https://apnews.com/michigan-court-rejects-appeal-over-counting-ballots-a2bf48c435b56b77586ec053667f6a26) as “not credible” a Republican legal challenge to the counting of absentee ballots in Detroit. On Nov. 18, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers—after an initial refusal by its two Republican members—[certified](https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-2020-election-results/2020/11/18/936120411/michigans-wayne-county-certifies-election-results-after-brief-gop-refusal) the election results. Learning from the 2020 experience, election administrators oversaw a smoother ballot counting process in the 2022 midterms, ensuring that the downtown Detroit site was [free of chaos](https://www.npr.org/2022/11/14/1136537352/2022-election-how-voting-went-misinformation). Two Republican statewide candidates who had denied the 2020 election result, gubernatorial challenger Tudor Dixon and state attorney general challenger Matt DePerno, conceded their races the day after voting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/Detroit_ballot_counting-2020_GettyImages-1229421987.jpg) A worker with the Detroit Department of Elections sort through absentee ballots at the Central Counting Board in the TCF Center on Nov. 2, 2020\. (Photo by Elaine Cromie/Getty Images) Now in the 2024 election, the nonpartisan coalition Michigan United is working to counter voter suppression tactics and address the disenfranchisement of marginalized communities by countering what it calls “anti-voter challengers.” The nonprofit Michigan United was formed in 2013 out of a statewide coalition of churches, labor, and community groups working to strengthen democracy, defend civil rights, and promote a fair economy. Sludge spoke with attorney Kate Mason, election protection coordinator with the group, about how its poll monitor program assists voters at polling places and feeds updates to a statewide election protection coalition. “Our election protection work is not about any candidate or party, it is 100% nonpartisan,” Mason said. “It is about making sure that our elections here are free, fair, safe, and accessible.” A key part of the group’s election work is its poll monitor program. The poll monitors, part of what the group calls its “rapid-response program,” call in reports from polling places to a statewide hub. The group will also work closely with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office to do a postmortem after the election. Another part, a nonpartisan challenger program, is more specialized, requiring that challengers be credentialed by an organization or party. “Some anti-voter challengers will try to make challenges, the vast majority of which are not permissible in the absentee voter counting room,” Mason said. “Our role is to make sure we know the rules backwards and forwards so we’re helping support the floor supervisors, election administrators, and let them do their job." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/Michigan_United_election_protection_members-3.jpg) Michigan United election protection program members (photo via Michigan United) Michigan is a premier battleground state this year, with the presidential race polling neck-and-neck, a toss-up race for U.S. Senate, several [close](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings) contests for U.S. House, and other [state races](https://michiganadvance.com/voter-guide/2024/) on the ballot such as for the Michigan House, the Michigan Supreme Court, and state education boards. In March, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit, *RNC v. Benson*, alleging that Michigan has failed to keep its voter rolls up to date under the National Voter Registration Act, a complaint that the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice [moved to dismiss](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/were-defending-michigan-voters-lawsuit-threatening-their-ability-vote), representing the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan. The Brennan Center [described](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/were-defending-michigan-voters-lawsuit-threatening-their-ability-vote) the RNC’s case as a continuation of conservative activists’ efforts in Michigan in recent years to sow unfounded doubts about the quality of the state’s voter rolls—and push jurisdictions into purging eligible voters. Mason said that a Michigan United poll monitor volunteer might encounter unclear signage at a polling place, a voter seeking translation assistance, a voter who needs to look up their precinct information on the secretary of state’s website, or a recalcitrant poll worker. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/Michigan_United_election_protection_training.JPG) Michigan United training of nonpartisan election challengers, part of the coalition's election protection program (Michigan United) Conservative groups have made a concerted effort since the last election to recruit more poll watchers. For example, a Conservative Partnership Institute project called the Election Integrity Network has been working to recruit what its leader, Cleta Mitchell has [described](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/30/us/politics/republican-poll-monitors-election-activists.html) as “a volunteer army of citizens” to counter what she says is Democratic bias in election offices. In 2021, Michigan Senate Republicans introduced a [package](https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/03/24/michigan-senate-gop-election-reform-laws/6963314002/) of bills that would restrict voting access, including a ban on mailing absentee ballot applications to all registered voters. Grassroots groups in the Defend Black Voters coalition [pushed back](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/) with a campaign against the legislation, including by calling on large Michigan companies to cut off donations to any politician who supported the bills. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer [vetoed](https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/new-whitmer-vetoes-gop-bills-part-of-calculated-misinformation-about-the-2020-election/) the restrictive voting [measures](https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/whitmer-vetoes-another-round-of-voter-suppression-bills/) in 2021, and in 2023 [signed](https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2023/11/30/whitmer-signs-election-bills-to-ensure-every-vote-can-be-cast-and-counted) a package of election reform bills that expanded access to voting. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Donald Trump has not committed to accepting the election results if he loses, and as many conservative [legislators](https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/07/report-classifies-one-fifth-of-michigan-legislature-as-election-deniers/) and [candidates](https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/election-denier-matthew-deperno-michigan-supreme-court-bid/) echo claims of a “stolen” 2020 election, [many voters](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/01/02/jan-6-poll-post-trump/) are still inclined to believe, without [evidence](https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/ensure-every-american-can-vote/vote-suppression/myth-voter-fraud), in widespread election fraud. In March, the nonprofit organization States United Action released a [report](https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/states-of-denial/) finding that 31 Michigan state legislators met the criteria of undermining the integrity of the 2020 election based on baseless legal theories. A [count](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/elections/2021/01/06/trumps-failed-efforts-overturn-election-numbers/4130307001/) published by USA Today, not long after the 2020 contest, found that 61 of 62 pro-Trump legal challenges to the results of the presidential election failed, due to lack of standing or on the merits. A [strong majority](https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/michigan-voting-proposal-3-results/1885266002/) of Michigan voters adopted a new law in 2018 allowing every eligible voter to [request](https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/) an absentee ballot, and this year already more than [670,000 voters](https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/about-one-third-of-requested-absentee-ballots-in-michigan-have-already-been-submitted/) have submitted their completed ballots, according to the secretary of state’s office. Detroit has opted to start its in-person early voting on Oct. 19, and Canton Township and East Lansing will begin on Oct. 21, with most Michigan jurisdictions beginning early voting on Oct. 26\. ***\>>*** [***View, like, and share this video on Instagram***](https://www.instagram.com/p/DBUEjMix6Pt/) *Sludge video produced by* [*Spencer Snyder*](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder) *Follow Sludge on* [*Instagram*](https://instagram.com/readsludge)*,* [*X / Twitter*](https://x.com/Sludge)*,* [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/readsludge)*,* [*YouTube*](https://www.youtube.com/@sludgemedia6830)*,* [*Mastodon*](https://journa.host/@sludge)*, and* [*Bluesky*](https://bsky.app/profile/sludge.bsky.social) *for more 2024 elections coverage* ### Fossil Fuel Donors Give Record Amount to Congressional GOP Super PACs URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/17/fossil-fuel-donors-give-record-amount-to-congressional-gop-super-pacs/ Last updated: 2024-11-22T14:46:42.000Z The fossil fuel industry has given more money than ever this election cycle to the two super PACs tied to the leaders of the Republican caucuses in the House and Senate. Including companies like ConocoPhillips and CEOs like Tim Dunn, the fossil fuel industry gave more than $20 million combined in the third quarter of this year to the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), according to a Sludge analysis of [quarterly](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00504530/1828429/) [filings](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571703/1827952/) posted this week to the Federal Election Commission. The CLF is aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, campaigning to hold the U.S. House, and the SLF is closely tied to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose caucus seeks to retake the Senate. 📥 Follow the money, uncover the truth. Try a free trial of Sludge’s daily newsletter: [Click here for a a 14-day trial](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial). The latest wave of donations brings the fossil fuel industry’s total to more than $54.2 million given to the CLF and SLF during the 2023-24 election cycle through September, according to Sludge’s analysis. The two super PACs have launched tens of millions of dollars of ads in the month before Election Day, with control of both chambers of Congress up for grabs. This amount outpaces the $32 million that fossil fuel industry donors gave during the 2020 cycle to the CLF and SLF, according to Sludge’s [review](https://readsludge.com/2024/07/26/the-fossil-fuel-industry-is-spending-millions-to-help-republicans-take-control-of-congress/) of FEC data, and the nearly $51.9 million it gave the two super PACs [during](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/) the 2022 cycle. The two super PACs raised significantly less money from the fossil fuel industry during all prior election cycles. CLF and SLF have been two of the highest-spending groups supporting Republicans during this election cycle. Only the largest super PAC backing Donald Trump, MAGA Inc., and the super PAC arm of Americans for Prosperity have spent more than SLF, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Fgroup/2024?chart=V&disp=O&type=A). After SLF comes the Elon Musk-funded America PAC, and behind it CLF. Through September, SLF spent over $112 million and CLF spent nearly $99 million to back Republican congressional hopefuls. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pro-Israel Lobby J Street Raises $6 Million for Harris URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/16/pro-israel-lobby-j-street-raises-6-million-for-harris/ Last updated: 2024-10-17T13:13:06.000Z The Kamala Harris campaign has received more than $6 million from the pro-Israel lobbying group J Street, with $2.7 million of it coming during the third quarter of this year. Like Harris, J Street, a liberal alternative to the more hawkish American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has called for a ceasefire by Israel, but has not endorsed an arms embargo where the U.S. would halt weapons shipments until Israel stops its attacks on Gaza. Several public opinion [polls](https://www.scribd.com/document/740568401/Cbsnews-20240609-SUN-NAT) have found that a majority of U.S. adults want to stop sending weapons and supplies to Israel, and a [poll](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5faecb8fb23a85370058aed8/t/66d9ce3f9437b43f050cce50/1725550143446/Amercian+Attitudes+Shifiting+Realities+After+the+Unfolding+Genocide+in+Gaza+9-5-24.pdf) commissioned recently by the Arab American Institute found that Harris’ national support would grow from 44% to 49% if she were to “suspend arms shipments and withhold diplomatic support for Israel until there was a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from Gaza.” Disclosures filed yesterday with the Federal Election Commission show that J Street bundled $2.7 million in contributions for Harris from the beginning of July through the end of September. The bundled contributions were provided to Harris Victory Fund and Harris for President, and were given by J Street’s PAC. The group’s strong fundraising in the third quarter put its total raised for the campaign at over $6 million, including funds that were given while Biden was the nominee, according to J Street. J Street’s bundled contributions for the Harris campaign came from hundreds of individual donors, including dozens who gave more than $10,000 and a handful who gave $100,000 or more. “Our community is tremendously energized to elect Kamala Harris and the new generation of leadership she represents,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. “She has the chance to chart a bold, fresh approach to Israel-Palestine and the wider Middle East, rooted in our shared values and unburdened by what has been.” J Street did not respond to Sludge’s questions about its position on suspending arms shipments until a ceasefire is reached. On its website, J Street says it does not support the U.S. putting any conditions on the billions in military aid it provides to Israel. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sludge Report: FEC Filing Day 10/15 URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/16/sludge-report-fec-filing-day-10-15/ Last updated: 2024-10-16T23:31:45.000Z Yesterday was a major FEC filing day, with thousands of campaigns, joint fundraising committees, and super PACs disclosing their third quarter details. Here’s a quick roundup… Three billionaire backers of Trump pumped massive sums of money into pro-Trump groups from July to the end of September, according to filings posted yesterday to the Federal Election Commission. These wealthy donors are helping the former president make up a campaign fundraising deficit with Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic groups: - **Miriam Adelson** gave $95 million to her Preserve America PAC in [four donations](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00878801/1827526/) from July through September, bringing her total given to the group to $100 million. The super PAC is spending tens of millions of dollars on anti-Harris attack ads. - **Elon Musk** gave $75 million to the America PAC he founded across [multiple donations](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00879510/1829340/), making up the super PAC’s only donations in the third quarter. Musk’s giving started on July 3, three days after the deadline for the previous FEC reporting period. The group is spending tens of millions on canvassing operations for the Trump campaign, as well as mail, digital ads, and other spending supporting Trump and opposing Harris. - **Richard Uihlein** gave $48 million to his Restoration PAC last [quarter](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571588/1825765/sa/ALL). The super PAC is spending millions on ads opposing Harris and a couple of other Democratic candidates. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The top pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., has been bankrolled by [$125 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/09/here-are-trumps-investment-industry-donors/) from reclusive investor Timothy Mellon, among other donors like billionaire investor Paul Singer and businesswoman Diane Hendricks, and is due to file its next monthly disclosure with the FEC on Oct. 20. Two of Harris’ joint fundraising committees reported raking in donations in Q3: - Harris Victory Fund raised a gigantic [$633 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00744946/1827767/), which gets split between the Harris for President campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and dozens of state Democratic party groups. Of that haul, the group transferred out nearly $410 million and spent $109 million on online fundraising. Some top donors who gave more than $920,000 to the group included members of the **Pritzker** family, **Laurene Powell Jobs**, Silicon Valley venture capitalist **Timothy Draper**, and Microsoft CTO **Kevin Scott**. - Harris Action Fund raised almost [$19.4 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00838912/1829206/), transferring $7 million of that amount to the DNC, the other recipient of this committee along with the Harris for President campaign. Some top donors who gave more than $416,000 to the group included employees of investment firms Lone Pine Capital, Genstar Capital (a member of private equity trade group the American Investment Council), Renaissance Technologies, and Mantle Ridge. **Jonathan Gray**, president and COO of private equity giant Blackstone, donated $413,000 to the group, as Sludge previously [reported](https://readsludge.com/2024/10/10/harris-rails-against-corporate-landlords-while-taking-donations-from-blackstone-billionaire/). One of Blackstone’s companies is fighting a California ballot measure that would expand rent control while Harris tells rallies she will support measures to “cap unfair rent increases” and support bills in Congress targeting large corporate landlords. A pair of Trump’s high-dollar joint fundraising committees, Trump National and Trump 47, raised [$194.5 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00873893/1828532/) and [$145.2 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00867937/1828468/), respectively. This month, an Associated Press analysis with OpenSecrets found a [slowdown](https://apnews.com/article/trump-campaign-donations-small-donors-decline-f1a6b238d15edb3f72260e4c86d2c552) in Trump fundraising from his small-donor juggernaut: less than a third of Trump’s contributions came in amounts under $200, compared with nearly half in the 2020 cycle. Surveying a few other large donations that were made in Q3: - Conservative Texas oil billionaire **Tim Dunn** donated [$16 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00769232/1826443/) to the super PAC Jefferson Rising. The group has spent millions against Democratic senators up for re-election, topped by spending opposing **Tammy Baldwin** in Wisconsin and **Jon Tester** in Montana. - Billionaire Republican megadonors uncorking [donations](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571703/1827952/) to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the giant super PAC closely tied to Mitch McConnell, included: Citadel hedge fund CEO **Ken Griffin** ($20 million), hedge fund founder **Paul Singer** ($10 million), Blackstone CEO **Stephen Schwarzman** ($9 million), Adelson ($5 million), and **Charles Schwab** ($3 million). - Griffin was also the top donor in Q3 to the **Keystone Renewal PAC**, the [top-spending](https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2024&id=PAS2) super PAC in the key Pennsylvania race for U.S. Senate, giving an additional [$5 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00849489/1826107/) for a total of $15 million. The super PAC, which is backing former Bridgewater hedge fund CEO **Dave McCormick**, has spent more than $45.3 million in the contest against Democratic incumbent **Bob Casey**, fueled by millions in donations from billionaires like **Jeff Yass**, **Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein**, and investor **Thomas Peterffy**. ### Harris Rails Against Corporate Landlords While Taking Donations From Blackstone Billionaire URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/10/harris-rails-against-corporate-landlords-while-taking-donations-from-blackstone-billionaire/ Last updated: 2024-10-10T16:52:03.000Z In late July, speaking to a crowd of more than 10,000 people at her first campaign rally in Atlanta, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris vowed to go after corporations that buy up homes and jack up rent. “We will take on corporate landlords and cap unfair rent increases,” Harris said to great applause. The Harris campaign has made taking on corporate landlords a major plank of its plans to help make life more affordable for the middle class, and it has become a common theme at her rallies. In her Aug. 16 plan for an “opportunity economy,” the campaign outlined the steps Harris would take to go after these real estate investors during her first 100 days in office. “Community after community feels taken advantage of by Wall Street investors and distant landlords,” the campaign’s plan says. “Vice President Harris is calling on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act, to curtail these practices by removing key tax benefits for major investors who acquire large numbers of single-family rental homes.” The Harris economic plan also calls for banning rental property owners from using services like RealPage that collect housing data and processes it with algorithms to recommend rent prices or lease terms. While she campaigns on the issue, the Harris campaign is being backed by the president of the largest corporate landlord in the country, a company that her longtime political advisors are currently helping to defeat a California ballot measure that would expand rent control. Jonathan Gray, the billionaire president and chief operating officer of investment firm Blackstone, donated $413,000 to the Harris Action Fund in late July, just after President Biden dropped out of the race. Gray also donated $50,000 to the fund last June, while Biden was the nominee, plus $6,600 to the Biden campaign—funds that are now controlled by the Harris campaign. > "These ties to the largest corporate landlord in the US and anti-rent control interests raise serious questions about the sincerity of Harris's proposal,” said Rob Galbraith, a senior research analyst at the Public Accountability Initiative. Blackstone, a massive alternative investment management company with over $1 trillion in assets under management, is the largest landlord in the country, owning and managing almost 350,000 units of rental housing, according to a [report](https://pestakeholder.org/reports/helter-shelter-how-blackstone-contributes-to-and-profits-from-californias-broken-housing-system/#%5FToc167388588) from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP). For Blackstone, the combination of high mortgage rates and a slowdown in new housing constructions over the past few years has been a golden opportunity to collect more rent—at some of the company’s apartment buildings in San Diego, California, rents were increased by more than 70% from 2021 to 2024, a far larger increase than the market average of about 20%, according to the PESP report. Gray was a bundler for Biden in 2020, but the Harris campaign—as well as the Trump campaign—has not disclosed its bundlers this election cycle, breaking with tradition, so it’s impossible to know if he is also helping Harris raise money from his wealthy colleagues and friends. The Harris campaign voluntarily restricts contributions from certain classes of donors that could be perceived as attempting to curry influence with the campaign. Fossil fuel company executives, corporate PACs, registered federal lobbyists, and others are not allowed to donate, according to the campaign's website. According to a recent report from the [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/385ec5ac-3cda-491e-a09d-3c8b33dd66e3), Harris has corralled Gray and other prominent Wall Street Democrats such as Centerview Partners co-founder Blair Effron and Lazard President Ray McGuire to help her broker relationships with other powerful figures in the financial industry. According to the Financial Times, Harris has been trying to reassure finance industry executives that she would be a moderate in office as part of what the news outlet called her “[Wall Street charm offensive](https://www.ft.com/content/2941e79d-cdc0-457e-a7a3-9c08f1f6e635).” The Harris campaign declined to comment for this story. After instating an eviction moratorium during the Covid pandemic, Blackstone resumed evictions in late 2022, allowing it to more quickly increase rents in places like California where there are caps on how much a landlord can increase rents for current tenants, but not on how much they raise the rent for new tenants. In March of last year, the head of Blackstone’s real estate division Nadeem Meghji highlighted the company’s evictions strategy on an internal company call that was [leaked to Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-real-estate-tenant-concerns-landlord-2023-1). "We're \[...\] seeing a meaningful increase in economic occupancy as we move past what were voluntary eviction restrictions that had been in place for the last couple of years,” Meghji said, according to Insider. Harris’ close political advisers at the California political consultancy Bearstar Strategies are currently working on behalf of a campaign to kill Proposition 33 in California, a measure on the November ballot that would prohibit the state from preventing local jurisdictions from enacting stronger rent control laws. Bearstar Strategies, formerly called SCRB Strategies, served as a general and media consultant for Harris’ successful campaigns for California Attorney General and U.S. Senate, as well as for her 2020 presidential campaign. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here Are Trump’s Investment Industry Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/09/here-are-trumps-investment-industry-donors/ Last updated: 2024-10-09T19:24:25.000Z The securities and investment industry has been the top donor to the Trump campaign and its super PACs, according to OpenSecrets. Donors from the securities and investment industry contributed a total of $193.8 million to the Trump campaign and outside spending groups supporting him, more than any other industry in [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/industries?id=N00023864&src=t)’ analysis, which covers donations disclosed to the Federal Election Commission as of Sept. 22\. More donations to presidential candidates, and seven-figure sums given to their super PACs, will be reported to the FEC in the weeks ahead. If elected in November, Trump is promising to extend his signature 2017 tax law that [disproportionately benefits](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver) the wealthiest taxpayers—including many of the big donors from the securities and investment industry. Donations from the securities and investment industry made up three in ten dollars [raised](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/candidate?id=N00023864) by pro-Trump groups this cycle. In OpenSecrets’ categorization, the industry [includes](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=F07) hedge funds and private equity firms as well as cryptocurrency companies like Coinbase. The OpenSecrets tally includes donors to the Trump campaign, leadership PAC, and pro-Trump super PACs MAGA Inc., America PAC, Right for America, and more. The industry has given more than 3.2 times as much to the Trump groups as it has given to groups backing Kamala Harris, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/kamala-harris/industries?id=N00036915). The industry backed Vice President Harris with $59.9 million, though the top pro-Harris super PAC Future Forward has received tens of millions of dollars through “dark money” conduits so it’s possible that there is more money from the securities and investment industry backing her. The largest pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., received a $21 million haul from investment industry donors in August, according to its monthly FEC [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00825851/1818065/), making up the vast majority of its contributions that month: $10 million from billionaire Diane Hendricks, $5 million apiece from Wall Street titan Howard Lutnick and hedge fund founder Paul Singer, and $1 million from investment bank megadonor Warren Stephens. The super PAC spent tens of millions in September on TV ads, direct mail, and digital ads supporting Trump and opposing Harris. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/Lutnick_Vance_GettyImages-2171360319.jpg) Howard Lutnick and JD Vance attend Charity Day 2024 hosted by The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund at BGC Group on September 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images) At high-dollar fundraisers, Trump has [told donors](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/10/politics/trump-2017-tax-cuts-rich/index.html) he would extend the Republican-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) he signed in December 2017, a measure that [failed](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-failed-to-deliver-promised-benefits/) to increase earnings for the bottom 90% of workers or [reduce](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/us/politics/trump-corporate-tax-cut.html) the federal deficit as had been advertised. Earlier this year, Trump [pledged](https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/politics/trump-campaign-promises-dg/) to make his tax law “permanent.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A Corporate Lobbying Firm Is Advising the Harris Transition URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/10/02/a-corporate-lobbying-firm-is-advising-the-harris-transition-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-04T13:17:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The law firm that the Kamala Harris campaign has chosen to help set up a possible transition team also works as a lobbyist for a wide range of American corporations and foreign clients to influence the federal government. The Harris for President campaign is working with Covington & Burling on setting up the transition, according to [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/19/politics/president-transition-kamala-harris/index.html). The campaign previously hired Covington & Burling to help it vet possible vice presidential picks before landing on the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Presidential transition teams are responsible for vetting personnel and preparing policy plans so that candidates can smoothly take over the reins of power if they are elected. While it works on Harris transition preparations, Covington & Burling is also employed as a lobbyist for 38 other interests that include companies, trade associations, individuals, and nonprofits. Its highest-paying lobbying client this year has been Qualcomm, the semiconductor manufacturer that is fighting the government’s plans to restrict its sales to China. Its second largest client is the giant drug industry group the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), for which it is pushing the government on intellectual property issues, and a range of bills and laws including the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains measures meant to reduce drug prices. Covington & Burling is also [registered](https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6876-Supplemental-Statement-20240607-7.pdf) under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as a lobbyist for SCM Consulting, a company owned by Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov that is pushing the U.S. to help Ukraine combat Russia’s seizures of assets like minerals and manufacturing facilities.. The firm has also been a long-time lobbyist for state-owned Moroccan fertilizer company OCP Group. “It's somewhat inevitable that a law firm plays a big role, insofar as job applicants will feel more secure having their personal failings and financial records shared with someone with a professional obligation to remain discreet than with, say, freelance opposition researchers,” said Jeff Hauser, the executive director of the Revolving Door Project. “But it would be ideal if such a firm doing this work was chosen for having the smallest possible lobbying operation-—a characterization that certainly does not fit Covington.” Besides its lobbying, Covington & Burling is working on the corporate side for some major cases involving the Biden administration. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Crypto Industry Could Decide the Fate of the Senate URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/27/the-crypto-industry-could-decide-the-fate-of-the-senate/ Last updated: 2024-10-04T13:22:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The cryptocurrency industry has rapidly become a behemoth in the 2024 election cycle, with a trio of its super PACs spending more than any other outside group besides the two major super PACs supporting the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns. The crypto PACs are backing a blend of Republican and Democratic candidates that are seen as friendly to protecting the industry against stricter regulation. The crypto industry-funded super PACs, led by Fairshake, have now spent $120 million on independent expenditures in U.S. House and Senate races, according to Federal Election Commission data. Fairshake’s two affiliates are the Democratic-focused Protect Progress and the Republican-focused Defend American Jobs. The Fairshake ad barrage has been funded by donations of around $86 million from leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, $45 million from crypto payments project Ripple, $44 million from the founders of VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, and $15 million from trading firm Jump Crypto, according to FEC data through August. The billionaire Winklevoss twins have donated close to $5 million to Fairshake, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has given $1 million, among others. The three crypto super PACs had a hefty $85.5 million cash on hand as of the end of August, according to their FEC filings. Fairshake’s website says it supports candidates committed to “Providing blockchain innovators the ability to develop their networks under a clearer regulatory and legal framework” and features news articles touting its “colossal war chest.” The crypto groups have spent in almost four dozen federal races this election cycle, FEC records show. With about five weeks to go before Election Day, their untrammeled spending hovers over key races that will determine control of Congress next year. By far their top target has been the critical Senate race in Ohio, where they are backing Republican Bernie Moreno, a crypto industry [cheerleader](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/09/26/crypto-pacs-dominate-ohio-senate-race-spending-40m-on-sherrod-browns-foe/), against Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown (D), who has [endorsed](https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/brown-regulate-crypto-protect-consumers) stronger government regulation of crypto assets to protect consumers. In backing Moreno, the Fairshake-funded Defend American Jobs super PAC has spent $40.1 million, virtually all of the expenditures for media production and ad buys made from Aug. 13 to Sept. 12—an average of over $1.1 million a day supporting the Republican businessman. Looking at the [2024 Senate map](https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/the-crypto-industry-could-hand-control), if West Virginia elects Republican Gov. Jim Justice to replace retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, a net gain of one other Democratic-held seat would hand control of the chamber back to Republicans. In early 2022, Brown [said](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/sherrod-brown-crypto-bernie-moreno-millions-1235102478/) in committee, before the industry’s Super Bowl ad blitz, “Big crypto companies are looking to make big profits. They are desperate to reach as many Americans as they can… They didn’t mention the fraud, the scams, and the outright theft. The ads didn’t point out that you can lose big and crypto’s huge price swings. They didn’t tell you about the high fees pocketed by the crypto companies. They sure didn’t explain that the crypto markets lack basic investor protections and oversight.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Freedom Caucus Network and MAGA ‘Nerve Hub’ Hold Pre-Election Summit URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/27/freedom-caucus-network-and-maga-nerve-hub-hold-pre-election-summit/ Last updated: 2024-09-27T20:46:21.000Z Two months ahead of the November elections, the State Freedom Caucus Network held its first-ever national summit, bringing together far-right legislators from several states to meet with representatives from Trump-aligned groups in the Conservative Partnership Institute orbit. The State Freedom Caucus Network was established in 2021 with help from former chief of staff for President Donald Trump Mark Meadows as a way to replicate the House Freedom Caucus in state legislatures. With the formation of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus earlier this month, the group now has an official presence in the legislatures of twelve states. An estimated 200 state Freedom Caucus legislators, plus members of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus and representatives from Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), convened in Dallas, Texas from September 6-8 for the group’s first annual summit. The groups that came together at the summit have been key players in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result, resist Democratic policies to ease voting access, and train conservative activists to serve as poll watchers. ## Get important money-in-politics news delivered to you. Join our free newsletter. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. According to an itinerary filed with the U.S. House Clerk, the summit included sessions on communications strategies, the budget-making process, building coalitions with outside groups, and more. Most sessions featured State Freedom Caucus Network (SFCN) President Andrew Roth, a longtime staffer of the conservative Club for Growth and former executive director of the group’s foundation arm. Senators J.D. Vance and Ted Cruz were invited to present, according to the filing, and a networking hour featured a presentation by CPI Chairman Jim DeMint. The session on coalitions included the right-wing media outlet PragerU. Elections and voting policy matters were not mentioned on the itinerary. The chairman of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, Sen. Jake Hoffman, was indicted by a grand jury over the summer for his role in the attempted fake elector scheme to install Trump as president after he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. On January 5, 2021, Hoffman [emailed](https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/10/politics/arizona-fake-electors-kifle-invs/index.html) Vice President Mike Pence to ask him to “delay certification of the election results and instead seek clarification from the Arizona legislature as to which slate of Presidential electors is proper and accurate.” Hoffman was one of 11 Republicans who signed a document fraudulently claiming that they were "duly elected and qualified" electors, as did Arizona Freedom Caucus member Sen. Anthony Kern, who was also indicted. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pennsylvanians Rally Against Foreign Influence in Their State Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/23/pennsylvanians-rally-against-foreign-influence-in-their-state-elections/ Last updated: 2024-10-04T13:23:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Activists from the nonpartisan pro-democracy group MarchOnHarrisburg said that Pennsylvania Senate President Kim Ward was refusing to meet with them to discuss one of their legislative priorities, a bill to ban spending by foreign-influenced corporations in politics, so last week they marched to the state capitol to demand a meeting with her. The activists walked from Lancaster to Harrisburg, a 35-mile trek, and held a rally at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, where they were joined by allies like the Pennsylvania Poor People’s Campaign. After the rally, the activists walked to the office of Sen. Ward, a Republican, and were allowed in, for what they called a productive meeting with the senator’s staffers. The bill they were there to promote, [HB 2433](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/BillInfo.cfm?syear=2023&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2433), would ban spending by foreign-influenced corporations in state politics. Supporters of the measure say it would close a loophole that can be used by foreign interests to influence Pennsylvania’s elections. The bill was passed by the Pennsylvania House on July 1 in a bipartisan [126-76](https://legiscan.com/PA/bill/HB2433/2023) vote, with the support of 24 Republicans, but it has not been called up for a vote in the state Senate, where Republicans hold a 28-22 seat majority over Democrats. HB 2433 would ban foreign-influenced corporations from making expenditures to defeat or support candidates, ballot measures, or nominations, as well as from donating to political parties. It also prohibits them from making a donation to any person “with the express or implied condition” that the money would be used for any of the purposes prohibited by the bill. The bill defines foreign-influenced corporations as those where a single foreign investor owns or controls 1% or more of equity, multiple foreign investors collectively own or control 5% or more of equity, or where any foreign investor participates directly or indirectly in the corporations’ decision-making over U.S. political activities. Rabbi Michael Pollack, executive director of MarchOnHarrisburg (MoH), told Sludge before setting out on the march, “We expect Senate President Kim Ward to do the right thing and combat foreign interference in our elections through unlimited multinational corporate spending and pass House Bill 2433\. The bill already passed through the House in a bipartisan vote, and it’s the Senate’s turn to act. “We can’t have a functional democracy so long as unlimited multinational corporate cash is swirling through it pushing interests that are not the interests of the people of Pennsylvania,” said Pollack. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/09/MOH-09-17-2024-0061-3.jpg) MarchOnHarrisburg members walk to Pennsylvania Senate President Kim Ward's office, Sept. 16, 2024 (photo: MoH) Erica Clayton Wright, spokesperson for Ward, told Sludge after the Sept. 16 meeting with MoH members, “Special interest advocates such as March on Harrisburg are always welcome in our office to lobby their cause.” The three-day march featured stops in Lancaster, Elizabethtown, Mt. Joy, and Steelton, before culminating in the event in Harrisburg, where group members were prepared to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience to draw attention to their cause. MoH said in a press release its efforts to reach Ward for a meeting on HB 2433 included in-district billboarding and flyering. In past years, MoH members have held peaceful protests at Capitol offices, and agreed to be [arrested](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/16/pennsylvania-lawmakers-once-again-boot-lobbyist-gift-ban-from-agenda/), while calling for ethics reform legislation like a ban on gifts given by lobbyists to state lawmakers. “When we march, it’s a moving convention,” Pollack said. “We walk and talk with each other, and build up the movement for democracy in Pennsylvania. We raise pressure on key legislators to act on our legislation.” The bill’s lead sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Joe Webster, told Sludge, "I introduced HB 2433 because the only people who should be deciding Pennsylvania's elections should be Pennsylvanians. It passed in the House with bipartisan support in July because my colleagues on both sides of the aisle understand that. Corporations with a substantial percentage of foreign ownership should not have a path to financially influence the success or defeat of a candidate or ballot question in Pennsylvania. It's a matter of election integrity and fairness, with voting power remaining with the people." > No one and nothing should influence the outcome of PA's elections except Pennsylvania voters. My bill, HB 2433, is now one step closer to prohibiting foreign-owned corporations from contributing to political campaigns for good.[#PAHouse](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAHouse?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [#PALegislation](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PALegislation?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/5u78oCpT2t](https://t.co/5u78oCpT2t) > > — Rep. Joe Webster (@RepJoeWebster) [July 2, 2024](https://twitter.com/RepJoeWebster/status/1808147416312430598?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Fewer than [1% of firms](https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2024-06-26/pennsylvania-house-foreign-dark-money-ban-bill) are multinational enterprises, according to Census data covering 1997-2017, but these firms are the economic giants, responsible for 40% of U.S. sales. According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), legislation like HB 2433 would [cover 98%](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/ending-foreign-influenced-corporate-spending-u-s-elections-2/) of the Fortune 500, thereby helping to curb the risk of foreign money flowing into elections through “dark money” groups. In a 2020 [report](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/ending-foreign-influenced-corporate-spending-u-s-elections/) on foreign-influenced corporate spending, CAP found: “Shell companies often can be organized as an LLC with little more than an opaque, nondescriptive name—that gives no clue as to its true owners—and a post office box address, which hides whether the owner is a foreign entity.” The legislation would [exclude](https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2024-06-26/pennsylvania-house-foreign-dark-money-ban-bill) nonprofits and unions, as not-for-profit organizations, from the prohibition against taking donations from foreign-influenced companies. As an example of how foreign-influenced companies have funneled money into elections, MoH points to the case of Uber, DoorDash, and other gig economy companies promoting California’s 2020 ballot measure, [Proposition 22](https://readsludge.com/2020/10/06/how-uber-and-lyft-are-buying-labor-laws/), which classified workers as independent contractors instead of employees. The ballot measure was passed by California voters with [58.6% in favor](https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/sov/complete-sov.pdf) after supporters’ spending swamped that of opponents, with Uber [leading](https://calmatters.org/politics/2020/10/biggest-spenders-california-props-campaigns-ballot-measures/) in donations to groups backing the measure. The rideshare company received billions in [investment](https://www.reuters.com/article/technology/uber-raises-35-billion-from-saudi-arabias-sovereign-wealth-fund-idUSKCN0YN5UX/) from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Pennsylvania’s campaign finance laws are lax compared with other states—the Commonwealth is one of under a dozen states with no contribution limits for individual donors, state parties, or PACs, according to a [survey](https://documents.ncsl.org/wwwncsl/Elections/Contribution-Limits-to-Candidates-2023-2024.pdf) from the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Some of the others include Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.) In 2022, large donations to candidates fueled Pennsylvania's [most expensive](https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2023-04-02/campaign-finance-lobbying-reform-pennsylvania-legislature) governor’s race ever recorded. In Pennsylvania, polls show that campaign finance reform is broadly popular. An August 2023 [poll](https://www.fandmpoll.org/something-we-all-seem-to-agree-about/#%5Fftn1) by Franklin & Marshall College found that 77% of Pennsylvanians strongly agree that money in politics is a threat to democracy. Nationwide, a [poll](https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2024/7/10/voters-want-to-ban-foreign-corporations-from-influencing-us-elections) released in July by the progressive Data for Progress found that 82% of likely voters say there should be limits on election spending by foreign-owned corporations. “It's no secret that faith in our government and our democracy is at an all time low,” Andrea Paulic, lead organizer with MoH, told Sludge. “Across the country, companies with significant foreign ownership, like Amazon, Shell, and Uber, have used their money to influence the outcome of elections and political agendas in their favor. The goals of large multinational corporations and investors are in direct conflict with our political goals and basic needs as Pennsylvanians. “HB 2433 is a groundbreaking pro-democracy bill that ensures Pennnsylvania's ability to self-govern, and would restore confidence that our democracy is of, by, and for the people of Pennsylvania,” Paulic said. Versions of the legislation have become law in several states and cities, and have been introduced in more than a half dozen other areas. In January 2020, the city of Seattle, Washington [passed](https://readsludge.com/2021/06/25/seattle-voters-increase-use-of-democracy-vouchers-in-mayoral-contest/) a similar measure, after a version was passed in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017\. In Seattle, the City Council voted unanimously, 7-0, for the measure, after Amazon threw its weight around in city elections the year before, including by giving [$1 million](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-bans-foreign-influenced-companies-from-most-political-spending/) to a PAC helmed by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. In April 2023, Minnesota became the [first state to pass](https://readsludge.com/2023/04/27/minnesota-lawmakers-pass-sweeping-bill-to-increase-voting-access/) a ban on election spending by foreign-influence corporations, as part of the sweeping Democracy for the People Act that also enacted election reforms and increased transparency in political spending. Later last year, in November, voters in Maine [overwhelmingly passed](https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2023-11-08/question-2-passes-banning-foreign-electioneering-in-maine) a version of the law as a ballot initiative. In January, the City Council in San Jose, California voted unanimously for a ban, and the nonprofit that helped draft the legislation, [Free Speech For People](https://freespeechforpeople.org/foreign-influence/), is tracking versions in California, New York, Washington State, and other areas. A version of the [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8988/titles), titled the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, was reintroduced in July in the U.S. Congress by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and has 31 Democratic co-sponsors. After the initial meeting last week, Pollack said in a statement, “We look forward to hopefully moving HB 2433 forward together with Senate President Kim Ward. No commitments have been made to pass the bill, but we have committed to each other to continue talking through the issue. It took a lot to get to the table, and we hope that these discussions will eventually lead to the imminent passage of this necessary legislation that Pennsylvanians have long demanded and deserved.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/09/MOH-09-17-2024-0067-3.jpg) MoH supporter at the State Capitol rally, Sept. 16, 2024 Wright, spokesperson for the Senate president, said, “We look forward to our continued conversations with March on Harrisburg and expect to have a meeting with their legal team to better understand the content of the Free Speech for People bill that they are working to advance.” At the Capitol rally on Monday, members of the Pennsylvania Poor People’s Campaign joined MoH to build pressure on advancing other bills in the group’s [agenda](https://www.pennsylvaniapoorpeoplescampaign.org/legislative-agenda), including [HB 180](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2023&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0180) / [SB 180](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2023&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0180), to cancel student lunch debt, and [SB 955](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2023&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=955), to restore an adult dental benefit to Medicaid. The MoH marchers’ announcement also mentioned some campaign finance reform bills in the group’s policy [platform](https://www.mohpa.org/policy-platform) that they hoped would see new activity in the state General Assembly. One bill, [HB 1472](https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2023&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1472), would increase transparency in political spending by requiring disclosures from all groups spending more than $500 on elections, including nonprofits like 501(c)4 “dark money” organizations that are allowed to hide their funding sources from the public. Another is the group’s long-running priority of a gift ban of anything valued over $10 to public officials, employees, and members of their close family, a measure that would close the state’s loophole-ridden rules that allow lobbyists to [bestow](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/16/pennsylvania-lawmakers-once-again-boot-lobbyist-gift-ban-from-agenda/) luxury vacations and expensive gifts on lawmakers without monetary limit. Pollack said, of the foreign-influenced corporation spending ban, “This is an extremely popular bill with the public—nobody outside of the State Capitol building wants to see more multinational corporate dark money swirling through our political system. People are upset and tired of unlimited ads and mailers coming at them from all directions, fueled by interests that are at odds with the interests of Pennsylvania.” [Give the Sludge Team a Tip](#/portal/support) ### Harris Campaign Takes Lobbyist Donations Despite Saying It Doesn’t URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/13/harris-campaign-takes-lobbyist-donations-despite-saying-it-doesnt/ Last updated: 2024-10-04T13:26:01.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The Kamala Harris campaign says it does not take donations from registered federal lobbyists, but Sludge found that it received donations from at least 20 of them from the day it took over the Biden campaign account on July 21 through July 31, the last date for which campaign contributions data is currently available. The donations were not refunded as of the most current data from the Federal Election Commission. “As millions of Americans continue to support our efforts, our team vets all donations as quickly as possible to ensure they comply with the law and campaign policy, and we promptly refund any donations that do not,” a campaign spokesperson told Sludge after this article was published. The campaign initially declined to comment. According to the spokesperson, at least some of the donations highlighted in this post have been refunded and that will be reflected on the campaign’s FEC filing due in October that will cover September transactions. The campaign did not specify if the refunds were made after or before Sludge inquired about them. Several of the Harris campaign’s lobbyist donors had previously given to the Biden campaign, which Harris took over. The Biden campaign also said it was not accepting donations from lobbyists, but none of these donations were refunded. Here are 20 registered lobbyists who donated to the Harris campaign during its first ten days: _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here Are the Members of Congress Invested in War URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/12/here-are-the-members-of-congress-invested-in-war/ Last updated: 2024-12-06T21:59:33.000Z At least 50 members of Congress or other members of their households hold stock in defense contractors, companies that receive hundreds of billions of dollars annually from congressionally-crafted Pentagon appropriations legislation. The total value of the federal lawmakers’ defense contractors stock holdings could be as much as $10.9 million, according to a Sludge analysis of 2023 financial disclosures and stock trades disclosed in subsequent periodic transaction reports. The most widely held defense contractor stock among senators and representatives is Honeywell, an American company that makes sensors and guiding devices that are being used by the Israeli military in its airstrikes in Gaza. The second most commonly held defense stock by Congress is RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, the company that makes missiles for Israel’s Iron Dome, among other weapons systems. Defense stocks are defined in this analysis as those of the top 100 defense companies identified by [Defense News](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/). They include so-called “pure play” defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, as well as companies like Boeing and General Electric that have large defense contracts but also engage substantially in other areas of business. The stocks are owned by the members of Congress, their spouses, jointly with their spouses, by their dependent children, or in a few cases, by a qualified blind trust. The latest annual financial disclosures, covering 2023, were due on Aug. 15. > "It is an obvious conflict of interest when a member of Congress owns significant stock investments in a company and then votes to award the same company lucrative federal contracts." - Craig Holman, Public Citizen National defense funding, which is authorized annually by Congress, has grown steadily each year during the Biden administration. For fiscal year 2024, the national defense topline was at least $145 billion larger than it was in 2021, an increase of nearly 20% from the last defense budget of the Trump administration. More than half of the Pentagon budget goes to private contractors, defense policy analyst Stephen Semler found in a [Sludge](https://readsludge.com/2023/09/22/big-five-contractors-get-one-sixth-of-pentagon-budget-analysis/) analysis. In fiscal year 2024, Congress approved a record high of $953 billion in defense funding: in December 2023, it approved $886 billion through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), then in April it passed a supplemental security appropriations bill with an additional $67 billion for the Pentagon. The supplemental included tens of billions of dollars in military aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and funding to replenish U.S. weapons supplies. > 🔑[*Unlock this post with a free trial>>*](https://readsludge.com/14-day-free-trial) In the Senate, several lawmakers with investments in defense contractors sit on committees that set and approve defense spending: three are on the Committee on Armed Services (SASC), and five are members of the Committee on Appropriations, including two who sit on the key Defense Appropriations subcommittee. This body has jurisdiction over drafting legislation to allocate funds to government agencies including the Department of Defense, as well as supplemental spending bills. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### FEC Guts Anti-Corruption Law That Separates Super PACs and Candidates URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/09/06/fec-guts-anti-corruption-law-that-separates-super-pacs-and-candidates/ Last updated: 2024-12-04T14:55:33.000Z The agency that oversees federal elections and campaign finance laws will allow candidates to jointly fundraise with super PACs, a move that watchdogs say will help special interests exert undue influence in politics. In July, lawyers for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) campaign sent the Federal Election Commission (FEC) an advisory opinion request to ask if the campaign could participate in a joint fundraising committee with a super PAC where both groups would “share data and other information as required under the joint fundraising agreement and applicable FEC reporting regulations” and “coordinate scheduling logistics” regarding fundraising events. Super PACs, which were created after the Supreme Court’s 2011 *Citizens United* decision, are required under campaign finance laws to operate independently from candidate campaigns. Also known as “independent expenditure-only committees,” super PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums of money, and it’s common for them to receive multimillion-dollar contributions from individuals, businesses, and nonprofits. Preventing them from coordinating with campaigns, which can only take donations of up to $3,300 from individuals per election, is a way to stop big donors from effectively circumventing campaign contribution limits and potentially corrupting politicians. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Last Thursday, the FEC [approved](https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/aos/2024-07/2024-07.pdf) the Graham campaign’s request to add a super PAC to its joint fundraising committee because, it said, the campaign attested in its proposal that it would not engage in financial transactions that violate campaign contribution limits and would not coordinate with the super PAC. “Last week’s opinion defied any common-sense meaning of ‘coordination,’ much less the definitions spelled out in federal campaign finance laws and the FEC’s own regulations,” said Shanna Ports, senior legal counsel of campaign finance for the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center. “Despite the requestor admitting that the joint fundraising venture would involve the campaign and super PAC fundraising through a shared political committee, exchanging data, and producing communications together, the FEC said no coordination would occur.” “We will likely start to see the effects of this decision this election cycle, and it will be regular voters, whose voices are drowned out by big money in politics, who will suffer," said Ports. Graham’s campaign did not state in its request which super PAC it wants to jointly fundraise with, but it is likely referring to Security Is Strength, a super PAC tied to the pro-Graham South Carolina Conservative Action Alliance that has spent more than $17 million supporting the senator’s re-election efforts over the years. Security Is Strength’s biggest donors have included two “dark money” nonprofits—the Government Integrity Fund and the American Exceptionalism Institute—as well as wealthy individuals including Miriam Adelson, Craig Duchossois, and Helen Schwab. Sen. Graham will next be up for re-election in 2026\. Though the Graham campaign may become the first campaign to work with a super PAC in a joint fundraising arrangement, many have tested the legal limits over the years on their interaction with super PACs. In 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was a [guest at an event](https://readsludge.com/2020/02/07/buttigieg-pushes-anti-corruption-laws-to-their-limits-at-dark-money-linked-event/) hosted by the nonprofit affiliate of a super PAC that was making independent expenditures to support his campaign. Earlier this year, a super PAC backing the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received millions of dollars in what it called “[bridge funding](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/13/bridge-funding-rfk-jr-super-pac-00141260)” from a security consultant who was also the Kennedy campaign’s largest vendor. Candidates routinely place conspicuous [red boxes](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/us/politics/red-boxes-campaign-finance-democrats.html) containing text about their messaging goals on their websites as a way to communicate to super PACs about what kind of language they would like them to use in ads. The Graham campaign’s request said that the senator, his campaign, and any of their agents would “not discuss the nonpublic campaign plans, projects, activities, or needs of Senator Graham or his campaign with any Super PAC participating in the joint fundraising committee.” In a [comment](https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/aos/2024-07/202407C%5F1.pdf), lawyers for [Elias Law Group](https://readsludge.com/tag/elias-law-group/) working on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee argued that the request provides no explanation for how a super PAC that is part of the joint fundraising committee would prevent itself from obtaining or using nonpublic information. “There is no mention of the Super PAC adopting and implementing any protocol that could protect against any unlawful coordination,” the Elias Group lawyers wrote. “There is no discussion of how the Super PAC would block the flow of material nonpublic candidate and party information, including plans, projects, activities, or needs of either, from reaching staff working to create, produce, and distribute the Super PAC’s other public communications.” The opinion was passed by a 4-1 vote of the commission, with one abstention, during an Aug. 29 meeting. The lone opposing vote was Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub, who issued a [dissenting statement](https://www.fec.gov/files/legal/aos/2024-07/202407S%5F1.pdf) calling it “a classic example of not seeing the forest for the trees.” “Unfortunately, the Commission has already created far too many holes in what should be a solid wall dividing candidates and their committees from the super PACs that support them,” Weintraub wrote. “Because I am unwilling to pull another brick from that essential barrier, I respectfully dissent.” For years, the FEC’s six commissioners have been deadlocked on their decision making, with the three Democrats on the commission and the three Republicans consistently disagreeing. But that has changed in the past couple years as Biden nominee Dara Lindenbaum has occasionally sided with Republicans on matters, including on the Graham advisory opinion. Lindenbaum has also joined Republicans on rulings that let candidates raise unlimited amounts of money for ballot measure committees and allow super PACs and outside groups collaborate with candidates on door-to-door canvassing operations. Joint fundraising committees, increasingly common, can be used to accept a large donation—for example, up to $929,600 for the Harris Victory Fund, and up to $844,600 for the Trump 47 Committee, two of the [top-raising JFCs](https://www.opensecrets.org/joint-fundraising-committees-jfcs) this cycle—that gets allocated between participating committees. The Harris Victory Fund and Trump 47 JFCs [each](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00744946/?tab=about-committee) [split](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00867937/?tab=about-committee) funds with dozens of state Democratic and Republican parties. ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Yass-Funded Group Is Top Donor to Pro-Trump Pennsylvania Campaign URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/30/yass-funded-group-is-top-donor-to-pro-trump-pennsylvania-campaign/ Last updated: 2024-09-25T17:33:40.000Z Two months after former President Donald Trump reversed course and said that he opposed a TikTok ban, a group funded nearly exclusively by billionaire TikTok investor Jeff Yass, who is generally known as a Never Trumper, donated to an organization running a multi-million dollar pro-Trump campaign in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Trump’s flip-flop on the TikTok issue earlier this year was a striking departure from his position as president. In August 2020, Trump issued an [executive order](https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-addressing-threat-posed-tiktok/) “addressing the threat posed by TikTok” that called for the U.S. to “take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.” The order would have required TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the app within 45 days, but it was blocked by federal judges later that year. On March 7, Trump posted to Truth Social that he no longer supported banning TikTok. “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business," Trump wrote. Trump’s Truth Social post came days after he met on March 1 at Mar-a-Lago with hedge fund billionaire Jeff Yass, according to reports. Yass, whose Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania-based Susquehanna International Group holds a 15% stake in TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance, is a major conservative political donor, but he has long been a Trump critic and has never donated to the former president. Yass’ personal stake in ByteDance is 7%, according to the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/jeff-yass-tiktok-bytedance-ban-congress-15a41ec4). Many of Trump’s critics have suggested that his TikTok flip-flop was meant to win support from Yass, but Yass has still not endorsed Trump and he has pushed back against reports that he was planning to donate to the campaign. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Officially Surpasses $100 Million in Spending on 2024 Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/27/aipac-officially-surpasses-100-million-in-spending-on-2024-elections/ Last updated: 2024-10-12T00:59:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has spent more than $100 million on federal elections so far this cycle, according to a review of the latest FEC data. AIPAC’s PAC has spent $44.8 million as of the end of July, according to the [FEC](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00797670/?tab=spending), with $42 million given to the campaigns of members of Congress and other candidates, as well as to party groups and leadership PACs. The vast majority of [AIPAC PAC’s spending](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) has come in the form of earmarked donations made by individuals in the United States who support the pro-Israel group. AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has spent about $55.4 million so far this election cycle, according to the [FEC](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00799031/). More than $35 million of that spending has been on independent expenditures for things like television ads and mailers designed to influence voters, while the rest has been for operating expenses and contributions to other political groups. The super PAC has spent money on more than a dozen U.S. House races this year, but its spending totals were particularly large in a pair of Democratic primaries, where it backed candidates who unseated progressive incumbents who have criticized Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza. In Missouri’s First Congressional District, AIPAC’s PAC gave more than $3.1 million to Wesley Bell’s campaign through July 31, the dominant share of the nearly $4.8 million it had reported raising in its most recent filing through July 17\. In addition, UDP spent $8.6 million in the race, the majority of that amount opposing incumbent Rep. Cori Bush. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### X and Meta Employees Meet With MAGA Hub URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/22/x-and-meta-employees-meet-with-maga-hub/ Last updated: 2024-08-23T00:25:27.000Z Employees of X and Meta recently met with members of a group led by allies of former President Trump who allegedly worked to overturn President Biden’s victory in 2020\. On August 6, X’s Head of US Elections Caroline Strom and its Lead Client Partner Matthew Madrazo took part in a panel at a Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) event in New York City for members of the organization’s Veritas Fellowship, a digital media training program for conservative communications professionals. The panel was described in a CPI trip [itinerary](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/gtimages/ST/2024/500028837.pdf) posted to the website of the U.S. House Clerk as focusing on the “role of Twitter/X in public policy discourse.” Seven Republican House staffers were listed on the disclosure as attendees. Five of the staffers work for representatives who voted against certifying election results in 2020, and the other two work for representatives who were not yet in office at that time. Some of CPI’s top leaders were deeply involved with Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election result. Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is a senior partner at CPI. He is currently facing criminal charges in Arizona and Georgia for his role in trying to overturn President Biden’s electoral victory in 2020\. Another top CPI figure, Senior Legal Fellow Cleta Mitchell, advised Trump on a January 2020 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which Trump pressured him to “find” thousands of ballots with his name checked off for president. "Our team attends events across the political spectrum, as well as non-partisan events, to share best practices and insights," an X spokesperson told Sludge. “The team is at the DNC this week supporting their use of the platform, as a timely example, and also the Reed Awards.” The Reed Awards are an annual event for political campaign professionals. A [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwbXrTQ-EP8) posted in early June shows Strom speaking about social media content strategy at an event of the Leadership Institute, a right-wing organization founded in 1979 by Morton Blackwell. Among its advocacy training in campaigns and communications, the institute touts its work to “help conservative students defeat the radical left on campus.” Madrazo has been put in charge of reviving X’s political advertising revenues, with a particular focus on reaching out to Republican political advertisers, according to [Semafor](https://www.semafor.com/article/11/19/2023/twitter-bets-big-on-ceos-son). The attendees of the CPI trip also met with Meta’s Arpit Patel, government and social impact, and Josh Althouse, public policy manager, to discuss “Meta’s role in public policy discourse, the role of AI in news media, and the future of social media evolution.” Patel was a former digital director for Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Althouse worked as conservative outreach director for the office of former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) from February 2016 to July 2018, before becoming a [lobbyist](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/3f2a4226-94f6-47d0-9756-48e11ea492ae/print/) for Meta. Corey Chambliss, global communications for elections and governance at Meta, said the CPI event was “fairly routine,” and that it was similar to other recent engagements Meta has had with organizations including Everytown for Gun Safety, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and The Trevor Project. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sludge Report: FEC Filing Day 8/20 URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/21/sludge-report-fec-filing-day-08-20/ Last updated: 2024-09-09T18:21:55.000Z Yesterday was filing day at the FEC, and the highest-spending super PACs in the presidential contest, as well as groups that are spending millions to influence voters on down-ballot races, revealed information about their fundraising and spending during the month of July. The disclosures that were filed yesterday revealed some of the biggest contributions from wealthy megadonors that we’ve seen so far this election cycle. Here’s a rundown of some of the things that caught our eyes. **Make America Great Again Inc.** Timothy Mellon, the billionaire Republican megadonor and scion of the Mellon banking family, contributed another [$50 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00825851/1812284/sa/11AI) to the largest pro-Trump super PAC on July 15, bringing his total given so far to the group this cycle to $125 million. Mellon’s latest largesse made up over 91% of MAGA Inc.’s donations last month. Mellon, the former owner of Pan Am Systems and Pan Am Railways, has been the single largest donor to federal political groups in the 2024 election cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors). The super PAC also received $1 million in July from a trio of large GOP donors: Jacob Helberg, a senior advisor at Palantir and a donor to the Trump 47 high-dollar joint fundraising committee; investment banker Warren Stephens, who had also given to Trump 47; and poultry magnate Ronald Cameron of Mountaire Farms; in his first donation to a Trump campaign group after he previously backed Trump’s rivals Mike Pence, and then Nikki Haley, for the presidential nomination. Sugarcane company Florida Crystals Corporation, owned by the billionaire Fanjul family, gave $1 million to MAGA Inc. on July 30\. Billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss each liquidated 2.7 Bitcoins to donate about $177,000\. During July, the super PAC put made about $43 million in independent expenditures, including spending tens of millions of dollars on TV ads, along with millions of dollars spent on direct mail, smart TV ads, and text messages. **Future Forward** The biggest pro-Harris super PAC Future Forward got a [$20 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00669259/1812370/sa/ALL) transfer from its dark money arm, Future Forward USA Action, on July 29\. Future Forward has already received more than $35 million from the dark money group so far this cycle, but the $20 million it received in July is the largest contribution it has taken from the group so far. --- *Help our two-person nonprofit newsroom follow the money — the 2024 election is projected to be the most expensive ever, and political spending to influence voters is rising. Outside spending by groups like super PACs has already surpassed $1 billion according to our friends at OpenSecrets, contributions from “dark money” groups are soaring* *over previous cycles, and megadonors are bankrolling spending groups with hundreds of millions of dollars. Alongside the deluge of independent expenditures on elections, federal lobbying spending hit a new high in 2023.* *We rely on readers who subscribe with $5 a month to support our work, tracking campaign finance filings every day and uncovering the hidden influence of megadonors. Sludge also produces in-depth, data-driven journalism on billionaire spending, corporate donations to the most active players in key battleground states, and special interest groups moving money under the radar. Subscribers receive the full text of new Sludge stories and special newsletters, like the below, in their email the moment they’re published. We don’t have a grant from a foundation or funding support from a major philanthropist to send out this money-in-politics reporting—we hope you’ll join now as a $5-a-month subscriber ahead of the hotly-contested 2024 elections.* [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) --- Another big donation Future Forward got in July was $5 million from Marc Stad, the founder of technology company investing firm Dragoneer Investment Group. Stad had donated $167,000 to Harris Victory Fund in June, but his $5 million to Future Forward is by far his largest ever federal political contribution, according to FEC records. Sludge has covered Future Forward’s substantial dark money funding this election cycle [here](https://readsludge.com/r/2d2a5ff7?m=602181fa-f4a6-45fa-b5ed-e65a25e0b407) and [here](https://readsludge.com/r/353ec6eb?m=602181fa-f4a6-45fa-b5ed-e65a25e0b407). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Fetterman, Gallego, and Others Violate Ethics Law by Failing to Report Stock Trades URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/16/fetterman-gallego-and-others-violate-ethics-law-by-failing-to-report-stock-trades/ Last updated: 2024-08-16T22:51:44.000Z Perhaps no congressional topic has received more public interest over the past couple years than the stock trading habits of U.S. senators and representatives, yet many lawmakers continue to make trades without abiding by even the basic disclosure rules that are on the books. So far this month, at least nine members of Congress have reported that they failed to disclose stock or bond transactions within the 45-day reporting period that is required by a federal ethics law called the STOCK Act. Combined, the nine lawmakers revealed that they failed to disclose more than 125 transactions within the required time, with a transacted value of as much $2.6 million. Many of the trades were made more than a year ago, and one was made nearly five years ago. One of the members who recently reported multiple apparent violations of the STOCK Act by failing to report stock trades in a timely manner is a member of the House Ethics Committee, which is supposed to oversee and enforce the House’s periodic transaction reporting requirements. A 2022 [analysis](https://campaignlegal.org/update/stock-trading-only-one-example-lax-ethics-enforcement-congress) by the Campaign Legal Center found that the House Ethics Committee only publicly investigated eight of 60 potential STOCK Act violations since 2020, and effectively dismissed all of the cases. The federal lawmakers who Sludge found have revealed violating the STOCK Act so far this month are senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), plus representatives Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). The penalty for violating the disclosure law is a $200 late fee for first-time offenders, but members can apply for a waiver by appealing to the House and Senate ethics committees. After the first offense, the fee schedule increases to $200 for each month in which a transaction is reported late, and after five violations, $200 for every transaction that is late to be reported. Under the STOCK Act, passed in 2012, members of Congress are required to disclose purchases, sales, and exchanges of stocks, bonds, commodities, futures, or other securities over $1,000 made by themselves, their spouses, or the dependent children within 30 days of being notified of the transaction, or no later than 45 days after the transaction was executed. Members are not required to file reports for transactions in widely held investment funds, such as mutual funds. The law is meant to empower watchdogs and law enforcement to address possible instances of insider trading, and to increase transparency around legislators’ potential conflicts of interest. On August 8, Greg Landsman disclosed 86 financial transactions from more than 45 days ago, each one a violation of the STOCK Act. The transactions were mostly sales and purchases of individual corporate stocks that were made jointly by him and his spouse or by his spouse only. The trades he reported go back to January of 2023, and they include transactions in shares in companies including Nvidia, BlackRock, CrowdStrike, Amazon, Microsoft, and Diamond Energy. Landsman is the ranking member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access. "As soon as Greg learned of the transactions, he immediately reported them," said Alexa Helwig, the communications director for Rep. Landsman's office. Fetterman last week disclosed 30 corporate bond transactions and one stock sale that were made last year for his child. The sale was in shares of Marathon Petroleum worth up to $15,000, and the corporate bond transactions involve companies including Cheniere Energy, Kinder Morgan, JP Morgan Chase, and Leidos. “Senator Fetterman filed an amendment to his financial disclosures that included investments for his children that were created by generous grandparents who were unaware of the reporting requirements,” a spokesperson said. “Once Senator Fetterman was made aware of the investments, he immediately filed the appropriate disclosures.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate Clients of Top Democratic Firm Oppose the Democratic Agenda URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/15/corporate-clients-of-top-democratic-firm-oppose-the-democratic-agenda/ Last updated: 2024-08-22T01:16:40.000Z Tens of thousands of people are headed to the United Center in Chicago, where Democratic National Convention delegates will adopt the 2024 Democratic Party Platform. On Tuesday night, DNC delegates will get down at an event called “The Party Line” thrown by communications and public affairs firm Bully Pulpit International (BPI). BPI is one of the top-paid consultants by the constellation of Democratic Party groups and campaigns, bringing in about $400 million over the past two decades for services in digital ads, paid media, and a wide variety of strategic communications from political organizations, according to Federal Election Commission records. Starting in February, the Democratic presidential campaign, then for Joe Biden’s re-election, began paying BPI millions of dollars for media production and ad buys. BPI’s website prominently displays the logo of its client the Biden-Harris campaign, now headlined by Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside the logos of companies like McDonald’s, Uber, and Walmart. At the same time, it is doing image rehabilitation work for large corporations that are fighting against proposals in the Democrats’ draft platform. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/08/BPI_homepage_clients_Sludge.png) Bully Pulpit International [homepage](https://www.bpigroup.com/) — August 2024 Bully Pulpit, founded in 2009 out of Barack Obama’s presidential win by ​​Obama campaign staffer Andrew Bleeker and digital media strategist Ben Clark, is [known](https://www.axios.com/2023/12/14/bpi-expands-rebrands-bully-pulpit-international) as a stop for Democratic staffers in the revolving door circuit between governments and corporate America. For one, BPI senior advisor Robert Gibbs worked as Obama White House press secretary before becoming global chief communications officer for McDonald’s, joining BPI as a partner, then moving this year to lead PR for the conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery. After $100-million-plus spends with the agency by both the Obama and [Clinton](https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/clinton-fundraising-leaves-little-for-state-parties-222670) campaigns, the Democratic National Committee has been BPI’s third largest FEC-filing client, at around $64 million. The 2020 Biden for President campaign paid BPI more than $41.5 million and the 2024 committee, now named Harris for President, has paid BPI about $10.5 million so far. Other multi-million dollar political clients include the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and super PAC Priorities USA Action. Since the 2022 midterms, BPI has done advertising and “other” work for [Future Forward](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/21/more-dark-money-for-president-biden/), the top super PAC backing the Democratic presidential ticket. In the 2020 and 2022 cycles, BPI was paid six-figure amounts for digital ad work by the mammoth super PACs closely connected to Democratic congressional leaders, the Senate Majority PAC (SMP) and House Majority PAC (HMP). BPI is not a registered federal lobbyist, but the firm touts its services to “change policy” in addition to marketing, media tracking, and technology. It advertises that its Orbit platform helps clients reach key decision-makers like the finance director of a campaign, the legislative director of an elected official’s office, and high-ranking civil servants. Last month, BPI [announced](https://punchbowl.news/article/washington/bully-pulpit-international-bpi-launches-tax-group/) a new tax policy practice, looking ahead to the battle over the Republican-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, parts of which are set to expire next year. Republican candidates are pledging to extend the expiring provisions of the tax law, which disproportionately benefit wealthy individuals. In a statement to Punchbowl News, BPI said, “The policy debate here is going to be one of the most partisan ever. It’s always tricky for brands, causes and more to navigate advocating for their policy priorities without getting caught in partisan crosshairs – but tax policy is a topic where they truly can’t afford to stay quiet, particularly at this moment. To successfully execute that balancing act, companies and the coalitions working on their behalf, they need comms and public affairs support just as much as they need traditional lobbying support – especially on a topic as complex as tax.” The practice will be headed by Scott Mulhauser, a former aide to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Adam Hodge, a former executive at asset management firm Ariel Investments. For many years, BPI client McDonald’s has been [battling](https://publicintegrity.org/labor/millions-of-low-paid-workers-will-benefit-from-this-obscure-new-policy/) a rule, finalized by the National Labor Relations Board in March, that protects lower-paid workers, including by changing the guidance on when two companies are considered joint employers. The rule is specifically named as a Democratic accomplishment in the [draft 2024 DNC platform](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000190-acc7-da7b-a393-adc723860000), which was announced by the Democratic National Committee on July 13, before President Biden bowed out of the presidential race. The Department of Labor rule rolls back Trump-era guidance that made it easier for corporations to claim that workers were independent contractors, thus denying them minimum wage, overtime pay, and other labor protections. McDonald’s lobbied on the rule this year in contacts made to Congress, the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Executive Office of the President (EOP), according to congressional records. BPI’s client showcase promotes its PR work helping McDonald’s “bolster reputation” among “workforce and community leaders.” BPI goes on: ​​"With consumers increasingly judging global brands based on perceptions of values and social impact, McDonald’s has faced a complex set of challenges raising questions about the company’s impact on communities and society at large. From the ingredients, preparation, and sourcing of its food to the nature of employment, consumers and influencers alike needed to hear McDonald’s commitment to using its scale for good." BPI client Walmart has been accused of anti-union campaigns going back decades by the Center for Popular Democracy, an economic justice nonprofit, as well as Human Rights Watch and Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Of its ad campaign for Walmart over nine years, BPI’s website reads, “We’ve helped drive a change narrative around Walmart as a committed, caring, forward-looking corporation.” BPI goes on to describe its proprietary tools: “We used Orbit to develop custom audiences consisting of the most influential and powerful policy elites, business elites and ESG investors. We communicate with them directly through paid advertising and then use our proprietary survey tool, Vantage, to track shifts in opinions and brand favorability, allowing us to optimize media mix and creative to create the most impactful communications environment.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/08/BPI_website_technology_Sludge.png) BPI webpage on [technology](https://www.bpigroup.com/technology) services Walmart spent more than $7 million on federal lobbying last year, according to records compiled by OpenSecrets, often mentioning to Congress and the DOL the issues of “wages, benefits and future of work.” BPI did not respond to requests for comment on its wide-ranging work for large companies that oppose labor measures mentioned in the draft DNC platform. ### **BPI Clients and Labor Lobbying** The DNC’s summary of the new platform makes special mention of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), a top legislative priority of labor unions. “We’ll keep fighting to pass the PRO Act, to give everyone the right to organize for better pay, benefits, and working conditions and we’ll finally raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour,” the document says. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reid Hoffman-Funded ‘Pink Slime’ Site Runs Kamala Harris Ads URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/09/reid-hoffman-funded-pink-slime-site-runs-kamala-harris-ads/ Last updated: 2024-08-09T20:13:55.000Z A company owned in part by billionaire Harris megadonor Reid Hoffman that masquerades as an independent news outlet has begun running ads promoting Harris to voters in key swing states. The website, Courier Newsroom, began running the ads on Facebook and Instagram in mid-July, just days before Hoffman [threw his support](https://x.com/reidhoffman/status/1815103690912723274) behind the Harris candidacy and told [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/26/business/reid-hoffman-kamala-harris-ftc-khan/index.html) he was “redoubling” his efforts to support the campaign. Courier Newsroom was launched in 2019 by the Democratic Party-aligned agency [Acronym](https://readsludge.com/2019/11/06/whos-behind-dems-new-75-million-ad-campaign/), and then acquired in 2021 by a company called Good Information Inc., which was launched with a multi-million dollar seed investment that was led by Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn. According to an archived version of its website, Good Information is an incubator that invests in projects to “counter disinformation where it spreads by increasing the flow of good information online.” Besides its flagship outlet Courier Newsroom, the project includes several state-focused offshoots covering political swing states including North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Florida. The news industry watchdog [NewsGuard](https://www.newsguardtech.com/press/sad-milestone-fake-local-news-sites-now-outnumber-real-local-newspaper-sites-in-u-s/) recently called Courier Newsroom an example of a “pink slime” website that presents itself as a politically neutral outlet but is actually backed by a partisan political group. The term “pink slime” refers to the processed meat derivatives that are used by fast food restaurants to make hamburgers. In 2020, NewsGuard gave Courier Newsroom a [red rating](https://web.archive.org/web/20210416024049/https:/www.newsguardtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Courier-Newsroom-NewsGuard-Nutrition-Label.pdf), warning readers to “proceed with caution” and dinging it for not responsibly handling the distinction between news and opinion, not gathering and presenting information responsibly, and not disclosing its conflicts of interest. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Peltola Supported by Oil Company-Funded Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/08/07/peltola-supported-by-oil-company-funded-super-pac/ Last updated: 2024-08-07T23:02:42.000Z Democratic Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, who is facing a competitive re-election, was boosted by a ConocoPhillips-funded super PAC after she promoted the company’s controversial oil drilling project now under construction on Alaska's North Slope wetlands. ConocoPhillips’ $8 billion Willow Project, located on federally protected lands, was [approved](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/13/1163075377/willow-drilling-project-alaska-approved-biden) by the Biden administration on March 13, 2023 over the objections of environmental advocates. The consumption of oil extracted from the project over the next three decades is projected to emit [277 million tons](https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2023/03/the-willow-project-and-the-race-to-pump-the-last-barrel-of-oil?lang=en) of carbon dioxide, an amount roughly equal to four percent of U.S. annual emissions, according to a post by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Environmental group Earthjustice has called the massive drilling project a “[carbon bomb](https://earthjustice.org/article/willow-project-federal-fossil-fuel-leasing),” and said that continued oil and gas extraction from sites like Willow will release enough greenhouse gases to make it impossible for the planet to reach the target set out by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): [halving](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2023/03/IPCC%5FAR6%5FSYR%5FPressRelease%5Fen.pdf) emissions by 2030, to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. A [blog post](https://www.nrdc.org/stories/why-willow-project-bad-idea) about the Willow Project last year from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) called the project “climate sabotage” while highlighting the potential ecological damage of the drilling operation to the region. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Is Trying to Buy Another House Seat URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/30/aipac-is-trying-to-buy-another-house-seat/ Last updated: 2024-07-30T19:32:13.000Z The Wesley Bell campaign entered the final stretch of the hotly contested Democratic primary in Missouri’s First Congressional District with a 5-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over incumbent Rep. Cori Bush, according to the latest FEC filings. The Bell campaign’s cash advantage is thanks in large part to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)), which has provided nearly two-thirds of its funding. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Spending Millions to Help Republicans Take Control of Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/26/the-fossil-fuel-industry-is-spending-millions-to-help-republicans-take-control-of-congress/ Last updated: 2024-10-17T11:25:41.000Z Donors in the fossil fuel industry have already contributed more to the two giant super PACs aligned with Republican congressional leaders in the 2023-24 election cycle than they did in the entire 2019-20 cycle, according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission data. For this year's contests, multimillion-dollar donations from Big Oil companies and their lobby groups have been pouring into the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the outside spending group closely tied to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), which is aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The GOP is campaigning to win back control of the Senate and hold a majority in the House. So far in the 2024 election cycle, fossil fuel companies, pipeline firms, industry trade associations, and company founders and executives have given SLF and CLF a total of $34.1 million. This sum counts donations made through June 30\. By comparison, in the full 2020 cycle, fossil fuel industry donors contributed a total of $32 million to SLF and CLF, according to Sludge’s review of FEC records. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/10/manillanewsleter-5.png) ## Join Our Newsletter. Get important money-in-politics news delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In the last two election cycles, SLF and CLF were the two highest-spending groups backing Republican candidates, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Fgroup/2022?chrt=2020&disp=O&type=I). The two groups [shell out](https://readsludge.com/2024/02/01/oil-and-gas-companies-donate-big-to-gop-super-pacs/) hundreds of millions each election cycle on ads and voter outreach to support Republican candidates and oppose Democrats, their spending [closely](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/mcconnell-super-pac-fundraising) [aligned](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/30/mike-johnson-embraces-powerful-mccarthy-aligned-super-pac-00124186) with party leaders. As a super PAC and a hybrid PAC, respectively, they can accept donations of unlimited size and can receive funding directly from corporate treasuries. Outside spending by groups like super PACs is [soaring](https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending./) in federal elections, blasting voters with attack ads, often without fully disclosing the funding sources behind the communications. Industry donors can expect a fossil fuel-friendly agenda if Republicans take majorities: last year, as their showcase [H.R. 1 bill](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/), House Republicans passed legislation that would weaken environmental protections and expand oil and gas drilling on public lands. Last month, ahead of a Capitol Hill visit from former President Donald Trump, House Republicans [floated plans](https://www.eenews.net/articles/climate-law-in-crosshairs-as-trump-visits-hill/) to use the budget reconciliation process to repeal clean energy programs, signed into law by President Biden in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and extend the GOP's 2017 tax cuts. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s Top Bundler Pleaded the Fifth in Ohio Bribery Case URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/23/trumps-top-bundler-pleaded-the-fifth-in-ohio-bribery-case/ Last updated: 2024-07-23T16:20:20.000Z The Trump campaign’s largest known bundler is a lobbyist who advised coal and nuclear power company FirstEnergy on its effort to secure a $1.3 billion bailout from Ohio ratepayers and who pleaded the Fifth Amendment when called to testify on his role in a bribery scheme for which the company was criminally charged. Geoff Verhoff, a senior adviser at public affairs firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, has bundled more than $3.6 million this year for Trump 47 Committee, according to a new [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00867937/1801594/sa/3L) with the Federal Election Commission. Bundlers collect contributions from other donors and deliver them to campaigns. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Facing Dem Scrutiny, Alito Benefactor Paul Singer Donates $10 Million to GOP URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/19/facing-dem-scrutiny-alito-benefactor-paul-singer-donates-10-million-to-gop/ Last updated: 2024-07-20T16:36:55.000Z Paul Singer, the billionaire hedge fund manager who is under scrutiny for gifting conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito an undisclosed private flight, donated $10 million in June to the Senate Republicans’ top super PAC, according to a new Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202407159659819711). The donation was by far his largest federal political contribution ever. The donation was given to Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a super PAC with close ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that backs Republican candidates in U.S. Senate races. Singer had donated $2 million to SLF earlier this election cycle, across two donations given in June and December of last year. According to [ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court), Singer in 2008 flew Alito to Alaska on a private jet for a luxurious fishing trip. ProPublica says that the flight would have cost Alito at least $100,000 if he had chartered it himself. Alito did not report the gifted flight on his annual financial disclosures, an omission that some ethics experts argue was a violation of ethics laws. Under the federal Ethics in Government Act, Supreme Court justices are free to use a disclosure exception known as the “personal hospitality clause” for gifts “received as personal hospitality of an individual” worth an unlimited dollar amount, according to the [Brennan Center for Justice](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/what-gifts-must-supreme-court-justices-disclose). _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Here Are the DNC Insiders Who Will Decide if Biden’s Nomination Is Rushed to a Vote URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/17/here-are-the-dnc-insiders-who-will-decide-if-bidens-nomination-is-rushed-to-a-vote/ Last updated: 2024-07-17T20:55:16.000Z With more congressional Democrats calling on Biden to step aside each day, a faction of the Democratic Party leadership is rushing to get the delegates to the Democratic National Convention to nominate President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris before the convention, in a virtual roll call that could begin as soon as August 1\. The leaders are asking the DNC’s Convention Rules Committee to begin considering at its first meeting on Friday morning, a virtual affair, new nominating rules that would set the virtual roll call in motion. On Tuesday, past DNC Chairs Donna Brazile, Howard Dean, and Terry McAuliffe sent the committee’s members a [letter](https://x.com/metzgov/status/1813287639417507975) urging them to back the proposal for an early, virtual roll call. On Wednesday, the Convention Rules Committee’s co-chairs sent committee members a [letter](https://x.com/aaronlarnavarro/status/1813567258951823718) explaining that the final vote will not be on Friday, and informing them that the virtual roll call would not begin until August. Previous reporting had indicated it could begin as soon as Monday, July 22\. The rules committee is composed of 186 individuals, including 27 who were nominated to serve on the committee by DNC Chair [Jaime Harrison](https://readsludge.com/2021/01/14/biden-picks-former-corporate-lobbyist-jaime-harrison-for-dnc-chair/), a former Podesta Group lobbyist who was tapped for the position by Biden. The remaining members were selected through procedures laid out in the states’ delegate selection plans, in accordance with DNC rules. Many of the rules committee members who were nominated by Harrison have deep ties to Biden, while some work as attorneys and consultants for industries that have major policy and regulatory interests at stake in who gets elected president in November. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump's Latest Major Donors Revealed URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/16/trumps-latest-major-donors-revealed-2/ Last updated: 2024-07-16T13:08:35.000Z Former President Donald Trump’s high-dollar joint fundraising committee, Trump 47 Committee, raised a hefty $118.5 million during the second quarter of the year, according to a new Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00867937/1801728/). The donations poured in during the period covering April through June when Trump’s legal team was defending the former president in a New York criminal trial over 34 charges related to falsifying business records and concealing hush money payments, charges for which he was found on May 30 to be guilty. The amount raised is a large increase over the $23.5 million that Trump 47 Committee raised in the first quarter of the year, though the committee was not formed until February 6\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who’s Funding the Republican Convention? URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/10/whos-funding-the-republican-convention/ Last updated: 2024-12-26T15:12:14.000Z When Republicans gather in Milwaukee next week for the Republican National Convention to nominate Donald Trump and adopt the party platform, the identities of the corporations and wealthy donors who forked over millions of dollars to fund the event will be largely unknown to the public. The GOP convention, held this year in the battleground state of Wisconsin, is primarily funded through a nonprofit host [committee](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00834978/?tab=about-committee) that must register with the Federal Election Commission—but is only required to disclose its donors and expenditures by [60 days](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2017-title52/pdf/USCODE-2017-title52-subtitleIII-chap301-subchapI-sec30105.pdf) after the end of the convention. Convention host committees have typically brought in multi-million-dollar donations from corporations and individual donors in recent years—for comparison, the 2016 GOP convention committee raised over $86 million for the event in Cleveland. (The 2020 conventions of both major parties were moved largely online, due to the coronavirus pandemic.) A sponsor prospectus [reviewed](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/03/top-sponsors-of-the-2024-republican-national-convention-in-milwaukee-will-receive-special-access-to/71031080007/) by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said donor tiers for this year’s event range from $500,000 - $5 million, with perks like logo displays and VIP access to convention events. The Milwaukee host committee is chaired by former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman and Trump White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. The host committee lists the names of dozens of [partners](https://mke2024host.org/) on its website, like fossil fuel industry trade association the American Petroleum Institute and cryptocurrency company Ripple, though the amounts and dates of their donation are not posted. The host committee did not respond to Sludge’s requests for information about its large donors and corporate sponsors. The nonprofit organization said last month its goal is to raise around [$70 million](https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2024/06/14/kohls-backs-rnc-with-donation-to-business-group-but-no-sponsorship/74049405007/) and told the press it is ahead of schedule. **\[**[**Click here to subscribe to our 2024 elections money-in-politics news**](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup)**\]**[](https://emojiterra.com/rolled-up-newspaper/) Other named partners of the nonprofit arm of the Milwaukee host committee include the following: the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind the Project 2025 plan; fossil fuel company TC Energy; automaker GM; Starbucks; lobby group the American Beverage Association; and the [Trump-allied nonprofit](https://readsludge.com/2019/10/07/turning-point-usa-blurs-the-line-between-charity-and-pro-trump-political-group/) Turning Point USA. Many other local companies like Kohl’s department store [chose to donate](https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2024/06/14/kohls-backs-rnc-with-donation-to-business-group-but-no-sponsorship/74049405007/) to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), which is financially supporting to the host committee, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In addition to Priebus, the 501(c)3 nonprofit Milwaukee host committee’s [board](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/053/202403070300464053/202403070300464053.pdf) includes Tim Sheehy, former president of the MMAC, as treasurer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/07/MKEHost_PartnershipBanner_800px_d2.jpg) [Milwaukee host committee](https://mke2024host.org/) 2024 partnership banner for the Republican National Convention, July 10, 2024 Around $6 million in funding for the GOP convention has also come from donors who have given to the Republican National Committee’s convention account, according to a Sludge review of Federal Election Commission data. Since former President Trump left office, the RNC’s convention account has received a stream of six-figure donations from billionaire investors, fossil fuel company founders, and major donors to conservative causes. National parties maintain several so-called “segregated” [accounts](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/registering-political-party/national-party-accounts-certain-expenses/), including for their presidential nominating conventions, party headquarters, and legal proceedings like election recounts. This setup [allows deep-pocketed donors](https://web.archive.org/web/20220904132517/https://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/budget-rider-would-expand-party-cash-113459) to give up to $123,900 to each committee, an amount far larger than the $41,300 maximum per year from an individual to a national party committee. The amount of cash allowed to flow into national parties was [pushed far upward](https://readsludge.com/2020/11/25/lawyer-celebrated-as-democracy-hero-gutted-campaign-finance-laws/) in 2014 by a deal struck between Democratic Party superlawyer Marc Elias, former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and former Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The deal, which empowered wealthy political donors, was implemented through a last-minute legislative rider that was added to a $1.1 trillion spending bill. The rider raised the amount individual donors could give to a national party from $97,200 to at least $777,600 per year. Conservative megadonor Liz Uihlein has contributed the near-maximum $466,800 to the RNC convention account since the start of 2021\. Liz and her husband Richard Uihlein, founder and CEO of Wisconsin packing supplies company Uline, were the second-largest donors to outside spending groups in the [2022](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/top%5Fdonors/2022?chrt=2020&disp=O&type=V) midterms, according to a tally by OpenSecrets that combines the couple’s contributions, which surpass $151 million to federal political groups over the past two election cycles. Over the years, the Uihleins have [showered](https://www.propublica.org/article/uline-uihlein-election-denial) tens of millions of dollars on right-wing organizations, including the [Conservative Partnership Institute](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/17/trump-backed-maga-hub-growing-rapidly-tax-docs-reveal/) (CPI), a funding hub led by former Trump administration officials. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New Jersey Dem Invests in His Donors’ Private Equity Firm URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/07/02/new-jersey-dem-invests-in-his-donors-private-equity-firm/ Last updated: 2024-07-02T20:43:37.000Z New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer purchased stock in a private equity firm in May, two days before his fundraising committee received more than $42,000 from its executives. According to a financial disclosure, on May 10, Gottheimer [bought](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2024/20025207.pdf) up to $15,000 worth of stock in Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), one of the largest private equity companies in the world. On May 12 and May 19, Gottheimer’s joint fundraising committee with Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) received a combined [$85,400](https://projects.propublica.org/itemizer/filing/1786586/schedule/sa) from KKR executives, making up nearly all of the $92,000 the committee reported to the Federal Election Commission on a pre-primary disclosure. Among the donors were co-heads of global private equity Pete Stavros and Nate Taylor, as well as Chief Operating Officer Ryan Stork and Global Head of Infrastructure Raj Agrawal. On June 10, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that KKR’s stock would be added to the S&P 500 Index later that month, news that triggered a more than 10 percent rise in its value. KKR is not a common stock for members of Congress to buy. According to information from the Capitol Trades [website](https://www.capitoltrades.com/trades?issuer=432899), only two other members have bought it since 2021\. Asked about the stock purchase, a spokesperson for Gottheimer told Sludge his investment decisions are handled by a third party. “Prior to taking office, Congressman Gottheimer turned over management of his retirement savings and investments to a third party, who has full investment discretion,” the spokesperson said. “Throughout his time in Congress, decisions related to his managed investments have been made at the direction of that third party.“ _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### If Biden Steps Aside, Lobbyists in the DNC Could Step In URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/28/if-biden-steps-aside-lobbyists-in-the-dnc-could-step-in/ Last updated: 2024-06-29T01:55:42.000Z If Joe Biden steps aside following his faltering debate performance on Wednesday night, the process for selecting a replacement nominee would fall to the roughly 4,700 delegates of the Democratic National Convention, a group containing elected officials, party leaders, and—despite past efforts to kick them off—corporate lobbyists and consultants. The vast majority of the Democratic National Convention’s delegates are currently pledged to President Biden, with no other candidates having secured a significant number during the Democratic primaries. But if Biden chooses not to run, those pledged delegates would have the first shot at selecting the party’s nominee. According to the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 delegate selection [rules](https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2024-Delegate-Selection-Rules.pdf), state parties select their pledged district-level delegates and then select pledged at-large (or statewide) delegates with consideration to balance out the number of men and women and achieve other diversity goals. The pledged delegates typically include big-city mayors, state legislators, and local party activists. If no candidate wins a majority of the delegates on the first ballot vote, the process gets opened up to the 738 automatic unpledged delegates, or “superdelegates,” who are composed primarily of national party leaders and elected officials. They include Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and members of the Democratic National Committee—many of whom work as consultants and lobbyists for corporate clients. If Biden were to step aside in the next few weeks, in one scenario, the little-known Democratic National Convention Rules Committee could exert significant sway over the nomination rules. This Rules Committee, whose members are not disclosed publicly, plans to hold its sole meeting virtually on July 19\. A longtime DNC member told Sludge that it’s possible the committee could change the nomination process for pledged delegates, such as by instructing them to vote for another candidate if Biden bows out. The committee is co-chaired by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the 2008 and 2016 conventions, according to the DNC member. This year’s Democratic National Convention chair is [Minyon Moore](https://readsludge.com/2023/08/14/democratic-national-convention-chairs-firm-helps-companies-block-labor-laws/), principal at public affairs firm and corporate consultancy Dewey Square Group, who also co-chairs the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. In another scenario if Biden steps aside, possible Democratic candidates like Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, or Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could campaign to convince pledged delegates to get behind them on the first ballot. On a second ballot, all delegates—pledged and unpledged—would be free to vote for their candidate of choice. Besides voting on a potential second ballot, superdelegates would likely play a guiding role in the case of a contested convention by working to steer their state delegation toward particular candidates on the first ballot vote. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Group Has Ever Spent as Much as AIPAC Has in the Bowman-Latimer Primary URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/20/no-group-has-ever-spent-as-much-as-aipac-has-in-the-bowman-latimer-primary/ Last updated: 2024-06-21T12:35:06.000Z As recently as 2021, the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)) eschewed spending money on elections so it could maintain an image of political neutrality. But now the group has set a new money-in-politics record, spending more than any other outside group ever has on a single House of Representatives election race. AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has spent more than $14.5 million on the New York Sixteenth Congressional District Democratic primary contest between incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman and challenger George Latimer, the group’s hand-picked candidate who is currently the Westchester county executive. AIPAC is opposing the re-election of Bowman, a member of the progressive “squad,” who [voted in April against](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024152) providing Israel with $17 billion in supplemental foreign aid and was one of 9 Democrats who voted against a non-binding Republican [resolution](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/771/text) stating, among other things, that the U.S. “stands ready to assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.” Sludge analyzed independent expenditures data from the Federal Election Commission since 2001 and found that the $14.5 million UDP has spent is more than any other group besides those affiliated with a political party has ever spent on a House election. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Chicago Ethics Chair Introduces Public Campaign Financing Proposal URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/20/chicago-ethics-chair-introduces-public-campaign-financing-proposal/ Last updated: 2024-09-09T20:17:44.000Z It typically takes about a quarter of a million dollars to win a Chicago City Council race, a steep sum for candidates who rely on support from ordinary voters rather than deep-pocketed donors. A new measure introduced in the City Council last week aims to change that by matching small-dollar donations from everyday Chicagoans with contributions from a new public campaign financing fund. On June 12, Alderman Matt Martin, chair of the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, introduced the [Chicago Fair Elections ordinance](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=EDD300D1-E028-EF11-840A-001DD804F643). The legislation would amplify small-dollar donations to participating City Council candidates through a matching ratio, similar to public financing [programs](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-public-financing-programs-nationwide) used in dozens of localities and 14 states nationwide. Martin and a coalition of community groups held a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday to announce the proposal. Martin and the community groups say the proposal could increase participation in Chicago local elections and reduce the prevalence of the city’s “pay-to-play” politics, where special-interest donors hold disproportionate sway over lawmakers. “A big reason why we’re championing this program is because the current campaign finance system is broken,” Martin told Sludge. “Too often, it forces candidates to rely on a few big special interest donors to fund their campaigns. Candidates and voters agree there’s a better way to do things. “With a small investment, Chicago can join cities across the United States that encourage candidates to spend more time talking to everyday people,” Martin said. “We believe elected officials should be accountable to all of us, not just the wealthy and special interests.” One of the organizers of the press briefing was Reform for Illinois (RFI), a good government nonprofit, which was joined by the League of Women Voters Illinois, Workers Center for Racial Justice, and other groups. According to a forthcoming report from RFI that Sludge previewed, the average winner of City Council races last year spent $234,000, about 11 times as much as the average loser. In contests with runoff races, the winners spent even more on average—about $314,000, according to RFI’s analysis. Last year, RFI f[ound](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/following-the-money-chicagos-five-most-expensive-aldermanic-runoffs/) that candidates in the five most expensive aldermanic races raised a combined $3.7 million, with one candidate, Ald. Gilbert “Gil” Villegas, bringing in almost $800,000\. Several of the candidates counted corporate donors like DoorDash among their biggest givers, according to RFI. An updated RFI analysis of Chicago’s 2023 closely-contested mayoral election, shared with Sludge, offers another stark view of how much campaign cash in the city comes from a small set of wealthy donors. Just three of the city’s 50 wards, including the wealthy areas of downtown Chicago and Lincoln Park, donated nearly twice as much as the remaining 47 combined during last year’s mayoral election, RFI found. Many neighborhoods on Chicago’s south and west sides did not include a single donor to a mayoral candidate, according to RFI’s analysis of U.S. Census blocks. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/06/Chicago_Fair_Elections_DSC_0553.JPG) Supporters of the Fair Elections Chicago proposal at the press briefing announcing the ordinance (photo: Reform for Illinois) “We’ve seen these programs work for decades around the country and we know the profound benefits they can have for a city’s government and its residents,” said Alisa Kaplan, executive director of RFI, at the press briefing. “They open the doors of our democracy to people from all walks of life. They empower candidates and elected officials to represent those who otherwise would have been unheard. “A Fair Elections program is also a powerful anti-corruption tool that can provide a much-needed boost to the public’s trust in city government,” Kaplan said. “This program would make our election funding far more transparent. It would reduce the costly pay-to-play politics Chicago has unfortunately become famous for and that can taint the efforts of the city’s many honest public servants.” The Fair Elections [ordinance](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/f54cbb25-7296-4d94-97ad-0d4084eda5f6.pdf), introduced by Martin, aims to provide a strong incentive for Chicagoans to give to aldermanic hopefuls. The legislation first has candidates qualify by collecting donations from at least 100 small-dollar contributors (i.e., those giving $150 or less in aggregate), with at least 60 coming from ward residents; the others may come from city residents. Campaigns that opt-in would qualify for a base payment of $50,000, a payment similar to one included in the Washington D.C. [program](https://ocf.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ocf/page%5Fcontent/attachments/Public%20Finance%20%20Program%5FTraining.pub%20Revised%20May%202023.pdf). Contributions from city residents would then be matched by the government at a 12-to-1 ratio up to the first $25, and a 9-to-1 ratio up to the matched limit of $150\. Participating candidates could receive a maximum of $150,000 from the program, which would be administered by a new Chicago Fair Elections Fund. As with other public campaign financing systems, participating candidates would agree to abide by lower contribution limits—in the ordinance, $500 from individuals, compared with the $6,900 from an individual donor now [allowed](https://www.bettergov.org/2024/06/18/proposed-public-funding-for-chicago-elections-could-give-20000-boost-to-small-donor-campaigns/) under Illinois state law. Campaigns using the matching option would also be limited to $12,000 maximum contributions from political action committees, versus the $59,900 maximum from PACs now allowed by Illinois—an amount over 37 times greater than the [$1,600 contribution limit](https://nyccfb.info/candidate-services/limits-thresholds/2025/) to city Council candidates in New York City that are non-participating in the public financing program. Candidates must also take part in at least two nonpartisan public debates and spend no more than $5,000 of personal funds on their bid for office, among other rules like post-election audits of campaign finances. The proposed matching formula would allow an individual to give, in effect, a maximum of $1,925 to a Council candidate—made up by a qualifying donation of up to $150 and up to $1,425 in public funds, plus the option of $350 up to the individual limit—trimming it to about a quarter of the maximum amount an individual could contribute now. Other groups [endorsing](https://www.fairelectionschicago.org/) the Fair Elections ordinance include the good government group Common Cause Illinois, the progressive policy group Citizen Action Illinois, the Sierra Club, and the nonprofit advocacy group Illinois Families for Public Schools. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/06/Chicago_Fair_Elections_DSC_0482.JPG) photo: Reform for Illinois “People have been really excited to hear there’s a new way to finance elections,” Martin said of the response to the proposal. “People are very disheartened with a campaign finance system that’s broken, at the city level as well as federal level, and they badly want to see ways in which everyday Chicagoans have an opportunity to engage in elections—to have their voices heard, and discuss policies that impact the entire city.” Nearly 80% of Chicago voters backed a public campaign financing option in a 2015 non-binding [referendum](https://ballotpedia.org/City%5Fof%5FChicago%5FCampaign%5FFinance,%5FPaid%5FSick%5FTime,%5Fand%5FDomestic%5FViolence%5FAdvisory%5FQuestions%5F%28February%5F2015%29). But a 2016 version of public campaign financing legislation, which would also have [covered](https://www.bettergov.org/2024/06/18/proposed-public-funding-for-chicago-elections-could-give-20000-boost-to-small-donor-campaigns/) mayoral races and all citywide contests, was not advanced by the City Council. Chicago is the largest U.S. city that does not offer a public campaign financing system, programs used for [decades](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-public-financing-programs-nationwide) in New York City, Los Angeles, and other cities. Martin told Sludge that the coalition will be soliciting support from his 49 aldermanic colleagues, as well as the mayor’s office and other city agencies, with the goal of passing and having a public campaign financing program in place by 2027 for Council races in the next municipal elections. Martin’s ordinance was [referred](https://www.bettergov.org/2024/06/18/proposed-public-funding-for-chicago-elections-could-give-20000-boost-to-small-donor-campaigns/) to the Rules Committee, where it faces further debate by Chicago alders. As introduced, the program would be an option only for City Council races, not covering the city’s [high-dollar](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/31/with-chicagos-mayoral-race-awash-in-big-money-reformers-aim-to-amplify-small-donors/) mayoral elections or elections for other offices like school board or Police District Council. The [ordinance](https://chicago.councilmatic.org/legislation/o2024-0010156/) sets a funding level for the Fair Elections Fund of one-tenth of one percent of the city’s budget, powering the program estimated by Martin to cost around [$9.5 million](https://news.wttw.com/2024/06/18/ethics-committee-chair-pushes-call-public-financing-city-council-elections-city-hall) per election. RFI’s Kaplan emphasized that making this pool of funding available could have huge benefits in good governance: “As a New York State commission said when recommending that New York adopt a similar program to battle corruption and pay-to-play politics, ‘the elimination of just one wasteful tax expenditure or one unnecessary spending program could cover the full cost of the program.’” Since 1972, 38 Chicago alders have been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes, according to the [Chicago Tribune](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/11/30/chicago-aldermen-convicted-of-corruption-and-others-facing-charges/), the vast majority of them related to aldermanic duties. In December, former Ald. Ed Burke, the longest-serving Council member in history, was [convicted](https://apnews.com/article/edward-burke-chicago-jury-corruption-alderman-f092a50d58fc8cf7b16952398685e41f) on 13 counts of corruption after using his office to steer clients to his property law firm. Another former alder, Daniel Solis, became an FBI informant after pressing for campaign donations from a real estate developer in exchange for zoning changes in 2015, according to federal charges. During Chicago’s last mayoral race, Mayor Brandon Johnson endorsed a public campaign financing program for Chicago city elections in an RFI [questionnaire](https://www.reformforillinois.org/2023-good-governance-candidate-questionnaire-results/) posed to candidates. This month, Johnson [reiterated](https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2024/06/17/public-financing-political-campaigns-chicago-city-council-martin-proposed-ordinance-mayor-johnson) his interest in advancing such a program, telling reporters after a City Council meeting, “If the goal is to eradicate the proclivity of corruption, then let’s get at that... Let’s all work together for public financing.” Last year in neighboring Evanston, the City Council made it the first city in Illinois to [adopt](https://readsludge.com/2023/10/27/evanston-becomes-first-illinois-city-to-counteract-big-money-with-public-match/) a public campaign financing system, also with a small-dollar match as its centerpiece. Mayor Daniel Biss said that one of the goals of the program was to increase the diversity of candidates on city ballots by empowering runs for office by residents who don’t have a network of wealthy friends or business backers. Once public campaign finance programs are in use, voters [tend to strengthen](https://readsludge.com/2021/04/02/democrats-public-financing-proposal-could-give-small-donors-more-influence/) them, and in several areas candidate participation has expanded: in 2018, New York City voters [bolstered](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/05/nyc-progressives-coalesce-around-campaign-finance-ballot-initiative/) their city’s matching ratio, leading to a record [high](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) in the 2021 election in small-dollar donations, both in terms of contributions collected and public funds paid to candidates. In 2019, the Los Angeles City Council also [boosted](https://www.commoncause.org/california/our-work/reduce-moneys-influence/public-financing/los-angeles-matching-funds-program/) its matching rate, among other changes that strengthened the public financing system for council candidates, and the city government has been [studying](https://readsludge.com/2023/12/08/los-angeles-considers-democracy-vouchers-to-expand-engagement-in-city-elections/) further programs to expand local political engagement. That same year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors significantly [amplified](https://readsludge.com/2021/04/02/democrats-public-financing-proposal-could-give-small-donors-more-influence/) the small donation match for candidates for mayor and the Board of Supervisors. Public campaign financing programs in [Connecticut](https://ctmirror.org/2020/09/14/new-study-cts-citizens-elections-program-has-become-a-national-model-for-clean-elections/) and [Seattle](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) have seen the vast majority of candidates opt in while proving popular with voters, and in 2022 Oakland voters [adopted](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) a “democracy dollars” program, based on the Seattle model, for mayor and other city offices. “The vast majority of Americans—across partisan and ideological lines—believe the cost of political campaigns deters good people from running for office and that it gives ultra-wealthy donors and special interests far too much influence in our democracy,” Kaplan said at the briefing. “We constantly hear from Chicagoans who are frustrated with the role of big money in our politics but think that because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions, there’s nothing we can do. We are here today to tell them there is something we can do—we can adopt this Fair Elections program.” ### Chevron’s Top Lawyer Is a Big Biden Donor URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/07/chevrons-top-lawyer-is-a-big-biden-donor/ Last updated: 2024-08-15T17:03:47.000Z Chevron’s lead attorney in its defense against climate liability lawsuits has donated more than a hundred thousand dollars to President Biden’s re-election campaign and helped raise money for the president at a glitzy Los Angeles fundraiser. Ted Boutrous, a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, is currently representing the oil giant as it calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to block dozens of lawsuits from cities and states that could hold it liable for billions of dollars in climate change-related damages. Boutrous has also worked for Chevron on other cases, including its successful campaign to overturn a 2016 ban on oil and gas development that was passed by voters of Monterey County, California, and has represented other oil companies including ExxonMobil, Shell, and ConocoPhillips in climate liability cases over the years. Earlier this year, Boutrous [petitioned](https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/sunoco-lp-v-city-and-county-of-honolulu-hawaii-2/) the Supreme Court on behalf of Chevron, along with several other oil companies, to take up two cases brought by the city and county of Honolulu against itself and other large oil companies in 2020\. The companies are seeking to have the court toss out rulings from the Hawaii Supreme Court that found the companies had deceptively marketed fossil fuels while concealing that they knew they would exacerbate global warming and its impacts. Boutrous and the other oil companies’ attorneys argued that federal law prohibits states and cities from suing companies for harms caused by interstate and international greenhouse gas emissions. “The stakes in this case could not be higher,” the petitioners told the court in February. “Over two dozen cases have been filed by various States and municipalities across the country seeking to impose untold damages on energy companies for the physical and economic effects of climate change \[...\] Those cases present a serious threat to one of the Nation’s most vital industries.” The oil companies recently got a boost from 19 Republican attorneys general, all members of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), who filed a motion in late May calling on the Supreme Court to block climate lawsuits from California, Rhode Island, and other states, arguing that they are seeking “power to dictate the future of the American energy industry.” Twenty Republican attorneys general also [wrote to the Supreme Court in April](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-big-oil-leonard-leo-climate-change-trial-1235031027/) urging it to side with the oil companies and take up the Honolulu case. The state climate lawsuits, which claim that oil companies deceived the public for decades about the dangers of fossil fuels, are seen by many climate activists as critical tools for holding the industry accountable. Boutrous and the fossil fuel industry argue that the lawsuits are attempts by activists and local governments to take control of federal energy policy. In a recent webinar with the conservative [Federalist Society](https://fedsoc.org/events/litigation-update-on-climate-lawsuits-and-status-at-the-u-s-supreme-court), Boutrous argued that these interests are attempting to undermine pro-fossil fuel production policies of the federal government. “You see the Biden administration, the secretary of state, calling for energy production to protect our country,” Boutrous said. “So, I think, when you look at the doctrines we're relying on, the extraordinary nature of these cases, it really is a play for private lawyers, funded by various foundations and the like, working with municipalities and states to seize control of federal energy policy and to change how we consume energy.” The oil industry leans heavily Republican in its political giving, and Chevron in particular has [donated millions to Republican super PACs](https://readsludge.com/2024/02/01/oil-and-gas-companies-donate-big-to-gop-super-pacs/), but Boutrous is supporting the Democrats. In two donations–one in December 2023 and one in March 2024–Boutrous donated $110,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee for Biden, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic Party groups, according to Federal Election Commission records. In December 2023, Boutrous and his wife co-chaired or co-hosted a Los Angeles fundraiser for President Biden. Co-chairs of the event were [expected to raise $500,000 for Biden](https://deadline.com/2023/11/joe-biden-hollywood-fundraiser-steven-spielberg-1235633834/). The president and First Lady Jill Biden were in attendance at the fundraiser, as were Nancy Pelosi, billionaire director Steven Spielberg, and actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Latimer Fails to Disclose Finances in Closely-Watched Democratic Primary URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/03/latimer-fails-to-disclose-finances-in-closely-watched-democratic-primary/ Last updated: 2024-06-04T14:15:58.000Z In New York, early voting begins on June 15 in one of the most expensive and high-profile congressional races in the country, where incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman faces a Democratic primary challenge from Westchester County Executive George Latimer. But to date, New Yorkers have not been able to see a personal financial disclosure for Latimer, even as millions of dollars in outside spending flood the district to promote him to voters. Under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, U.S. House candidates are [required](https://ethics.house.gov/financial-disclosure) to file financial disclosures with the [Clerk](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/FinancialDisclosure) of the House within 30 days of qualifying as a candidate. Latimer, who publicly launched his campaign in the first week of December and [registered](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00859041/?tab=about-committee) with the Federal Election Commission on December 4, still has not filed his disclosure. The Latimer campaign did not respond to multiple inquiries about the candidate’s absent personal financial disclosure. Early voting in New York runs through June 23 and primary Election Day is June 25. Danielle Caputo, legal counsel in Ethics for the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center (CLC), told Sludge, “The law requires candidates, once they have qualified by raising or spending $5,000 in support of their campaign, to file candidate financial disclosure reports.” As a House member and previously as a federal candidate in the 2020 cycle, Bowman’s ​​personal financial [disclosures](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2022/10055703.pdf) are available online. The Bowman campaign did not respond to a request for comment about Latimer’s financial disclosure. Financial disclosure forms allow the public and government ethics officials to review the potential conflicts of interest of policymakers and candidates for the job. The information they provide is vital for the enforcement of ethics rules, such as the House of Representatives’ [prohibition](https://ethics.house.gov/outside-employment-income/laws-rules-and-standards-conduct#emp%5Fusing%5Fones%5Fposition) against members using the influence of their positions within the House for personal gain. If Latimer were to be sworn in without filing a candidate disclosure, he could serve in the House without transparency around his personal finances, potentially through the middle of August of his first term. “Financial disclosure reports contain vital information about candidates' personal financial interest,” Caputo told Sludge. “Voters have the right to know about their potential representatives’ conflicts of interest so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box.” The disclosures include information on candidates' sources of income, positions held with companies and other nongovernmental organizations, financial assets worth $1,000 or more, liabilities, agreements they may have regarding future employment, and gifts they have received from people other than relatives. The disclosures also contain information about the financial interests of candidates’ spouses and dependent children. According to Sludge’s review of candidate disclosures in all of New York’s 26 congressional races, the Latimer campaign is in the minority in not filing a financial disclosure. There are at least five other primary contests in New York races for the U.S. House this month (in the First, Tenth, Fourteenth, Twenty-Second, and Twenty-Fourth Congressional Districts). Of the challengers in these races, six candidates have filed personal financial disclosures with the Clerk, while one appears to have not filed, and one has not reported meeting the $5,000 threshold to the FEC. Three Democratic challengers who will face incumbent New York Republicans in the November general election in races rated “toss-up” by the [Cook Political Report](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings)—candidates Laura Gillen, Mondaire Jones, and Josh Riley—have each filed disclosures. Two Republicans challenging incumbent Democrats this fall—Michael LiPetri Jr. and Alison Esposito—have also filed. The Bowman-vs.-Latimer primary in the Sixteenth District has attracted more than [$8 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Frace/2024?disp=R&pty=A&type=H) in outside spending, making it the most expensive primary contest yet to be decided this cycle, according to a ranking by OpenSecrets. Latimer has been the beneficiary of the vast amount of outside spending: nearly [$7.1 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/races/outside-spending?cycle=2024&id=NY16) so far, led by [$7 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00799031&is%5Fnotice=true&candidate%5Foffice=H&candidate%5Foffice%5Fstate=NY) reported to date from the United Democracy Project, the super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The lobbying group AIPAC [recruited](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552) Latimer to run against the progressive Bowman, who has outspokenly [called for a ceasefire](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/15/aipac-places-1-9-million-ad-buy-to-oust-bowman/) in the Israel-Gaza war, as part of its plan to spend $100 million in 2024 to unseat candidates they deem insufficiently supportive of Israel. Latimer has received more campaign cash from the PAC of AIPAC, operating as a conduit for contributions, than any other House candidate this cycle, totaling [$1.5 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) through April 30, according to Sludge’s review of FEC data. About one in three dollars raised by Latimer’s campaign, as of the end of March, came from AIPAC’s PAC, according to Sludge’s [calculations](https://readsludge.com/2024/04/20/aipacs-super-pac-raised-another-1-8-million-in-march-while-fighting-progressives/). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New Trump-Aligned 'Dark Money' Group Attacks Biden in Pennsylvania URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/06/03/new-trump-dark-money-group-pennsylvania-biden-attack-ads/ Last updated: 2024-10-02T13:42:52.000Z A new “dark money” group in the Trump campaign orbit has begun running ads criticizing President Biden in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. The new group, called Securing American Greatness, has booked hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ad spots with multiple television stations in the state that are currently scheduled to run through the middle of June, according to records filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The group’s premiere ad is a 30-second piece that accuses President Biden of downplaying inflation and urges viewers to call him about the issue. Because the ad does not explicitly urge viewers to vote against Biden, it is categorized as a “non-candidate issue ad” and the group is not required to report details on the expenditures to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). According to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/31/trump-dark-money-group-00161122), Securing American Greatness is a 501(c)4 nonprofit that is run by Taylor Budowich, a former Trump communications director and a senior adviser to his 2020 election campaign. Budowich also oversees the largest pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.), a group that reported [$34.5 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00825851/) cash on hand as of the end of April. FCC records indicate the group’s president is Kaelan Dorr, the Trump 2020 campaign’s chief marketing officer and a former Trump Treasury Department official. In 2018, Dorr took a position at Sinclair Broadcasting Group as an executive producer for the show of Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, an attorney who later joined Trump lawyers in [disputing](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/18/boris-epshteyn-trump-bannon-inner-circle-00062222) the 2020 presidential election results. The group’s board includes Cliff Sims, a former director of message strategy for the Trump White House, according to FCC records. Sims is a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank chaired by former Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon, a Trump campaign fundraiser and large campaign donor. Among the group’s chairs is Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who leads pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again, Again. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Stefanik Israel Trip Funded by Group Tied to Anti-Muslim Figures URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/30/stefanik-israel-trip-funded-by-group-tied-to-anti-muslim-figures/ Last updated: 2024-06-03T14:04:57.000Z Rep. Elise Stefanik’s recent Israel trip to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was funded by a group with ties to multiple individuals who are commonly labeled anti-Muslim hate figures, according to a travel disclosure filed today with the U.S. House. Stefanik, a New York Republican who chairs the House Republican Conference, conveyed to Netanyahu the “House Republicans’ unwavering support for Israel, our most precious ally,” according to her website. She also delivered remarks at the Knesset, where she criticized President Biden’s decision to pause a shipment of bombs over Israel’s bombing in Rafah. “I have been clear at home and I will be clear here: There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel—aid that was duly passed by the Congress, or to ease sanctions on Iran, paying a $6 billion ransom to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, or to dither and hide while our friends fight for their lives,” Stefanik said before Israel’s legislature. According to a new [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/gtimages/MT/2024/500028381.pdf), Stefanik’s trip was paid for by the conservative Jewish Policy Center, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that describes its mission as “educat\[ing\] the American public about Israel, foreign affairs and domestic issues of importance to the Jewish community.” The organization spent nearly $48,000 on the trip, including on business-class airfare tickets for the representative and stays at luxury hotels. Stefanik’s chief of staff, Patrick Hester, joined her on the trip. The Jewish Policy Center has multiple individuals on its board of fellows who have been identified as anti-Muslim hate figures by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and other left-leaning groups. Fellow Daniel Pipes, the president of the rightwing think tank the Middle East Forum, was listed as one of the top five purveyors of anti-Muslim misinformation by the Center for American Progress in its 2011 report [Fear, Inc.](https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/08/pdf/islamophobia.pdf) on the roots of Islamophobia in America. Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative, a multi-year research project on Islamophobia, has an [extensive profile](https://bridge.georgetown.edu/research/factsheet-daniel-pipes/) of Pipes’ comments over multiple decades, as he has argued for various forms of discrimination against Muslims to counter the threat of Islamic terrorism. The initiative says Pipes “supports racial profiling and the surveillance of Muslim communities and believes Muslims in the United States seek to infiltrate and overthrow the country.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Despite Test Failure, Mountain Valley Pipeline Nears Completion URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/30/despite-test-failure-mountain-valley-pipeline-nears-completion/ Last updated: 2024-05-30T17:44:24.000Z The Mountain Valley Pipeline is not yet operating, but it has already sprung a leak. On May 1, the pipeline [failed](https://portal.deq.virginia.gov/prep/prepReport/313755) hydrostatic testing when a segment of pipe in Bent Mountain, Virginia burst and began spilling sediment-laden test water into surrounding wetlands. Now, the companies that own the pipeline are engaged in a multifaceted lobbying campaign to convince regulators and lawmakers that the failure was a sign of proper testing, and that the pipeline will be ready to begin transporting natural gas as soon as early June. Last summer, the U.S. Congress and President Biden signed off on a debt ceiling deal that included a [rider](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr3746/text/enr#link=C%5FIII%5F324%5Fc%5F1%5F~T1&nearest=HACA47D1A9D894A768AFE264E688C81F5) expediting approval of the long-stalled Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project by deeming all outstanding permits and verifications approved and by restricting judicial review. The MVP, which will carry natural gas from Pennsylvania more than 300 miles and terminate at a compressor station in Southern Virginia, was initially approved to begin construction by the Trump administration in 2017, but legal challenges over environmental concerns caused the project to sit in limbo. As a result of the delays, segments of the pipeline sat for years outdoors, some sitting in trenches and some stacked in storage yards along the route. When the fast-track construction of the pipeline was approved in the debt ceiling bill, environmental organizations worried that the project’s materials may have degraded from being exposed to the elements for years. “A primary area of concern is the integrity of MVP’s pipes and pipe coatings,” a coalition of more than two dozen groups wrote in a [letter](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/eenews/f/eenews/?id=00000188-e508-d24e-abe9-efba22a90001) to federal regulators in a June letter, after the debt ceiling bill was signed into law. “We believe most, if not all, of these pipes were coated between six and seven years ago…yet it appears that pipes that have not been buried have been stored outdoors for years—uncovered and exposed to the elements, including UV rays, rain, snow, wide ranges of temperatures, and wind.” Groups that signed the letter include Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club, and Pipeline Safety Trust. According to the [National Resource Defense Council](https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/mountain-valley-pipeline-uniquely-risky-0) (NRDC), some segments of pipe for the MVP are stamped as having been coated in 2016, and local residents have not seen any segments that are stamped as having been coated later than 2017\. The NRDC [cites](https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/mountain-valley-pipeline-uniquely-risky-0) a National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators assessment that “above ground storage of coated pipe in excess of 6 months without additional Ultraviolet protection is not recommended.” The MVP is a joint venture between Equitrans Midstream Corporation, NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison, AltaGas, and RGC Resources. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $7.85 billion, according to Equitrans Midstream. The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s hydrostatic test failure came just days after its owners had submitted an in-service request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin operating the pipeline by the end of May. Hydrostatic testing involves running pressurized water through a system to check for leaks and ensure the structural integrity of a pipeline before it goes into service and begins transporting hazardous substances. The nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust wrote to FERC on May 10 to urge the agency to evaluate the pipeline’s readiness carefully due to the failed test and other issues. “A failure during a hydrotest generally indicates that a component of the installed pipe was weak or corrupted in some way,” the group wrote. “While it is positive that the inadequacy was identified before the pipeline is filled with product, it is nevertheless concerning given the explosive risk of such a large diameter, high-pressure gas pipeline. It is too early to tell if this is a sign of a larger problem on the pipeline or an isolated point of weakness.” Dozens of state and county officials called on FERC to deny the MVP’s in-service request after the test failure. On May 7, eighteen members of the Virginia General Assembly [wrote](https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession%5Fnum=20240508-5013) FERC acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese asking her to deny the request following what they said was “an alarming pipe failure.” “As the drinking water, farms and livelihoods of many along the route have already been negatively impacted, adherence to the consent agreement is imperative to minimize further harm,” the lawmakers wrote. An October 2023 [consent agreement](https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2023-10/PHMSA%20Consent%20Agreement%20and%20Order%20-%20Equitrans%20Midstream.pdf) between Equitrans and the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration established an accelerated schedule for safety inspections and evaluations to verify the integrity of the pipeline, and said that audits of the MVP’s coatings would be conducted by a third-party firm. The agreement was entered into by the parties to settle issues raised by the agency in August 2023 after it found conditions along the MVP’s path that the agency said “pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment.” The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors [wrote](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/eenews/f/eenews/?id=0000018f-782e-db94-a3ff-fe6e5a3c0000) to FERC on May 13 to say they believed that approving the in-service request would be premature. In response to the concern, Todd Normane, senior vice president for Equitrans Midstream, filed a letter with FERC to dispel what he called “misinformation.” “In an attempt to derail and continue to delay completion of the project, those opposed to the MVP have been focused on spreading misinformation and unfounded speculation,” Normane wrote. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coinbase-Funded Reps in Congress Urge SEC to Approve Ethereum ETFs URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/23/coinbase-funded-reps-in-congress-urge-sec-to-approve-ethereum-etfs/ Last updated: 2024-07-20T22:28:14.000Z In a stunning reversal, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to approve applications for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the price of Ether, effectively allowing investors to transact in the cryptocurrency on traditional stock exchanges. Earlier this week, Bloomberg analysts James Seyffart and Eric Balchunas increased their odds of the ETFs being approved from 25% to 75%. “Hearing chatter this afternoon that SEC could be doing a 180 on this (increasingly political issue), so now everyone scrambling (like us everyone else assumed they'd be denied),” Balchunas wrote on [X](https://x.com/ericbalchunas/status/1792636523050906102). The SEC approved Bitcoin ETFs in January, but industry observers had been growing increasingly pessimistic about the chance for Ether ETFs to be approved because the agency had not been communicating with the companies that had applied for them. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler had in the past [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/09/crypto-tokens-plummeted-on-concern-gensler-is-expanding-sec-crackdown-.html) that he believed Ether and so-called altcoins to be unregulated securities. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market valuation, is the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain. [Coinbase Donates $1.5 Million to Super PACs Tied to Schumer, McConnell, and JeffriesThe donations are on top of the approximately $25 million the company has recently donated to pro-crypto super PACs.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/02/GettyImages-1182943846.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/02/02/coinbase-quietly-gave-1-5-million-to-super-pacs-tied-to-schumer-mcconnell-and-jeffries/) To help push the ETFs across the finish line, this morning five members of the U.S. House of Representatives, a mix of Republicans and Democrats, sent Gensler a letter urging him to “maintain a consistent and equitable approach” to the Bitcoin ETF applications and approve the pending Ether ETFs. The letter was led by French Hill (R-Ark.) and signed by Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), and Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.). Hill is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion of the House Financial Services Committee, and Emmer is the third-ranking Republican on the panel. > We urge SEC Chair [@GaryGensler](https://twitter.com/GaryGensler?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) to approve the pending Ether ETP applications. [@GOPMajorityWhip](https://twitter.com/GOPMajorityWhip?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [@RepJoshG](https://twitter.com/RepJoshG?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [@USRepMikeFlood](https://twitter.com/USRepMikeFlood?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [@WileyNickel](https://twitter.com/WileyNickel?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) > > Check out our letter to [@GaryGensler](https://twitter.com/GaryGensler?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) below: [pic.twitter.com/uv8Sp8lqUx](https://t.co/uv8Sp8lqUx) > > — French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) [May 23, 2024](https://twitter.com/RepFrenchHill/status/1793621840021360903?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) “Specifically, the Commission should apply the same principles set forth in the approval of the spot bitcoin ETPs \[exchange-traded products\] as it evaluates the pending ether ETP applications as the legal considerations pertinent to bitcoin also apply to ether,” the lawmakers wrote. “With the Commission’s actions earlier this year, it seems a natural progression that would not only demonstrate consistency in the Commission’s application of its standards but would also affirm the legal reasoning that facilitated the spot bitcoin ETPs decision. We encourage the Commission to continue enabling and embracing financial innovation while ensuring the full protection of the federal securities laws for investors,” Four of the signers of the letter have been [among the top six recipients](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/coinbase/recipients?id=D000072255&t2-Chamber=House) in the House of campaign funding in the 2024 election cycle from employees of Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange that has been selected to act as a custodian for several of the proposed ether ETFs. According to [The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/how-coinbase-is-poised-for-a-win-from-ether-etfs), “At least six out of the nine investment firms that plan to issue ether ETFs have picked Coinbase as a custodian, meaning the crypto company will safeguard ether for giants including BlackRock, Invesco and Franklin Templeton. Judging by the success of bitcoin ETFs, which launched in January, Coinbase could soon oversee billions of dollars worth of ether and entrench its position at the center of the crypto ETF boom.” Hill has received more Coinbase money than any other House member so far this election cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/coinbase/recipients?candscycle=2024&id=D000072255&toprecipscycle=2024). Federal Election Commission records show that his campaign and leadership PAC have received a combined $35,600 from the company’s employees since the beginning of last year, including $11,600 from its CEO Brian Armstrong. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### More 'Dark Money' for President Biden URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/21/more-dark-money-for-president-biden/ Last updated: 2024-05-21T14:39:45.000Z The primary pro-President Biden super PAC took in more than $12 million in April from “dark money” groups—organizations that funnel money into politics while masking the funding’s true source. According to a Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00669259/1785311/sa/ALL) posted last night, Future Forward PAC transferred $10.2 million in April from its affiliate Future Forward USA Action and received a $2.2 million contribution from Bright Future Fund, a mysterious organization whose address is listed as a D.C. registered agent service. These dark money donors provided the majority of the $16.2 million that Future Forward reported raising in April. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Places $1.9 Million Ad Buy to Oust Bowman URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/15/aipac-places-1-9-million-ad-buy-to-oust-bowman/ Last updated: 2024-05-23T13:25:16.000Z The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has booked $1.9 million in TV ads to influence voters in the high-profile Democratic primary race in New York’s Sixteenth Congressional District, according to the media-tracking firm AdImpact. The ads will air from tomorrow until next Monday, according to an AdImpact [alert](https://twitter.com/JacobRubashkin/status/1790746376579473417), marking the group’s first spending in the contest between AIPAC-endorsed challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer and incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman. In New York, early voting runs from June 15-23 ahead of primary Election Day on June 25\. > [#NYPol](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYPol?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw): AIPAC-affiliated group United Democracy Project is going up in the New York market. So far, we've seen $1.9M placed with ads set to begin tomorrow. > > — AdImpact Politics (@AdImpact\_Pol) [May 15, 2024](https://twitter.com/AdImpact%5FPol/status/1790747071848301007?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) “This new ad spending in New York shows once and for all that my opponent, George Latimer, is bankrolled by a right-wing Super PAC that has received over $40 million from Republican megadonors who want to defend Republican insurrectionists, overturn voting rights, and ban abortion nationwide,” Bowman said in a statement responding to UDP’s ad bookings. “Democrats across New York deserve better, and will reject these attempts to buy our elections and undermine our democracy. New Yorkers know that if George Latimer is willing to sell out to Donald Trump's biggest donors, he will sell you out too.” [Who’s Funding AIPAC’s Political Spending Barrage?Here are the tech industry founders, Republican megadonors and others funding AIPAC and its closely-tied allies this election cycle.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/03/GettyImages-2048597258.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/) Many of the top donors to UDP have bestowed large donations on Republican office seekers, according to [Sludge’s analysis](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/) of campaign finance records. The super PAC’s top donor so far this election cycle is billionaire Jan Koum, a Nikki Haley campaign donor, with $5 million given to UDP. David Zalik, a donor to Ted Cruz’s campaign among others, has given $2 million. A pair of Republican megadonors, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus and hedge fund founder Paul Singer, donated $2 million and $1 million to UDP respectively, according to FEC records. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) In its most recent FEC filing, covering donations made in March, UDP [raised](https://readsludge.com/2024/04/20/aipacs-super-pac-raised-another-1-8-million-in-march-while-fighting-progressives/) $1.8 million. Investor Michael Sacks, a board member of the Obama Foundation, gave $250,000, as did theatrical producer Linda Rubin, doubling the donation to UDP she made in April 2023. UDP did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this year, sources [told Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552) that Bowman would be a top target of AIPAC to unseat based on the progressive representative’s criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, along with Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). The lobbying group AIPAC intends to pour $100 million this year into races across its spending arms, “taking aim at candidates they deem insufficiently supportive of Israel,” sources told Politico. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Trump-Nominated FEC Commissioner Wants to Help Political Donors Conceal Their Identities URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/14/trump-nominated-fec-commissioner-wants-to-help-political-donors-conceal-their-identities/ Last updated: 2024-05-14T19:35:07.000Z The proposal from Allen Dickerson has been placed on the Federal Election Commission's agenda for May 16. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Biden EPA Finalizes Rules Excluding Gas Power Plants From Carbon Regulations URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/10/biden-epa-finalizes-rules-excluding-gas-power-plants-from-carbon-regulations/ Last updated: 2024-05-30T16:44:02.000Z On April 25, the Environmental Protection Agency [issued new rules](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-suite-standards-reduce-pollution-fossil-fuel) that will require coal-fired power plants and new gas-fired power plants to slash their carbon emissions by 90% starting in 2032\. The rules aim to improve public health and keep President Biden’s pledge for a clean electrical grid in the next decades on track. Power plants produce a [quarter](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions) of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to data from the EPA. Initially, the Biden administration had proposed emissions standards in May 2023 to restrict carbon pollution from three types of facilities: existing coal plants; large existing gas-fired plants with capacity above 300 megawatts (MW) that operate more than 50% of the time; and certain future gas plants. But on February 29, EPA Administrator Michael Regan [said](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/statement-epa-administrator-michael-s-regan-epas-approach-power-sector) the rule would cover existing coal and new gas-fired power plants—thereby [excluding](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-epa-removes-existing-gas-plants-proposed-carbon-rule-2024-02-29/) existing gas-fired plants from the emissions standards. Emissions from gas-fired electricity generation are set to overtake coal this year as [the largest source of carbon pollution in the energy sector](https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2024/02/13/gas-poised-to-overtake-coal-as-top-co2-emitter-in-u-s-power-sector-00141039). Instead, Regan [said](https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/statement-epa-administrator-michael-s-regan-epas-approach-power-sector) the agency would take “a new, comprehensive approach to cover the entire fleet of natural gas-fired turbines,” pushing off new rules for existing natural gas plants until at least [next year](https://apnews.com/article/epa-power-plants-climate-change-natural-gas-coal-1499236035aa7c34dbec36a7144df25e), after the November elections. Regan said that the delay and later approach on regulating existing gas-fired plants “will achieve greater emissions reductions than the current proposal.” Under the new EPA rules, coal-fired plants and new gas-fired electric plants running more than 40% of the time will be required to control 90% of carbon pollution by 2032, if they plan to continue operations in 2039 and beyond, by implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology or by using hydrogen fuel that is rated as low-emissions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Super PACs With Alleged AIPAC Ties Intervene in Oregon Dem Primary URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/06/super-pacs-with-alleged-aipac-ties-intervene-in-oregon-dem-primary/ Last updated: 2024-05-24T00:56:18.000Z A pair of super PACs recently began spending to support Oregon state Representative Janelle Bynum in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District: one with ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and one that is allegedly funneling money for the group. Neither of the super PACs present themselves as being focused on Israel. Mainstream Democrats PAC has dropped [more than $750,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00804823/1781119/se) on the race since May 2 on TV ads that support Bynum and oppose her opponent in the race, attorney and emergency response coordinator Jamie McLeod-Skinner. It’s the first race that Mainstream Democrats PAC has spent on this election cycle. The super PAC, which says its goal is to “defeat extreme candidates whose stated goal is ‘to overthrow’ the Democratic Party,” is a sibling of the AIPAC-affiliated organization Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), which was established in 2019 to serve as AIPAC’s political spending arm before the group decided during the 2022 election cycle to set up its own PACs. The group pays DMFI for staff salaries, rent, and fundraising expenses, according to Federal Election Commission [filings](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00804823/1773784/sb/ALL). It also pays the consulting firm of DMFI’s president, Mark Mellman, a former contractor to the AIPAC-affiliated charity that brings members of Congress on trips to Israel, the American Israel Education Foundation. [Here Are the Top Recipients of AIPAC MoneyThe most complete, up-to-date view of AIPAC PAC donations to congressional candidates.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/aipaccongresssky.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) The Mainstream Democrats PAC was launched in early 2022 with a $500,000 donation from LinkedIn founder and investor Reid Hoffman, who has since donated a total of $1.6 million to the group. The largest donor to Mainstream Democrats PAC since 2022 is Deborah Simon, who has also been a donor to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) among other pro-Israel causes. In 2021, Simon’s Indiana-based foundation donated $500,000 to ADL Midwest for general operations and support, according to its [tax return](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300125798/202231639349100003/full). Simon has given Mainstream Democrats $2 million. Democratic Majority for Israel, a “dark money” nonprofit, gave it $500,000 in May 2022. Mainstream Democrats did not respond to a request for comment on their backing of Bynum with their first spending burst in 2024 contests. Another group that began spending money in support of Bynum recently is 314 Action Fund, which says it aims to help elect scientists to the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. Bynum has a degree in electrical engineering and she owns several McDonald’s franchises in the Portland area. ## Join Our Newsletter We'll send you our latest headlines, for free. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Ryan Grim, The Intercept’s D.C. Bureau Chief, [recently reported](https://theintercept.com/2024/05/03/portland-aipac-susheela-jayapal-maxine-dexter/) that 314 Action Fund is secretly funneling money for AIPAC. Grim attributed the allegation to two Democratic members of Congress who are familiar with the arrangement. In comments to Sludge, 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton called The Intercept’s report “inaccurate,” but declined to provide more information when pressed specifically on the AIPAC money funneling allegation. She also declined to provide Sludge with a list of the organization’s latest donors ahead of the next FEC deadline. Naughton told Sludge that 314 Action’s 501(c)4 nonprofit arm has not made any donations to its outside spending PAC during the 2024 election cycle. 314 Action Fund’s spending in support of Bynum has included $135,000 for advertising and production, plus $85,000 for direct mail pieces, according to FEC records. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Here Are the Top Recipients of AIPAC Money URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/ Last updated: 2024-09-25T17:31:11.000Z As Israel continues its war in Gaza and Congress debates military aid and other measures related to the conflict, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)) is dramatically ramping up its contributions to political campaigns in the U.S. during the 2023-2024 election cycle. Many candidates—incumbents and new candidates alike—are receiving far more campaign money from AIPAC than from any other organization, yet until now it has not been possible to view up-to-date information on these totals without accessing and analyzing tens of thousands of rows of data from the Federal Election Commission. Sludge is posting how much each candidate has received from AIPAC’s PAC this cycle, and will update the information on this page once a month, shortly after the PAC files its monthly disclosures with the FEC. AIPAC PAC must report its activities for the month prior by the 20th of each month. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Hochul Raised Big Bucks From Real Estate Moguls Before Housing Deal URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/25/hochul-raised-big-bucks-from-real-estate-moguls-before-housing-deal/ Last updated: 2024-12-04T14:56:26.000Z New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is touting an agreement struck with the state’s legislative leaders on housing—long a thorny issue in state politics—that became law this week as part of the massive state budget bill. In appearances with other state Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the governor [called](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/video-audio-photos-rush-transcript-governor-hochul-and-advocates-celebrate-landmark-agreement) the new housing laws a “historic agreement” that strengthens protections for New York renters. The coalition Housing Justice for All, however, has [blasted](https://housingjusticeforall.org/statement-housing-justice-for-all-blasts-housing-deal/) Hochul’s housing deal as a giveaway to wealthy real estate interests. “Governor Hochul did not solve the housing crisis—instead she pushed through a housing deal written by the real estate industry to ensure they keep getting richer off the backs of hardworking tenants,” the group said in a statement. “Now, millions of renters across the state will struggle to keep a roof over their heads as rents and evictions continue to rise.” ## Join Our Daily Newsletter The best reporting on the money behind the political headlines Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Housing Justice for All describes itself as “a statewide coalition of over 80 groups representing tenants and homeless New Yorkers, united in our fight for housing as a human right.” Under the deal, real estate developers would benefit from a new tax credit, 485-x, for construction of apartment buildings where a percentage of units are reserved for lower income people at below market rents. Opponents have [argued](https://nysfocus.com/2024/04/22/affordable-housing-tenants-rights-new-york-budget) that the tax break is inefficient at building affordable housing at scale. The deal would also weaken a 2019 tenant protection law by allowing landlords to raise rents on rent-stabilized apartments more steeply in order to recoup renovation costs. [Hochul’s Stadium SwindleThe New York governor’s billion-dollar subsidy deal for a new Buffalo Bills stadium could reward her husband—and is the latest example of the state squeezing the Seneca Nation.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDavid Moore![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2022/06/GettyImages-1241352368-scaled.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/25/hochuls-stadium-swindle/) Another measure, on “good cause eviction,” would protect some renters in New York City from being evicted for unpaid rent following an “unreasonable” rent increase or when a lease ends. Housing Justice for All’s [analysis](https://housingjusticeforall.org/new-at-least-3-4-million-tenants-excluded-from-governor-hochuls-good-cause/) of the deal’s [provisions](https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default%5Ffld=&leg%5Fvideo=&bn=S08306&term=2023&Summary=Y&Text=Y) on good cause eviction found that a series of exemptions added to the law could leave at least 3.4 million New York tenants unprotected, among other things. The exceptions include premises owned by a landlord who owns 10 or fewer units in the state, owner-occupied housing with no more than 10 units, units tied to employment contracts, and more. Since January 1, 2023, donors in the real estate industry—counting a selection of executives, employees, companies, and PACs—have given Hochul’s campaign at least $1.5 million, according to Sludge’s analysis of records from the New York State Board of Elections. The most recent available data only covers contributions through January 12 of this year. The overall amount given to Hochul since her last election by real estate interests is surely higher, as this tally focuses on major real estate firms and large donations from their executives, not counting various pass-through companies and other real estate companies that lobby state lawmakers. Hochul has received more than 65 donations of the $18,000 state maximum from real estate industry donors and their households since her last election. Hochul’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether the large donations from her prior real estate industry donors affected the contours of the housing deal. Hochul’s campaign for governor in 2022 was heavily funded by large donations from wealthy donors, according to a [report](https://littlesis.org/reports/crooked-kathys-dirty-donors/) from the nonprofit Public Accountability Initiative and other watchdog groups. Their post-election analysis found that real estate industry donors provided more than $9.1 million in campaign donations to Hochul, with dozens of real estate billionaires like Larry Silverstein and Steven Roth giving the then-maximum amount of $69,700 to her bid. “We believe Gov. Hochul carried the real interest industry’s lines into negotiations—whatever they wanted, that’s what she negotiated for, with a lot of success,” Ritti Singh, communications organizer for Housing Justice for All, told Sludge. “She gave real estate everything they wanted in the housing deal in this year’s budget.” Last summer, Jed Walentas, the current chair of the 501(c)6 nonprofit trade association the Real Estate Board of New York (better known as REBNY) and CEO of Two Trees Management, gave $18,000 to Hochul, as did his father David Walentas, the company’s founder. Other real estate donors who gave the maximum to Hochul’s campaign in 2023 include RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler and Douglas Eisenberg, founder of A&E Real Estate Holdings, both of whom are REBNY members. Hochul received $18,000 from Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau, who is a member of REBNY, and his wife Lisa Blau, an investor and political [donor](https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/12/15/investor-with-ties-to-nyc-real-estate-industry-launching-voter-outreach-effort-1346516). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Meta Shatters Lobbying Record as House Passes TikTok Ban URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/23/meta-shatters-lobbying-record-as-house-passes-tiktok-ban/ Last updated: 2024-05-30T16:44:34.000Z Meta Platforms and its subsidiaries spent a record high $7.6 million on lobbying the federal government in the first quarter of the year as the U.S. Congress advanced legislation that could ban Instagram’s chief competitor, TikTok. Meta’s recent [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/44c8cc07-99cb-4a91-83c3-31f973d95281/print/), covering lobbying activities from January through March, does not mention the TikTok ban issue directly, but it says that the company lobbied Congress and the White House on “Homeland Security” topics including “Discussions regarding cybersecurity, data security, encryption, platform integrity, election integrity, content policy, and terrorism,” as well as “Issues related to voter suppression/interference, political ads and misinformation policies.” The language in Meta’s disclosure echoes many of the talking points that have been used against TikTok and its Chinese owner [ByteDance](https://readsludge.com/tag/bytedance/), including claims that China could use the app to collect Americans’ private data and influence U.S. politics. Meta did not respond when asked by Sludge if it lobbied on the TikTok ban legislation. It has previously denied lobbying on a TikTok ban to the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/12/trump-tiktok-ban-lobbying/). The $7.6 million that Meta spent on lobbying in the first quarter is by far the most it has ever spent. Its second-highest-spending quarter was the fourth quarter of 2021, when it reported spending $5.4 million. [Big Tech Lobbyists Butter Up the DemsLobbyists for Amazon, Apple, and other Big Tech companies are bundling six-figure donations for the DCCC and DSCC as Democratic leaders delay antitrust votes.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDavid Moore![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2022/07/Schumer_Pelosi_GettyImages-1394230051_crop2.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2022/07/21/big-tech-lobbyists-butter-up-the-dems/) In March, the U.S. House of Representatives initially [approved](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202486) the bill forcing TikTok to be sold by ByteDance or be banned, and it [passed it again](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024145?Page=2) this past weekend as part of a larger package that includes foreign aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Those measures have been packaged into a single measure that is currently being considered in the Senate, where it is expected to pass. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the potential TikTok ban into law if it passes through both chambers of Congress and is presented to him. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Makes Record High Contributions as Its Super PAC Fights Progressives URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/20/aipacs-super-pac-raised-another-1-8-million-in-march-while-fighting-progressives/ Last updated: 2024-04-25T16:20:06.000Z The United Democracy Project (UDP), the super PAC of pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)), raised more than $1.8 million in March, according to a new [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00799031/1778474/) with the Federal Election Commission. The UDP, which has nearly $33.4 million cash on hand, is a main spending vehicle in AIPAC’s [plan](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552) to shell out $100 million this year opposing candidates who criticize Israel’s war on Gaza. Also in March, AIPAC’s PAC made a record high $4.1 million in contributions to scores of congressional lawmakers and federal candidates, making up the bulk of its $4.3 million in spending last month, according to a FEC [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00797670/1778408/) released yesterday. The top two recipients of earmarked contributions through the PAC during the period, according to a review of FEC data, were AIPAC-endorsed challengers to progressives: Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who received $909,000 in his run against Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York; and attorney Wesley Bell, who received $387,000 in his race against Rep. Cori Bush in Missouri. Overall, AIPAC’s PAC received $3.8 million in March, an increase over the prior two monthly reports. This month, UDP rolled out a spending barrage in the crowded Democratic primary in Maryland’s Third Congressional District: nearly [$1.9 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00799031&is%5Fnotice=true&candidate%5Fid=H4MD03156) supporting Maryland state Sen. Sarah Elfreth. UDP is virtually the only outside spending group to hop into the race. Of that amount, UDP spent more than $1.7 million on media production and placement for Elfreth, more than five times the amount Elfreth’s campaign has [spent](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00855353/?tab=summary#total-spent) overall through March. UDP has also spent $115,500 on direct mail and $50,000 for phone calls for Elfreth over the past two weeks. In the [field](https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/national-politics/influential-pro-israel-group-enters-maryland-congressional-race-4P4OAKWKCNBPFLYF25PCWZHTP4/) of 22 Democratic candidates, one of Elfreth’s rivals is former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who became a national figure after defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021\. Dunn has [outpaced](https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2024&id=MD03) Elfreth in both fundraising and campaign spending, with total disbursements of $2 million through the end of March. Elfreth [told](https://jewishinsider.com/2024/04/harry-dunn-aipac-super-pac-united-democracy-project/) Jewish Insider she does not favor conditions on aid to Israel; Dunn also rejected conditions on aid to Israel, according to non-public position papers viewed by [HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aipac-harry-dunn-jan-6-election-deniers%5Fn%5F660cca97e4b09f580bc5e185) and by [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/17/democrats-aipac-election-spending-00152616). Another candidate in the Maryland primary is labor lawyer John Morse, who has been outspoken on the human toll of Israel’s military action in Gaza—prompting political [observers to suggest to HuffPost](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aipac-harry-dunn-jan-6-election-deniers%5Fn%5F660cca97e4b09f580bc5e185) that UDP’s spending behind Elfreth is intended to squash the Bernie Sanders-endorsed Morse. Early voting in the Maryland contest to replace Rep. John Sarbanes, who announced last year he was not standing for re-election, runs from May 2-9, and the state’s Primary Election Day is [May 14](https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2024/index.html). ## Get Sludge in 2024 Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Unsubscribe anytime. Earlier this month, Dunn [fired back](https://jewishinsider.com/2024/04/harry-dunn-aipac-super-pac-united-democracy-project/) at UDP’s announcement that it would spend on ads in the primary, denouncing “the intrusion of a MAGA Republican-funded super-PAC into the race,” and calling on every candidate in the race to reject UDP’s spending. In a [press release](https://harrydunnforcongress.com/harry-dunn-all-democrats-must-reject-trump-donors-maga-republicans-dark-money-dollars/), Dunn highlighted the hefty contributions that UDP has received from backers of Donald Trump, like billionaire GOP megadonor [Bernie Marcus](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/11/reject-aipac-coalition-launches-to-challenge-the-pro-israel-groups-political-influence/), and donors to Ted Cruz, like entrepreneur [David Zalik](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/11/reject-aipac-coalition-launches-to-challenge-the-pro-israel-groups-political-influence/). Yesterday, Jewish Insider [reported](https://jewishinsider.com/2024/04/maryland-sarah-elfreth-harry-dunn-israel-aid-chris-van-hollen/) that at a candidate forum, both Elfreth and Dunn said they would support efforts from Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen to require that the weapons received from the U.S. are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict. Both Elfreth and Dunn’s campaigns told the outlet they believe Israel to be acting in accordance with armed conflict laws, so in their views aid to Israel would not be affected. In March, UDP spent half a million dollars [attacking](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/17/democrats-aipac-election-spending-00152616) progressive Kina Collins, a gun violence prevention advocate who mounted a second consecutive challenge to Democratic Rep. Danny Davis in a district on the West Side of Chicago. In an October [statement](https://twitter.com/KinaCollinsIL/status/1714034268752506913), Collins condemned Hamas’ attack and decried Israel’s “war crimes” against the Palestinian people, such as cutting off food and water supplies, calling for a ceasefire. In the primary election held March 19, Davis [defeated](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/19/us/elections/results-illinois-us-house-7-primary.html) a field of challengers including Collins and Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, both of whom slightly [outraised](https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2024&id=IL07) the longtime incumbent in campaign contributions. UDP’s ads attacking Collins focused not on aid to Israel, but on a radio interview statement she made in the summer of 2020 calling to cut funding for Chicago police. Jumping into a Republican primary, UDP this month has also spent over $500,000 to oppose former Republican Rep. John Hostettler in Indiana, in a race for an open seat after Rep. Larry Bucshon’s announcement that he will retire from Congress. UDP’s ads go after Hostettler for voting against a [resolution in 2000](https://www.axios.com/2024/04/04/aipac-republican-primary-israel-john-hostettler) expressing support for Israel, along with other votes on military aid to Israel. ### **UDP’s Latest Donors** Investment industry donors led the way in the March monthly FEC filing for UDP. The group’s largest donor last month was Los Angeles-based theatrical producer Linda Rubin, who listed her occupation as “self-employed / investor.” Rubin donated $250,000 on March 1, matching the amount she gave to UDP in April 2023\. In L.A., the Broadway producer leads Linda B. Rubin Productions, which [describes itself](https://www.lindabrubinproductions.com/about) as combining her philanthropic and theatrical efforts. Michael Sacks, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based alternative asset management firm GCM Grosvenor, also donated $250,000 on March 1\. Sacks has been a large donor to Democratic Party groups this election cycle, giving more than $1 million combined to super PACs the Senate Majority Project (SMP), House Majority Project (HMP), and the Biden Action Fund joint fundraising committee, according to FEC [records](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&contributor%5Fname=sacks%2C+michael&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024). Since 2016, Sacks has been a [director](https://www.obama.org/about/leadership/michael-sacks/) of the Obama Foundation. His firm is a member of trade group the Managed Funds Association (MFA), whose CEO [warned](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/business/economy/carried-interest-kyrsten-sinema.html) congressional Democrats in 2022 against proposals addressing the “carried interest loophole” used by wealthy investment managers to lower their taxes. Richard Pzena, founder and CEO of Pzena Investment Management, donated $150,000 to UDP on March 15 after having given the same amount in May of last year. A campaign donor to both sides of the aisle in the past few years, Pzena contributed $26,000 to Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s joint fundraising committee Team Stand for America, $10,000 to the pro-Haley super PAC SFA Fund, and maxed out to her campaign with $13,200\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Senator Pushes Antisemitism Definition That Could Silence Critics of Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/19/aipac-funded-senator-pushes-antisemitism-definition-that-could-silence-critics-of-israel/ Last updated: 2024-04-24T18:09:47.000Z Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen recently proposed bipartisan legislation that would create a new national coordinator to lead efforts to counter antisemitism, including steps to address the spread of antisemitism online. “There have been countless disturbing stories of Jewish families accosted and assaulted on streets, Jewish businesses and places of worship vandalized and desecrated, and Jewish students threatened at colleges and universities,” Rosen said in a press release announcing her bill. “My bipartisan legislation would establish a National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism for the first time ever, and take other much-needed steps across the federal government to fight anti-Jewish hatred, bigotry, and violence in the United States.” Rosen’s office says her bill, titled the [Countering Antisemitism Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4091), would help implement the Biden administration’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, unveiled in May of last year, but a review of the legislative text reveals it differs from the administration’s plan in a key way. While the [Biden plan](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf) declined to endorse a particular definition of antisemitism, saying “there are several definitions of antisemitism,” Rosen’s bill endorses a definition of antisemitism that has been promoted by U.S. Jewish groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), but one that human rights organizations argue could be used to label criticism of Israel as antisemitic. Rosen’s bill would declare it is the [sense of Congress](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4091/text#id052a05fc443541ee9c177f4deb887da4) that the definition of antisemitism that was adopted in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) should be utilized by all federal state and local agencies. AIPAC, along with other pro-Israel organizations including the American Zionist Movement and the Anti-Defamation League, have been [lobbying Congress](https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-788346) to endorse and adopt the IHRA definition. In a [February letter to Congress](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24555860-ihra20letter?responsive=1&title=1), the groups argued that “adoption of any alternate definition of antisemitism would undermine efforts to protect Jewish communities.” ## Join Our Mailing List Our latest headlines, in your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The IHRA’s “working [definition](https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism) of antisemitism” is relatively simple – “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews…” – but it is accompanied by a series of “contemporary examples of antisemitism” that civil society groups say are [used to silence dissent](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ihra-definition-antisemitism/). The IHRA examples of antisemitism include “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” and “Applying double standards by requiring of \[Israel\] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” According to a [letter](https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/04/human-rights-and-other-civil-society-groups-urge-united-nations-respect-human) by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other groups, the example of calling Israel a racist endeavor could be used “to label as antisemitic documentation showing that Israel’s founding involved dispossessing many Palestinians.” The groups also argue that the “double standards” example “opens the door to labeling as antisemitic anyone who focuses on Israeli abuses as long as worse abuses are deemed to be occurring elsewhere.” Rosen’s bill would not make the IHRA definition legally binding, but it says that Congress wants agencies to use it. Rosen has been among the largest recipients of money from AIPAC during this session of Congress. Since January 1, 2023, her campaign has received [more than $1.1 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/filings/?data%5Ftype=processed&q%5Ffiler=C00606939&min%5Freceipt%5Fdate=01%2F01%2F2023&form%5Ftype=F3L) in bundled contributions from AIPAC’s PAC, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission. The [House version](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7921) of the bill is sponsored by Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), who has also received substantial AIPAC funding. According to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-israel-public-affairs-cmte/summary?id=D000046963), AIPAC has given her $216,000 so far this election cycle. The money did not come from AIPAC itself, but rather from its members or employees. Rosen and Manning, both of whom are Jewish, are the co-chairs of their chambers’ bipartisan task forces on combating antisemitism. Asked if the AIPAC donations influenced her legislation, Sen. Rosen’s press secretary told Sludge to reach out to the senator’s campaign. Rosen for Nevada did not respond to a request for comment. The Republican co-sponsors of the bill include Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Tied DMFI Raises More From Private Equity Execs URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/16/aipac-tied-dmfi-raises-more-from-private-equity-execs/ Last updated: 2024-04-25T16:20:23.000Z Pro-Israel super PACs have been unloading millions of dollars in Democratic primaries this year, attacking candidates they view as [voicing criticism](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552) of Israel’s war in Gaza. Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a super PAC [closely tied](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/) to lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)), raised [$418,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00710848/1773767/) from Feb. 15 through March 31, according to a disclosure filed today with the Federal Election Commission. DMFI headed into April with almost $3 million cash on hand. The super PAC’s largest donation during the period came from Ann Pava of Connecticut, who gave $131,000 and listed her occupation to the FEC as not employed. Pava is the president of Micah Philanthropies, which is chaired by her husband Jeremy Pava, the executive chairman of real estate investment firm Aspen Square Management. In both 2021 and 2022, Micah Philanthropies donated $75,000 to the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), according to its [tax returns](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/806093211). The nonprofit AIEF was founded by AIPAC and shares its office address in Washington, D.C. The AIPAC affiliate spends tens of millions of dollars annually in organizing [all-expenses-paid trips](https://theintercept.com/2023/11/18/aipac-congress-israel-trips-donors/) to Israel for members of Congress. Several of DMFI’s largest donors since mid-February were private equity firm executives and employees: David Randolph Peeler, senior advisor at Berkshire Partners, gave $100,000; Norm Alpert, co-founder of Vestar Capital Partners, gave $20,000; and Scott M. Sperling, co-CEO of Thomas H. Lee Partners, gave $15,000. Jeffrey Ullman, a professor emeritus of computer science at Stanford University, gave $36,000 during the period. Lyor Cohen, the global head of music at YouTube, gave $10,000 to DMFI in March. So far this election cycle, DMFI has spent more than $200,000 backing its chosen Democratic candidates for the U.S. House. In March, DMFI hopped into an Illinois House Democratic primary and spent more than $40,000 on digital ads backing Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), who was facing [criticism](https://theintercept.com/2024/01/27/illinois-bill-foster-qasim-rashid-israel-gaza/) from his challenger, human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid, for not backing a ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier this month, DMFI PAC [endorsed](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/dmfi-endorsements-latimer-bell-00150357) the challengers to two House progressives who have criticized Israel’s war in Gaza: Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is taking on Rep. Jamaal Bowman in New York; and St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, who is running against Rep. Cori Bush in Missouri. Bowman told [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/08/israel-war-new-york-bowman-latimer-00150874) last week that he is aligned on the issue with longtime ally of Israel Sen. Chuck Schumer, who slammed the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a floor speech. Bush’s campaign, like Bowman’s, pointed out to Politico that many donors to pro-Israel groups like AIPAC’s United Democracy Project (UDP) have [histories](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/) of giving to Republicans. DMFI’s website prominently features photos of President Biden and House Democratic leaders like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but not all of its latest donors give strictly to the Democratic side of the aisle. Sperling, of Boston-headquartered THL Partners, made two $25,000 donations this cycle to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), according to FEC [records](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&contributor%5Fname=sperling%2C+scott+m&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024). He also contributed [$26,400](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00833392&contributor%5Fname=sperling%2C+scott&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024) to the Republican presidential campaign of Nikki Haley in December. Similarly, Linda Keston of California, who made an earmarked contribution of $5,000 to DMFI PAC in February, made [two $50 donations](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00833392&contributor%5Fname=keston%2C+linda&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024) to Haley in December. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### U.S. Chamber Made Record Donation for Losing GOP Ohio Candidate Matt Dolan URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/15/chamber-of-commerce-made-record-donation-for-losing-gop-ohio-candidate-matt-dolan/ Last updated: 2024-04-16T13:46:40.000Z Corporate lobbying giant the U.S. Chamber of Commerce donated $4.1 million last quarter to support a Republican establishment-aligned candidate in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary who was defeated by a candidate backed by former President Donald Trump. The Chamber, a trade association funded by dues from American companies, gave the funds to the Buckeye Leadership Fund over two transactions in early March, according to [contributions information](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00790923/1772503/sa/ALL) recently reported to the Federal Election Commission. The PAC spent more than $7 million in March to support Republican Ohio state Senator Matt Dolan. In the days leading up to the March 20 primary contest, polls indicated that Dolan had a slight advantage in the three-person primary contest, but that was before Trump made a strong push for Bernie Moreno, a former car salesman who went on to prevail with more than 50% of the vote. Trump held a [rally](https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2024/03/20/a-clean-sweep-how-bernie-moreno-became-ohios-republican-u-s-senate-nominee/) for Moreno in Dayton, Ohio just days before the contest that was attended by a couple thousand spectators. The rally was sponsored by an independent pro-Moreno group called the Buckeye Values PAC. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Dolan was endorsed by GOP establishment figures including former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Gov. Mike DeWine. Dolan also ran in the 2022 Ohio Senate primary and lost to Trump-backed Sen. J.D. Vance and other candidates. Dolan was the only primary candidate that year who [did not express full support for Trump](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/29/trump-says-matt-dolan-is-not-fit-for-ohios-senate-seat-hes-gaining-ground-anyway-00028824). Dolan had been named a “[Champion of Business](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4529365813826653&set=ecnf.100058249081627&locale=ms%5FMY&paipv=0&eav=AfaSg34ksOFJlMSZ60wSotEnM4lGzAjoYe6oDRZIUFqu%5FBGiwJKXdrMFR2Kp91CdXus&%5Frdr)” in 2021 by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The $4.1 million the Chamber gave to the pro-Dolan PAC is the most it has ever donated to a super PAC, according to FEC data. Its second-largest contribution was $3 million it gave to the pro-Senate Republicans super PAC Senate Leadership Fund in 2022\. As a nonprofit, the Chamber is not required to disclose its donors, causing some to characterize it as a “dark money” fund. The Chamber says it is funded by a broad range of companies, but a 2023 Public Citizens [analysis](https://www.citizen.org/article/the-interests-of-the-few/) of the group’s 2021 tax filing determined that nearly half of its funds that year came from 46 donors who gave more than $1 million. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Billionaires Fund the GOP’s Senate Takeover Attempt, With Tax Cuts at Stake URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/11/billionaires-fund-the-gops-senate-takeover-attempt-with-tax-cuts-at-stake/ Last updated: 2024-05-30T16:45:08.000Z Republicans are eyeing control of the U.S. Senate next year, hoping to flip the upper chamber by racking up wins in the November elections. The GOP will need a net gain of either one or two seats, depending on the outcome of the presidential contest, to have a Senate majority. In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice is running for the Senate in a state that former President Trump won in 2020 by nearly 39 percentage points. The next most Trump-friendly state with a key Senate race this year is Montana, which was won by Trump in 2020 by more than 16 points. There, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester faces a highly competitive re-election fight against the likely Republican nominee, businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. [Trump Sees $4 Billion Windfall From Deal With Megadonor-Tied FirmBillionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass’ trading firm was a large investor in the acquisition company that sent Trump’s paper fortune soaring.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDavid Moore![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/03/GettyImages-2112604407.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/26/trump-sees-4-billion-windfall-from-deal-with-megadonor-tied-firm/) Billionaire Republican megadonors have poured millions of dollars into a pro-Republican super PAC that is backing Sheehy with TV ads, digital ads, direct mail, and other means. The outside spending group, named More Jobs, Less Government, has already spent more than [$5 million](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?data%5Ftype=processed&most%5Frecent=true&q%5Fspender=C00693838&is%5Fnotice=true) backing Sheehy, according to Federal Election Commission data, making it by far the highest-spending group in the Montana race. In Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, three other states with Senate races that are rated as “toss-up” or “lean Democrat” by the [Cook Political Report](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings), pro-Republican super PACs have spent millions of dollars to influence voters, each with the strong majority of their funding coming from billionaires. All three states have Democratic senators facing re-election challenges. With the exception of Ohio, Democratic super PACs have yet to begin spending at similar levels in these races, though they are sure to also spend millions of dollars this year to back their Senate candidates. As in prior cycles, the Democratic super PACs are likely to be fueled by large donations from billionaires. One major issue at stake in the 2024 election is the [possibility of extending](https://thehill.com/homenews/4479162-trump-tax-cuts-at-stake-in-2024-election/) the signature 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) legislation that was passed by congressional Republicans and signed by former President Trump. Many of the bill’s provisions affecting individuals are set to expire at the end of 2025\. In a show of the measure’s priority, House Republicans quickly introduced a [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/976) making the tax changes permanent upon taking the gavel last year after the 2022 midterm elections. Earlier this year, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) [said](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-senator-doesnt-want-pass-tax-bill-make-biden-look-good-rcna136649) that Republicans may decline to pass tax cuts this session, preferring to hold out for the chance to pass a better tax cut package if the Republican nominee defeats the Democrat for the White House. At a $50 million fundraising event in Palm Beach this past weekend, Trump [told](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-tells-billionaires-ll-keep-taxes-low-50-million-fundraising-gala-rcna146748) wealthy donors, including some billionaire attendees, that he would extend the tax cuts. A [new report](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/tax-day-approaches-new-study-finds-u-s-billionaires-now-worth-record-5-8-trillion/) from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF), a coalition of groups supporting tax reforms to raise revenue from large corporations and wealthy Americans, found that since the TCJA was signed in late 2017, the collective riches of America’s 806 billionaires has nearly doubled, rising from $2.9 trillion to $5.8 trillion. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “This staggering runup of billionaire wealth is a sure indicator of who the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was meant to serve—and who it would go on serving if Republicans succeed in their plan to make its expiring provisions permanent,” said David Kass, executive director of ATF. Last year, an ATF [report](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/report-billionaire-spending-topped-1-billion-first-time-2022-elections-2/) found that about 500 individual billionaires increased their combined spending in the 2022 election to more than $1 billion, up from $611 million in the 2018 midterms. In eight competitive Senate contests last cycle, billionaires’ donations favored Republicans over Democrats by a 5-to-1 margin, ATF wrote. Democrats in D.C. have recently been floating new legislation to address ways that wealthy individuals, including the donors to the Republican super PACs, avoid taxes. Last month, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) [introduced a bill](https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-king-introduce-bill-to-close-major-tax-loophole-involving-high-value-trusts) that would close the so-called GRAT loophole that is used by wealthy families to duck estate taxes. In November, Wyden introduced [legislation](https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-leads-democratic-colleagues-in-introducing-billionaires-income-tax) titled the Billionaire’s Income Tax Act that would increase tax rates on individuals with more than $1 billion in assets, or more than $100 million in income for three consecutive years. Wyden’s proposals are in line with President’s Biden’s [proposal](https://itep.org/president-bidens-proposed-billionaires-minimum-income-tax-would-ensure-the-wealthiest-pay-a-reasonable-amount-of-income-tax/) for a Billionaire Minimum Income Tax, which would require at least 20% income tax on real income, covering unrealized capital gains that go untaxed under the current system as well as traditional taxable income. A 2021 report by ProPublica [found](https://www.propublica.org/article/more-than-half-of-americas-100-richest-people-exploit-special-trusts-to-avoid-estate-taxes) that the majority of the 100 richest Americans used special trusts called GRATs, or grantor retained annuity trusts, to transfer fortunes to their heirs without tax exposure—to the tune of about $100 billion saved in taxes over 13 years. Wealthy political donors on both sides of the aisle were named in ProPublica’s analysis as GRAT users; among those to Senate Republicans, they included the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and private equity titan Stephen A. Schwarzman. “The tax code is particularly generous to people living mostly off of their investments because of a number of tax breaks for investment income and because we don’t tax investment wealth at all,” said Amy Hanauer, executive director of the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). “President Biden has several proposals to fix this, such as the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax, limits on capital gains tax breaks for millionaires, and increasing the stock buyback excise tax. “Former President Trump focused his tax cutting energy on the very wealthiest—his signature law provided more than $37,000 in tax cuts each year to the wealthiest one percent, people with incomes over $823,000 a year,” Hanauer said. **Montana** A super PAC called More Jobs, Less Government was spun up in 2019 and spent money against Democratic Senate candidate Steve Bullock, then Montana governor, who was defeated by the Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines. In the 2022 midterms, the group spent close to $1 million to oppose Democratic House candidate Monica Tranel in her face-off with Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, who won the general election for the First Congressional District by about [three points](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-montana-us-house-district-1.html). This cycle, the super PAC, which has largely focused on the Montana Senate race to date, has been bankrolled almost entirely by a trio of conservative billionaires whose fortunes come from the investment industry: Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, one of the largest U.S. hedge funds, gave it $5 million; Paul Elliott Singer, founder and president of hedge fund Elliott Investment Management, gave $1 million; and Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, contributed $400,000\. Together their donations made up about 95% of the super PAC’s total raised in 2023\. The three are well-known political donors, each having given [tens](https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors?cycle=2020&view=om) of [millions](https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors?cycle=2022&view=om) of dollars to federal campaign groups over the past two cycles, according to tallies from OpenSecrets. So far in the 2024 cycle, all three have already donated to the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and Griffin and Singer have already given millions to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), a super PAC closely aligned with Mitch McConnell. Calculations by ATF, examining hundreds of billionaires, [found](https://americansfortaxfairness.org/tax-day-approaches-new-study-finds-u-s-billionaires-now-worth-record-5-8-trillion/) the trio’s net worth grew spectacularly under the TCJA, from the end of 2017 to this month: Griffin’s by nearly 323%; Schwarzman’s by more than 205%; and Singer’s by nearly 119%. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Republican-Funded PAC Unleashes Attack Ads on Summer Lee URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/04/02/republican-funded-pac-unleashes-attack-ads-on-summer-lee/ Last updated: 2024-04-25T16:21:10.000Z A super PAC funded by conservative megadonor Jeff Yass has spent more than half a million dollars in recent weeks urging Pennsylvania Democrats to support a primary challenger running against progressive House Democrat Summer Lee. The Moderate PAC, which was formed in 2021, is airing ads in Pennsylvania’s 12th District that attack Lee for what it calls her “extreme socialist agenda,” and calling on Democratic primary voters to choose Lee’s challenger Bhavini Patel. The ads go after Lee for criticizing President Biden and the Democratic Party, and for voting against the debt ceiling bill negotiated between Biden and former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Lee is a member of the so-called “Squad” of progressive House Democrats that has stood apart from Democratic Party leaders on numerous policy issues, including most recently on U.S. support for Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The super PAC has spent at least $586,000 on running the ads since the middle of March, according to Federal Election Commission records. ## Join Our Mailing List Get our headlines delivered to your inbox. It's free. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The only donation that The Moderate PAC has ever reported receiving is [$1 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202212079547240904) from Yass that was given to the group in July 2022\. Yass is a billionaire investor who former President Trump recently said was “[fantastic](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/01/trump-club-for-growth-00144547)” after the pair connected at a donor retreat in Florida. Yass has donated more than $62 million to conservative super PAC Club for Growth Action, and $18 million to School Freedom Fund, a Club for Growth PAC that supports candidates who believe parents should receive taxpayer dollars to spend with private education companies of their choosing. Yass lives in Pennsylvania and has a net worth of about $27 billion, according to [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-yass/?sh=6f1666ee5f1a). Yass has also donated heavily to congressional Republicans. Last year he gave $10 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with House GOP leadership, and in 2018 he gave $200,000 to its upper chamber equivalent the Senate Leadership Fund. The [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/business/jeff-yass-shares-trump-media-merger.html) recently reported that a Trump campaign source said that Yass is expected to make a large donation to a pro-Trump group soon, but that Yass said that he had no plans to do so. The only other contribution The Moderate PAC has received is an in-kind donation from the House Democratic leadership-aligned House Majority PAC, which FEC records indicate has [shared polling data](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202212079547240903) with the group. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Biden Re-Election Benefits From Dark Money He Says ‘Erodes Public Trust’ URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/27/biden-re-election-benefits-from-dark-money-he-says-erodes-public-trust/ Last updated: 2024-05-23T13:26:34.000Z In September 2022, President Joe Biden made a rare appearance in the White House Briefing Room to call on congressional Republicans to get behind a Democratic bill to end “dark money” in U.S. elections. “Dark money erodes public trust,” Biden said. “We need to protect public trust. And I’m determined to do that.” But that bill was never passed, and the Biden administration has not taken any meaningful actions to address the issue. For example, [Democratic senators](https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/whitehouse-colleagues-ask-potus-to-require-disclosure-of-political-spending-by-federal-contractors/#:~:text=Washington%2C%20DC%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20Sheldon,awarded%20a%20federal%20government%20contract.) and a [coalition of liberal groups](https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/Contractor-Disclosure-Sign-On-Letter%5FSept.-15-2022.pdf) have been urging Biden to begin addressing dark money in politics by issuing an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose all of their political expenditures, but the president has not pursued the idea. Now, Biden’s re-election campaign is set to benefit massively from dark money. At least $85 million has flooded in already this election cycle from nonprofits and shell companies that do not disclose their donors to super PACs that have pledged to spend money in support of Biden, according to Sludge’s review of Federal Election Commission records. [More ‘Dark Money’ for President BidenA new FEC disclosure shows the president’s main super PAC continues to rely on dark money for the majority of its funding.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/GettyImages-2152925758.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/21/more-dark-money-for-president-biden/) The main super PAC backing Biden in 2024, Future Forward, has [committed](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/election-2024-biden-super-pac-plans-250-million-ad-campaign) to spending $250 million on digital and broadcast ads, beginning after the Democratic National Convention in August and focusing on seven key battleground states. Of the $58.9 million the super PAC has raised since January 2021, $28 million has come from dark money sources, or about half. Future Forward has been blessed by Biden advisers Anita Dunn and Jen O’Malley Dillon to serve as the premiere super PAC backing the president’s re-election campaign, a change-up from 2020 when the Biden campaign had embraced a different PAC called Priorities USA. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The PAC’s top funder has been its nonprofit affiliate, Future Forward USA Action, a “social welfare” organization that says its mission is “to help rebuild America's middle class—and American democracy—by advancing new ideas and fresh perspectives**.”** On its website, Future Forward USA Action says it believes the country needs “serious campaign finance reform to reduce the influence of big corporations and billionaires on our elected officials” including “robust disclosure rules” and “reasonable contribution limits.” By establishing a social welfare nonprofit, Future Forward is able to raise contributions of unlimited size and inject money into political groups while circumventing campaign finance disclosure rules. Indeed, moving around dark money in politics appears to be one of its core activities. Future Forward USA Action has given $24.8 million to its affiliated super PAC since January 2021\. Future Forward’s dark money arm has also [spent millions of dollars directly on ads for Biden](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/18/biden-latino-future-forward/), with much of its spending targeting Latino voters in swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. Because the ads do not explicitly endorse Biden’s re-election, the group was able to avoid reporting the expenditures to the Federal Election Commission. Although Future Forward USA Action does not disclose its donors, some of its donors are nonprofit organizations that are required to identify their grant recipients on tax filings. By reviewing those filings, Sludge found several prominent Democrat-aligned dark money groups that have fed into it. For example, in 2022, the George Soros-founded Open Society Policy Center gave the group more than $15 million and the Arabella Advisors-administered Hopewell Fund gave it $1.5 million. Future Forward has also taken money for its super PAC from other dark money sources this cycle, including about $2 million from Way to Win Action Fund, $200,000 from Pacific Atlantic Action Coalition, and $200,000 from America Votes. The Democrat-aligned environmental organization League of Conservation Voters last week said it would spend [$120 million](https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4542873-climate-org-puts-money-2024-election/) backing Biden in the 2024 elections, a record amount of election spending for the group. Like Future Forward, the League of Conservation Voters has a super PAC that relies on an affiliated nonprofit for much of its funding. Since January 2021, about $49.9 million of the $73.2 million that the League of Conservation’s super PAC, LCV Victory Fund, has raised has come from dark money nonprofits, or about 68%. Of that dark money total, $42.6 million has come from its social welfare group arm, the League of Conservation Voters Inc. Although it is an independent environmental advocacy group, LCV is closely tied to the Democratic Party and it has strongly praised President Biden’s energy policy record, even as some progressive groups have been critical. When progressive groups were [criticizing](https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/brian-deeses-policy-record-hurt-the-most-vulnerable/) Biden for nominating BlackRock’s Brian Deese to lead the National Economic Council, LCV announced it was “[thrilled](https://twitter.com/LCVoters/status/1334576169706991617)” with the selection. When Deese entered government, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, was also the world’s [largest financial backer](https://readsludge.com/2020/12/09/climate-coalition-talking-points-prop-up-brian-deese/) of fossil fuel projects, including coal development—yet his appointment was backed by a D.C.-based coalition of groups including LCV. On other issues, like the administration’s approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project in Alaska, LCV has [urged the president to reverse course](https://www.lcv.org/media-center/new-lcv-tv-and-digital-ads-call-on-president-biden-to-stop-conocophillips-willow-project/). LCV’s nonprofit arms are chaired by Carol Browner, a former Obama administration official who championed [expanding natural gas production](https://www.naturalgasintel.com/browner-gas-needs-to-be-bigger-part-of-our-energy-future/) and [fracking](https://www.masterresource.org/hydraulic-fracturing-gas/carol-browner-knows-the-drill-a-surprising-advocate-of-hydraulic-fracturing-for-gas/) and is now senior counsel at law and lobbying firm Covington & Burling. According to her bio, Browner “provides counsel to industry leaders in the energy, transportation, and consumer product sectors” on government affairs matters. Though she is not currently a registered lobbyist, Covington’s federal lobbying clients in the energy sector include BP, Shell, and the utilities group Energy Strategy Coalition. Browner believes climate change offers Democrats an opportunity for make electoral gains. In a 2020 [memo](https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/leaning-politics-climate-change/) co-authored with Biden’s new climate czar John Podesta, the pair concluded, “Politics is about drawing a contrast with your opponent and motivating your base. Few issues are better positioned than climate change to help Democrats on both fronts in November.” Asked about its super PAC’s substantial reliance on dark money, LCV’s senior vice president of communications David Willett said, “It’s true that because of a 2023 donation by LCV to LCV Victory Fund, it currently looks like the bulk of funding is from LCV at the moment, but this is because we are still in the process of raising contributions to LCV Victory Fund in 2024 for this two-year cycle.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump Sees $4 Billion Windfall From Deal With Megadonor-Tied Firm URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/26/trump-sees-4-billion-windfall-from-deal-with-megadonor-tied-firm/ Last updated: 2024-04-24T18:20:33.000Z Donald Trump’s net worth soared by billions of dollars after his social media company [merged](https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/jeff-yass-donald-trump-truth-social-pennsylvania-politics-20240322.html) with an acquisition company whose largest institutional shareholder was the firm of billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass. The merger, approved Friday, increased the former President Trump’s paper fortune by more than [$4 billion](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-25/donald-trump-6-4-billion-net-worth-makes-him-one-of-world-s-richest-people) today, vaulting Trump onto Bloomberg’s list of the world’s 500 wealthiest people for the first time. The figure is based on the current stock price of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that owns shares in [scores](https://whalewisdom.com/stock/dwac) of companies. Trump will hold 78.8 million shares of the merged company, which will be listed starting tomorrow on the NASDAQ under the ticker “DJT.” In addition to benefiting allies like former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, the media company’s CEO, Trump is in line for [$1.5 billion more](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-21/trump-media-s-blockbuster-spac-deal-set-to-enrich-allies-and-foes) in stock if the share price rises. ## Join Our Mailing List Investigative journalism on money in politics, delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. As of a December regulatory filing, the New York Times reported that a Yass-owned trading firm Susquehanna International Group controlled about 2 percent of the SPAC, a stake worth around [$22 million](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/business/jeff-yass-shares-trump-media-merger.html). The Times said it is unknown if Susquehanna still [owns](https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DWAC/holders) the shares. The merger stands out because the Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the social media platform Truth Social, reported just [$3.7 million](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-media-dwac-merger-vote-3-5-billion-lock-up-cbs-news-explains/) in revenue in the first nine months of 2023 and "expects to incur significant losses into the foreseeable future,” according to a [filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1849635/000119312524011615/d408563ds4a.htm) with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fortuitous deal comes as Trump faces a deadline to cover a civil fraud judgment, in an amount that was just reduced to [$175 million](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/trump-bond-reduced-to-175-million-as-he-appeals-ny-fine). Trump would need the approval of the company’s board to sell off his shares before a six-month holding period, though dumping shares would [risk devaluing](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-media-dwac-merger-vote-3-5-billion-lock-up-cbs-news-explains/) the company’s stock. Yass, whose net worth is as much as [$27 billion](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-hedge-fund-owner-tiktok-investor-yass-emerges-top-donor-us-election-2024-03-21/) according to Forbes, is in the midst of a lobbying push over the fate of TikTok, in whose parent company ByteDance his firm has a stake worth [$33 billion](https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/03/18/billionaire-jeff-yass-may-be-the-donor-behind-trumps-tiktok-flipflop-heres-what-to-know/?sh=1177ff1417d6). This month, the New York Post [reported](https://nypost.com/2024/03/07/us-news/billionaire-tiktok-investor-bullies-lawmakers-to-stop-sale/) that Yass was calling Republican members of Congress to try to put on ice legislation that would force ByteDance to sell the app or leave the U.S. That bill flew through the lower chamber in a bipartisan vote on March 13 of [352 to 65](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202486). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pelosi Fundraiser Retained by Palo Alto Networks URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/19/pelosi-fundraiser-retained-by-palo-alto-networks-prior-to-investment/ Last updated: 2024-05-23T13:24:06.000Z Shares of the cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks plummeted in after-hours trading on February 20 by nearly 20% after the company lowered its billings and revenue guidance for the rest of fiscal year 2024\. The next day, Nancy Pelosi’s husband purchased up to [$250,000](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2024/20024542.pdf) worth of call options in the company’s stock, betting that it will be above $200 a share when the options expire on January 17, 2025\. The purchase was on top of the up to $1 million in Palo Alto Network call options that Mr. Pelosi had purchased days earlier. The investments caught many observers by surprise. “Why is Nancy Pelosi continuing to buy Palo Alto stock while everyone else is selling,” asked the financial information company [Quiver Quantitative](https://twitter.com/quiverquant/status/1762199408571986417) in a post on X. [Pelosi Fortune Growing Rapidly, Per New DisclosureA new disclosure shows the House Speaker and her husband have continued to accelerate the growth of their fortune through trade in tech stocks and real estate investments.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2022/07/GettyImages-1340743307.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2022/07/25/pelosi-fortune-growing-rapidly-per-new-disclosure/) According to a [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/d38e3711-cb3b-47ac-852d-ed6c8efafbb4/print/) posted online yesterday, one of Nancy Pelosi’s longtime political allies recently began working for Palo Alto Networks. Vin Roberti, chairman of government affairs firm Roberti Global, was retained as a lobbyist by Palo Alto Networks on January 1, along with two other people at his firm. Roberti has been a long-time Democratic fundraiser, and according to his bio he is currently a legacy member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) “[Speaker’s Cabinet](https://robertiglobal.com/about/vin-roberti/),” a program that gave big donors special access to Pelosi. Roberti has donated $96,600 to Pelosi’s campaign and joint fundraising committee, but he has given much more to the DCCC. He has donated more than $436,000 to the DCCC and from 2018 through 2021 he raised more than $330,000 in bundled contributions for the organization, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Roberti was a [co-chair](https://dccc.org/holdthehouse/) of Pelosi’s Hold the House Victory Fund in 2020\. Sludge asked Pelosi’s office if the representative had spoken to Roberti about Palo Alto Networks, but did not receive a response. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### House Dems Donate to Centrist Group That Undermines Their Agenda URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/14/house-dems-donate-to-centrist-group-that-undermines-their-agenda/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T03:26:30.000Z The House Democratic leadership's super PAC and its “dark money” affiliate have donated more than $1.1 million to a lobbyist-run centrist group that has worked to undermine the Biden administration's agenda on lowering drug prices, regulating the finance industry, and more. The donations were made to Center Forward, a dark money think tank that provides “centrist allies” with research and talking points, as well as to its super PAC that supports conservative Democrats in primary contests. The Democratic super PAC behemoth, the House Majority PAC (HMP), contributed $547,000 to Center Forward’s super PAC in the six weeks ahead of the 2022 midterms, according to Federal Election Commission [records](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data%5Ftype=processed&committee%5Fid=C00568444&contributor%5Fname=C00495028&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2022&two%5Fyear%5Ftransaction%5Fperiod=2024). Also in 2022, the party’s non-donor disclosing nonprofit arm, House Majority Forward (HMF), made a $600,000 “general contribution” to Center Forward, according to its [tax return](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834185105/202303179349310070/IRS990ScheduleI). The amount was an increase on the [$300,000](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834185105/202103199349314830/full) that HMF gave to Center Forward in 2020, its only other known donation to the organization. At the time of the donations, HMP’s president was Alixandria Lapp, a former lobbyist for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Pfizer, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others. The PAC’s new president as of January 2023 is Mike Smith, a former Nancy Pelosi fundraiser and senior adviser to the DCCC. Because of campaign finance laws, the group is formally separate from any elected officials, but it is tightly aligned with the House Democratic leader, now Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who [blessed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/10/new-democratic-house-leader-blesses-top-pelosi-aide-lead-super-pac/) Smith to be its leader. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. In 2022, Center Forward Committee spent millions of dollars on ads for conservative Democrats, many of whom bucked Democratic leadership by voting against—or publicly standing against—the party’s signature legislation that aimed to lower prescription drug prices by allowing the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. One of the top [beneficiaries](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2022?cmte=C00568444&tab=targeted%5Fcandidates) of Center Forward Committee’s spending last cycle was former Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), one of three Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to [vote against](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/572447-democrats-suffer-blow-on-drug-pricing-as-3-moderates-buck-party/) including the Democrats’ drug price proposal in the reconciliation budget plan. Schrader was locked in a [primary challenge](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/24/pharma-lobbyist-run-group-places-300k-ad-buy-for-kurt-schrader/) with Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who vowed to be more independent than the corporate PAC-heavy Schrader. In the months leading up to the September 2021 vote on whether to include the drug pricing measures in the budget plan, and afterward, Center Forward rolled out a six-figure Facebook ad campaign asking people to [thank](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/22/corporate-dems-rapidly-growing-dark-money-arm/) the three Democrats—and others like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)—and ask them to “keep fighting for jobs and families right here.” Center Forward’s nonprofit arm has received at least $7.8 million in funding since 2016 from pharmaceutical industry lobby group PhRMA, according to a review of tax documents. Other corporate donors to the group include electric utility PG&E, trade association the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and lobbying giant the Business Roundtable. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ‘Reject AIPAC’ Coalition Launches to Challenge the Pro-Israel Group’s Political Influence URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/11/reject-aipac-coalition-launches-to-challenge-the-pro-israel-groups-political-influence/ Last updated: 2024-04-25T16:21:33.000Z During the 2022 midterms, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) flooded Democratic primaries with ads against progressives and critics of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. The group’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), spent more than $26 million last election cycle, virtually entirely in Democratic primaries, making it the largest-spending super PAC in Democratic primary contests. UDP has amassed around [$42 million](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/) this cycle, and in the months ahead it is expected to unload in Democratic primaries, with an [allied](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/02/aipac-dark-money-group-attack-ad-rashida-tlaib/) super PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), sitting on another $3 million as of the latest disclosures. According to multiple reports, [AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/) is planning to spend at least $100 million in Democratic primaries this year. Today, nearly two dozen progressive groups launched a “Reject AIPAC” coalition to push back against the groups, as well as to call on candidates to reject its endorsements and money. Its members include Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Sunrise Movement, and MPower Change Action Fund. The coalition is calling out the immense funding that AIPAC and UDP have received from donors with a deep history of supporting Republicans for office, money that will fuel campaign mailers and TV ads in Democratic primaries. “We cannot let a dark money Super PAC, especially one that has endorsed 109 insurrectionist election-deniers, 200+ anti-abortion extremists, and is funded by Donald Trump and Nikki Haley’s megadonors, undermine our democracy,” the coalition said in a statement. “Now is the time for the whole of the Democratic Party to Reject AIPAC once and for all.” UDP has raised millions of dollars in the past year from Republican megadonors like the billionaire Trump supporter Bernard Marcus and hedge fund magnate Paul Singer, who donated $5 million to a pro-Nikki Haley super PAC. As AIPAC’s CEO [acknowledged](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/02/aipac-dark-money-group-attack-ad-rashida-tlaib/), many of UDP’s ads attacking Democratic primary candidates last cycle did not mention Israel, instead hammering challengers on other issues. The coalition says it plans to roll out a “seven-figure electoral defense campaign across paid media and field organizing efforts to defend members of Congress targeted by AIPAC.” Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, who faces a primary challenge from [AIPAC-endorsed](https://theintercept.com/2024/02/14/george-latimer-jamaal-bowman-hamas-aipac/) former Westchester County Executive George Latimer, and Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, whose opponent Wesley Bell was [endorsed](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/cori-bush-aipac.html) by the pro-Israel lobbying group, are expected to be targets of AIPAC attack ads this year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who’s Funding AIPAC’s Political Spending Barrage? URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/04/whos-funding-aipacs-political-spending-barrage/ Last updated: 2024-09-25T17:31:59.000Z For decades after its founding in the 1950s, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or [AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/), declined to spend money directly on elections. But that has changed dramatically in recent years, and this year the group is planning to spend a massive amount of money to support pro-Israel candidates and defeat those who have questioned the Israeli military’s killing of more than 30,000 people in Gaza following the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks. [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/03/aipac-israel-spending-democratic-primaries-00144552) and other outlets have reported that it is prepared to spend $100 million on ads and other political advocacy efforts ahead of the November elections to defeat progressive Democratic candidates. [Here Are the Top Recipients of AIPAC MoneyThe most complete, up-to-date view of AIPAC PAC donations to congressional candidates.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/aipaccongresssky.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) Already, the group and its closely-tied allies and affiliates have spent about $30 million in the 2024 cycle, with the bulk of the spending coming from AIPAC PAC, which operates as a conduit for AIPAC supporters to earmark funds to candidates’ campaigns. AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has been spending millions on a California Democratic primary recently and is sitting on nearly $42 million in cash. An allied super PAC called Democratic Majority for Israel PAC (DMFI PAC) has been spending on pro-President Biden text messages and has nearly $3 million on hand. DMFI PAC, which functioned as AIPAC’s primary outside spending operation until it founded its own super PAC in January 2022, is run by former AIPAC consultant Mark Mellman, and AIPAC has allowed its supporters to [credit](https://theintercept.com/2023/11/27/israel-democrats-aipac-book/) their contributions to DMFI towards their AIPAC contributions. The millions of dollars in outside spending [unleashed](https://readsludge.com/2022/05/09/pro-israel-lobby-spends-big-to-defeat-progressive-summer-lee/) by DMFI PAC in Democratic primaries in the 2022 cycle was [widely seen](https://theintercept.com/2022/10/16/democratic-party-progressive-israel-aipac-dmfi/) as working in parallel with AIPAC’s electoral aims. Sludge analyzed the groups’ Federal Election Commission filings to reveal the top donors to AIPAC and its closely-tied political spending groups so far this election cycle. The chart below totals money donated to AIPAC PAC, DMFI PAC, and UDP from January 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### PhRMA Funnels Millions to Groups Fighting Drug Pricing Reforms URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/01/phrma-funnels-millions-to-groups-fighting-drug-pricing-reforms/ Last updated: 2024-04-24T18:14:25.000Z The first-ever round of drug price negotiations are underway between the U.S. government and the massive drug companies behind 10 of the costliest drugs covered by Medicare. The companies have until March 2 to respond to the first pricing offers put forward by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the 10 selected drugs, which do not have a generic or biosimilar equivalents and have been available for at least seven years, among other criteria. The historic back-and-forth with Medicare over the pricing of blockbuster drugs is something the pharmaceutical industry spent big to try and block from happening. The industry spent a [record amount](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/02/despite-record-federal-lobbying-spending-the-pharmaceutical-and-health-product-industry-lost-their-biggest-legislative-bet-in-2022/) on federal lobbying in 2022, while it focused on stopping the drug price negotiations in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), or on shaping the policy after it became law. Last summer, the industry’s largest lobbying organization, [PhRMA](https://readsludge.com/tag/phrma/), [sued](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-sued-block-program-that-gives-medicare-power-negotiate-drug-prices-2023-06-21/) the government to halt the drug price negotiations, arguing the program is unconstitutional, a case that was [dismissed](https://www.reuters.com/legal/pharmaceutical-groups-lawsuit-over-medicare-drug-price-program-dismissed-2024-02-13/) last month. Another lawsuit brought by AstraZeneca, claiming the program was unlawfully implemented, was [rejected](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/astrazeneca-suffers-loss-in-drug-price-negotiation-challenge) today when a federal judge ruled the company did not have standing. In addition to its lobbying activity and legal challenges, PhRMA funds a host of health care groups that lob public challenges against the drug pricing negotiations—many of which don’t disclose their hefty funding share coming from the drugmakers’ lobbying giant. In 2022, PhRMA donated $16.1 million to groups that challenged the Medicare drug price negotiations, according to an analysis by the nonprofit watchdog group Accountable.US. For several of the advocacy groups that have been echoing Big Pharma’s talking points, the vast majority of their funding in 2022, the most recent year covered in tax records, was doled out by PhRMA. ## Join Our Mailing List Our latest headlines, delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “Big PhRMA spent millions trying to stop Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug costs for seniors, and they’ll spend millions more trying to ban it,” said Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US. “Drug company CEOs will do anything to keep the system rigged in their favor, even becoming the entire funding stream for extreme right-wing groups who defend price-gouging of patients in need. Motivated by greed, PhRMA’s push to ban Medicare’s new price negotiation power is a direct threat to the health security and pocketbooks of millions of Americans who will benefit from the Biden administration’s historic action.” Funding coalitions and advocacy groups that bill themselves as “grass-roots” is just one branch of PhRMA’s influence spending to prevent Medicare from negotiating over prices of widely-used drugs. PhRMA alone mentioned the Democrats’ legislation on drug pricing reforms in more than $105 million in federal lobbying spending since the start of 2020, according to Accountable’s review of Senate disclosures. In January, just as CMS negotiations over the 10 selected drugs were getting started, drug companies raised the prices on 910 brand-name treatments, research firm 46Brooklyn Research [found](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/02/04/prescription-drug-prices-increase-january-medicine/72198152007/). High drug prices remain a problem for many American consumers: an August tracking [poll](https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/public-opinion-on-prescription-drugs-and-their-prices/) by health policy organization KFF found that 28% of adults say they have trouble affording the high cost of their prescription medicine. For these initial 10 Medicare-covered treatments, a recent [study](https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2024/jan/how-prices-first-10-drugs-medicare-negotiations-compare-internationally) by the Commonwealth Fund found, the U.S. retail price is, on average, three times higher than it is in other high-income countries. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Exposing No Labels URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/03/01/exposing-no-labels/ Last updated: 2024-04-05T17:41:17.000Z No Labels announced yesterday it was standing down from its plans to run a third-party presidential ticket after it could not find candidates to carry its banner. Since the start of last year, Sludge has focused on digging into the group’s paperwork. In a series of stories, we exposed the extensive corporate ties of No Labels’ D.C. leaders, named more of its billionaire funders, and revealed the companies that have given it donations. We do this work as a two-person muckraking newsroom. We page through far-flung filings, research the people and organizations affiliated with Big Money interests, and send out what we find to newsreaders like you. If you value this money-in-politics information coming to light, [**subscribe to Sludge for $5 a month**](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) **and keep us digging**. When No Labels claimed it did not accept corporate funding, Sludge [showed they had](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/16/no-labels-says-it-doesnt-take-corporate-money-but-company-disclosures-show-otherwise/), in fact, for over a decade, with donors including utility companies PG&E and Sempra, Fortune 500 companies Coca-Cola and Qualcomm, and oil & gas exploration company Pioneer Natural Resources. We discovered these records by scouring years of disclosures for individual companies. Sludge was also [first to report](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/20/no-labels-makes-initial-investment-in-bipartisan-presidential-ticket/) that No Labels quietly transferred $2.4 million in 2021 to a new organization that would house its presidential plan. In subsequent stories, we surfaced new information about the secretive No Labels: - Almost all of a [slice of disclosed donors](https://readsludge.com/2023/06/26/corporate-executives-fund-no-labels-2024-presidential-ticket/) were corporate executives or their spouses. - Two longtime board members [quietly dropped](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/12/no-labels-appears-to-be-losing-board-members/) off the board, along with one louder departure. - One of the group’s “Problem Solvers” PACs [funneled six-figure sums](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/28/no-labels-funnels-finance-money-to-congress/) to U.S. House members, much of it from private equity and finance executives. Donors included billionaire hedge fund investor Howard Marks. - Harlan Crow, Republican megadonor and billionaire benefactor of Clarence Thomas, [donated](https://readsludge.com/2023/08/01/harlan-crow-and-texas-republican-donors-give-to-no-labels-2024-super-pac/) to No Labels’ super PAC. It’s hard to get a response for news stories from the transparency-averse No Labels, but our work succeeded. After our story on its corporate donors came out, No Labels broke its silence and emailed us to say it had stopped taking corporate donations in January 2023, the first time it publicly acknowledged having taken corporate money and when it decided to stop. There are many more political groups backed by large corporations, dark money nonprofits, and wealthy individuals that are spending tens of millions of dollars to influence the outcomes of the upcoming elections. By joining as a subscriber at just $5 a month, or $50 for a year, you can help us keep doing our corruption-focused reporting. You’ll receive access to our full investigative stories as the 2024 election year heats up and billionaires move money to sway voters. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Thank you, —David and Donald, Sludge ### Hawaii Lawmakers Consider Comprehensive Public Campaign Finance Program URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/28/hawaii-lawmakers-consider-expanding-the-state-public-campaign-financing-program/ Last updated: 2024-02-28T20:56:42.000Z For the second year in a row, Hawaii lawmakers are considering a major election reform bill that proponents say would reduce the influence of wealthy donors in state politics by enhancing the state’s system of public campaign financing. The bill, called Clean Elections by a [coalition](https://www.hapahi.org/blog/cleanelectionsleg) backing it, would establish what it calls a “comprehensive” public campaign financing option in the state, meaning it would aim to provide candidates enough money to be competitive without needing additional funds. Supporters of the program say it would encourage a larger candidate field for state and local offices, spur more candidate interactions with voters, and curb the amount of campaign cash coming from industry-connected donors. But last year, Hawaii good government groups saw a closely similar bill [expire](https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/04/you-should-be-outraged-over-what-happened-to-the-plan-to-publicly-finance-campaigns/) behind closed doors in the state Senate Ways and Means Committee. The 2023 bill was killed even as Hawaii’s political leaders were weighing sweeping reforms to strengthen ethics in state government—about a year before, two former state lawmakers [pleaded guilty](https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/02/two-former-hawaii-lawmakers-plead-guilty-to-accepting-bribes/) in a bribery scheme. This year, the Clean Elections bill, numbered [SB 2381](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure%5Findiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2381&year=2024), has taken a different path in the Hawaii legislature. It was [advanced](https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/01/full-public-financing-of-elections-is-being-revived-at-hawaii-legislature/) earlier this month by a pair of state Senate committees and passed the Senate [unanimously](https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/the-sunshine-blog-senate-sends-public-financing-of-elections-bill-to-house/) on Feb. 20\. The measure was introduced by Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads—and was recently [reported](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/02/16/hawaii-proposes-publicly-funded-campaigns/72540267007/) in USA Today to have the support of House Speaker Scott Saiki. Now, the fate of the bill lies with the Hawaii House of Representatives. No hearings have yet been [scheduled](https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/after-all-the-hoopla-legislators-have-just-one-more-shot-at-major-reform-before-the-election/) for the bill, leaving coalition members to closely watch the legislative schedule in the weeks ahead. If the bill is passed by the House and signed into law by Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, the public campaign funding program would first be offered in the 2028 election cycle. Sludge inquired with Saiki’s office as to whether the Clean Elections bill could expect to be scheduled for House hearings this year, and did not receive a response. Common Cause Hawaii, a nonpartisan good government group, is a leading member of the Clean Elections Hawaiʻi Coalition that has been mobilizing Hawaii residents and policy researchers to submit written testimony to help the measure pass the legislature. Some other members of the [coalition](https://www.hapahi.org/blog/cleanelectionsleg) include Indivisible Hawaii, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and Lāhainā Strong, a group of small business owners affected by the Maui wildfires of 2023. “It is important for anyone, especially an elected official who says they believe in expanding access to democracy, to support public campaign financing,” said Camron Hurt, program manager of Common Cause Hawaii. “Anything else would just be paying lip service to a critical issue in this state—we have lacked comprehensive anti-corruption reform, even though we’ve been plagued by corruption over the past decades.” “It is time for our legislators to decide—are they anti-corruption or are they beholden to special interests,” Hurt said. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Vqf5qv6pG/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by ʜᴀᴡᴀɪʻɪ ᴀʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ (@hawaiiaction)](https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Vqf5qv6pG/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) *Above: Instagram post by Clean Elections Hawaii after SB 2381 passed in state Senate committee* The proposal’s design is similar to state public campaign financing systems in Maine, Arizona, New Mexico and Connecticut that offer campaign funding to candidates who opt-in and demonstrate sufficient voter support. A [report](https://uhero.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Public-Campaign-Financing.pdf) on the bill that was prepared last year by political scientist Colin D. Moore of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa found a consensus in scholarship that such programs improve electoral competition and lead to greater diversity among both candidates and donors. The bill would allow participating candidates who gather a certain amount of $5 donations from voters to qualify for grant funding to run their campaigns. For example, state House candidates could qualify for up to $50,000 in funding by obtaining donations from 125 contributors, and candidates for governor could be eligible for grants worth up to $2.5 million by securing 6,250 qualifying contributions. Office seekers who opt in would need to abide by reporting requirements, be barred from further private fundraising, and observe limits on total spending to ensure that the public funding was comprehensive in fueling their run. The grant funding proposed in the bill aims to level the playing field between incumbent politicians and newcomers. Incumbents in the Hawaii House spent an average of $57,883 on each election since 1994, while their challengers spent only $16,500 in dollars adjusted for inflation, according to Moore’s [report](https://uhero.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Public-Campaign-Financing.pdf). On average, 90% of incumbents won their re-election bids over the past decade, according to the report’s analysis of the data from the Hawai‘i Campaign Spending Commission. Hurt says the bill is needed because the current campaign finance laws empower wealthy interests. “In the age of the Citizens United decision, it is important for states to be proactive in how money is allocated in elections,” Hurt told Sludge. “We’re making a commitment to take big money influence out of our elections and truly let them be decided by the people.” The Clean Elections Hawaiʻi Coalition sent a letter to every Hawaii legislator last fall with a legislative reform agenda. Hurt said that the outpouring of public testimony—leaping from 146 letters last year to 269 letters this year in support of the measure, and with overall testimony running above [500 pages](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure%5Findiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2381&year=2024)—helped it advance through the Senate. In his [testimony](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2024/Testimony/SB2381%5FSD1%5FTESTIMONY%5FWAM%5F02-13-24%5F.PDF) this month, Hurt emphasized that a public funding system would allow elected officials to work on behalf of their constituents, “without being beholden to fundraising.” A July 2022 [poll](https://www.filesforprogress.org/memos/pdfs/HI%5F2022%5FLikely%5FVoter%5FMemo.pdf) by Data for Progress found that of more than 1,000 Hawaii voters, 74% expressed support for a candidate who would vote to establish a public campaign financing program. Hawaii Rep. Jeanné Kapela, the first Native Hawaiian to represent her district, told Sludge that public funding for campaigns stands to increase participation in state elections by Native Hawaiians and working-class residents. “Establishing a clean elections program for Hawai’i is essential to advancing the public’s interest. Too often, big money donors are able to buy influence at the legislature through campaign cash, preventing the voices of working families from being heard,” Kapela said. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/C2GKfelSuty/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Representative Jeanné Kapela (@repkapela)](https://www.instagram.com/p/C2GKfelSuty/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) *Above: Instagram post by Rep. Jeanné Kapela after testifying in support of clean elections* “Native Hawaiians and other racial minorities are underrepresented in government, in part because they lack the means to participate in local politics,” Kapela said. “This continues the historic repression of Hawaiian voices within our homeland, while the corporations that have suppressed our communities are able to buy access to power that further entrenches their influence over our land and our livelihoods.” “Native Hawaiians rank low in most statewide social metrics, including income level, educational attainment, and public health,” Kapela said. “If we want to uplift the well-being of the Hawaiian community, we must empower them with the resources they need to assert themselves in the political process.” Hawaii voter turnout recently fell to a record low: in the 2022 election, [under half](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/02/16/hawaii-proposes-publicly-funded-campaigns/72540267007/) of state voters cast ballots in the state’s general election, which included a [race](https://elections.hawaii.gov/wp-content/results/histatewide.pdf) for governor. While Hawaii has had a partial public campaign financing system for state elections in place since 1979, its matching funds have been used by only a small number of candidates in recent cycles, Moore’s [report](https://uhero.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Public-Campaign-Financing.pdf) found, issuing just $71,878 in the 2022 election. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2024/02/LWV_Hawaii_IMG_3339-1.JPG) League of Women Voters of Hawaii The Clean Elections bill would allocate $30 million each general election year. The total amount disbursed to candidates could be lower—the Clean Elections coalition [estimates](https://www.hapahi.org/blog/cleanelectionsleg) that even with robust participation the grants might total less than $10 million a year, or under 0.05% of the state budget. Connecticut’s grant system, for comparison, even with a high rate of candidates participation paid out $13.5 million in the 2020 election, according to Moore’s [report](https://uhero.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Public-Campaign-Financing.pdf). A 2020 [report](https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CT%5FSmallDonorDollar%5FReport%5FWEB.pdf) by Common Cause evaluating the Connecticut program found that donations from special interest donors, defined as organizations representing private groups, to winning state legislative candidates plummeted by 98% after the clean elections program was implemented. Political bribery scandals have played out in Hawaii headlines in recent years. In 2022, two former lawmakers—J. Kalani English, the former majority leader of the state Senate, and Ty Culler, the former vice-chair of the House Finance Committee—[pled guilty](https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/02/two-former-hawaii-lawmakers-plead-guilty-to-accepting-bribes/) to accepting bribes in a scheme to benefit a wastewater company. An anti-corruption commission [formed](https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/12/a-deep-moral-crisis-commission-proposes-bold-reforms-in-government/) by Hawaii House Speaker Scott Saiki released a slew of ethics recommendations, including legislative proposals to reduce the power of money in politics. “A key feature of the Hawai‘i proposal is the ample funding it promises to candidates,” said Moore, an associate professor of political science who recently directed a public policy center at the University of Hawaii. “Past experience shows that the level of financial support is a key determinant of candidate participation. The current Hawai‘i bill offers $33,500 in the primary and $16,500 in the general for a total of $50,000\. That's more than enough money to run a competitive state House race in Hawai‘i, so I suspect that we'd have high rates of participation. “Effective block grant programs have proven to increase electoral competition. This heightened competition results in stronger voter mobilization and better communication efforts,” Moore said. “For instance, there's some evidence that Arizona’s public financing program reduced ballot ‘roll off,’ which is the tendency of voters to leave ballots blank for less-visible legislative and municipal races. I have every reason to suspect we might see similar results here in Hawai‘i. “I'm particularly optimistic that this program would provide candidates with more time to forge more meaningful connections with voters and delve deeply into policy issues,” Moore said. “Past research demonstrates that fully funded candidates spend more time engaging with their constituents and participating in community events. Given Hawai‘i's small legislative districts and community-oriented style of politics, the impact could be particularly strong here.” ### Rashida Tlaib Proposes Defense Stock Ban for Members of Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/26/rashida-tlaib-proposes-defense-stock-ban-for-members-of-congress/ Last updated: 2024-03-08T14:46:31.000Z Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) earlier this month introduced legislation that would ban members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from holding or trading stock in companies that have contracted or otherwise transacted with the Department of Defense. Under current law, members of Congress and their family members can invest in securities, including in the [stocks](https://readsludge.com/tag/stocks/) of companies they oversee, as long as they publicly disclose their holdings annually and report transactions within 45 days. The ability for members of Congress to invest in defense and weapons may pose especially strong conflicts of interest as companies like Lockheed Martin and RTX (Raytheon) rely on government contracts funded by congressional appropriations for a large majority of their revenue. “The American people deserve representatives who vote in the best interest of our country and our families, not their stock portfolios,” said Tlaib in a statement announcing the bill. “It is shameful that some of my colleagues are profiting financially when they vote to support wars and weapons manufacturing.” The bill, titled the [Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7264), was filed on February 6 and has been referred to four House committees. It has one co-sponsor–Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.). Several non-governmental organizations have [endorsed](https://tlaib.house.gov/posts/tlaib-introduces-bill-to-stop-politicians-profiting-from-war) the bill, including Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Public Citizen, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. According to [Capitol Trades](https://www.capitoltrades.com/articles/how-is-the-gaza-conflict-weighing-on-us-congressional-trading-2023-01-22), members of Congress made 96 transactions in defense stocks last year, including eight purchases that were made following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. More defense stock trades have been made since the beginning of the year. Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) have bought Lockheed Martin stock, and Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) has sold RTX stock and bought Boeing stock. Tlaib’s legislation would apply to a far broader swath of stocks than just those of companies that are known for selling weapons and services to the military. [Thousands of companies](https://dodsoco.ogc.osd.mil/Portals/102/Documents/Conflicts/2023%2025K%20covering%20FY2022.pdf?ver=f7CHvUlbGeU%3D) in a wide range of industries contract or have contracted with the Department of Defense, including some of the most commonly held stocks. For example, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, each of which have recently been among the top five [most commonly held stocks](https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-most-popular-stocks-members-investing-2021-12#:~:text=Apple%2C%20the%20top%20stock%20and,Amazon%2C%20owned%20by%2044%20members.) by members of Congress, are currently executing a [$9 billion contract](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/tech/pentagon-cloud-contract-big-tech/index.html) with the Defense Department that was awarded to them in 2022\. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer, another widely owned stock, was awarded a $3.2 billion contract with the Army in 2022 to provide COVID vaccines. General Electric, another popular stock among lawmakers, sells the military services related to 5G technology, as well as aircraft engine hardware through its GE Aerospace division. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Bank Lobby Launches Ad Campaign for Tester URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/22/bank-lobby-launches-ad-campaign-for-tester/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:45:53.000Z Sporting his signature flat-top and Dickies work jacket, Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester likes to remind voters that he’s cut from a different cloth than most other politicians. “I still get a $12 flattop haircut, and I'm still the only working dirt farmer fighting for rural America in the Senate,” Tester wrote recently on X. While it’s certainly true that Tester is unique among his colleagues in many ways—for one, he is the only member of Congress who voluntarily discloses his meetings with lobbyists—there’s one big thing he shares with many other politicians in D.C.: campaign support from Wall Street. Yesterday, the American Bankers Association (ABA), a lobbying group for the biggest banks on Wall Street, [began airing ads](https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2024/02/aba-releases-ads-urging-lawmakers-to-keep-fighting-government-overreach/) on Montana media that praise the senator for opposing banking regulations and urge him to continue doing so. In one of the ads, titled “Basel,” the bank industry group says, “Tester opposed Washington's attempts to make it harder for Montana's banks to support local businesses,” a reference to the senator’s reservations about the Basel III Endgame proposal that would revise capital requirements for large banks. Tester’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the bank group’s ads. The Basel III Endgame [proposal](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20230727a.htm), which was published by the Biden administration last July and is in the process of being finalized, would require banks with more than $100 billion in assets to use a new standardized approach for measuring their risk levels and to include unrealized capital gains and losses in their calculations. Unrealized capital losses were one of the primary catalysts for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which faced a bank run in March 2023 after it announced it had sold nearly $2 billion worth of securities at a loss. Regulators say the proposal is meant to “improve the strength and resilience of the banking system,” while the banking industry argues that it was poorly designed and will limit bank lending throughout the economy. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The other ad, “1071,” praises Tester for opposing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal that would require banks to collect and report more data from small business loan applications. Because the ads do not explicitly advocate for Tester’s re-election and they are not being aired within 30 days of Montana’s primaries, the ABA does not have to disclose how much it is spending to run the ads. The ABA is funded by contributions from banks including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup, as well as from credit card companies American Express and Mastercard. As Sludge [reported in December](https://readsludge.com/2023/12/01/bank-allies-in-congress-join-fight-against-new-capital-rules/), Tester became one of the first Democrats in Congress to express concern about the proposal shortly after meeting with bank lobbyists. On the morning of November 14, Tester met with Goldman Sachs’ Vice President of Government Affairs Jill McCarthy and Managing Director of Government Affairs Amy Hunt, along with several owners of Montana businesses, according to his public calendar. Hours later, at a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs [hearing](https://www.banking.senate.gov/hearings/oversight-of-financial-regulators-protecting-main-street-not-wall-street), Tester said he had “some concerns about the proposed changes, and what its impact will be on workers and households, small businesses, access to credit, and the overall vibrancy of our capital markets.” “These rules don’t affect any banks in Montana, but they do affect the big guys that affect Montana,” said Tester. “From a small business standpoint, if this rule doesn’t work, it’s going to raise hell with the economy of my state.” Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Business Voices, of which McCarthy is a member, is [running a massive campaign](https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/voices/news/october-23-2023-press-release.html) against the Basel proposal that calls on policymakers to “stop the squeeze on small businesses.” The Wall Street investment bank, one of the largest bank holding companies in the United States, has been the biggest corporate backer of Tester’s campaigns, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/jon-tester/contributors?cid=N00027605&cycle=CAREER&type=I). The company’s executives and employees have donated at least $259,205 to Tester and its PAC has donated $30,000\. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Goldman Sachs executives and employees donated $55,500 to Tester’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data. “We appreciate Sen. Tester’s strong opposition to new rules that would raise costs for consumers and make it harder for banks to lend to Montana’s small businesses, farmers and ranchers,” ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols said in announcing the ads. “His work helps ensure that local businesses can continue to create jobs and drive economic growth.” Financial regulation advocacy group Americans for Financial Reform said in a [letter](https://ourfinancialsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Senate-Banking-Hearing%5FOversight-of-Pru-Regulators-Tue-Nov14-2023.pdf) to Tester and other members of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee that arguments that raising capital requirements will decrease lending do not hold up. The group points to data published in a textbook by economists Stephen Cecchetti and Kermit Schoenholtz that show that “between 2013 and 2019, when bank capital levels were going up, the rate of overall credit availability remained robust—and that the portion of credit provided by banks, as opposed to nonbanks not subject to the new rules, actually went up.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Retiring Joe Manchin Is Still Pulling in Corporate PAC Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/14/retiring-joe-manchin-is-still-pulling-in-corporate-pac-donations/ Last updated: 2024-02-16T14:08:08.000Z Joe Manchin hasn’t fully dished on his plans now that he’s not running for re-election to the Senate seat he’s held since 2010\. In January, he [visited](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-manchin-says-hes-not-campaigning-new-hampshire/) New Hampshire to kick off what he called a national “listening tour,” encouraging press speculation about a possible third-party presidential run, perhaps with the “dark money” group [No Labels](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/16/no-labels-says-it-doesnt-take-corporate-money-but-company-disclosures-show-otherwise/). Also, late last year he launched a new centrist, political nonprofit organization with his daughter for which he’s been [raising money](https://theintercept.com/2023/11/20/joe-manchin-senate-nonprofit-heather-bresch/). After Manchin [announced](https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-i-will-not-seek-re-election-i-will-fight-to-unite-the-middle) on November 9 that he would not be running in what looked to be a challenging West Virginia race, the senator has taken two paths with his fundraising committees. His campaign committee refunded millions of dollars in contributions at the end of last year, but his leadership PAC has not issued refunds for contributions it received this cycle, according to a review of Federal Election Commission filings. Many business PACs donated to the senator’s leadership PAC, named Country Roads, after Manchin announced his decision to retire from the Senate—several in the energy industry, with interests in front of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that Manchin chairs through 2024. Manchin’s Senate office and leadership PAC did not respond to Sludge’s inquiries about their decision to refund campaign donations while holding on—as of December 31—to leadership PAC donations. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Major Dem Group Funnels Millions From Charity to 'Dark Money' Arm URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/12/priorities-usa-transfers-millions-from-charity-arm-to-dark-money-group/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:47:27.000Z *This piece was co-produced by* [*Important Context*](https://www.importantcontext.news/) *and Sludge.* A public charity associated with one of the nation’s largest Democratic outside spending operations has been raking in millions of dollars and passing money on to one of the organization's political arms, federal tax records reveal. For years, the Priorities USA Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charity, has been funneling money to an affiliated 501(c)(4) “social welfare” group, Priorities USA. Both nonprofits fall under the same organizational umbrella as Priorities USA Action, one of the largest and most powerful Democratic super PACs in the country. Founded in 2011 by two former aides to Barack Obama, the group is so big, it “has no peer,” [according](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/us/politics/priorities-usa-super-pac-digital-ads.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&mc%5Fcid=d088149dcb&mc%5Feid=UNIQID) to the *New York Times*. In the 2020 presidential race, it spent the third highest amount among all outside spending groups. Since 2018, the Priorities USA Foundation has provided an amount of money roughly equal to 70 percent of what it received in contributions and grants over that period to its social welfare affiliate. The percentage has been trending higher in recent years. In 2022, for example, it moved roughly $10 million—equal to nearly 96 percent of what it raised in contributions and grants for the year—to its 501(c)(4) arm, roughly a third of what the social welfare group raised that year. The contribution was marked in its tax filing for “voter access litigation and digital communications,” two areas the social welfare group has been focused on. According to the Priorities USA social welfare group’s [Internal Revenue Service Form 990](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/474596232/202333199349305158/full) filing for 2022, the group raised $27 million in contributions and grants and the overwhelming majority of its spending—nearly $26 million—went to “mobiliz\[ing\] Americans on the issues that impact their lives through…long-term research, digital, and communications programs.” The group specified that it “conducted research on how best to reach people most impacted by policy decisions, and ran innovative digital ad programs.” The filing reveals that $20 million went specifically to “advertising and promotion.” Another $4 million was spent for ballot access litigation. While Priorities USA says it spent a significant amount of money on voting issues—in September 2022, the group [announced](https://priorities.org/news-and-press/news-and-press/priorities-usa-invests-5-million-in-digital-ads-designed-to-combat-voter-suppression/) $5 million in spending on “combating voter suppression” as part of a $20 million [commitment](https://priorities.org/news-and-press/news-and-press/priorities-usa-announces-20-million-initial-investment-to-address-assaults-on-voting-rights/) it made in 2021—it said it was spending even more on politics. In January 2022, Priorities USA [announced](https://priorities.org/news-and-press/news-and-press/priorities-usa-announces-30-million-digital-investment-in-battleground-states-ahead-of-the-2022-midterm-elections/) a $30 million “investment in digital mobilization and persuasion efforts that will reach voters in battleground states ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.” The group noted that its work would “put Democrats in a strong position to protect and expand majorities in 2022 and build a necessary foundation in presidential battleground states ahead of 2024.” Both Priorities USA’s chairman, Guy Cecil, and executive director, Danielle Butterfield, were quoted in the press release, touting the group’s digital efforts to help Democrats. "I am confident that Priorities USA is in the best position possible to defend and expand Democratic majorities this November, and create a strong foundation for Democratic victories for years to come,” Cecil’s statement read. "While Joe Biden and Democrats fight for working families in Washington and state capitals, Priorities USA can be counted on to continually engage with voters and earn their support to protect and expand Democratic majorities,” read Butterfield’s. “This investment is only the beginning of Priorities’ efforts to reach voters where they are on the issues they care about.” A donation plea at the bottom of the press release read: “Elect more Democrats.” While both charities and social welfare groups are tax exempt, donations to the former are tax deductible. However, the Internal Revenue Code stipulates that such organizations are “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.” With social welfare nonprofits, the opposite is true: Donations are not tax deductible, but the groups are [able to engage](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicl03.pdf) in political campaigns so long as that intervention does not constitute the group’s primary activity, which is an imprecise metric generally meaning less than half of activities. The IRS determines whether an activity constitutes “political campaign activity” by looking at several factors, including whether or not the statement identifies a candidate, expressly approves or disapproves of a position taken by a candidate, is timed close to an election, references voting or an election, is part of broader advocacy not tied to an election, and is timed with a non-electoral event like a vote on legislation. Legal experts told *Important Context* and *Sludge* that a money transfer from a 501(c)(3) to a politically engaged 501(c)(4) raised questions, particularly around the kinds of activities the funds supported. Law professor Roger Colinvaux at the Catholic University, whose expertise includes nonprofits and philanthropy, said that while the transfers are more than likely legal, they likely not “not the intent at all of the overall legal structure.” “Basically, you can think of the \[501\](c)(3)/(c)(4) money flow as totally fine in theory, as long as the money is used for a genuine charitable purpose or program, and the (c)(3) board is charged with just making sure that those charitable assets are used for charitable purposes,” Colinvaux explains. “So, that's how it's supposed to work. Of course, how it actually works is going to be very different, because the IRS is not not very present in enforcing the law in this area.” Priorities USA did not respond to a request for comment. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The practice of passing money from a 501(c)(3) charity to a (c)(4) social welfare group is a common one. The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, an environmental advocacy charity, [gave](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521379661/202333199349306388/IRS990ScheduleI) $16,000,000 to an affiliated (c)(4), League of Conservation Voters Inc., in 2022\. That same year, the social welfare group, which brought in $68.5 million, gave $30 million to a super PAC, the League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund. David Willett, the senior vice president of LCV, noted that his organization takes compliance “very seriously.” “LCV entities fully comply with all relevant rules and no LCV Education Fund grants are used for impermissible electoral purposes,” he explained. “LCV Education Fund’s grant to LCV restricts the use of the funds for non-electoral work, and the grant is monitored to adhere to the restrictions. Separately, LCV as a 501c4 is permitted to engage in electoral activities as long as they are not its primary purpose, and we ensure that any donations to LCV Victory Fund are made from funds that are not restricted for non-electoral use.” The charity-to-social-welfare money flow is common on both sides of the aisle. According to its IRS Form 990, by comparison, the Heritage Foundation, the most powerful conservative think tank in the country, gave $400,000 in 2022 to its sister organization, Heritage Action for America, a 501(c)(4) political advocacy group that fights for right-wing policies by lobbying and mobilizing activists. Heritage has an affiliated super PAC called The Sentinel Action Fund, and Heritage Action for America has been its largest donor, providing it nearly $5 million since 2022, according to FEC data. “We deploy our well-respected government relations team to directly meet with and influence lawmakers,” Heritage Action for America’s website boasts. “Outside Washington, D.C., our regional field staff works directly with leading grassroots activists to build support for conservative policies in a lawmaker’s backyard. Both teams work together to hold members of Congress accountable to their constituents, advance conservative policy, and block big-government policy.” While on its face, Heritage Action is nonpartisan, the group and its affiliate charity generally favor the GOP. Heritage Action’s [first](https://web.archive.org/web/20101231212358/http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37698) major advocacy campaign was an effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ahead of the 2010 midterms. Today, with the 2024 election heating up and Congress seeking a compromise on immigration reform and foreign aid, the group has a toolkit on its website titled, “Biden’s Funding Request Fails America.” Heritage did not respond to a request for comment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The DNC Is Still Contracting With Firms That Fight Against Unions URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/08/the-dnc-is-still-contracting-with-firms-that-fight-against-unions/ Last updated: 2024-04-22T19:02:03.000Z Nearly two years ago, after the influential Democratic consulting firm Global Strategy Group was pressured by labor leaders to drop its work helping Amazon combat a union election at a Staten Island warehouse, the Democratic Party took to the media to float a reform proposal that would defend unions. A DNC spokesperson told [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/19/democratic-party-anti-union-amazon-00026204) that they were reviewing a “union-drafted addendum” that would prohibit Democratic Party consultants—or any of its parents, subsidiaries or affiliates—from engaging in a variety of anti-union activities, including “aiding an employer in a labor dispute or lobbying against union-backed legislation.” Union officials expressed confidence to Politico that the addendum would be enshrined by the DNC. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler commended what she called the DNC’s “decision to amend their contract and RFP processes,” and the proposal was [initially](https://www.salon.com/2022/04/19/democrats-move-to-crackdown-on-consultants-after-union-busting-activity/) [portrayed](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/04/report-democratic-party-to-ban-consultants-from-union-busting/) in the media as a done deal, though it was never officially announced by the DNC. Now, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is not saying if it ever adopted the addendum and a review of Democratic Party consultants over the past year and a half reveals that it is still working with consulting firms that help companies fight unions. In March 2022, after CNBC [reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/31/amazon-hired-pro-democrat-consultant-to-fight-staten-island-union-vote.html) Global Strategy Group’s involvement at the Amazon workplace in producing anti-union materials, attending anti-union “captive audience” meetings, and monitoring the social media of union organizers, outcry among labor leaders was fierce. The firm, GSG for short, which worked for dozens of prominent Democratic groups in the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, soon [apologized](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/biden-pollster-gsg-deeply-sorry-for-amazon-anti-union-work-as-labor-groups-abandon-it.html) and said it would resign the Amazon anti-union work. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Dems Propose Keeping Congress in the Dark on Israel Aid URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/05/aipac-funded-dems-propose-keeping-congress-in-the-dark-on-israel-aid/ Last updated: 2024-03-08T14:44:18.000Z Democratic Senators Patty Murray (Wash.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) yesterday unveiled their $118 billion national security supplemental that includes a Biden administration proposal allowing the White House to waive the requirement that it notifies Congress before sending Israel up to $3.5 billion in foreign military aid, including advanced weapons systems. The proposal could prevent Congress from being made aware of what types of aid and weapons systems the U.S. is providing to Israel, hamstringing its ability to conduct oversight. The oversight waiver was originally proposed by the Biden administration on October 20, 2023, when it sent Congress a request for a national security supplemental including additional funds for Israel. Under the legislation, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken could waive the congressional notification requirement if he “determines that to do so is in the national security interest of the United States.” Schumer and Murray, the sponsors of [the supplemental](https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/emergency%5Fnational%5Fsecurity%5Fsupplemental%5Fbill%5Ftext.pdf), have both received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funding over the years from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)) and other pro-Israel donors. According to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?cycle=All&ind=Q05&recipdetail=S), Schumer has received at least $1.7 million from pro-Israel donors, making him the their highest recipient of pro-Israel money in the Senate, and Murray has received $681,000\. AIPAC donors have given Murray at least $119,000 since 2019, making the pro-Israel group her third-largest contributor over the period, according to OpenSecrets. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coinbase Donates $1.5 Million to Super PACs Tied to Schumer, McConnell, and Jeffries URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/02/coinbase-quietly-gave-1-5-million-to-super-pacs-tied-to-schumer-mcconnell-and-jeffries/ Last updated: 2024-02-05T14:41:16.000Z The crypto exchange company recently gave a combined $1.5 million to super PACs aligned with Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, and Hakeem Jeffries. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase donated $500,000 apiece in December 2023 to three super PACs closely aligned with the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission. The donations were given to [SMP](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202401319619413735), which is aligned with Senate Democrats and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); [HMP](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202401319619609848), which is aligned with House Democrats and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); and the [Senate Leadership Fund](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202401319618813713), which is aligned with Senate Republicans and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Oil and Gas Companies Donate Big to GOP Super PACs URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/02/01/oil-and-gas-companies-donate-big-to-gop-super-pacs/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:46:57.000Z Oil and gas companies were among the largest donors in the second half of last year to the super PACs aligned with the Republican leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, according to a pair of [new](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571703/1752833/sa/ALL) [filings](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00504530/1751564/sa/ALL) with the Federal Election Commission. Companies including Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Devon Energy, as well as oil and gas trade associations, donated a combined $13,895,000 to the congressional Republican-supporting groups during the period beginning July 1, 2023 and ending on December 31, 2023\. The groups that received the donations are the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), which is aligned with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), and the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), which is aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). CLF and SLF are the largest pro-Republican super PACs, spending hundreds of millions each election cycle on ads and voter outreach campaigns to oppose Democratic candidates and support Republicans. Unlike most PACs and campaign groups, CLF and SLF can take donations of unlimited size from corporations because they only make expenditures independently from candidates. The oil and gas donations to SLF and CLF came directly from the companies’ treasuries, rather than from PACs that must be funded by individual donors. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The largest oil and gas industry donor to CLF and SLF over the period was Chevron, which gave each group $1.5 million. Chevron spent nearly $8 million on lobbying the federal government in 2023, pushing policymakers on issues including “Access to oil and natural gas resources on public lands,” “Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Petroleum Product Exports,” and the Paris Agreement. Republicans in Congress are generally far more aligned with the oil and gas industry’s policy preferences than their Democratic counterparts. This is illustrated in the legislation that the Republican House Majority gave the symbolic H.R. 1 designation this session of Congress. That bill would repeal the tax on methane emissions that was enacted in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to waive requirements of the Clean Air Act for energy projects it deems critical, end the existing moratorium on coal leasing on public lands, and more. The bill was passed by the House on [a nearly party line vote](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023182) and [applauded](https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2023/03/30/api-statement-on-house-passage-of-hr-1) in a press release by the American Petroleum Institute (API), the largest fossil fuel industry trade association. API was also among the donors to CLF and SLF, giving each group $1 million. The group, whose budget was $241 million in 2022, according to its tax filing, counts many of the largest oil and gas companies in the works among its members. Companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Shell USA support API with annual multimillion-dollar contributions, which are leveraged by the group to lobby policymakers, run ads aimed at improving the industry’s public perception, and assist companies with things like certifications and information on standards that they need to operate. API’s lobbying spending jumped by 40% in 2023 over the year before, spending nearly $6.2 million weighing in with policymakers on issues like the taxation of methane and oil and gas production. Recently, in addition to calling on Congress to repeal the IRA’s methane fee, the API joined other industry groups in pressuring the Biden administration not to pause applications for new liquid natural gas exports. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Another Manchin Staffer Cashes In URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/23/another-manchin-staffer-cashes-in/ Last updated: 2024-01-24T20:23:45.000Z A former staffer for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) who played a key role in crafting the energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act has cashed in by taking a job working on policy for the energy industry. Peter Stahley, who was a professional staffer to the Manchin-led Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources from February 2021 until earlier this month, is now a senior vice president with D.C. government relations firm Cassidy & Associates. According to Stahley’s Linkedin, he was “Responsible for major provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including: mineral & supply chain initiatives including IRA tax credits, federal oil and gas leasing, offshore wind and CCUS authorities, and permitting improvements.” Stahley also says that he was the leader of efforts to advance bipartisan energy permitting reform legislation. As a professional staffer, congressional records indicate that Stahley earned about $140,000 per year; the average salary of a senior vice president at Cassidy & Associates is $232,000, according to Glassdoor. Stahley has not yet registered with the government as a lobbyist, but Cassidy & Associates’ website says he will work for its clients on carbon capture and storage, critical minerals, federal energy leasing, IRA energy and mineral tax credits, and other energy issues. Stahley's transition was first reported by [LegiStorm](https://mailchi.mp/legistorm/nbglrlq3d2). One of Cassidy & Associates’ clients is Perkins Coie on behalf of Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, a joint venture of three energy companies that is behind a pet project of Sen. Manchin. In September 2022, Manchin [attached](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/22/schumer-manchin-side-deal-pipelines-backlash) a provision approving the natural gas pipeline project to an agreement he struck with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to vote in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Under the deal, as a condition for his vote for the IRA, Congress would take up and pass Manchin’s energy permitting reform bill that included the Mountain Valley Pipeline approval. Though much of Manchin’s permitting reform bill has not been passed, the senator was able to slip language accelerating the approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline into a debt ceiling bill last year. Cassidy & Associates also lobbies for gas pipeline company Equitrans Midstream, one of the companies in the Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC venture. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Big Ag and Big Oil Team Up to Lobby for Clean Energy Credits URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/19/big-ag-and-big-oil-team-up-to-lobby-for-clean-energy-credits/ Last updated: 2024-05-27T16:54:58.000Z A gas industry trade association has hired a batch of revolving-door lobbyists as it works to convince policymakers that biomethane gas produced by factory farms should be eligible for renewable energy tax credits. Environmental groups warn that if energy generated from burning biomethane gas qualifies for government subsidies that are now being developed, it could prop up gas company infrastructure and prolong dependence on polluting fossil fuels. Last month, trade association the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas hired four lobbyists with the bipartisan lobbying firm Cogent Strategies, according to a Senate [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/a5f23082-dcb9-4f9c-8ad6-a53fc76bfec7/print/) released on January 12\. The new hands will lobby on “issues related to sustainable development, deployment and utilization of renewable natural gas.” [Biden EPA Finalizes Rules Excluding Gas Power Plants From Carbon RegulationsNew rules on carbon pollution will cover coal and new gas-fired power plants, while standards for existing gas plants were delayed.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDavid Moore![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/Gas_flare_GettyImages-462843546.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/10/biden-epa-finalizes-rules-excluding-gas-power-plants-from-carbon-regulations/) Also known as the RNG Coalition, the trade group counts hundreds of member companies, encompassing fossil fuel giants like BP, Chevron, and Shell, as well as gas companies like Air Liquide. Other members include Cargill, the largest U.S. agricultural company by revenue, mammoth utility companies NextEra Energy and Southern Company, and pipeline firms Enbridge and Kinder Morgan. The term RNG, also called biomethane, refers to gas from organic matter, composed primarily of methane, that is captured from sources like landfills, sewage treatment plants, and manure pits on farms and processed to higher standards. Industry groups like the RNG Coalition and the American Gas Association promote biomethane as a lower-carbon energy source, one that captures methane emissions and that can be integrated into existing gas systems. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Many climate advocates and energy analysts, however, recommend only a niche role for biomethane in decarbonization, as many of its proposed uses—for electricity generation, hydrogen fuel production, and building heat—can be realized with policies that promote wind and solar power. Burning biomethane releases carbon dioxide and its methane leakage rates could be as high as 15%, according to a new [report from advocacy group Food & Water Watch.](https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2024/01/09/the-big-oil-and-big-ag-ponzi-scheme-factory-farm-biogas/) Researchers at the nonprofit World Resources Institute [see](https://www.fastcompany.com/90970432/renewable-natural-gas-has-become-a-climate-darling-but-theres-a-catch) a limited role for biomethane in decarbonizing industries where electrification poses challenges, like making fuel for heavy trucking, in contrast to the widespread applications [envisioned](https://www.rngcoalition.com/rng-qa) by industry groups. Some offices in the Biden administration have charted a path to 100% carbon pollution-free electricity. In May, the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy released a [report](https://www.energy.gov/policy/articles/path-100-clean-electricity) that laid out “ten key all-of-society actions” that would be needed to achieve a renewably-generated power sector by 2035, including transmission and energy efficiency investments. One of the new lobbyists for the industry group is Cogent managing director Andrew Kauders, who the firm bills as a veteran Hill leadership staffer. Kauders worked in 2006 as executive director of the House Democratic Caucus, a group that develops political and legislative strategies. During the Clinton administration, Kauders worked as the spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture and with the White House Climate Change Task Force. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Private Equity Execs Donate to Defend Senate Dems URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/18/private-equity-execs-donate-to-defend-senate-dems/ Last updated: 2024-01-19T16:54:12.000Z A fundraising committee that was set up last June to support vulnerable Senate Democrats facing 2024 re-election races filed its first donor disclosure with the Federal Election Commission today. Its donors include several finance industry executives and attorneys, according to the filing. The Liftoff Fund, a joint fundraising committee, raises money for the campaigns of Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). Each of these incumbent Democrats are facing re-election contests that are rated “toss-up” or “lean Democrat” by the [Cook Political Report](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings). The fund also raises money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), which supports the incumbents’ campaigns, and the leadership PAC of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is not up for reelection this cycle. Kelly’s leadership PAC is called Liftoff PAC. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Hedge Fund Executive Forms a No Labels Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/11/hedge-fund-executive-forms-a-no-labels-super-pac/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:48:13.000Z A new super PAC has been formed to support the planned third-party presidential ticket of the bipartisan political group No Labels. The group’s treasurer is the president and COO of a hedge fund that recently laid off 150 employees, and its political adviser is a Republican strategist who formerly worked for a firm that provided large companies with union avoidance services. The super PAC, New Leaders 2024, said it had $2 million in commitments to back a bipartisan ticket from No Labels, according to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/us/politics/super-pac-no-labels.html), and that it expects to raise up to $300 million. “New Leaders 2024 is being formed to support the election of a No Labels Unity Ticket, should one be named in the coming weeks,” the group said in a [statement](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4401010-officials-launch-super-pac-to-support-possible-no-labels-ticket/). No Labels’ largest vehicle is a “dark money” nonprofit group that does not disclose its donors. A political organization it formed in 2022 for its presidential plans has been [overwhelmingly funded ](https://readsludge.com/2023/06/26/corporate-executives-fund-no-labels-2024-presidential-ticket/)by corporate executives. In 2023, billionaire investors like hedge fund co-founder Howard Marks and private equity executives from firms like Bain Capital used a No Labels PAC to [funnel contributions](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/28/no-labels-funnels-finance-money-to-congress/) to members of Congress. The super PAC’s incorporation paperwork was filed with the Federal Election Commission by Andrew Fishman, who was [identified](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/us/politics/super-pac-no-labels.html) by the group as a Democrat who has a business background. Fishman is the president and COO of investment company Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, founded in 1988, which incorporates hedge fund strategies in its business. Fishman is serving as New Leaders 2024’s treasurer. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Fishman began working with Schonfeld in 2004, according to his LinkedIn profile. In November, the hedge fund [laid off](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-16/schonfeld-cuts-15-of-staff-after-bolting-from-millennium-talks) 15% of its staff, mostly in non-investment roles like the information technology teams, after talks of a potential partnership were scuttled. The firm Schonfeld is a [member](https://www.mfaalts.org/about-mfa/membership/member-directory/) of the top trade association for hedge funds, the Managed Funds Association (MFA), which in 2022 [lobbied](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/private-equity-hedge-funds-object-us-carried-interest-tax-hike-proposal-2022-07-28/) against efforts by Democrats in Congress to narrow the “carried interest” tax rules used by many investment managers to reduce their tax rates. The trade group’s CEO Bryan Corbett warned that changing the tax treatment “would punish entrepreneurs in investment partnerships,” and the legislative proposal was [dropped](https://perfectunion.us/before-her-party-switch-sinema-was-flooded-with-donations-from-wall-street-private-equity/) by Senate Democrats after demands by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was then a Democrat and re-registered as an Independent. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Think Tanks Take Exxon Money Following Sting Video URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/10/think-tanks-did-not-cut-ties-with-exxon-over-sting-video/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:48:41.000Z In April 2021, an ExxonMobil lobbyist was covertly filmed by Greenpeace UK activists as he said that the company had aggressively fought against some climate science and had joined “shadow groups” to work against climate policy efforts. In response to the sting video, the bipartisan Climate Leadership Council suspended Exxon, one of its corporate founding members, from its coalition. However, several other groups that work on climate policy continued taking the oil major’s money, according to a document posted online last month. ExxonMobil’s [“Worldwide Giving Report” for 2022](https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/-/media/global/files/worldwide-giving/2022-worldwide-giving-report.pdf) reveals that the company remained in the good graces of several of the most influential think tanks in Washington D.C., including the Brookings Institution, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Brookings Institution, which says on its website that “addressing climate change is one of the most pressing challenges we face today,” received $100,000 from ExxonMobil in 2022 for its Corporate Council and Foreign Policy Program, according to the document. Brookings has long called for the United States government to [adopt a carbon price](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-the-us-should-establish-a-carbon-price-either-through-reconciliation-or-other-legislation/) to discourage emissions of the greenhouse gas, something that the Exxon lobbyist, Keith McCoy, said the company claims to support in public as a public relations tactic. “Nobody is going to propose a tax on all Americans, and the cynical side of me says we kind of know that, but it gives us a talking point,” McCoy was recorded saying. After Greenpeace released the video of McCoy’s comments, Brookings Vice President of Government Studies Darrell West wrote a blog post criticizing the activists’ tactics. “Using secret video recordings to embarrass opponents is undermining the health of our already ailing American democracy,” West wrote. Brookings unpublished West’s post in July 2021\. While the Brookings Institution does not lobby the federal government directly, it wields immense influence in Washington D.C. through its hundreds of policy research reports produced each year, as well as by having its scholars regularly testify before Congress and publish op-eds in widely-read outlets such as the New York Times and The Atlantic. Often portrayed by media outlets as a liberal-leaning group, Brookings has a long roster of corporate donors and a board of directors that is co-chaired by the chair of the board of Intuit and a private equity firm co-founder. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC Made Record Donations to Congress in November, New FEC Filing Shows URL: https://readsludge.com/2024/01/02/aipac-makes-record-donations-to-congress/ Last updated: 2024-06-26T16:55:49.000Z The American Israel Public Affairs Committee delivered more than $3.7 million in November to the campaigns of U.S. lawmakers, the most it has ever doled out in a single month, according to a new [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00797670/1740150/) with the Federal Election Commission. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee ([AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/tag/aipac/)) has been working to convince members of the U.S. Congress to send more aid to Israel for its war against Hamas and to support primary challengers against representatives and senators who it sees as not sufficiently supportive of Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack. The largest recipient of AIPAC’s campaign support in November, which came by way of its PAC, was New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, who was profiled by the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/nyregion/aoc-torres-israel-gaza.html) in November as an example of a young Democratic politician who has sided firmly with Israel, as opposed to those in the so-called “squad” of progressives who have spoken critically of the country’s military actions. AIPAC sent Torres more than $201,000 in donations from its PAC in November, according to the filing. [Here Are the Top Recipients of AIPAC MoneyThe most complete, up-to-date view of AIPAC PAC donations to congressional candidates.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/aipaccongresssky.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/02/here-are-the-top-recipients-of-aipac-money/) Torres was [one of 22 Democrats who voted with Republicans](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/10/aipac-funded-dems-join-gop-to-censure-tlaib-over-israel-comments/) to endorse a resolution censuring squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for "promoting false narratives" about the October 7 Hamas attack and "calling for the destruction of the state of Israel." About a third of Torres’ November haul from AIPAC was received by his campaign the day after he voted for the resolution. AIPAC’s donations were made through its political action committee, which functions as a conduit for the group’s backers. Individual donors use AIPAC’s PAC to earmark portions of their funds to particular campaigns. This arrangement allows AIPAC to make PAC donations to campaigns that are far larger than the $5,000 per election limit that most PACs must abide by under federal guidelines. Several other Democrats who voted to censure Tlaib were among the top recipients of AIPAC funds in November, including Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz ($141,058), New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer ($61,176), and Florida Rep. Lois Frankel ($33,050). The second-largest recipient in November of AIPAC donations was House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), an ally to Israel. Jeffries has [rejected the idea of conditioning](https://www.jta.org/2023/08/07/israel/in-israel-with-fellow-democrats-rep-hakeem-jeffries-says-judicial-legislation-wont-affect-us-aid) how Israel can use the $4 billion in aid it receives annually from the U.S., even as the country moved to reform its judiciary system in ways that critics label undemocratic. Jeffries has repeatedly emphasized his support for Israel throughout its military response in Gaza, [saying](https://jeffries.house.gov/2023/11/15/leader-jeffries-we-are-here-to-unequivocally-declare-never-again/) at a November rally, “Congress will continue to support, in a bipartisan way, the state of Israel and Israel’s unequivocal right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, always and forever.” AIPAC sent Jeffries just more than $200,000 in November. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Finance Industry-Funded Andy Barr Expands His War on the CFPB With a New Bill URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/12/15/finance-industry-funded-andy-barr-expands-his-war-on-the-cfpb-with-a-new-bill/ Last updated: 2023-12-17T14:26:57.000Z In April, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau put out a policy statement defining “abusive conduct” in consumer financial markets, an action that was met with strong pushback from finance industry groups. In comments sent to the agency over the summer, groups representing banks, debt collection companies, consumer lenders and others said that the policy statement does not provide clear regulatory guidance and that they are concerned the agency may be planning to use a “regulation by enforcement” approach to address financial abuse. Now, one of the finance industry’s top beneficiaries in Congress is launching an effort to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) authority to police abusive conduct. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Chairman Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) introduced a bill on Thursday called the “[Rectifying Undefined Descriptions of Abusive Act and Practices Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6789?s=1&r=1)” that would limit the types of actions the CFPB could target for being abusive, as well as require the agency to issue a new rule on abusive acts that abides by its restrictions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Los Angeles Considers ‘Democracy Vouchers’ to Expand Engagement in City Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/12/08/los-angeles-considers-democracy-vouchers-to-expand-engagement-in-city-elections/ Last updated: 2023-12-09T03:03:45.000Z In June, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a motion to study the feasibility of implementing a type of public campaign financing called “democracy vouchers” that could boost engagement in local elections. The city’s chief legislative analyst and the Ethics Commission were tasked with issuing recommendations for a program that would give every Los Angeles resident a set of vouchers that could be donated to participating candidates for city office, who could then redeem them for campaign funding. According to the motion’s lead presenter, Councilmember Nithya Raman, the report will be released in January. The [motion](https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2023/23-0359%5Fmisc%5F3-24-23.pdf) instructed the officials to issue recommendations for a voucher system that could increase the share of donations coming from L.A. city residents and make campaign finance more equitable by boosting campaign donations from ZIP codes with a high percentage of people of color, among other things. It requested a range of options for requirements for participating candidates and the appropriate budget size and funding options. Raman’s motion highlighted a study from Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers that found that the city’s political donors are starkly unrepresentative of the city’s diverse racial and socioeconomic makeup. According to the [study](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/elevating-more-voices/), just under half of contributions in the 2020 City Council races came from people who live in Los Angeles—more money came from people outside the city and special interests. More than a third of campaign contributions in 2020, a plurality of 36%, came from donors outside of L.A. City. The motion called for the report to include an examination of how a democracy voucher program could operate alongside the city’s existing public financing system, a small-donor matching system that has been in place for decades. Under the current L.A. [program](https://ethics.lacity.org/publications/matching-funds-faq/), candidates who qualify and agree to spending limits can have donations matched at a 6-1 ratio—last year, up to $114 for City Council and $214 for citywide candidates. Groups supporting the democracy voucher study, and the Council motion that kicked it off, point out that while the matching system has served as a step toward empowering grassroots candidates, not everyone can afford $100 or $200 to donate to a political hopeful. Data on who donates in Los Angeles elections shows the disparities. In a March [report](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/new-report-on-democracy-vouchers-empowering-los-angeles/), Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers analyzed how itemized donations, those above $100, to City Council candidates in 2020 came heavily from wealthier neighborhoods with more white residents, even though Los Angeles City is 70% people of color: “All told, majority white ZIP codes gave 2.6 times as much per person as majority people of color ZIP codes.” > *"If we have democracy vouchers, people will have a stake in the system and an incentive to say, 'I have $100—who is the candidate who is going to come speak with me, hear my concerns, and include me in the process.'" — Aura Vasquez, advisor, Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers* In an online [briefing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Hj27vLRH0) hosted by Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers earlier this month, Councilmember Raman said that while L.A.’s existing matching system has made a difference for candidates in being able to run competitively, the municipal voters determining local elections were still less representative than the city as a whole. “Vouchers make it into a shared space of who votes and who donates,” Raman said. Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers is a group of community organizers and researchers working since 2021 in advocacy for a voucher system that would give every resident the ability to donate to city candidates. The briefing earlier this month was co-hosted by groups including the California Clean Money Campaign, League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, and the environmentalist Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance. Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers put together more research in a September [report](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/new-report-on-democracy-vouchers-exploring-reform/), titled Exploring Reform, that presented options for a voucher program’s rules and implementation, building in part on the experience of Seattle, where a democracy voucher system has [grown](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) in use over several cycles. In Seattle, four vouchers worth $25 apiece are issued to every resident, which can be given to candidates in paper form, assigned digitally through an online portal, or signed-over to a campaign, with an independent city commission [checking](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/about-the-program) the validity of voters’ signatures, administering the program, and posting the voucher program’s data openly online. In November 2022, voters in Oakland [decided](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) with 74% in favor to create a version in their city, dubbed “democracy dollars,” modeled closely off the Seattle system and designed to curb the power of wealthy donors. After municipal [budget cuts](https://readsludge.com/2023/05/25/oakland-community-groups-call-to-fund-democracy-dollars-program/) in Oakland prompted by declines in tax revenue, the democracy dollars program will prepare and [launch](https://oaklandside.org/2023/07/26/oakland-democracy-dollars-delayed-until-2026-election-campaign-finance/) in the 2026 cycle. Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers also noted in its briefing that the city’s matching program only provides a portion of what city candidates need to compete, leaving candidates to still spend time fundraising when they could be reaching out to voters. To address this gap, the group’s report also modeled a new option, one that the Council motion directed the officials to study: the possibility of creating a hybrid public financing program, where raising a certain amount of funds through democracy vouchers opens up grants of campaign funding. Such a program would enable qualifying candidates to run with full public financing, an option that is provided to [state candidates](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/new-report-on-democracy-vouchers-exploring-reform/) in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/12/LA_for_Democracy_Vouchers_easel.jpg) Mike Draskovic and Tom Latkowski of Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers present a visualization of donors in L.A. elections at a February 2022 event Mike Draskovic of Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers, who co-authored the group’s latest report with researcher Tom Latkowski, told Sludge that the source of campaign money in city elections matters in who can run for office. “Democracy vouchers, as we’ve seen in Seattle, empower all residents to participate in the program, and that’s especially important in L.A., where working-class and communities of color have been largely excluded from the campaign finance system,” Draskovic said. “Democracy vouchers change the system by making it so no one needs disposable income to contribute to a campaign. It also allows more people to run for office, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, and as we’ve seen in Seattle, this has led to higher voter participation and civic engagement rates. These are all things L.A. would benefit from through a democracy voucher program.” A [report](https://mccourt.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Broadening-Donor-Participation-in-Local-Elections%5FReport%5F2022.pdf) released last year by researchers Dr. Jen Heerwig of Stony Brook University and Brian J. McCabe of Georgetown University found that the Seattle voucher program increased the representativeness of the city’s donor pool in terms of age, race, and income. In the 2021 cycle, participation especially increased among people of color, younger, and lower-income residents. In this year’s Seattle City Council elections, voucher participation [held steady](https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/11/seattle-city-council-candidates-got-24m-democracy-vouchers) with the comparable 2019 cycle. Seattle’s voucher participation rate [doubled](https://readsludge.com/2020/12/22/seattles-democracy-vouchers-doubled-users-in-second-election/) from 2017 to 2019, city data showed, with 7% of city residents giving a voucher to a candidate, a small-donor rate far higher than any other U.S. city. Latkowski, who [authored a book](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/27/how-democracy-vouchers-increase-political-engagement/) in 2021 about the effects of Seattle’s democracy vouchers, said, “We’ve seen democracy vouchers work in Seattle, and we’ve modeled out how they can work in L.A. We’ve found several benefits: rising participation rates; a smaller share of money coming from special interests and outside L.A.; and we’ve found that democracy vouchers would reduce the racial donation gap. “With democracy vouchers, you no longer need a wealthy network of donors backing you,” Latkowski said, “you need a network of regular people supporting you, is all it takes with democracy vouchers to fund a competitive campaign.” In the briefing, Draskovic addressed the next steps for the voucher proposal, after the city's report is reviewed. He said that, as a potential change to the City Charter, a voucher program would require approval by voters as a charter amendment. There are several options for how an amendment can be placed in front of voters: a referral by a majority vote of the City Council, a ballot initiative via a petition signed by 15% of the city’s registered voters, or a charter reform commission, a body whose members could be elected by the public or appointed by council members. The Los Angeles 2022 elections, which included a high-profile race for mayor, saw $158.7 million in total contributions, according to the report [Empowering Los Angeles](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/new-report-on-democracy-vouchers-empowering-los-angeles/), written with community organizer José Del Río. This figure included $129.7 million in the mayoral race, driven by a billionaire self-funding candidate. The average donation from someone living in a majority-white ZIP code, Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers found, was nearly six times that of a donation from a person in a ZIP code where residents are predominantly people of color. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/12/LA_for_Democracy_Vouchers_members_park.jpg) Members of Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers The voucher group’s recent [report](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/new-report-on-democracy-vouchers-exploring-reform/) estimated the cost of a menu of options, based on Los Angeles candidates opting-in to matching funds from 2015-2023 and participation rates from Seattle’s system. They estimate that the democracy voucher system citywide could run from $10 million - $14 million a year, and a system of full public financing consisting of democracy vouchers and grants could cost between $14 million - $20 million a year. In a complementary model, the California Clean Money Campaign’s Executive Director Trent Lange projected the cost under different assumptions and found that citywide vouchers could run from $10 million - $12 million a year, and full public financing from $12 million - $15 million a year. In its community updates, Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers has underscored that these amounts would be under 0.1% of L.A.’s overall [expense budget](https://openbudget.lacity.org/#!/year/default), and would cover races for mayor, city attorney, controller, and city council. In 2024, the city has budgeted [$4 million](https://openbudget.lacity.org/#!/year/2024/operating/0/program%5Fname/Matching+Campaign+Funds+Trust+Fund/0/department%5Fname/Other+Special+Purpose+Funds/0/source%5Ffund%5Fname?vis=barChart) for the matching program, according to data from the Ethics Commission. Aura Vasquez, an advisor to Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers and a candidate for City Council in District 10, told Sludge that her experience with fundraising in her previous campaign sparked her support for a voucher system. “I ran in 2020, and raising those dollars was really difficult, especially when you have incumbents who are establishment candidates that have a big donor infrastructure to support them,” said Vasquez. “For people like me, an Afro-Latina from Colombia, an immigrant, I didn’t have a network that could help me raise campaign funds. So democracy vouchers become a really interesting way to level the playing field, a policy that will help women and people of color compete in the political process that is oftentimes dictated by money.” Vasquez is raising small-dollar donations, including through social media posts, to unlock the matching funds, but sees a transformative potential in a voucher system. “As a resident and a voter, in a time when we see the influence of money in politics, vouchers offer communities the potential to get on the top of the list in speaking with elected officials, so that we can have an electoral process where local people are included,” she said. "We’re not waiting for big donors and big money to come from elsewhere and influence our political process.” In her 2020 bid for city council, Vasquez was one of several candidates in the race who [rejected](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-25/fossil-fuel-money-los-angeles-council-races) donations from fossil fuel interests and executives, a pledge that the eventual winner, former county supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, declined to join. This week, the Council [approved](https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/politics/2023/12/06/la-city-hall-racist-scandal-redistricting) a 2024 ballot measure that would establish an independent redistricting committee, after a recording leaked anonymously on Reddit in September 2022 revealed council members discussing ways to favorably gerrymander their districts. In a letter last month, Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers and others including the social justice group West Valley People’s Alliance [called on](https://mynewsla.com/government/2023/11/30/la-city-council-committee-holds-postpones-proposals-for-council-expansion-2/) the City Council to empower the Ethics Commission and pursue greater government reforms before the next redistricting process. ### Bank Allies in Congress Join Fight Against New Capital Rules URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/12/01/bank-allies-in-congress-join-fight-against-new-capital-rules/ Last updated: 2024-02-16T17:58:54.000Z Dozens of members of Congress, many of whom have received substantial campaign support from bank PACs and executives, are pushing back against a major regulatory proposal that would require big banks to hold more capital in order to improve their stability. A new analysis from a bank holding company suggests that the industry may be on the verge of getting regulators to weaken the proposal. In July, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation unveiled their Basel III Endgame proposal, the final stage of a series of regulatory enhancements that have been advanced by the U.S. government to implement international regulatory standards that were developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision following the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Among other things, the Basel III Endgame proposal would change how banks with more than $100 billion in assets would have to assess risks for purposes of determining the amount of capital they must hold. For example, banks would no longer be able to use their own internal modeling to judge their credit risks or operational risks, and would instead be required to abide by universal standards. The regulators that crafted the proposal estimate that it would result in a 16% increase in common equity tier 1 capital requirements for large banks. Bloomberg Intelligence [estimates](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-26/banks-118-billion-buffer-likely-wiped-out-by-new-capital-rules) that the proposal could cause banks to limit their stock buybacks and dividends until 2025 at the earliest as they build up capital to meet the requirements. In early September, industry lobbying group the Bank Policy Institute published a Basel Endgame [one-pager](https://bpi.com/basel-endgame-background-and-key-issues/) concluding that “Congress must urge the Federal Reserve and other banking regulators to withdraw this problematic proposal.” On September 12, the Bank Policy Institute and other industry groups including the American Bankers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a [letter](https://www.federalreserve.gov/SECRS/2023/October/20231003/R-1813/R-1813%5F091223%5F154704%5F493500277597%5F1.pdf) to the heads of the regulatory agencies behind the proposal requesting that the rule be re-proposed because, they said, it “repeatedly relies on data and analyses that the agencies have not made available to the public.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Labels Says it Doesn’t Take Corporate Money, but Company Disclosures Show Otherwise URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/16/no-labels-says-it-doesnt-take-corporate-money-but-company-disclosures-show-otherwise/ Last updated: 2024-02-14T16:32:39.000Z The political group No Labels says it does not take corporate money, but disclosures from several companies indicate it has received corporate donations, including some received as recently as last year. The full scope of corporate money that has been given to No Labels is unknown, since the 501(c)4 nonprofit advocacy group does not release information about its donors and is not required by law to do so. But glimpses of corporate donors to No Labels can be seen in companies’ voluntary political disclosures. Based on available disclosures, No Labels has received at least hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate donors, and at least hundreds of thousands of dollars from business lobbying groups. Some corporate donations to No Labels were made in 2021 and 2022 as the group was preparing its presidential ticket for 2024. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Hundreds of Large Companies Undermine Their Own Climate Pledges Through Lobbying: Report URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/16/hundreds-of-companies-are-undermining-their-climate-pledges-with-lobbying-report/ Last updated: 2023-11-16T13:38:53.000Z Car manufacturer Stellantis last year came out with a bold commitment on climate change. “Stellantis will be the industry champion in climate change mitigation, becoming carbon net zero by 2038, with a 50% reduction by 2030,” said CEO Carlos Tavares in March 2022 while announcing the company’s “Dare Forward 2030” initiative. The 2038 target put Stellantis’ net zero timeline far ahead of that of most other large companies. While the company is promoting its climate commitments and accelerating its plans for selling electric vehicles, behind the scenes it is working to weaken industry-wide vehicle emissions regulations. In June of this year, Stellantis submitted [comments](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0985-1520) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opposing its proposed tightening of greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles. “The proposed HD GHG targets are incredibly challenging and will require electrification at an unprecedented level in a market segment that demands payload and towing capability,” the company wrote. A month later, Stellantis submitted another [comment](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0829-0678) urging the EPA to weaken its proposed greenhouse gas standards for light-duty vehicles, saying they “exceed what is feasible.” Because of its regulatory lobbying and other actions, Stellantis has been labeled as at significant risk of “net zero greenwashing,” according to a [new report](https://influencemap.org/briefing/The-State-of-Net-Zero-Greenwash-24402) by environmentalist organization InfluenceMap that analyzes the climate commitments and policy engagements of 293 Forbes 2,000 companies. Influence Map found that 21.5% of the companies it looked at were at significant risk of greenwashing, while 36.5% were at moderate risk. InfluenceMap says that it chose the 293 companies to include in its analysis based on the availability of data on their climate targets and net zero communications. The assessments were based on actions taken by the companies as well as by their trade associations. "Governments are failing to progress climate policy at the speed needed, and corporate influence is a key reason why,” said Will Aitchison, the lead author of the study and a director at InfluenceMap. “Unless companies match their climate commitments with ambitious support for government-led policy action, the Paris Agreement goals will be impossible to reach." To conduct the study, InfluenceMap relied on recommendations from a 2022 [report](https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/high-levelexpertgroupupdate7.pdf) by the United Nations High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities regarding actions that businesses should take to credibly implement their climate pledges. One recommendation states that “Non-state actors cannot lobby to undermine ambitious government climate policies either directly or through trade associations or other bodies.” In addition to judging companies on their adherence to climate pledges, InfluenceMap also examined whether the number of webpages that a company has that contain “net zero terms” has any correlation with their policy engagement on climate matters. It found “a very weak positive correlation, indicating that companies that engage positively with climate policy use net zero terms only marginally more than those that do not.” Of the dozens of companies InfluenceMap says have “high intensity net zero communications,” it determined that only three have aligned their policy engagement to implement the Paris agreement: Apple, Italian power company Enel, and Spanish power company Iberdrola. Several energy companies were found to have policy engagements that were heavily misaligned with the Paris agreement while also having high intensity net zero communications, including Schlumberger, Duke Energy, ExxonMobil, Repsol, and Sempra. Other than energy companies, the companies analyzed by InfluenceMap and determined to have policy engagements most out of line with Paris Agreement targets while also having high intensity net zero communications were Delta Airlines, FedEx, Lowes Corporation, Ryanair, and more. Below are the companies InfluenceMap found are at "significant risk of net zero greenwashing" (i.e., companies that have net zero or similar targets and received D, E, or F on InfluenceMap’s LobbyMap scorecard): _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Intuit Overhauls Lobbying Roster Following IRS Direct File Announcement URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/14/intuit-overhauls-lobbying-roster-following-irs-direct-file-announcement/ Last updated: 2024-04-12T13:49:13.000Z Following the Internal Revenue Service’s announcement that it will create a free, electronic tax-filing system for individual taxpayers, tax prep giant Intuit has shuffled its roster of lobbyists. Since Sept. 1, Intuit, the owner of TurboTax, has hired 21 new lobbyists from five D.C. firms. Almost all of its new lobbyists—20 of the 21—went through the so-called “revolving door” from positions in government, according to their Senate registration forms. The hirings came after the firm terminated its lobbying contracts with six D.C. firms in August and September, according to Senate disclosures. In May, the Internal Revenue Service announced that it would create a Direct File pilot program, something that Intuit and the for-profit tax prep industry had been vehemently opposed to in their lobbying. The announcement came after the IRS conducted a feasibility study with liberal think tank New America and Loyola Law School Associate Professor of Law Ariel Jurow-Kleiman in which it was found that 72% of Americans would be interested in using the program. The feasibility study had been mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed into law in August 2022\. In October, the IRS [announced](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-advances-innovative-direct-file-project-for-2024-tax-season-free-irs-run-pilot-option-projected-to-be-available-for-eligible-taxpayers-in-13-states) that the pilot program may be available for individuals in 13 states to file their federal returns for free, electronically for the 2024 tax year, and that four states had decided to work with the IRS on their state taxes into the program. Intuit, which holds a large majority of the tax prep [market share](https://secondmeasure.com/datapoints/tax-prep-2021-turbotax-hrblock-blucora/) through TurboTax, has been engaged in a [decades-long](https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free), all-out lobbying campaign against the development of a Direct File option. Along with industry players like H&R Block, Inuit has been at the forefront of more than $90 million in industry lobbying since 2003, according to an OpenSecrets [analysis](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/11/irs-free-tax-filing-rollout-faces-hurdles-after-multimillion-dollar-lobbying-campaign/). ProPublica journalists [estimated](https://www.propublica.org/article/turbotax-and-others-charged-at-least-14-million-americans-for-tax-prep-that-should-have-been-free-audit-finds) in 2020 that tax software companies bring in about $1 billion in extra revenue per year from taxpayers who qualify to file their taxes free of charge—part of Intuit’s [$14.4 billion](https://investors.intuit.com/news/news-details/2023/Intuit-Reports-Strong-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-Results-Sets-Fiscal-2024-Guidance/default.aspx) in revenue in its 2023 fiscal year. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Intuit is on track to spend more on federal lobbying this year than ever before, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2023&id=D000026667), with more than $2.8 million spent through the third quarter. Intuit’s new registered lobbyists began being disclosed publicly on a noteworthy date: October 17, the same day the IRS announced the states where the Direct File pilot would be on offer. Several of Intuit’s new lobbyists have worked for Republicans in Congress who are now trying to strip the IRS of billions in funding that was provided to it by the IRA and prohibit it from going forward with the Direct File pilot program. One new Intuit lobbyist is Jeff Wieand, public policy advisor at law firm WilmerHale, who worked for more than [five years](https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/people/jeff-wieand) as counsel to Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, now the House Majority Leader. Wieand’s biography at the firm mentions his service in counting Republican votes when Scalise was party whip. Wieand is newly-traveled through the revolving door: he worked for Scalise through 2022, according to his [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/e7e6a9cf-a787-46df-83fd-9c8a35ffe6a7/print/). Scalise recently [defended](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/top-house-republicans-defend-irs-cuts-gop-led-israel-aid-bill-rcna123723) a GOP bill passed early this month that would rescind IRS funding. Also with WilmerHale, Ron Lehman, a senior public policy advisor who joined Intuit’s lobbying corps, was a former chief of staff to Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). The firm’s registration says it will weigh in for Intuit on “tax administration” issues. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Dems Join GOP to Censure Tlaib Over Israel Comments URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/10/aipac-funded-dems-join-gop-to-censure-tlaib-over-israel-comments/ Last updated: 2024-01-04T20:19:57.000Z *This report was produced in partnership with [Important Context](https://www.importantcontext.news).* On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to censure one of its own, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), over comments she’d made about the Israeli war in Gaza. The Republican-led effort had the support of a number of Democrats, almost all of whom received funds from the nation’s top pro-Israel lobbying group last election cycle. Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of Congress, is an [advocate for an immediate ceasefire](https://bush.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-bush-tlaib-carson-lee-ramirez-lead-colleagues-in-call-for-immediate-ceasefire) to end the violence, which has already claimed the lives of [39 journalists](https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-08/card/journalists-in-gaza-become-part-of-the-story-they-feel-compelled-to-tell-FgsMx2tkJnqWR3cLbEzK) and more than 10,000 Palestinians, including at least 4,300 children, according to Palestinian health authorities. This position is supported by a [majority of Americans](https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2023/10/19/voters-agree-the-us-should-call-for-a-ceasefire-and-de-escalation-of-violence-in-gaza) and a number of prominent organizations and individuals including [Doctors Without Borders](https://www.barrons.com/news/ngos-say-they-need-gaza-ceasefire-to-provide-care-02d9988f), the [World Health Organization](https://www.emro.who.int/media/news/as-gazas-health-system-disintegrates-who-calls-for-safe-passage-of-fuel-supplies-for-health-facilities.html), and [Pope Francis](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-11/pope-francis-angelus-appeal-gaza-ukraine-israel-palestine.html). Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has [warned](https://turkiye.un.org/en/251952-guterres-%E2%80%9Cgaza-becoming-graveyard-children%E2%80%9D) that Gaza is becoming a “graveyard for children.” The [resolution](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/845/text), introduced by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA), accuses Tlaib of "promoting false narratives" about the October 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas and "calling for the destruction of the state of Israel." The measure took specific aim at Tlaib for a remark in her response to the attack, that Israel’s “apartheid system \[...\] creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.” Multiple human rights groups have called Israel an apartheid state over its treatment of Palestinians, which includes restrictions on their movement and settlement expansion. Other statements highlighted in the resolution include Tlaib’s [blaming of Israel](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tlaib-refuses-apologize-blaming-israel-gaza-hospital-blast/story?id=104085727) for a hospital bombing in Gaza last month, which the Pentagon later attributed to a [misfired rocket](https://www.axios.com/2023/10/18/biden-gaza-hospital-israel-other-team) from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as her [defense](https://www.axios.com/2023/11/06/rashida-tlaib-river-sea-democrats) of the chant "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Pro-Palestinian advocates, including Tlaib, [say the slogan](https://www.npr.org/2023/11/09/1211671117/how-interpretations-of-the-phrase-from-the-river-to-the-sea-made-it-so-divisive), which has been in use by Palestinians since the 1960s and was later adopted on by militant groups like Hamas, is a demand for liberation and equality. But many supporters of Israel, including the Anti-Defamation League, say the slogan is a call for the forced removal of Jews from Israel and a denial of the Jewish state’s right to exist. The final vote count was [234 to 188](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023622) in favor of censure, with 22 Democrats joining the Republicans in support. According to available [data from OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-israel-public-affairs-cmte/recipients?candscycle=2022&id=D000046963&toprecipscycle=2022&t8-search=Cohen), a D.C.-based nonprofit that tracks political spending, all but four of those Democrats accepted money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most prominent pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S., during the 2022 election cycle. AIPAC is listed by OpenSecrets as among the top 20 contributors in the 2022 cycle for 13 of the 22 Democrats. It was the largest donor for six of the 22—Reps. Frankel, Gottheimer, Manning, Moskowitz, Torres, and Wasserman Schultz. For Manning, Pro-Israel America PAC, a pro-Israel group [founded](https://jweekly.com/2019/03/19/former-aipac-officials-launch-political-action-committee-to-direct-funds-to-pro-israel-candidates/) by former top AIPAC staffers, was the third top donor. Additionally, AIPAC was among the top three contributors for Reps. Golden, Pappas, and Wilson, among the top five donors for Ryan and Schneider, and among the top 20 donors for Nickel. All but eight of the 22 Democratic representatives [received contributions](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/democratic-majority-for-israel/recipients?id=D000072202) from the PAC of Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), a pro-Israel dark money group [linked to AIPAC](https://readsludge.com/2023/11/02/aipac-dark-money-group-attack-ad-rashida-tlaib/) that has been running attack ads against Tlaib. Gottheimer, Moskowitz, and Torres [also got funds](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/us-israel-pac/C00127811/candidate-recipients/2022) from the US Israel PAC, a nonpartisan political action committee founded in 1980 to support pro-Israel lawmakers. The pro-Israel lobby has long targeted leftist Democrats. Tlaib and her colleague, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the first and only Muslim members of the House, have been two of its favorite targets. In the summer of 2021, Omar accused AIPAC of[ endangering her life](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/12/aipac-accused-putting-rep-omars-life-risk-new-islamophobic-ads) after the group ran a series of incendiary ads against her. Pro-Israel groups are already spending on attack ads targeting lawmakers who are seen as insufficiently supportive of Israel. United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel super PAC, is [targeting](https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/united-democracy-project-super-pac-targets-lee-bowman-massie-over-anti-israel-votes/) Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), as well as Republican Thomas Massie (R-KY), over their stances on Israel. All three lawmakers refused to vote for a House resolution standing with Israel and condemning Hamas. Lee and Bowman have called for a ceasefire, along with Tlaib. While AIPAC has seemingly had it in for progressives, it has been willing to embrace far right politicians. For example, it [endorsed](https://www.timesofisrael.com/aipac-defends-endorsement-of-republicans-who-questioned-2020-election/) 37 Republicans who voted on January 6, 2021 to sustain objections to the 2020 presidential election results . In a recent post on X [calling out](https://www.timesofisrael.com/ocasio-cortez-calls-aipac-racist-and-bigoted-after-it-criticizes-her-gaza-stance/) the group after it criticized her stance on Israel, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accused AIPAC of being “racist and bigoted,” declaring “they are an extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy.” “AIPAC endorsed scores of Jan 6th insurrectionists,” she wrote. “They are no friend to American democracy. They are one of the more racist and bigoted PACs in Congress as well, who disproportionately target members of color. ### Awash in AIPAC Money, House Foreign Affairs Committee Oversees Support for Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/07/awash-in-aipac-money-house-foreign-affairs-committee-oversees-support-for-israel/ Last updated: 2023-11-08T15:13:01.000Z In 1991, former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Lee Hamilton[ claimed](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/books/review/Gelb-t.html) “there’s no lobby group that matches” the pro-Israel lobby. More than 30 years later, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel groups remain an important influence on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The committee’s current members have collectively received over $3 million in campaign contributions from pro-Israel donors, according to a tally of OpenSecrets information, and it [routinely invites expert witnesses](https://prospect.org/power/dark-money-think-tanks-dominate-house-foreign-affairs-committee/) with ties to pro-Israel think tanks to testify before it. On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Friend and Ally: U.S. Support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack.” The two witnesses who will testify—Assistant Secretary of Near East Affairs Barbara Leaf and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul—are both former fellows at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a pro-Israel think tank co-founded in 1985 by former AIPAC president Larry Weinberg, his wife Barbi Weinberg, and former AIPAC deputy director Martin Indyk. Former AIPAC employee MJ Rosenberg has described WINEP as [a cut-out of the lobbying organization](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/does-pbs-know-that-washin%5Fb%5F533808) that was funded by AIPAC donors and staffed by AIPAC employees. He said it was originally AIPAC official Steven Rosen, who the U.S. government accused of [espionage for the Israeli government](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/01/aipac-israel-lobby-lobbying-washington), “who cleverly came up with the idea for an AIPAC controlled think-tank that would disseminate the AIPAC line but in a way that would disguise its connections.” Leaf and Stroul both began working as fellows with WINEP in 2018 and left the think tank in 2021 when they joined the Biden administration. [AIPAC](https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/how-israel-is-splitting-the-democrats) and [WINEP](https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/how-israel-can-win-other-gaza-battlefield-public-opinion) oppose calls for a cease-fire to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Israel shut off water, food, and fuel access to the Gaza strip after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack [killed over 1,400 Israelis](https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-11-06-2023-c01bc7cf6db1e07ab4d235225cef7320), exacerbating the territory’s [humanitarian crisis](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/gaza-unliveable-un-special-rapporteur-for-the-situation-of-human-rights-in-the-opt-tells-third-committee-press-release-excerpts/). It has dropped 25,000 tons of bombs on the 140-square mile area over the last month, according to human rights group [Euro-Med Monitor](https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5908/Israel-hit-Gaza-Strip-with-the-equivalent-of-two-nuclear-bombs). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Virginia Pro-Democracy Groups Rally for Reforms Amid Record Campaign Cash URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/04/virginia-election-is-most-expensive-in-state-history-with-house-and-senate/ Last updated: 2023-11-04T22:15:30.000Z The Nov. 7 election for all 140 seats in the Virginia House and Senate, with party control of each chamber in play, is swimming in record amounts of campaign cash. Contributions to candidates in Virginia’s General Assembly contests this year have blown past the state’s previous high water mark. Over $158.3 million has been raised by state House and Senate candidates through Oct. 26, according to data from the nonpartisan [Virginia Public Access Project](https://www.vpap.org/visuals/visual/general-assembly-cash-and-amount-raised-oct-30/) (VPAP). That total is nearly 31% more than was raised during the 2019 cycle when the previous record was set. Virginia is one of a handful of states with no limits on the amount of money that individuals, state parties, PACs, corporations, and union groups can donate to candidates, according to the [National Conference of State Legislatures](https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/campaign-contribution-limits-overview) (NCSL). The Commonwealth is one of 11 states with no individual campaign contribution limits, and one of only five states with no limits on the other groups’ campaign donations as well. Virginia groups that advocate for reforming the state’s campaign finance laws say the deluge of donations this election cycle underscores the need for a cap on campaign contributions. Heading into Election Day, Republicans hold a 52-48 edge in the Virginia House of Delegates, while Democrats are defending a 22-18 majority in the state Senate. In the upper chamber, four districts voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 and opted for Republican Glenn Youngkin for governor a year later. If Republicans win control of both chambers, Gov. Youngkin would have a green light for a conservative [agenda](https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-state-legislature-what-to-watch-f5901d85cec6081d6c0409321a908d63) on education policy, access to legal abortion, and more. Several closely-contested Virginia races have attracted fundraising hauls that outpace those of a marquee race for the U.S. Congress. For example, in a Loudon County state Senate [race](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/10/19/senate-district-31-race-republican-juan-pablo-segura-vs-democrat-russet-perry/), Republican candidate Juan Pablo Segura has raised $5 million to Democratic candidate Russet Perry’s $6 million, according to [VPAP](https://www.vpap.org/offices/state-senate-31/elections/?year%5Fand%5Ftype=2023regular). Their combined intake is more than candidates raised in many of the [most competitive](https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/hot-races) races for U.S. House last year. With the prospect of Republican lawmakers enacting limits on access to reproductive health care in the state, candidates are spending on what the Washington Post [described](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/03/virginia-elections-path-to-majority-general-assembly/) as “endless advertisements and breathless mailers,” with [millions of dollars](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/10/31/four-takeaways-from-the-last-campaign-finance-reports-of-virginias-2023-elections/) rushing into campaigns in October alone. Over the past few years, Virginia groups concerned about the dominance of wealthy donors have worked with legislators to propose limits on campaign largesse. Legislation to set donation limits at $20,000 per election cycle was [blocked](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/27/virginia-senate-panel-rejects-contribution-limits-but-other-reforms-will-be-considered/) last year by a bipartisan vote of 10-5 in a state Senate committee. Two years prior, a proposal for a public campaign financing system was [left to expire](https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/07/11/millions-funneled-into-virginia-primaries-reignite-calls-for-campaign-finance-reform/) in a state House subcommittee by a vote of 5-0. Good government groups like BigMoneyOutVA, a volunteer-led nonpartisan group that supports campaign finance reforms, are calling on lawmakers to reintroduce state [legislation](https://www.bigmoneyoutva.org/legislation) that would place a cap on donations to candidates for governor, attorney general, General Assembly, and other offices. “Virginians feel that out-of-state billionaires and wealthy individuals shouldn’t be buying our elections,” said Nancy Morgan, coordinator of BigMoneyOutVA. “The money arms race has escalated to a point where you have two major donors, Dominion Energy and Clean Virginia, vying for prominence and influence, which is a race to the bottom for the voters,” Morgan said. Dominion Energy and Clean Virginia have been among the top donors in state [House](https://www.vpap.org/elections/house/top%5Fdonors/) and [Senate](https://www.vpap.org/elections/senate/top%5Fdonors/) races this cycle, VPAP figures show. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/11/VADemocracyDay_money_out.jpg) (Photo via BigMoneyOutVA) ## **Top Virginia Campaign Donors** Counting all donations since 2022, the largest donor group in Virginia has been Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, giving out more than $14.3 million, according to a tally from [VPAP](https://www.vpap.org/money/top-donors/). Its top recipient has been the state Republican Party, at nearly [$5.5 million](https://www.vpap.org/donors/374333-spirit-of-virginia/?start%5Fyear=2022&end%5Fyear=2023&recip%5Ftype=all), with over a million dollars given to two Senate hopefuls and six-figure donations to many more Republican candidates. The second-largest state donor has been utility giant Dominion Energy, with nearly [$12.9 million](https://www.vpap.org/donors/120206-dominion-energy/?start%5Fyear=2022&end%5Fyear=2023&recip%5Ftype=all) given near-equally to Democratic and Republican candidates. In recent years, the Richmond-based electric company has flexed its state lobbying power on both sides of the aisle, for example by [pushing through](https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-the-utility-company-lobbying-blitz-that-will-hike-electric-bills) last-minute changes to major energy legislation and [helping to kill](https://apnews.com/article/business-richmond-campaigns-virginia-lobbying-73acaaa7e7c4a70f7527e752a8c4eff4) a proposal that would bar it from contributing to the elected officials that regulate it. Almost matching Dominion’s donations in Virginia since 2022 has been $12.8 million given by the House Democratic Caucus, followed by [$12.5 million](https://www.vpap.org/money/top-donors/) given by Charlottesville investor Michael D. Bills, almost entirely to the PAC of the advocacy nonprofit Clean Virginia that he founded. The group advocates for rules that would curb the political influence of Dominion Energy and another large public electric utility, Appalachian Power Company, over state regulators. The national campaign group Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) has doled out more than [$6.9 million](https://www.vpap.org/money/top-donors/) to Virginia GOP groups and candidates so far. In 2021 and 2022, the RSLC received [millions of dollars](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/16/wisconsin-groups-keep-it-local-amid-record-ad-blitz-in-supreme-court-race/) from the Concord Fund, a "dark money” nonprofit with [long ties](https://readsludge.com/2023/10/06/leonard-leos-dark-money-fuels-state-republican-groups/) to conservative legal activist Leonard Leo. Leo’s wealthy donor network and role as co-chairman of the conservative Federalist Society helped him [cultivate](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/02/leonard-leo-federalist-society-00094761) an unprecedented $1.6 billion gift in 2021 from Chicago-based manufacturing magnate Barre Seid to the Marble Freedom Trust, which donated $16.5 million to the Concord Fund between May 2020 and April 2021, according to [tax returns](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22156171/marble-freedom-trusts-2020-form-990-may-1-2020-april-30-2021.pdf). BigMoneyOutVA has been meeting with legislators and statehouse lobbyists to discuss how campaign contribution limits can level the playing field in elections, Morgan said. The group points out on its website that Virginia ranked a distant 46th in a [2020 government ethics index](https://www.coalitionforintegrity.org/swamp2020/) from the nonpartisan Coalition for Integrity, scoring especially poorly on whether elected officials, legislators, and executive branch officials are prohibited from accepting gifts from lobbyists. Based on contribution data through September, at least 10 Virginia candidates raised a majority of their money from companies and trade associations that lobby the General Assembly, according to a [VPAP](https://www.vpap.org/visuals/visual/legislative-candidate-funding-sources-sept-2023/) analysis. ## VA Democracy Day in the Capitol In January, BigMoneyOutVA was part of a coalition of groups that held an inaugural [Democracy Day](https://www.vademocracyday.com/), where members gathered in Richmond to meet with their legislators on a pro-democracy agenda. In addition to campaign contribution limits, groups in the coalition are supporting reforms that include strengthening disclosure of campaign donations, empowering the state Department of Elections, offering a public campaign financing option, and restricting the personal use of campaign funds. The next rally day is planned for January 23, 2024. A 2021 [poll](https://virginiamoneyinpolitics.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/campaign-finance-polling-full.pdf) by the nonpartisan Wason Center, sponsored in part by BigMoneyOutVA, found 78% of Virginians support the goal of reducing money given to politicians by donors. “This year, with the growth of our coalition of nonpartisan, pro-democracy groups, we’re aiming to get over 100 people to raise their voice and show support for campaign finance reform, good governance, and ranked-choice voting,” said Morgan. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/11/VADemocracyDay_group.jpg) Volunteers at the first VA Democracy Day in 2023 (RepresentUs via BigMoneyOutVA) The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Virginia is part of the coalition planning to turn out for Democracy Day in January and promote its reform measures to the next General Assembly. The organization’s president, Joan Porte, told Sludge that members are motivated by a sense of frustration that Virginia is the “Wild West” of campaign finance. “We support limiting campaign contributions and regulating use of funds for campaign-related expenses,” Porte said. “This is a big issue because there are no limits now on how people can use this money. We also support establishing an independent state agency to provide oversight and enforcement of campaign finance-related activity.” The four other states with no limits on campaign contributions are Alabama, Nebraska, Oregon, and Utah, according to NCSL’s [overview](https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/campaign-contribution-limits-overview). Other groups that will participate in the 2024 Democracy Day include American Promise, FairVote, and RepresentUs. Ahead of the 2024 Democracy Day, BigMoneyOutVA is holding discussions on democracy issues and advocacy training on potential reforms in Virginia cities including Staunton and Williamsburg, Morgan says. In Williamsburg, volunteers will hold a “Democracy is Brewing” meeting on Nov. 13 at the regional library. Looking at one plank of the reform agenda, Morgan says, if a legislative fix can be passed to ban the personal use of campaign funds, public faith in the political system as a whole stands to improve. “In Virginia right now, I can give someone a million dollars and they can go on a vacation to the Caribbean, and the only way you find out about it is if the press finds out,” she said. ### AIPAC-Tied ‘Dark Money’ Group Runs Attack Ad Against Rashida Tlaib URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/02/aipac-dark-money-group-attack-ad-rashida-tlaib/ Last updated: 2023-11-06T21:23:48.000Z A nonprofit called Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), which has spent millions of dollars in Democratic primaries over the past two election cycles to combat progressive candidates, is spending six figures to air a television ad against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American member of Congress. The ad attacks the third-term Tlaib, who does not have a major primary challenger ahead of the August primary elections for 2024, over her positions on the Israel - Hamas war. DMFI, founded in 2019 by Democratic pollster and consultant Mark Mellman, is tied to pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which so far this year has [bundled hundreds of thousands](https://readsludge.com/2023/07/19/aipac-funded-reps-condemn-jayapal-remarks-on-israel/) of dollars in campaign donations for Democratic representatives who push back against progressives’ criticism of Israeli government policies affecting Palestinians. Mellman has worked for multiple AIPAC-affiliated organizations and several DMFI board members have previously held positions with AIPAC or its affiliates. Among other things, the DMFI ad attacks Tlaib over co-sponsoring an Oct. 16 [resolution](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/786/cosponsors) from Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) that urges the Biden administration to call for a cease-fire, saying the legislation “would allow the terrorists to rearm themselves.” “Our ad clearly shows her wanton disregard for the safety of the citizens of one of the United States’ closest allies, Israel,” said Mellman, the group’s president, in a press release. In a [statement](https://tlaib.house.gov/posts/tlaib-statement-on-ongoing-violence-in-israel-and-palestine) after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Tlaib said, “I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity.” Progressive political group Justice Democrats released a statement calling the ad “nothing but misinformation intended to incite further violence and harassment against Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.” **Who Funds DMFI?** DMFI is a nonprofit and does not have to disclose its donors, even as it runs political attack ads. However, some of its donors are nonprofits and have reported their contributions to DMFI on their tax forms, revealing the sources of a portion of the $9.9 million it has reported raising to the IRS. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Three striking charts about money in elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/01/three-striking-charts-about-money-in-elections/ Last updated: 2023-11-17T21:13:02.000Z I wanted to share with you three charts about changing trends with money in elections, and how Sludge is following the money. Groups that are separate from campaigns are spending more money on elections than ever before. These groups—like super PACs—often pop up out of nowhere and use generic names that don’t tell you anything about who’s behind them. Nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors—so-called “dark money” groups—are increasingly routing money through these outside spending groups, making it hard to pin down where all the political spending is coming from. And of what donors can be identified, an increasing amount has been coming from billionaires. This is our beat. We’re focused on money in politics. Here’s some of what we’ve covered recently: we [revealed](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/16/revealed-oil-industry-lobbying-group-funded-dark-money-ad-campaign-for-conservative-democrats/) that an oil industry group was the mysterious funder of a pop-up group backing conservative Democrats, we [broke news](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/17/trump-backed-maga-hub-growing-rapidly-tax-docs-reveal/) that a dark money hub of the MAGA movement was seeing an increase of anonymous donations, and we [assembled](https://readsludge.com/2023/05/09/peer-into-the-dark-money-abyss/) the most complete list of corporations giving to the dark money affiliates of the super PACs aligned with the leaders of the House and Senate. [**We need Sludge readers like you to join as a $5 a month subscriber**](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) so we can continue doing this work. The first month will be **matched 12x** by the NewsMatch drive, sponsored by the Institute for Nonprofit News. With your support, we’ll follow the money in 2024 and flag the key races where dark money spending is rampant. Our stories often get linked in political newsletters and shared by writers with large followings, but we don’t have funding from journalism foundations or a wealthy benefactor to put out these money-in-politics stories. Sludge is a two-person, reader-supported independent newsroom. The NewsMatch drive running now is absolutely vital for us to be able to send you news in the 2024 election year on Big Money, dark money, and all manner of hidden influence. [**Subscribe now for $5 a month and the first month will be matched 12x by the NewsMatch drive**](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup)**.** Our subscribers receive new Sludge stories over email the moment they’re published and full access to our website. Also, if you support our work with a $10 a month subscription, we’ll send you a Sludge market bag—and we’ll receive an additional $120 boost from the NewsMatch drive. We’re relying on folks reading this note to keep Sludge online in 2024. [Subscribe to Sludge in the NewsMatch](https://readsludge.com/#/portal/signup) Thank you, \-David Moore and Donald Shaw ### Tesla Scores Zero on Political Transparency Index for Second Year in a Row URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/01/tesla-scores-zero-for-political-transparency/ Last updated: 2023-11-01T14:15:42.000Z For the second year in a row, electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturer Tesla has scored a zero for its efforts—or lack thereof—toward being transparent about its political spending. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Four of Seven ‘Clean Hydrogen’ Hubs Will Use Fossil Fuels URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/11/01/four-of-seven-clean-hydrogen-hubs-will-use-fossil-fuels/ Last updated: 2024-02-23T20:22:53.000Z The Biden administration recently announced its selection of seven regional “clean hydrogen” hubs across the country, four of which will generate power by burning fossil gas. The regional hydrogen hubs, authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law and [awarded](https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-7-billion-americas-first-clean-hydrogen-hubs-driving) $7 billion in funding by the Department of Energy, are intended to scale up the hydrogen fuel industry, which is meant to be a source of cleaner energy for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like transportation and steelmaking. The hubs aim to facilitate the growth of projects that will take advantage of a new tax credit known as "45V" for the production of hydrogen fuel with far less emissions than current practices. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Evanston Becomes First Illinois City to Counteract Big Money With Public Match URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/10/27/evanston-becomes-first-illinois-city-to-counteract-big-money-with-public-match/ Last updated: 2023-10-27T21:43:27.000Z Last month, Evanston became the first city in Illinois to adopt a public campaign financing program, one that supporters say aims to curb the influence of wealthy donors in mayoral elections and help increase the diversity of the candidate pool by amplifying small-dollar donations from Evanston residents. On Sept. 26, the Evanston City Council adopted the “Small Donor Democracy Matching System for Fair Elections” [ordinance](https://www.cityofevanston.org/home/showpublisheddocument/92057/638314894781370000), the first of its kind to pass in Illinois, which was approved days later by Mayor Daniel Biss, a supporter of the legislation. The Council [passed](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/09/27/evanston-oks-small-donor-match-program-for-next-mayoral-election/) the ordinance by a vote of 6-2 after it was [brought forward](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/07/19/committee-moves-toward-public-financing-for-mayoral-candidates/) over the summer by Council Member Juan Geracaris as a way, he said, to “counteract the influence of big money in elections.” Under the new program, candidates for mayor will be able to receive funding matched at a 9-to-1 ratio for donations of up to $150 from city residents—for example, making an eligible $100 donation worth a total of $1,000\. To take part, candidates must qualify by raising at least 100 small donations, and also agree to abide by a $150 contribution limit from an individual, corporation, PAC, party, or other donor. That amount, for candidates who opt into the program, stands in stark contrast to the $6,900 limit that individuals can give to candidate committees in the 2023-2024 election cycle under state law. Candidates participating would be capped in the amount they can receive from the city at $81,000 per election cycle, and furthermore they would have to agree to limit their overall campaign spending to a maximum of $100,000 in each of the primary and general elections. The Fair Elections ordinance was developed with the nonpartisan Reform for Illinois, a good-government research organization led by Executive Director Alisa Kaplan, an Evanston resident. Kaplan told Sludge that the measure, which Reform for Illinois [hailed as](https://mailchi.mp/reformforillinois/pew-study-americans-sick-of-money-in-politics-53152?e=66702438b8) “groundbreaking,” was passed into law through years of advocacy toward the group’s goal of helping candidates with grassroots connections to run for office. “Evanston is considered a suburb, but it's also a diverse town that prides itself on its commitment to equity and on putting its values into practice,” said Kaplan. “Evanston residents are well aware that there are serious economic divides in their city and that those can be reflected in their government,” said Kaplan. “And our mayoral races have gotten pretty expensive lately, with a good portion of that spending coming from personal wealth or big donors. “This program aims to raise the voices of people who might otherwise not be heard because they couldn't afford a big campaign contribution,” said Kaplan. "It's aimed at empowering candidates who may not be wealthy or have wealthy friends to run competitive campaigns.” During the Council’s deliberations over the Fair Elections proposal in June, Mayor Daniel Biss [spoke](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/06/08/evanston-mayor-candidates-campaign-public-funding-matching-contributions/) in support of the program. In 2021, Biss, a former state senator, had run for mayor with a hefty fundraising edge over his opponents, and welcomed the prospect of more competitive local races. “Small-donor matching programs provide a counterweight against the effects of big money—both individual and corporate—in politics, they make it possible for a greater diversity of candidates to run, and they help restore the public's faith in representative democracy," Biss told Sludge of his backing of the ordinance. In its testimony for the program this summer, Reform for Illinois [cited](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/07/19/committee-moves-toward-public-financing-for-mayoral-candidates/) research showing that New York City’s small-donor match, used widely in city elections for decades and [strengthened](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/05/nyc-progressives-coalesce-around-campaign-finance-ballot-initiative/) by voters in a 2018 ballot measure, has had strong effects in increasing donor participation. According to the nonprofit OpenSecrets, peer-reviewed studies [found](https://www.followthemoney.org/research/institute-reports/small-donor) that New York City's matching program succeeded in bringing in more donors from more diverse neighborhoods, and at helping candidates run with a greater share of small-donor support than they would have without the program. In New York City’s 2021 primary elections, small donor giving [hit record highs](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/), according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, with more than 93% of donations given in amounts of $250 or under. After the general election that year, an analysis from the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice found that the City Council [improved](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) its representativeness of the population in terms of race and gender, with virtually all the women and people of color who won Council seats participating in the program. In a blog post examining the New York City results, the Brennan Center also [highlighted findings](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/small-donor-public-financing-plays-role-electing-most-diverse-new-york) that small-dollar matches in the 2020 election cycles of Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. worked to diversify the donor pool and increase donor participation in lower-income areas. Across the country, at least 14 states and 25 local governments have adopted versions of public financing programs, according to a Brennan Center [tracker](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-public-financing-programs-nationwide). Small-dollar matches have been offered for decades in cities including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Francisco, and overall, public financing options cover up to [one-third](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/small-donor-public-financing-explained) of the population nationwide. In proposing the ordinance this summer, Geracaris [pointed out](https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/07/19/committee-moves-toward-public-financing-for-mayoral-candidates/) that the new program’s cap on funds set aside for participating candidates (currently $68,750) amounts to less than $1 per resident, according to the Evanston RoundTable. Geracaris told Sludge, “I think that people are concerned about the influence of big money in politics. The idea of creating a fund to even the playing field was exciting and the low cost for establishing the fund also made it seem attainable.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/10/8233890142_4740e37505.jpg) 1937 postcard (via Steve Shook on Flickr) With Evanston joining the ranks of cities offering a public match, Reform for Illinois’ Kaplan told Sludge that she hopes it will serve as a model for Chicago lawmakers seeking to develop and adopt a version for city voters, especially after a bruisingly [high-spending](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/31/with-chicagos-mayoral-race-awash-in-big-money-reformers-aim-to-amplify-small-donors/) mayoral race. In a [questionnaire](https://www.reformforillinois.org/2023-good-governance-candidate-questionnaire-results/) from Reform for Illinois earlier this year, both candidates who advanced to the runoff for Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas, gave their support for rolling out a public financing program. Last year, Chicago Alderman Matt Martin introduced a Fair Elections [ordinance](https://chicago.councilmatic.org/legislation/o2022-2483/) that would match qualifying donations at a 6-to-1 ratio for participating candidates for mayor, city clerk, treasurer, and city council. In Chicago, Martin is now the chair of the Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, which in a January hearing on the proposal [heard testimony](https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/1/23/23568032/chicago-municipal-elections-mayor-city-council-public-financing-matching-funds-donors) from first-term New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif on her experience running in the public matching program: “I ran with no ties to institutional wealth or the wealth of the political establishment and special interest groups. Many of my opponents came from more privileged backgrounds. But because of our city’s public matching program, we ran on a more even playing field.” Of the new program, Kaplan said, “The goal is to get a government that is representative of all of Evanston's communities and accountable to all of Evanston's communities.” ### Joe Biden’s ‘Zionist Backlash’ Megadonor URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/10/26/joe-bidens-zionist-backlash-megadonor/ Last updated: 2024-06-05T15:53:26.000Z Many of the wealthy American donors to Zionist organizations that critics say have worked to undermine pro-Palestinian organizing and stamp out criticism of Israel have been aligned with the political right. Billionaire donor families such as the Bradleys, Adelsons, and Scaifes have poured millions of dollars into such groups over the years while simultaneously giving to Republican political campaigns and conservative think tanks. However, there is one major American donor to these groups that is deeply entrenched in the Democratic dark money network and has given millions to PACs backing President Joe Biden and other Democratic politicians. Boston-based hedge fund billionaire Seth Klarman, the CEO of hedge fund The Baupost Group and the co-founder of Israeli newspaper the Times of Israel, has donated more than $19 million since the 2018 election cycle to Democratic super PACs, party organizations, and campaigns, according to records from the Federal Election Commission. So far this year, Klarman has donated $140,000 to Biden’s joint fundraising committee the Biden Action Fund, $1 million to a liberal super PAC called Republican Accountability PAC, $150,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and thousands more to Democratic Senate and House candidates. As recently as the 2016 election cycle, Klarman was primarily donating to Republican politicians, including $500,000 in 2016 to a pro-Marco Rubio for president super PAC and $200,000 to former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s joint fundraising committee. But he shifted to the Democrats after Donald Trump was selected as the Republican nominee, expressing concern over Trump’s remarks that the general election would be rigged, among other things. In the 2020 cycle, Klarman gave a total of $3 million to super PACs that supported Biden and opposed Trump, including Pacronym, Unite the Country, and Priorities USA. Klarman, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be $1.5 billion, has also provided tens of millions of dollars in recent years to New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves as the hub of a major liberal dark money network and is the payroll reporting fund for the Democratic Party-aligned political nonprofit Sixteen Thirty Fund. In 2020, The Klarman Family Foundation, which Seth Klarman runs with his wife Beth, gave NVF $16.3 million, according to its tax filing. New Venture Fund contributed more than $86 million in 2020 to Sixteen Thirty Fund, which passed along $57 million during the 2020 election cycle to pro-Democrat political groups, including super PACs that backed Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, and the Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)-aligned dark money group Majority Forward. The Klarmans’ foundation also gave NVF $6 million in 2018\. In addition to his support of Democratic politics and liberal groups, Klarman has been a major donor to pro-Israel organizations, including those that have been deemed anti-Muslim hate groups and those that support Israeli settlement efforts in Palestine. In a 2015 [report](http://www.ijan.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IJAN-Business-of-Backlash-full-report-web.pdf), the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) identified the Klarman Family Foundation as one of the eleven major donors to what it called the “Zionist backlash” network in the U.S. The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network says it is a group of Jews dedicated to the liberation of Palestinians. “Our commitment is to the dismantling of Israeli apartheid, the return of Palestinian refugees, and the ending of the Israeli colonization of historic Palestine,” the group’s charter states. IJAN defines Zionist backlash in its report as “a concerted campaign to stop any and all criticism of Israel,” and “eradicating any support of the Palestinian struggle.” In its report, IJAN names several Klarman Family Foundation grant recipients that it considers “Zionist backlash organizations,” including the Anti-Defamation League, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the Jewish National Fund, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Stand With Us, the United Israel Appeal and the Zionist Organization of America. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Charles Koch Makes Biggest Known Political Advocacy Donation URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/10/10/charles-koch-makes-biggest-known-political-advocacy-donation/ Last updated: 2024-05-24T00:58:35.000Z Billionaire industrialist Charles Koch made the largest known donation ever to a political 501(c)4 advocacy organization last year, according to an interview with the right-wing megadonor published today. Koch [told Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/10/exclusive-charles-koch-koch-industries-has-given-more-than-5-billion-of-his-koch-industries-stock-to-two-nonprofits/?sh=7706751a7bd1]) that he transferred $4.3 billion worth of his company Koch Industries’ stock to Believe in People, a new nonprofit organization led by his close associates. Unlike 501(c)3 nonprofits, 501(c)4 groups can lobby policymakers and spend money on politics, though IRS guidance states the groups are not supposed to have political activity as their primary focus. ## Join Our Mailing List Get our headlines in your inbox. It's free. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. As Forbes [reported](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2023/10/10/exclusive-charles-koch-koch-industries-has-given-more-than-5-billion-of-his-koch-industries-stock-to-two-nonprofits/), Believe in People’s stated mission will be to help people “reach their potential.” He also told Forbes that he was the source of $975 million worth of stock that another nonprofit in his network, CCKc4, received in 2020\. One of the new group’s leaders will be Brian Hooks, the CEO of Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c)6 organization that operates as the backbone of a sprawling network of Koch-funded groups. Stand Together [replaced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/05/20/daily-202-the-koch-network-is-reorganizing-under-a-new-name-and-with-new-priorities/5ce1a94fa7a0a435cff8c0d3/?noredirect=on) the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce in 2019 during the network's reorganization. Hooks began working as president of the Charles Koch Foundation in 2014, according to tax records, and as of 2021 was chairman of the 501(c)3 Stand Together Foundation. At Believe in People, he will be joined by Dave Robertson, co-CEO of Koch Industries, and Koch’s son Chase, CEO of Koch Industries’ venture capital firm Koch Disruptive Technologies and the head of CCKc4. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Top Donor to State GOP Groups Is Funded by Leonard Leo’s Billion Dollar Windfall URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/10/06/leonard-leos-dark-money-fuels-state-republican-groups/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T16:56:28.000Z A “dark money” nonprofit that is heavily funded by a group controlled by the chief judicial adviser for Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump was the largest donor in the first half of the year to Republican Party groups that work to elect state judges, governors, legislators, attorneys general, and other down-ballot officials. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### ALEC Gala to Face Protest From Pro-Democracy Groups URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/10/03/alec-gala-will-face-protest-from-pro-democracy-groups/ Last updated: 2023-11-06T14:08:08.000Z The controversial conservative group behind “stand your ground” gun laws and “right-to-work” labor policies is celebrating 50 years on Wednesday night with a gala in D.C. The American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) 50th anniversary gala, to be held at the National Portrait Gallery, will feature speakers including former corporate lobbyist and current ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson, as well as talk show host and political commentator Hugh Hewitt, among others. Tickets for the event are $750\. ALEC is an industry-funded membership organization for state legislators, lobbyists, and corporate executives. Though the group bills itself as nonpartisan, the vast majority of its legislative members are Republicans. Its industry partners include the pharmaceutical company trade association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), corporate lobbying giant the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and industrial conglomerate Koch Industries, the company chaired by billionaire political financier Charles Koch. The group’s influence is immense. According to its website, ALEC’s membership includes nearly one-quarter of all state legislators in the United States and hundreds of businesspeople. Individuals affiliated with the organization may participate in about 10 different task forces that focus on policy areas including energy, taxation, and civil justice. The task forces are co-chaired by a public official and at least one representative of private industry or an industry-funded think tank. For example, the Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force has as its “public chair” Rep. Phil Green of the Michigan House and as one of its private chair\[s\]” the state lobbying director of the American Gas Association, Matthew Kiesling. These task forces work together to draft and approve model bills that state lawmakers may introduce during legislative sessions. Because of the way it encourages representatives of private interests to collaborate on legislation as equals with public officials, ALEC is often described by its critics as a “corporate bill mill.” ALEC’s press materials have promoted the fact that both state lawmakers and business people have “a voice and a vote in shaping policy,” according to a [document](https://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/Decoding%5FALEC%5FPR) archived by the Center for Media and Democracy. Before the event, a coalition of pro-democracy groups will be holding a rally to protest what it describes as “50 years of community harm caused by bills that were drafted and promoted by ALEC.” The coalition will also be calling on corporations to drop ALEC, according to a press advisory. “This isn’t how our democracy was supposed to work, and we need Congress to step up and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to curb ALEC’s power and put the people, not corporations, in charge of our democracy,” said Svante Myrick, president of the progressive group People For the American Way, one of the organizers of the protest. “We’re here to call out ALEC and its corporate sponsors and unite in the fight for the rights of people, workers, voters, and the planet,” said Tefere Gebre, program director of Greenpeace USA, another group involved in the protest. Other groups in the coalition include Center for Media and Democracy, Public Citizen, UnKoch My Campus, Common Cause, True North Research, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. ALEC’s gala is being [sponsored](https://web.cvent.com/event/5367459c-03df-49f5-8437-0c7995b079bb/websitePage:f6f19d06-9239-4e20-830f-839e9d3dff4e) by a long list of companies, nonprofits, and think tanks. Among the more than 40 sponsors are Alibaba, United Parcel Service, Humane Society of the United States, Philip Morris International, State Policy Network, and The Heritage Foundation. Tech industry group NetChoice, whose members include Amazon, Google, Meta, and TikTok, is also a sponsor. “ALEC’s anniversary is nothing to celebrate if you care about American families and our future because for fifty years ALEC and its super rich funders have fueled efforts to use state legislatures to undermine the American dream,” said Lisa Graves, the executive director of True North Research. “ALEC has made it harder for Americans to vote but easier to get away with shooting someone to death, harder to secure worker rights but easier to get away with injuring consumers, harder to mitigate climate change but easier to pollute, harder to limit loan sharks but easier for predators to profit from privatizing public schools, harder to secure low-cost local broadband but easier to outsource good-paying American jobs.” ### Top Five Weapons Companies Set to Get $140 Billion From Pentagon Next Year URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/09/22/big-five-contractors-get-one-sixth-of-pentagon-budget-analysis/ Last updated: 2024-09-10T03:56:13.000Z House Republicans this week [failed](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/21/house-gop-defense-bill-mccarthy-00117366) to advance a [bill](https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP02/20230615/116120/BILLS-118--AP--Defense-FY24DefenseSubcommitteeMark.pdf) to fund the Pentagon in fiscal year 2024, which begins October 1. Some members of the GOP’s House Freedom Caucus have vowed to oppose advancing the legislation without securing additional cuts to non-military spending. No Democrats support the bill because it includes several conservative provisions, like prohibiting Pentagon funds from being used for certain reproductive health care, including abortion services, for enlisted personnel. It would also defund the Pentagon’s diversity and inclusion programs. Avoiding scrutiny is the bill’s record [$826 billion](https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/republicans.appropriations.house.gov/files/documents/FY24%20Defense%20-%20Bill%20Summary.pdf) price tag, despite the historic level of privatization of public funds it portends. A Sludge analysis of military spending and contract data estimates that more than half of the fiscal year 2024 Pentagon budget will go to private contractors, and one-sixth of it to just five companies. Based on the average share of the military budget obligated to contracts over the last decade, the pending $826 billion bill will likely produce around $450 billion in revenue for military contractors. How much military spending will eventually go to contractors in a given year is fairly predictable—the value of contracts generally grows and shrinks proportionately as the overall budget does. For example, the Pentagon budget increased by $171 billion from 2017 to 2022, but the Pentagon’s spending on contracts kept up, increasing by $93 billion during the same stretch. In both fiscal years 2017 and 2022, the share of the budget obligated to contracts was 54%. This is nearly identical to the 10-year average. From fiscal years 2013 to 2022, the Pentagon spent $6.4 trillion. Over $3.5 trillion of that—55%—went to contractors. *This column chart shows the growth of military spending and military contract spending over time. In 2013, the Department of Defense spent $316 billion on contracts and $262 billion on everything else; in 2022, it was $420 billion to $357 billion.* A handful of companies dominate the military contracting market. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (now called RTX), Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics have been the top annual recipients of Pentagon contracts eight times in the last decade. From fiscal years 2013 to 2022, 30% of military contract spending, or $1.1 trillion, went to these five firms alone. *This chart shows the approximate share of annual military contracting dollars from fiscal years 2013 to 2022 that went to the top five contractors: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (now RTX), Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics.* On average, the top five contractors ate 17% of the yearly military budget during this period. Based on the 10-year average, *one-sixth* of the $826 billion Pentagon budget for fiscal year 2024—$140 billion—will go to just five companies. *This column chart shows the top five contractors’ share of overall military spending from fiscal years 2013 to 2022\. In 2022, the top five contractors received $122 billion out of $777 billion in overall military spending.* _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Manchin Defends Tax Credit for Gas Companies Following Lobbying by ‘Dear Friend’ URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/09/21/manchin-defends-tax-credit-for-gas-companies-following-lobbying-by-dear-friend/ Last updated: 2023-10-31T16:40:58.000Z Shortly after his former right-hand man and “dear friend” was hired by a fossil gas company to lobby the Senate, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) inserted language into a bill pushing back against the Biden administration’s consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in its forthcoming guidance for hydrogen fuel tax credits. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Former Ag Chair Collin Peterson Joins Private Equity-Backed Carbon Capture Initiative URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/09/14/former-ag-chair-collin-peterson-joins-private-equity-backed-carbon-capture-initiative/ Last updated: 2023-09-14T20:22:08.000Z The former chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Collin Peterson earlier this year helped to launch an advocacy group that is promoting the application of carbon capture and storage technology to ethanol producers, a combination that it says would be beneficial for rural economies as well as the environment. Peterson, a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party who became a lobbyist after losing his congressional re-election in 2020, is a senior advisor to the American Carbon Alliance. The organization was launched in July and is led by Tom Buis, the former CEO of biofuels trade association Growth Energy. The group argues that deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for ethanol plants would lower the carbon index of ethanol, thereby increasing demand, and that landowners could receive payments for having carbon pipelines buried in their land, both of which would provide economic stimulus for rural economies. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trucking Company CEO Rep. LaMalfa Fights Truck Emissions Standards URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/09/05/trucking-company-ceo-rep-lamalfa-fights-truck-emissions-standards/ Last updated: 2023-10-31T16:42:39.000Z In July, California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa led dozens of his House colleagues in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency urging it to reconsider its proposal to strengthen emissions standards for trucks. “Small businesses and mom-and-pop trucking companies should not be regulated to death on the whims of executive agencies,” LaMalfa said in a [statement](https://lamalfa.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-lamalfa-leads-letter-epa-slamming-new-phase-3-heavy-duty) regarding his letter. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump’s Top Campaign Aide Is a Tobacco Lobbyist URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/29/top-trump-campaign-aide-lobbies-congress-for-swisher/ Last updated: 2024-04-29T12:43:29.000Z One of Donald Trump’s top political advisors, Florida strategist Susie Wiles, is lobbying for tobacco company Swisher as it battles a Biden administration proposal meant to reduce youth smoking. Wiles registered to lobby for Swisher on January 1 of this year on the topic of “FDA regulations,” according to a [document](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/f777b504-87cc-4609-a198-e7a67c06de00/print/) filed with Congress. Until Aug. 28, Mercury Public Affairs, the bipartisan political consultancy where Wiles is a co-chair, had not filed quarterly lobbying reports for Wiles’ work on behalf of Swisher, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act. After Sludge inquired about the absent disclosures, Mercury Public Affairs filed a [form](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/2e13e8d8-1034-40a2-a0a9-801d34880f5b/print/) it marked as an amendment, reporting $30,000 in income in the second quarter from Wiles’ lobbying of Congress regarding Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. Mercury still has not filed a report of Wiles’ Swisher lobbying for the first quarter of the year, despite being required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act to do so. In the months ahead, the FDA is expected to finalize a pair of long-awaited rules, [proposed](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-rules-prohibiting-menthol-cigarettes-and-flavored-cigars-prevent-youth-initiation) by the Biden administration in April 2022, that would prohibit characterizing tobacco products as menthol or selling cigars marketed as having any other flavor besides tobacco. Swisher, which offers a wide range of flavored cigarillos, is opposing the tobacco product standards, arguing that they violate the First Amendment, among other things. ## Join Our Mailing List Investigative journalism on money in politics, delivered to you Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in the announcement. “Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.” Mercury did not respond to Sludge’s questions about Wiles’ lobbying activities. Wiles, a veteran political strategist who previously led campaigns for Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis, is one of a trio of consultants steering Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign bid. Wiles was a key player in Trump’s 2016 win in Florida, before being unceremoniously [ousted](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/20/trump-desantis-florida-susie-wiles-1504981) from Trump’s re-election bid in 2019 amid feuding with former allies like DeSantis. In March 2021, Wiles was [brought back](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/04/01/theres-a-new-honcho-atop-trumpworld-492321) into Trump’s inner circle to oversee campaign fundraising and serve as the chair of Trump’s Save America PAC, a leadership PAC which since the start of that year has received $125 million, according to Federal Election Commission figures. Since her return, she’s been recognized as a [close confidant](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/us/politics/susie-wiles-trump-desantis.html) of Trump. According to an [analysis](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/08/trump-political-operation-steers-130-million-in-donor-money-to-cover-legal-fees) by the nonprofit OpenSecrets, about 71% of Save America PAC’s spending this year has gone toward Trump’s legal costs as he is facing numerous federal and state indictments, totaling $21.6 million so far. Until last year, Wiles had worked for more than decade as a managing partner in the Jacksonville office of government affairs firm Ballard Partners, which was founded and led by Brian Ballard, a top [Trump fundraiser](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/02/most-powerful-lobbyist-in-trump-washington-217759/) in 2016\. In 2017, during the Trump administration, Wiles registered as a federal lobbyist, racking up dozens of clients including Jacksonville Electric Authority, General Motors, and fossil gas company Eagle LNG Partners. In April 2019, Ballard Partners registered Wiles to lobby on “Tobacco and Vaping industry issues” for SI Group Client Services—the cigar company known as Swisher International. In February 2022, public strategy firm Mercury Public Affairs [announced](https://www.mercuryllc.com/mercury-announces-top-republican-political-strategist-susie-wiles-as-co-chair/) that it had brought on Wiles as a co-chair in its Florida and Washington, D.C. offices. Some of Mercury’s other clients include oil & gas companies Energia and Aiteo, fossil fuel trader Coral Energy, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group, and Blue Cross / Blue Shield, according to records maintained by OpenSecrets. Swisher International followed Wiles to her new firm Mercury, where it is her only registered lobbying client to date. Until this week, Mercury had not filed a report disclosing the targets of her communications on behalf of the cigar maker, which were the U.S. House and Senate. Delaney Marsco, senior legal counsel in Ethics for the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center, told Sludge, “Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, a lobbyist is required to file quarterly reports if they are registered as a lobbyist during the reporting period unless a termination is filed.” Swisher advertises sweet cigarillos in flavors like cream, white grape, blueberry, purple swish, and island bash, a marketing tactic that would be banned by one of the proposed FDA rules. In a [statement](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220428006295/en/Swisher-Issues-Statement-in-Response-to-the-U.S.-Food-and-Drug-Administration%E2%80%99s-FDA-Proposal-of-a-Tobacco-Product-Standard-to-Ban-Characterizing-Flavors-in-Cigars) responding to the FDA’s proposal, Swisher pushed back, describing concerns about youth usage of flavored cigars as “without scientific basis” and arguing that consumers should be able to make their own choices. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/08/Swisher_Sweets_Instagram.png) Swisher Sweets advertises its flavored cigarillos on Instagram Swisher International filed a regulatory [comment](https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FDA-2021-N-1309-71933) opposing the FDA’s proposed flavor ban in August 2022, submitted by Executive V.P. and General Counsel Christopher L. Casey along with law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. In its pushback, Swisher argues that the FDA’s proposed rule is impermissibly broad and “would violate the First Amendment” by threatening to “chill manufacturers’ ability to communicate about their own products with customers who are willing listeners.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Saudi-Tied Businessman Resigns From Republican ‘Dark Money’ Board URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/25/saudi-tied-businessman-resigns-from-republican-dark-money-board/ Last updated: 2023-10-31T16:49:55.000Z A founding board member of House Republicans’ top “dark money” group, who has ties to the government of Saudi Arabia, has resigned. Isaac Applbaum, a member of the board of directors of the American Action Network (AAN) since the group’s founding in 2009, tells Sludge that he has stepped down from the board, though he has not offered an explanation for his decision. The AAN is a Washington D.C.-based issue advocacy group that has been the largest funder of House Republicans’ re-election efforts in recent years. In the 2022 cycle, it contributed more than $39 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC endorsed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that supports House Republican campaigns. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Novo Nordisk Lobbies Up to Win Medicare Coverage of Its Weight Loss Drugs URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/15/novo-nordisk-lobbies-up-to-win-medicare-coverage-of-its-weight-loss-drugs/ Last updated: 2024-02-15T14:14:32.000Z Novo Nordisk, the Danish company behind popular weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy, is dramatically bulking up its lobbyist team as it works to convince U.S. policymakers to have Medicare cover the drugs. Since last September, Novo Nordisk has retained at least a dozen new federal lobbyists to work on the issue of anti-obesity medication and Medicare, according to Senate disclosures. Most recently, the company hired two lobbyists with the firm Madison Group who have close ties to the Biden administration. Madison Group senior partner Marcus Mason, a former Obama administration official who says that President Biden had him appointed to the Democratic National Committee, and senior director Chyna Melton, who worked in the congressional office of Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond, were [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/88909706-d2dc-4d1f-b858-6c5543f0c834/print/) by the drug company on July 1 to lobby the federal government on “Medicare coverage of anti-obesity medications.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Democratic Convention Chair’s Firm Helps Companies Block Labor Laws URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/14/democratic-national-convention-chairs-firm-helps-companies-block-labor-laws/ Last updated: 2024-07-05T18:38:12.000Z President Biden has a go-to line in speeches, saying he’s “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen.” Next year’s Democratic National Convention, though, will be run by an executive of a public affairs firm that is helping companies such as Lyft and Tenet Healthcare fight labor protections. Last week, Minyon Moore, a principal at public affairs and consulting firm Dewey Square Group (DSG), was [announced](https://democrats.org/news/dnc-announces-chicago-conventionleadership-team/) as the chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. As chair, Moore will lead the team of Biden allies planning for the event that will be held in her home city of Chicago. At DSG, which [celebrated](https://www.deweysquare.com/2023/08/dsgs-minyon-moore-to-chair-2024-democratic-convention-in-chicago/) her appointment, Moore “leads the State and Local Affairs and Multicultural Strategies practices with clients ranging from the Fortune 100 to startup non-profits seeking counsel for developing strategies that address emerging consumer markets and achieve public policy goals,” wrote the Democratic National Committee (DNC). A longtime party insider, Moore is currently a co-chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and was CEO of the DNC in 2001. To solidify its pro-labor image in the presidential race, the Biden-Harris re-election campaign has [reached](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/unions-working-2024-democratic-convention-promise-no-picket-signs-rcna95839) a so-called peace agreement with Chicago unions ahead of the convention. DSG’s roster of corporate clients, however, have led lobbying and public relations campaigns against major labor law reforms that Democrats are sure to invoke again next year. The DNC did not respond to a request for comment on Moore’s state policy consulting, and DSG did not respond to requests for comment on the firm’s corporate clients. ## **Opposing Gig Worker Protections** Last year, DSG scored a seven-figure payday from its client Lyft as part of a Massachusetts campaign to prevent state lawmakers from classifying gig workers as independent contractors. Then-Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat who was elected governor last year, brought a suit against Uber and Lyft in 2020 arguing the companies were violating labor laws by treating drivers as independent contractors and [accusing](https://www.mass.gov/news/ag-healey-issues-statement-in-response-to-court-decision-denying-uber-and-lyfts-motion-to-dismiss) them of “unfair and exploitative practices.” In response, Lyft and other companies launched a public influence campaign—following the playbook the company had developed with a high-spending California ballot initiative campaign, and a New York lobbying push—supporting a proposed Massachusetts ballot initiative that would classify app-based drivers as independent contractors, among other policies. Lyft contributed $14 million to the state group backing the initiative, in what the Boston Globe [called](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/02/lyft-emerges-as-fundraising-heavyweight-in-massachusetts-ahead-of-vote-on-gig-work-ballot-initiative/) the largest political donation ever in Massachusetts. The Lyft-funded group, named Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, paid DSG more than $2.6 million in consulting fees and space rental starting in October 2021, according to data from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, making DSG one of the group’s top vendors. In addition, DSG served as the middleman for $2.5 million spent by the group on database services with the Democratic Party software NGP/VAN as subvendor. Last summer, a Massachusetts court threw out the measure and prevented it from appearing on ballots—but the group has registered a new committee to [put the question in front of voters](https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/08/03/massachusetts-2024-ballot-questions-uber-mcas-pyschedelics-rent-control-newsletter) in 2024. Also last year, Lyft [helped form](https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/597404-gig-companies-launch-lobbying-group-to-counter-pro/) a trade group, the Flex Association, to stop federal Democrats’ push to reclassify gig workers as employees through provisions in the PRO Act, standing for “Protecting the Right to Organize.” Among other things, the [PRO Act](https://www.epi.org/publication/pro-act-problem-solution-chart/) would make misclassifying an employee as a contractor a violation under the National Labor Relations Act, and would allow workers and the National Labor Relations Board to determine union election procedures. The PRO Act passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House in 2020 and 2021, but was not brought up for a Senate vote. President Biden campaigned on his strong support for the PRO Act and called on Congress to pass it, but the bill, opposed by the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce and business groups, was certain to face a Republican filibuster in the Senate and was not advanced out of committee in the 117th Congress, with its narrow Democratic control in the Senate. Lyft and gig economy companies also unleashed massive spending campaigns over the past few years to block labor laws in California and New York. A 2019 California law known as AB5 set [standards](https://www.epi.org/publication/how-californias-ab5-protects-workers-from-misclassification/) for classifying workers as independent contractors or employees, though parts of the law targeting ride-hailing and delivery companies were overturned by a 2020 ballot measure known as Prop 22 and are the subject of [ongoing](https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/03/prop-22-appeal/) legal challenges. To [defeat](https://readsludge.com/2020/10/06/how-uber-and-lyft-are-buying-labor-laws/) the California law that would enable drivers to join unions, Lyft and gig economy companies shelled out a record-breaking [$200 million](https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/10/29/gig-companies-break-200m-barrier-in-california-ballot-fight-9424580) backing the ballot initiative, then [brought](https://public-accountability.org/report/how-uber-and-lyft-are-preparing-to-block-labor-rights-for-gig-economy-workers-in-new-york-and-around-the-country/) a similarly heavy-spending lobbying and donations effort to New York State to head off a potential legislative push from Democrats there. During the first three months of the Biden administration, gig economy companies racked up [$1 million](https://theintercept.com/2021/05/06/pro-act-uber-lyft-doordash-instacart-lobbying/) in federal lobbying spending to beat back the PRO Act, and last year Lyft and other companies dropped another [$1 million](https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/uber-lyft-pro-act) on ads opposing the PRO Act. Lyft’s federal lobbying continues this year on [policy matters](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/a0cdeb0a-80fb-4cda-a6be-1d59778c560f/print/) regarding the classification of independent workers, as well as the “proposed DOL rule regarding independent contractors and nominations,” in its talks with Congress. The Department of Labor rule mentioned by Lyft is expected to be finalized this year and is similar to the California law that was supported by Julie Su, the Biden administration’s acting secretary of labor, in her stint as a state official. The Flex Association has urged the federal rule be withdrawn and the trade group’s CEO Kristin Sharp [came out staunchly against](https://thehill.com/opinion/4015710-julie-sus-confirmation-would-harm-restaurants-and-app-workers/) Su’s nomination in a May op-ed. Lyft’s board includes former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, and former Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx previously worked as its chief policy officer. Jeremy Bird, formerly national field director for the Obama-Biden re-election campaign, took over the title of chief policy officer in January 2022. ## **Other Corporate Clients** McDonald’s is another DSG [client](https://www.deweysquare.com/clients/) displayed on the firm’s website. As of its most recent political [disclosure](https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/investors/corporate-governance/policital-contributions-and-policy.html) last year, the fast food giant was a member of trade group the National Restaurant Association, which is now leading the battle against a California labor law, the FAST Act, signed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Labor Day. The bill, a top union [priority](https://calmatters.org/commentary/2022/09/california-fast-food-law/), established a 10-member Fast Food Council to oversee working conditions in fast food chains and lift workers’ wages, now being [challenged](https://www.axios.com/2023/01/25/california-fast-food-law-statewide-referendum) by a statewide ballot measure expected in November 2024\. In the op-ed along with Sharp, the restaurant industry group’s Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs, mentions Su’s support for the FAST Act and AB5 as driving their opposition to her nomination. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Chemical Company-Funded Senators Float Watered-Down PFAS Bill URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/11/chemical-company-funded-senators-float-watered-down-pfas-bill/ Last updated: 2023-11-07T21:42:08.000Z The chair and the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works floated draft legislation in late June on the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that critics argue would fail to regulate the toxic substances by implementing a restrictive legal definition of the compounds that is more aligned with chemical industry interests than the public health. Notably, the two senators who drafted the legislation are among the Senate’s top recipients of chemical industry donations. The new draft bill is a recent development in a years-long fight over PFAS policy that comes as the chemical industry is [spending more money than ever](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2022&id=N13) to lobby the federal government. The bill follows the 2021 bipartisan PFAS Action Act, which passed the House but died in the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee after a [blitz of chemical industry lobbying](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-republican-house). Ranking member Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) [did not support the 2021 legislation](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-republican-house), which would have been [far more comprehensive](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2467/text) than the new Senate draft bill, citing the views of “local stakeholders” and the “uncertainty and unintended consequences” of the policy proposal. Since then, EPW Chairman Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has [repeatedly pledged](https://www.axios.com/pro/energy-policy/2023/02/16/carpers-anti-pfas-push) to put forward bipartisan PFAS legislation, which has now manifested in the long-anticipated draft bill. PFAS, an acronym for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and are highly mobile, having been found in [tap water across the country](https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us) and in the [blood of 97% of Americans](https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm#:~:text=One%20report%20by%20the%20Centers,blood%20of%2097%25%20of%20Americans.). Studies have repeatedly linked PFAS to adverse health effects including [ulcerative colitis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6358414/), [thyroid disease](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7851056/#:~:text=PFAS%20can%20have%20several%20detrimental,human%20health%2C%20as%20endocrine%20disruptors.), [decreased fertility](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/06/forever-chemicals-infertility-women-pfas-blood), [damage to the immune system](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8529509/) and [increased risk](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33385391/) of cancer. The public health crisis posed by the chemicals has gained wider recognition in recent years after lawsuits revealed that top PFAS-producing companies [knew about the dangers of the compounds](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10237242/#:~:text=Our%20review%20of%20industry%20documents,before%20the%20public%20health%20community.) for decades but [concealed them from the public](https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/05/425451/makers-pfas-forever-chemicals-covered-dangers). Prominent environmental groups including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have called out Carper and Capito for defining PFAS chemicals too narrowly in their proposal. PEER argues that the bill’s “weak” and “vague” definition would exclude many toxins from regulation and undermine national and state efforts to address PFAS, while the NRDC wrote that the draft bill’s definition “undermines the credibility of the entire product.” In letters sent earlier this year, the environmentalist groups urged the senators to define PFAS substances in their bill as chemicals with “one fully fluorinated carbon atom,” as opposed to the “at least two fluorinated carbon atoms” required by the current [draft proposal](https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/%5Fcache/files/e/1/e198c8f6-be9c-4187-ba2a-6b54ba19aad5/F8428DFD5E4D5EC2DF0A0EA6C31827EE.maz23283.pdf). PEER [noted](https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1kPI9ZOrLEw7aJfUPM0q72kTrYOU1U2z-qtVY-lgK6HM/edit) in its letter that major bodies such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union, United States Geological Survey, and 18 states such as California, Washington, Maine, Maryland, and New York use the “one fully fluorinated carbon atom” definition. Over 14,000 chemicals could be considered PFAS under the broad definition sought by the environmental groups, versus around 6,500 substances under the narrow definition sought by the chemical industry and included in the draft bill, according to PEER’s Science Policy Director Kyla Bennett, who was formerly an attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). PEER and the NRDC also take issue with the draft bill’s reliance on voluntary programs, which they argue would allow the chemical industry to regulate itself. The groups note that previous voluntary programs put forward by regulators led to one toxic chemical being replaced by a substance that is similarly toxic or even more dangerous, a phenomenon that in the toxic substance control arena is called “regrettable substitution.” For example, the EPA’s 2006 voluntary agreement with DuPont regarding chemicals known as PFOA led to the company [replacing the chemical with GenX](https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/pdf/10.1289/EHP5134), a substance the EPA later found to be [potentially even more toxic](https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/human-health-toxicity-assessments-genx-chemicals) than its precursor. While the EPA recognized PFOA as toxic with a non-enforceable drinking water advisory level for years, the agency did not enact a similar health advisory for GenX until 2022, enabling the [proliferation of the new toxin](https://theintercept.com/2016/03/03/how-dupont-concealed-the-dangers-of-the-new-teflon-toxin/) in areas like [the Cape Fear River](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/12/north-carolina-pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-cancer). “I firmly believe that industry is now willing to give up \[the PFAS chemicals\] PFOA and PFOS as sacrificial lambs, so long as they can keep using their regrettable substitutions,” Bennett told Sludge. “They are always trying to say that there are ‘bad’ PFAS and ‘safe’ PFAS. Make no mistake—there is no safe PFAS.” Bennet said that regulations should define PFAS broadly, regulate them as a class, and ban all non-essential uses, and that she believes any exclusions in the law would be fully taken advantage of by the chemicals’ manufacturers. The chemical industry has repeatedly voiced its opposition to broad PFAS definitions that would regulate the substances as a class. “The most problematic pieces of legislation include inappropriate and overly broad definitions of PFAS that pull in many potentially unintended substances and products,” the American Chemistry Council’s senior director of product communications Tom Flanagin [told the Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/05/plastic-pfas-chemical-health-dangers/) last year. Since the draft bill was released in late June, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has published blog posts warning that the broader, single-fluorinated carbon definition would hurt [climate change](https://www.americanchemistry.com/chemistry-in-america/news-trends/blog-post/2023/fluoropolymers-critical-in-the-fight-against-climate-change) and [healthcare](https://www.americanchemistry.com/chemistry-in-america/news-trends/blog-post/2023/overly-broad-pfas-restrictions-could-endanger-healthcare-quality-and-cost) outcomes. Sludge spoke to a number of ACC representatives who did not confirm whether or not the Council was involved with creating the draft bill, or if they had lobbied the senators for the narrow PFAS definition. Sludge also contacted a number of Senate EPW staffers who refused to comment on chemical industry involvement in the bill. The American Chemistry Council’s [lobbying](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/1ad5cfe3-0eb5-4053-928c-88c0d3ed8e63/print/) [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/1b02780b-f21b-43d1-a38d-5404c338a562/print/) for the first two quarters of the year say that it lobbied Congress on “Unintroduced PFAS legislation.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Harlan Crow and Texas Republican Donors Give to No Labels 2024 Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/08/01/harlan-crow-and-texas-republican-donors-give-to-no-labels-2024-super-pac/ Last updated: 2024-04-05T17:07:39.000Z A super PAC formed by No Labels last year raised $1.5 million in the first six months of 2023, with CEOs and real estate executives providing most of its largest donations, according to a new Federal Election Commission filing. The super PAC, named No Labels 2024, was formed on Oct. 25, 2022 and did not start raising money until mid-February of this year. The FEC [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00827543/1720237/) is its first of the 2024 election cycle, where No Labels is mounting a potential third-party presidential ticket and [spending on ballot access](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/20/no-labels-makes-initial-investment-in-bipartisan-presidential-ticket/) in all 50 states. The "dark money" group No Labels is [planning](https://jewishinsider.com/2023/04/no-labels-independent-third-party-candidate-trump-biden-joe-lieberman/) an April 14, 2024 nominating convention in Dallas, according to its founders. At its formation, the super PAC was [named](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00827543/1649279/) Convention 2024, indicating its spending would back the No Labels presidential ticket plan. It began using the name No Labels 2024 in a January [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00827543/1680532/). Billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow, a [benefactor](https://www.propublica.org/article/harlan-crow-slashed-tax-bill-clarence-thomas-superyacht) of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, donated $5,000 to the super PAC on June 12\. The Dallas-based real estate mogul had been dubbed a “whale” by No Labels on its fundraising documents, which indicate that he has recruited dozens of donors to the dark money group, according to [The New Republic](https://newrepublic.com/article/172059/no-labels-took-100000-clarence-thomas-buddy-harlan-crow). Of the super PAC’s 10 largest donors so far this year, seven are individuals based in Texas. The super PAC’s treasurer is Michael Rawlings, a Democrat who was formerly a nonpartisan mayor of Dallas and has joined in supporting the No Labels presidential plan. Beth Robertson, vice chairman of the Houston, Texas-based Cullen Foundation, donated a total of $75,000 to the super PAC in March and April. Since mid-2017, Robertson has donated $120,000 to the Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund, according to Texas Ethics Commission data. The group [funds](https://artexas.org/about/) Republican state legislative candidates while recruiting and training candidates. Over the past decade, Robertson has also donated a total of $138,000 to former state Rep. Joe Straus, a previous speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Robertson gave $75,000 in 2021 and 2022 to Eva Guzman, a former member of the Texas Supreme Court who ran last year for state attorney general. Since 2004, she has given $38,000 to Texans for Greg Abbott, now the Republican governor, with the last donation made in September 2015. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### DSCC Reports Record Lobbyist-Bundled Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/31/dscc-reports-record-lobbyist-bundled-donations/ Last updated: 2023-08-30T15:59:51.000Z The campaign arm of the Senate Democrats today reported raising more than $5.3 million in the first half of the year through bundled donations from lobbyists and lobbying firm PACs. That amount is more than twice as much as it has ever disclosed receiving in lobbyist-bundled donations over any other six-month period. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), which supports the election of Senate Democrats through TV ads and other things, received bundled donations in the first six months of 2023 from 19 registered lobbyists and a handful of PACs, according to a [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00042366/1719004/sa/3L) with the Federal Election Commission. Under federal law, lobbyist-bundlers must be reported if they forward checks worth—or are credited with raising—$21,800 or more in a year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Labels Funnels Finance Money to Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/28/no-labels-funnels-finance-money-to-congress/ Last updated: 2024-04-05T17:06:14.000Z The dark money group No Labels, which is preparing to run a third-party presidential ticket, says it has “created a growing national movement of commonsense Americans.” While the group has been making its pitch, one of its PACs has been earmarking donations for wealthy executives and billionaire investors. The No Labels Problem Solvers PAC has been used this year to route hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to members of Congress, according to Federal Election Commission data. Its top recipients include House Problem Solvers Co-Chair Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), with almost $246,000; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), with almost $132,000; and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), with $30,000. ## Get More of This Muckraking Investigating wealthy donors' interests Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. It's free to join. Unsubscribe anytime. The PAC operates as a conduit that allows individual donors to earmark funds to political campaigns. The donations are given by the PAC, but because they are earmarked from individual donors the PAC does not have to abide by contribution limits and can funnel unlimited amounts of money to campaigns. Around half of the at least 115 individual donors who gave through the No Labels Problem Solvers PAC this year reported their occupation as CEO, investor, executive, or similar titles, according to Sludge’s review of FEC data. Dozens more gave their occupation as retired. Numerous private equity executives gave through the No Labels PAC as the group is pursuing its multistate ballot access effort. Chris Gaffney, managing director of Great Hill Partners, went through No Labels to contribute the per-cycle maximum of $6,600 to each of Fitzpatrick and Gonzalez, as did Roger Evans of Greylock Partners. John Connaughton, co-managing partner of Bain Capital, gave the maximum donation to Fitzpatrick via the PAC. Other executives who have earmarked donations through No Labels this year include the following: Robert Stavis, partner at venture capital and investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners; Ron Shaich, CEO and managing partner of investment firm Act III Holdings; and Matthew Kaplan, chair of the Almanac real estate business at investment firm Neuberger Berman. Billionaire investor Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital, reportedly a [fundraiser host](https://theintercept.com/2022/04/27/joe-manchin-no-labels-billionaire-gathering/) for No Labels, with his spouse Nancy gave $5,800 to Gonzales through the PAC in early April. Rare among No Labels’ largely-secretive donors, Marks has written a [strategy memo](https://seekingalpha.com/article/4471972-howard-marks-latest-memo-the-winds-of-change) about the role that the House Problem Solvers played in 2021 in forcing a vote first on the bipartisan infrastructure framework, supported by many business lobbying groups. The moderates’ efforts delayed votes on the larger social spending and environmental programs included in the Build Back Better Act, which giant business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce battled with what the Washington Post [called](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/31/business-lobbying-democrats-reconciliation/) a “massive lobbying blitz.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New York Dems Use Special Account to Raise Corporate Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/26/new-york-dems-use-special-account-to-raise-corporate-donations/ Last updated: 2023-08-30T16:00:31.000Z The New York Democratic Party used a special account with no contribution limits to haul in large contributions in the first half of this year from corporations with interests in front of the state government, including gaming company Caesars, real estate company SL Green, gig economy company DoorDash, and the powerful trade group Greater New York Hospital Association, according to a recent filing with the state. The donations were made to a “housekeeping” account of the New York Democrats, a party fundraising account that can accept donations of unlimited size under New York State law. Donations from corporations to other candidates and party committees are capped at $5,000 per year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Hochul Raises Casino Developer Cash Ahead of Licensing Decisions URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/19/hochul-raises-casino-developer-cash-ahead-of-licensing-decisions/ Last updated: 2023-09-28T16:32:12.000Z A bidding war for New York City area casino licenses is underway, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Democratic Party are taking large donations from the gaming companies and real estate giants developing pricey proposals, according to recently-released campaign finance filings. In the past month, Hochul’s fundraising committee accepted large donations from the developers behind casino bids in Times Square, Hudson Yards, and Coney Island, while the state Democratic Party received a $50,000 donation earlier this year from a casino company hopeful. The contest for up to three New York City casino licenses was accelerated by the state budget that was passed by Gov. Hochul and legislators in April 2022, moving forward the timeline for beginning the process to award the licenses from a 2013 ballot measure by one year, to this past January. The [process](https://nycasinos.ny.gov/evaluation-and-selection), which comes with a $1 million application fee, involves multiple phases of [review](https://gothamist.com/news/new-york-city-casinos-what-to-know-about-the-states-big-bet?betaRedirect=true) from a variety of city and state boards—but the licenses will ultimately be awarded by the Gaming Facilities Location Board, a five-member panel whose members are appointed by the Gaming Commission, which is effectively [controlled](https://www.nytimes.com/article/nyc-casino-tracker.html) by Gov. Hochul. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### AIPAC-Funded Reps Condemn Jayapal Remarks on Israel URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/19/aipac-funded-reps-condemn-jayapal-remarks-on-israel/ Last updated: 2023-10-31T15:57:22.000Z The U.S. House of Representatives demonstrated once again this week that any representative who steps out of line and strongly criticizes Israel’s oppression and discrimination of Palestinians will be harshly rebuked and all but forced to make a public apology. The latest incident comes after Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a senior whip of the Democratic caucus, initially told pro-Palestinian rights protesters at a political conference in Chicago on Saturday that she believes Israel is a “racist state.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Investment Industry Donors Bankroll Sinema in Q2 URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/18/investment-industry-donors-bankroll-sinema-in-q2/ Last updated: 2024-03-05T20:49:25.000Z After preserving a tax benefit for investment managers last year, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) continues to rely on investment industry donors as she faces a Democratic challenger in a possible 2024 re-election campaign. In the second quarter this year, private equity, hedge fund, and venture capital executives streamed dozens of four-figure donations to Sinema’s campaign, joint fundraising committee, and leadership PAC. Several donors with private equity giant Blackstone topped up their donations to Sinema, with at least six more giving a total of $6,600 each, including A.J. Agarwal, a senior managing director in the firm’s real estate group. Tens of thousands of dollars of Sinema’s second quarter haul came from donors who work at the investment firms Montgomery Capital, First Atlantic LLC, Crescent Capital Group, and TPG Capital. A handful of large donations from employees of the Boston-based private equity firm Advent International, totaling $23,000, were received by Sinema’s joint fundraising committee within a one week period in April, including from David Mussafer, the company’s chairman and managing partner. Other donations in the second quarter to Sinema came from Amir Goldman of private equity company Susquehanna Growth Equity, John Connaughton of Bain Capital, and James Burr, managing director at the Carlyle Group. ## Sign up for Sludge Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. We'll send periodic updates from our newsroom. Unsubscribe anytime. Without having spoken the term “carried interest” on the congressional record as of August 2022, according to the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/business/dealbook/sinema-tax-loophole-carried-interest.html), Sinema has taken action to defend the so-called “carried interest” tax loophole for private equity and real estate fund managers. In 2021, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats proposed closing the loophole that investment managers use to pay the lower capital gains tax rates on their ordinary income and harnessing the revenue from that change to support social spending programs in the Build Back Better Act. However, the measure was kept out of the bill, out of concerns that Sinema would spike the plan. The following year, Sinema [demanded](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/05/sinema-made-schumer-cut-carried-interest-loophole-from-reconciliation-bill.html) that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remove a provision to partially close the loophole from the Inflation Reduction Act as a condition of her vote for the bill in the evenly-divided Senate. In the months after that ultimatum, Sinema received at least [$526,000](https://perfectunion.us/sinemas-private-equity-donations-keep-flowing-after-saving-tax-loophole/?ref=unusual-whales.ghost.io) from donors who stood to benefit from the rule staying on the books. Most of the private equity firms whose employees donated to Sinema last quarter are members of D.C. trade association the American Investment Council (AIC), which [fought changes](https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/private-equity-hedge-funds-object-us-carried-interest-tax-hike-proposal-2022-07-28/) to the carried interest loophole last summer and increased its lobbying spending last year to its highest level since 2009. Toward the end of last year, Sinema left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent. Her 2024 re-election plans have not been announced, but Arizona media coverage indicates she is preparing to run. Sinema’s campaign raised nearly $1.7 million in the second quarter, bringing its total cash on hand to nearly $10.8 million. Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who is running for Senate, outpaced Sinema by raising more than $3.1 million in the second quarter, for a total of $3.8 million cash on hand. Several Republican candidates including 2022 gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake have expressed interest in joining their party’s primary for the state’s Senate seat. Sinema’s inclination toward wealthy investors as she [defended](https://apnews.com/article/sinema-took-wall-street-money-while-killing-tax-on-investors-0c07f73ba6db92f87fa33f1aad8dbeac) the industry’s tax breaks—and her wave of [donations](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/16/republican-billionaires-are-donating-to-manchin-and-sinema/) from Republican-leaning billionaires while undermining parts of the Democrats’ legislative agenda—have been central in the upcoming Senate contest in Arizona. Recently, Gallego [contrasted](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/wealthy-investors-pacs-big-gop-donors-fill-sinemas-campaign-rcna79653) the 98% of his first quarter fundraising that came from donors who gave under $100 with the “rich guys on Wall Street” backing Sinema. ## **Private Flights and Upscale Resorts** Further donations from private equity executives and wealthy investors underwrote Sinema’s luxe fundraising trips this year: one-third of the $725,000 that Sinema’s leadership PAC, Getting Stuff Done (GSD), raised this year came from donors in the investment industry, according to a Sludge review of its semi-annual [report](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571182/1714392/) with the Federal Election Commission. Donors with private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), the Carlyle Group, Crescent Capital Group, tech investment firm Francisco Partners, and Blackstone contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Sinema’s PAC this year, making up a portion of the more than $226,000 that GSD has received from investment industry donors, according to Sludge’s review. Other donors included the following: Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies; Julia Koch, the billionaire spouse of the late libertarian megadonor David Koch; Nelson Peltz, the Republican megadonor and hedge fund founder [reported](https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-no-labels-went-from-preaching-unity-to-practicing-the-dark-arts) to be a major donor to the “dark money” group No Labels; and Texas real estate mogul and Republican bundler Woody Hunt. Leadership PACs finance travel, lodging, and other fundraising expenses for federal lawmakers, as well as donations to other politicians. According to FEC [guidance](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/registering-pac/types-nonconnected-pacs/), such PACs “​​may not solicit, receive, direct, transfer, spend or disburse funds in connection with an election for federal office,” with funding raised meant to support other candidates for office—though [in practice](https://issueone.org/articles/all-expenses-paid-another-look-at-congressional-leadership-pacs-outlandish-spending/), they often bankroll lavish travel for their sponsors. Since the start of this year, a total of [$346,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571182/1714392/sa/11C) in donations to GSD came from PACs including those of the AIC, the American Financial Services Association, investment company the Capital Group, Delta, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the No Labels Problem Solvers, and Dallas-based corporate tax firm Ryan LLC. Sinema’s PAC spent almost $900,000 so far in 2023, the vast majority of which went to two payees. The first was D.C. firm Fulkerson Kennedy & Company, which was paid almost $330,000 by GSD for fundraising consulting and “fundraising event expenses reimbursement.” The firm has also received $169,000 from Sinema’s campaign this year. The second was travel and security service TOA Group, [formed](https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyrsten-sinemas-dollar300000-security-expert-is-tulsi-gabbards-sister) by the sister of Sinema’s friend, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, with almost $268,000 paid to it by GSD. The security company has also received ​​$233,000 from Sinema’s campaign this year. Sinema’s leadership PAC has made only two contributions to candidates so far this cycle: it donated $10,000 to the re-election campaign of Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, and $5,000 to the campaign of Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico. The under 2% of the PAC’s spending in the first half of 2023 that went to contributions is a sharp drop from the first six months of the previous election cycle, when GSD spent some $45,000 on donations, nearly a quarter of its spending during that period—though, before Sen. Sinema was in a re-election cycle. In trips ranging from Silicon Valley to London, GSD spent $200,000 on event rentals and catering, hotels, airfare, wine, car services, and other transportation, according to Sludge’s review of its [disbursements](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571182/1714392/sb/21B). In the first two months of the year, GSD spent more than $2,500 at the five-star Le Roch Hotel & Spa Paris and nearly $2,000 on car transport with a Paris-based private service. Getting Stuff Done PAC spent $37,000 at the upscale Enchantment Resort in Sedona, $43,000 at the luxury hotel chain Montage North America for an event deposit, and nearly $9,000 with Marriott International. It also spent nearly $16,000 in early February with the private flight company Flying Zebra, based at Westchester County Airport in New York. The D.C. restaurant Centrolina was paid several thousand dollars by GSD for catering, and numerous wine companies received a total of several thousand dollars from the PAC, including Three Sticks Wines, the Sonoma winery where Sinema did an internship in 2020 as a senator. Last October, Sinema held a [fundraiser](https://perfectunion.us/sinemas-private-equity-donations-keep-flowing-after-saving-tax-loophole/) at the winery, which is owned by TPG Capital co-founder and partner emeritus Bill Price. ## **Airline Donations** Employees of Delta and American Airlines each donated tens of thousands of dollars to Sinema in April and May. In mid-June, Sinema and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) proposed a controversial [amendment](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/15/duckworth-sinema-pilot-training-rules-00102228) that would loosen the pilot training requirements for commercial aircraft. Changing the training requirements is [supported](https://theintercept.com/2023/06/23/kyrsten-sinema-pilot-training-airline-industry/) by industry group the Regional Airline Association and opposed by pilot and flight attendant unions such as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. The late-breaking amendment on pilot training rules, as well as proposed changes to flight slots at D.C.’s National Airport, have [held up](https://rollcall.com/2023/07/10/senators-say-adding-flights-to-national-could-slow-faa-bill/) the FAA reauthorization bill in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ahead of a September 30 deadline. The PAC of major trade association Airlines for America donated $2,500 to Sinema’s campaign on June 8, with at least three of its lobbyists donating in the second quarter as well, including Christine Burgeson, the group’s SVP of Global Government Affairs. *(Photo of Sen. Sinema via [Gage Skidmore](https://flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/albums/72177720307334305))* *July 18, 4pm ET: This post was updated with a corrected total received from GSD by Fulkerson Kennedy & Company.* --- ## Read more: ## [Private Equity Giants Back Sinema in Q1](https://readsludge.com/2023/04/17/private-equity-giants-back-sinema-in-q1/) ## [Beatty and Gottheimer Funnel Private Equity Donations Through Pop-up Committee](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/03/beatty-and-gottheimer-funnel-private-equity-donations-through-pop-up-pac/) ## [The Bank-Funded Dems That Spiked Omarova’s Nomination](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/14/the-bank-funded-dems-that-spiked-omarovas-nomination/) ### Climate Caucus Leader Owns Natural Gas Company Stock URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/14/climate-caucus-leader-owns-natural-gas-company-stock/ Last updated: 2023-11-01T04:30:03.000Z Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) is relaunching the House Climate Solutions Caucus after investing in natural gas company Tellurian. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Labels Appears to Be Losing Board Members URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/12/no-labels-appears-to-be-losing-board-members/ Last updated: 2024-03-14T11:26:09.000Z Since it kicked off its work to secure a ballot line in all 50 states for a third-party presidential ticket, No Labels has lost three board members—one who broke publicly with the group over its plans, and two who were quietly removed from the group’s website. Brookings Institution Senior Fellow William A. Galston broke ties with No Labels in April, warning that a No Labels ticket would operate as a spoiler for President Biden’s re-election campaign and benefit Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine democracy. Galston, a Democrat, wrote soon after in a [Wall Street Journal op-ed](https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-labels-may-re-elect-donald-trump-third-party-independent-galston-rematch-f2e7697d), “if a No Labels ticket receives even a tiny share of the vote in key states, Mr. Trump could end up back in the Oval Office.” Galston had been a board member since 2016 of No Labels’ 501(c)3 arm, previously called the No Labels Foundation and then The New Center, according to its tax returns. Two other individuals were recently removed by No Labels from its [legal board](https://www.nolabels.org/legal-board) webpage: campaign finance lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a senior political law counsel at lobbying firm Akin Gump; and Margie Fox, a partner at marketing agency Marine Lane. Neither responded to requests for comment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A Jan. 6 'Moms' Group Funded by Big Lie Donors Is Stoking Voter Suppression URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/07/11/a-jan-6-moms-group-funded-by-big-lie-donors-is-stoking-voter-suppression/ Last updated: 2023-07-11T15:05:57.000Z The right-wing extremist group “Moms for America” has been flying under the radar as it works to undermine our rights. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate Executives Fund No Labels 2024 Presidential Ticket URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/06/26/corporate-executives-fund-no-labels-2024-presidential-ticket/ Last updated: 2024-03-20T13:12:02.000Z The dark money group No Labels is putting millions of dollars behind preparations to run a third-party 2024 presidential ticket, composed of a Democrat and Republican, in the event of a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump. Many political observers have written that the plan from the self-described centrist group, whose recurring funders have reportedly included several Republican megadonors, would likely pull votes from Biden’s re-election campaign. While No Labels declines to identify the sources of the vast majority of its funding, documents released by the Internal Revenue Service offer a window into some of the donors to its effort to secure ballot access in all 50 states. Of the 36 donors it recently disclosed, only two are not either corporate executives, retired corporate executives, or their spouses, according to Sludge’s review. The donors all gave in August 2022 to a group formed by No Labels called Insurance Policy for America that is spending money on the ballot access campaign. Insurance Policy for America is a 527 political organization, so it files its disclosures with the IRS rather than the Federal Election Commission. Its [registration](https://forms.irs.gov/app/pod/basicSearch/downloadFile?formId=139550&formType=e8872) filing shows it was formed on Dec. 20, 2021 and received $2.4 million from No Labels three days later. The Insurance Policy for America donors were first mentioned by [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/23/no-labels-third-party-bid-election-00103331) last week and covered by [Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/06/no-labels-exposed-heres-a-list-of-donors-funding-its-effort-to-disrupt-the-2024-race/). The donations were listed on a [periodic report](https://forms.irs.gov/app/pod/basicSearch/downloadFile?formId=139598&formType=e8872) covering the third quarter of last year that was signed on May 2 by Jerald Howe, Jr., a No Labels board of directors member and the group’s custodian of records who is also an executive vice president and general counsel at defense firm Leidos. The report shows the group raised $190,800 that quarter. It [spent](https://forms.irs.gov/app/pod/basicSearch/downloadFile?formId=139688&formType=e8872) $173,075 in August and September with vendors such as Capitol Advisors of Alexandria, Virginia on ballot access. Matthew Kaplan, an executive at investment firm Neuberger Berman, gave $5,600 to the group last August. Kaplan is chairman of the Almanac investment business at the firm, which invests in real estate assets and interests, and so far this year has donated to the campaigns of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), No Labels ally and potential presidential pick Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), among others. The firm Neuberger Berman belongs to at least two trade associations that lobbied against revenue elements in the Democrats’ budget reconciliation plan. The Investment Company Institute (ICI), which represents investment firms, has mentioned in lobbying [disclosures](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/10b64a59-4964-4711-bf3f-3ee3fa3475eb/print/) that it worked on supporting a preferential capital gains tax rate and opposing a financial transaction tax. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), which represents securities companies, investment banks, and other firms, put out a [statement](https://www.sifma.org/resources/news/sifma-amg-statement-on-impact-of-tax-proposals-on-middle-class-savers/) in September 2021 from Tim Cameron, managing director, expressing concerns with tax changes in the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. With [help from Sinema](https://perfectunion.us/sinema-more-than-doubled-private-equity-fundraising-before-killing-carried-interest-provision/), the investment industry succeeded at blocking the Democrats from passing legislation in the later Inflation Reduction Act to raise taxes on investment managers through addressing what is known as the “carried interest loophole.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Labels Staffs Up With Republicans Ahead of 2024 Presidential Plans URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/06/22/no-labels-staffs-up-with-republicans-ahead-of-2024-presidential-plans/ Last updated: 2024-01-19T20:04:28.000Z As it moves forward with plans to promote a bipartisan presidential ticket that many pundits say would pull votes from President Biden and help to elect a Republican, the self-described centrist group No Labels is defending itself against accusations that it is trying to boost Republicans by saying that it would back down if polling shows that the ticket would be a spoiler for either party. But speculation about the group’s Republican bias has continued to grow, most recently through [reporting](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/06/no-labels-is-helping-a-firm-that-raises-money-for-right-wing-extremists-anedot/) that No Labels uses an online fundraising system that only works with Republican candidates. Now, a review of the group’s hiring since it began working on its 2024 unity ticket plan shows that No Labels has been staffing up with former Republican Party fundraisers, campaigners, and policy advisers, tilting its personnel clearly to the right. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Biden Admin Sides with Inaugural Donors Ford and GM in Blocking Massachusetts’ ‘Right to Repair’ Law URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/06/16/biden-admin-sides-with-inaugural-donors-ford-and-gm-in-blocking-massachusetts-right-to-repair-law/ Last updated: 2023-06-16T12:21:12.000Z The car companies donated a combined $750,000 to President Biden’s inauguration. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Tax Prep Industry Hires More Lobbyists as IRS Announces Free E-File Pilot URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/06/01/tax-prep-industry-hires-more-lobbyists-as-irs-announces-free-e-file-pilot/ Last updated: 2023-12-20T18:51:27.000Z As the tax preparation industry fights against the Internal Revenue Service offering a free e-filing system, one of its lobbying groups has hired three new lobbyists with ties to the congressional committees that oversee the IRS. The lobbyists were [hired](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/1cdce702-1ec1-4fa4-853c-dfec9bae1e5e/print/) on May 1, shortly before the IRS [announced](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-submits-direct-file-report-to-congress-treasury-department-directs-pilot-to-evaluate-key-issues) on May 16 that the Treasury Department has directed it to take a long-awaited next step and develop a free e-filing tool, in what it calls a “limited pilot” for the 2024 tax season. The announcement came on the same day the IRS submitted a feasibility study of such a system to Congress, which was required by a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that Congress passed last year. They are planning to lobby on “Issues related to tax administration and tax-time financial products,” according to a Senate filing. The new lobbyists work for the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and were retained by American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights (ACTR), a trade association founded in 2011 by several tax prep companies. The group’s members include the two largest industry players in Intuit, owner of TurboTax, and H&R Block, as well as Republic Bank, Liberty Tax Services, and software company TaxSlayer. For years, ACTR has [argued against](https://www.americancoalitionfortaxpayerrights.org/facts/should-we-trust-the-irs-to-prepare-our-tax-returns/) a free filing option with claims that it would endanger Americans’ privacy, threaten tax system security, and undercut the existing free filing tools available for taxpayers earning less than a certain amount per year. The group’s general counsel, Steve Ryan, [said recently](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/irs-moves-forward-free-filing-system-pilot-program-99372451) that “a direct e-file system is unnecessary, costly and will divert attention and resources from more pressing priorities at IRS.” A [report](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/09/07/irs-free-efile-biden/) by the watchdog Government Accountability Office found that only three percent of Americans who are eligible use the free filing options currently offered by TaxSlayer and other companies. If an official IRS tool were offered and use increased, the bureau found, its staffing and operation could cost [$200 million](https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-income-taxes-free-file-turbotax-intuit) a year—funding that would likely need to be approved in annual congressional appropriations. At the same time, this expenditure could save taxpayers billions annually in tax preparation fees, according to the Treasury’s [chief implementation officer](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/irs-launch-free-us-direct-tax-filing-pilot-program-2024-2023-05-16) for the IRA, slashing the ballpark cost per return from $40 to $10\. The report also found that 72% of taxpayers [surveyed](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23814507-irs-direct-file-report-2023-5-16) were interested in using a free IRS-provided online tool to prepare and file their taxes. The vast majority of other wealthy countries pre-fill some portion of tax returns, including Australia, Spain, and Sweden. Brownstein Hyatt (BHFS) has been the top-spending lobbying firm in Washington D.C. for the past two years, according to a tally on [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-lobbying-firms?cycle=2022). The firm’s lobbying clients already include Intuit subsidiary Credit Karma, as well as collection agency PRA Group and the ACA International trade association of debt collectors. Lobbyists for Intuit with BHFS including Zachary Pfister and Nadeam Elshami are [hefty bundlers](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/08/intuits-top-lobbying-firms-are-also-major-dscc-bundlers/) of contributions to the House and Senate Democratic campaign arms that work to re-elect incumbents. Three of the new ACTR lobbyists previously [worked](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/1cdce702-1ec1-4fa4-853c-dfec9bae1e5e/print/) for committees that conduct [oversight](https://www.irs.gov/about-irs/irs-oversight-organizations) of the IRS: Russell ​Sullivan, staff director of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003-2013; ​Harold ​Hancock, tax counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee from 2011-2017; and Mark ​Warren, chief tax counsel of the Senate Finance Committee from 2019-2021, as well as deputy assistant secretary of the Department of the Treasury’s office of Legislative Affairs. David D. Ransom, who was recently hired by BHFS with a focus on tax policy and administration, will lobby for ACTR after working from 2007-2008 as senior advisor to former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), where he weighed in on floor strategy and communications, according to BHFS. Since the first quarter of 2011, Ransom lobbied for ACTR as a partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, Senate records show. Hoyer was a member of the House Democratic leadership in 2019 when the House passed [H.R. 3151](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3151), the Taxpayer First Act, sponsored by the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a bill with a provision that [threatened](https://www.propublica.org/article/congress-is-about-to-ban-the-government-from-offering-free-online-tax-filing-thank-turbotax) to permanently bar the IRS from offering its own free filing system. In June of that year, the House and Senate passed a revised version of the bill, following a voice vote in the Senate, that removed the provisions that could have legally barred the IRS from offering an official e-filing service, according to [ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/congress-scraps-provision-to-restrict-irs-from-competing-with-turbotax). The bill was signed into law by President Trump on July 1, 2019\. The lobbying group ACTR raised more than $1 million in each of 2020 and 2021, according to its annual [tax returns](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/452940662), and spent half a million dollars on federal lobbying in 2021 and 2022\. In the first quarter of this year, the group spent $70,000 lobbying Congress on [issues](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/91ecf552-e298-4392-ab5f-fa9f2d7cbd83/print/) including the tax filing simplification measures that became law in the IRA. One of the group’s former chairs, Daniel Eubanks, is now the director of federal government relations and a lobbyist for Intuit. A long-running ProPublica [reporting series](https://www.propublica.org/series/the-turbotax-trap) has documented how tax prep companies steered customers into paying for tax return filings while mounting lobbying efforts against an officially-supported IRS option—one that could lay the groundwork for pre-populated tax returns that taxpayers review and approve, slashing the costs of the process. Intuit and H&R Block have together topped [$35 million](https://apnews.com/article/irs-income-tax-free-electronic-filing-option-700e54251a39791091966bc0b356d342) in federal lobbying spending since 2006, the year that tax prep companies in the Free File Alliance started a partnership with the IRS that prevented an official e-filing system for taxpayers, with the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform spending millions more. The Grover Norquist-led group is leading a [renewed push](https://thehill.com/business/3912232-conservative-coalition-takes-aim-at-bidens-irs-run-tax-preparation-service/) to block the Biden administration and IRS initiative through a coalition letter to members of Congress signed by David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth, and Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks. --- --- ## Read more from us: ## [Congressional Leaders Are Embracing Dark Money Like Never Before](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/01/congressional-leaders-are-embracing-dark-money-like-never-before/) ## [Apple Spent Record Amount on Lobbying as it Fought Antitrust Legislation](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/23/apple-spent-record-amount-on-lobbying-as-it-fought-antitrust-legislation/) ## [Steny Hoyer’s Secretive Island Club is Sponsored by the Gun Lobby](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/01/steny-hoyers-secretive-island-club-is-sponsored-by-the-gun-lobby/) ### Pharma Ally Kurt Schrader Cashes In on K Street URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/25/pharma-ally-kurt-schrader-cashes-in-on-k-street/ Last updated: 2023-11-01T04:30:26.000Z Schrader’s new lobbying employer works for numerous drug companies like Pfizer and Sanofi, plus industry trade association PhRMA. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Oakland Community Groups Call to Fund ‘Democracy Dollars’ Program URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/25/oakland-community-groups-call-to-fund-democracy-dollars-program/ Last updated: 2023-05-25T15:28:07.000Z In November of last year, Oakland voters approved an innovative public campaign financing program known as “Democracy Dollars” for city elections. The program was the centerpiece of the Oakland Fair Elections Act, on the ballot as Measure W, which passed with 74% in favor. But the launch of Oakland’s democracy dollars for the 2024 election cycle is jeopardized under new Mayor Sheng Thao’s proposed budget, unveiled on May 1 in response to a deficit caused by a decline in tax revenues. The mayor’s $4.2 billion two-year budget plan would [postpone](https://oaklandside.org/2023/05/11/oakland-commission-reckons-with-devastating-budget/) funding for the democracy dollars program until the 2026 election cycle—specifically, by withholding [$4 million](https://oaklandside.org/2023/05/02/oakland-mayor-budget-proposal-2023-2024-mixed-reactions/) in funding for redeemable vouchers meant to come from the general fund. Commissioners of the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, the independent body readying to administer the public campaign financing program, [made the case in an op-ed](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/oakland-budget-democracy-dollars-18115436.php) that delaying the rollout of the democracy dollar program would be a mistake, weakening trust in local government during a budget crunch. Because Measure W replaced the program that reimbursed City Council candidates for limited amounts of campaign expenses, next year’s Oakland elections would entirely lack an option for campaigns to draw on public funding, if the program is postponed. > We need elected officials who are really willing to listen to the community, and Democracy Dollars was going to be the program that would help us. > > liz suk, executive director, Oakland Rising While input from the mayor, city staff, city task forces, and residents all [shape](https://oaklandside.org/2023/04/24/in-her-first-budget-as-mayor-thao-stares-down-oaklands-biggest-deficit-ever/) the budget in a monthslong process, ultimately the Oakland City Council approves the final budget, which is due by June 30\. Recognizing the constraints of the deficit, Oakland advocates for democracy dollars are proposing the Council fund a scaled-back pilot program that would bring its two-year cost down from approximately $8 million to [$3.2 million](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/oakland-budget-democracy-dollars-18115436.php), laying the groundwork for a full rollout in 2026\. Organizations that supported Measure W as it became law, including the Bay Rising coalition of community-led groups and good government group California Common Cause, are contacting Oakland City Council members to urge them to fund the democracy dollars pilot. Over the past week, all but one of Oakland’s seven council districts held [town halls](https://bayrising.org/2023/05/12/support-democracy-dollars-for-oakland/), and members of the grassroots groups attended each to emphasize how democracy dollars stand to boost participation in city races. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/05/Oakland_town_hall_May_2023-1-1024x768.jpg) Democracy Dollars supporter Kara Murray-Badal of Oakland speaks at a Council District 2 budget town hall Oakland Rising Oakland’s democracy dollars plan is modeled on the first-of-its-kind program in Seattle, which is [growing in use](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) by voters there over the past three election cycles. Under Oakland’s democracy dollars [program](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/), four $25 vouchers are to be mailed to every registered city voter, which can be donated to participating city candidates who must reach a qualifying threshold of small-dollar contributions and agree to other [requirements](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/oakland-voters-to-decide-on-fair-elections-measure/). In 2024, elections will be held for city attorney, five city council seats, and four school board [seats](https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/what-are-democracy-dollars). Supporters in Oakland’s Yes on W coalition [point to](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/yes-on-w) the voucher program’s ability to broaden the donor pool, increasing local engagement in elections and enabling candidates who don’t already have a rolodex of wealthy supporters to run for city office. Oakland Rising’s executive director, liz suk, told Sludge, “There’s going to have to be tightening and some cuts that need to be made. But in November, Oaklanders voted overwhelmingly yes on Measure W, which is supposed to create a more transparent and accountable government by offering folks and establishing a democracy dollars program—the second in the country. It’s an opportunity to get elected officials into office that will hopefully bring local government attention to the issues that matter most to us, like affordable housing, quality schools, community safety—not just pouring all our funds into the police department. “Oakland voters really wanted to see this program in place,” suk said. “We know that we’re in a city up against some major issues like housing and homelessness. The streets and infrastructure in the city haven’t been taken care of by previous administrations. In order to have those in place, we need elected officials in office who are really willing to listen to the community, and democracy dollars was going to be the program that would help us.” Oakland Rising is encouraging local supporters of democracy dollars to attend council district budget meetings and keep the program’s rollout on schedule. “Folks are going to each of the town halls and talking directly to each of the council members about what it could look like to fund this program,” suk said. Working with the Public Ethics Commission, suk said, “We’ve come up with different options to have at least a partial launch of the program, where democracy dollars would be housed in the administration and would be prepared for it to launch. As we press on the City Council, we’re hoping to garner more support for democracy dollars and seed the funding for the public education that’s needed.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/05/oaklandbackground-1024x576.jpg) Pecolia Manigo, Oakland Rising political director, and a Democracy Dollars supporter at an Oakland town hall Oakland Rising “In the large scheme of things, a bit over $1 million a year is not a big chunk of funds,” suk said. “This will be vital for us to begin the process of turning our city into one that will be able to prioritize the voices of communities and promote their needs to our elected officials.” Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause and an Oakland resident, told Sludge, “Our city’s leaders need to honor the will of the people and find a way to implement a successful partial launch of the democracy dollars program in 2024 so that Oakland can be a statewide leader in building an inclusive and multiracial democracy. “Oaklanders made it clear it’s a top priority for us to have a more accountable and responsive local government, and the City Council needs to act accordingly by providing seed funding for a pilot launch of the democracy dollars program in 2024,” Stein said. “Everyone supporting this effort are Oaklanders ourselves and we recognize it’s a difficult budget environment, so we’re not asking for a full launch—we’ve found a way to design a partial launch that would still be very effective for $3.2 million over two years. That’s less than one half of one percent of the city’s general fund and our hope is that the mayor and the City Council can find the funds necessary to honor the will of the voters. “We’re pleased to see that the mayor’s budget finds a way to address needs like affordable housing and public safety while dealing with the budget deficit, but unfortunately the budget takes us backwards on public financing, because Measure W replaced the limited public financing act with democracy dollars,” Stein said. “If Measure W is delayed, the Limited Public Financing Act remains stricken from city law, so in effect we end up worse off than before, with a democracy that is more open to wealthy campaign donors, special interests, and candidates who have connections to those wealthy interests. That’s clearly not what Oaklanders wanted when they voted yes on the Fair Elections Act.” A [report](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f4185b8185bc4f05ad3955/t/621e675c042bbe2451c70566/1646159710423/Campaign+Cash%5FMarch+2022+Final.pdf) last year by the civic technology nonprofit MapLight found that campaign contributions came disproportionately from Oakland’s richest and whitest neighborhoods. The analysis also found that just half of all candidate fundraising came from Oakland residents, with outside spending by companies like Lyft and wealthy donors like billionaire Mike Bloomberg playing a significant role in city elections. In last year’s Oakland mayoral race, a [pop-up committee](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/oakland-voters-to-decide-on-fair-elections-measure/) funded by hedge fund and real estate executives with interest in developing a coal export terminal promoted one candidate, a former councilmember, under the anodyne-sounding name, “Californians for Safer Streets Supporting Ignacio De La Fuente.” Stein said that members of the Yes on W [coalition](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/) are emailing councilmembers and turning out to community town halls to back the pilot program. “We are showing up with the same message: we recognize full funding is not possible, we want a very modest amount in the budget to implement a pilot launch to take advantage of the momentum that democracy dollars has and show that Oakland can be a leader,” Stein said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/05/Kalb_Oakland_Democracy_Dollars-e1685037051758-985x1024.jpeg) Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb, a supporter of the Democracy Dollars program Oakland Rising Oakland Councilmember Dan Kalb, a supporter of Measure W, said in a statement, “Democracy Dollars is a vitally important program to engage more residents in the political process and open that process up to a greater range of candidates. I’m happy to enthusiastically support this in Oakland and beyond.” A research [study](https://mccourt.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Broadening-Donor-Participation-in-Local-Elections%5FReport%5F2022.pdf) of Seattle’s latest use of democracy vouchers published last year by Associate Professors Dr. Jen Heerwig of Stony Brook University and Brian J. McCabe of Georgetown University found that the program’s largest share in gains since its launch in 2017 came in participation among people of color, younger voters, and lower-income residents, helping the city’s donor pool become more representative of the city’s population as a whole. In Los Angeles, where a [group](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/about/) has been campaigning since 2021 for a public campaign voucher program to combat the wave of outside spending in city elections, several City Council members [introduced](https://www.lademocracyvouchers.org/democracy-vouchers-motion-introduced/) a motion in March to study the feasibility of a version of the program in their city. This week, the Los Angeles City Council’s Rules Committee [scheduled](https://twitter.com/LADemVouchers/status/1661087310723825665) the motion for a public hearing on Friday, May 26\. The [text](https://twitter.com/LADemVouchers/status/1639363078398840833) of the motion directs city officials to produce, within 90 days, a demographic and neighborhood-by-neighborhood analysis of donors in Los Angeles elections, as well as recommendations for how much the program would increase the share of campaign donations coming from city residents and budget requirements for the program, among other things. At Oakland’s Council District 2 budget forum, city resident Kara Murray-Badal said in a video taken by Oakland Rising, “We’re here because we care so much about affordable housing, about safety and making sure that our people are treated well, and we know that democracy dollars are a key way to make sure that happens. “It’s about free and fair elections, we shouldn’t wait on that priority,” Murray-Badal said to the town hall. --- --- ## Read more: ## [Public Campaign Financing Is Coming to New York](https://readsludge.com/2023/05/03/public-campaign-financing-is-coming-to-new-york/) ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [NYC Public Campaign Financing Program Leveled the Playing Field: Report](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) ### The Fossil Fuel Industry Campaign to Dirty Up Hydrogen Fuel Tax Credits URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/19/the-fossil-fuel-industry-campaign-to-dirty-up-hydrogen-fuel-tax-credits/ Last updated: 2023-12-19T17:12:41.000Z In the months ahead, the Biden administration will issue guidance on tax credits for hydrogen fuel production that could kickstart clean energy—but if a fossil fuel industry lobbying blitz succeeds, it could instead subsidize the continued extraction and burning of fossil gas. Oil and gas companies like BP and ConocoPhillips have deployed dozens of revolving door lobbyists to press federal policymakers on their case that hydrogen fuel produced with fossil gas—also known as natural gas—should qualify for subsidies. Environmentalists are hoping the credit is only available for hydrogen fuel that is produced with renewable energy. At stake is whether the tax credit achieves its goal of decarbonizing some of the heaviest-polluting sectors, or whether it props up fossil gas companies with public funding and helps them repurpose their existing pipelines for the production of hydrogen. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### House GOP Attempts to Defund Poultry Regulation Opposed by Their Megadonor URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/18/house-gop-attempts-to-defund-poultry-regulation-opposed-by-their-megadonor/ Last updated: 2023-10-07T13:08:06.000Z Republican megadonor Ron Cameron owns a massive chicken company that has been working to kill the regulation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Peer Into the Dark Money Abyss URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/09/peer-into-the-dark-money-abyss/ Last updated: 2024-05-30T16:45:53.000Z The four nonprofits tied to the highest-ranking Democrats and Republicans in Congress have in recent election cycles been among the largest spenders on congressional elections, but they are not required to disclose their donors so almost no one knows from where the bulk of their funding has come. However, more large American companies have begun voluntarily disclosing their political donations due to pressure from shareholder activists, and some are disclosing money they give to so-called “dark money” 501(c)(4) nonprofits that do not disclose their donors. By reviewing hundreds of corporate disclosures, lobbying contribution filings, and other documents, Sludge has identified more than two dozen companies that have donated to the nonprofits linked to congressional leaders, either directly from their corporate treasuries or through their PACs. The four nonprofits are Majority Forward, a pro-Senate Democrat nonprofit with ties to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); One Nation, a pro-Senate Republican nonprofit with ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.); House Majority Forward, a pro-House Democrat nonprofit with ties to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); and American Action Network, a pro-House Republican nonprofit with ties to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). [More ‘Dark Money’ for President BidenA new FEC disclosure shows the president’s main super PAC continues to rely on dark money for the majority of its funding.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/05/GettyImages-2152925758.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/05/21/more-dark-money-for-president-biden/) These dark money groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on TV and digital ads that attempt to influence voters regarding congressional races, and they have transferred millions to their sister super PACs to buy ads. For example, the pro-Republican One Nation nonprofit spent at least [$40 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/10/senate-gop-dark-money/) on election ads in the 2020 election cycle and donated more than $85 million to the Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC Senate Leadership Fund that cycle. One Nation’s Democratic counterpart, Majority Forward, has given more than $111 million to the Schumer-aligned SMP super PAC since 2020, according to Federal Election Commission records. The four super PACs affiliated with the dark money groups were the top outside spenders on elections last cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Fgroup/2022?chrt=2020&disp=O&type=A), making a combined $842 million in independent expenditures and flooding the airwaves with campaign ads. These nonprofits are not really independent groups. Rather, they operate as special accounts for their affiliated super PACs that allow them to take donations without being subject to the transparency requirements of PACs. The four nonprofits share the same address with their sister PACs, and have many of the same staff members. The groups also typically use many of the same vendors as their super PAC affiliates. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Public Campaign Financing Is Coming to New York URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/05/03/public-campaign-financing-is-coming-to-new-york/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T13:13:28.000Z Campaigns for state offices in New York have long relied on wealthy donors and special interests for their funding, but more will soon be powered by small-dollar donations from everyday New Yorkers. In the New York State budget they passed this week, lawmakers included $39.5 million in funding for the state’s new public campaign financing program. The Brennan Center for Justice and other campaign finance reform advocates [applauded](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-york-state-budget-includes-395-million-public-campaign-financing) the funding’s approval. The program, which will be in effect starting in the 2024 elections, will offer candidates public matching funds for small contributions they raise, [amplifying](https://readsludge.com/2023/04/07/new-york-groups-call-on-lawmakers-to-fully-fund-small-donor-matching-program/) small-dollar donations of up to $250\. Candidates for statewide office who choose to participate in the program would be eligible for public matching funds of $1,500 for a $250 contribution, while candidates for state legislative office would be eligible for a public match of up to $2,300 for a $250 contribution. The funding for the program made it through the wringer of the state budget process for 2024 after [rumblings](https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11917-public-campaign-finance-system-state-budget) in Albany earlier this year that lawmakers might find an excuse to delay the program. A new bipartisan state agency, the [Public Campaign Finance Board](https://pcfb.ny.gov/) (PCFB), had already started up to administer the program for state legislative candidates in the 2024 election and statewide candidates in 2026, but as of this week was awaiting word of its funding level. In March’s budget negotiations, both chambers of the legislature agreed to meet the governor’s proposed funding level for the public campaign financing program at the figure of $39.5 million. After weeks-long closed-door negotiations over the $229 billion New York budget, that amount was [included](https://reinventalbany.org/2023/05/statement-on-final-nys-229b-sfy-2024-budget/) in the plan that was approved this week. It is composed of $25 million for matching funds and $14.5 million for program administration, meeting part of the PCFB’s request, according to budget analysts at the nonprofit Reinvent Albany. Joanna Zdanys, senior counsel in the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, said in a [statement](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-york-state-budget-includes-395-million-public-campaign-financing), ​“New Yorkers overwhelmingly [support](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/poll-62-new-york-voters-want-lawmakers-fund-public-financing-program) small donor public financing. The program will weaken megadonors’ grip on Albany. It will make it easier for candidates to run constituent-powered campaigns. And it will make elected officials more responsive to the communities they serve, an important step forward following a budget process that left many New York voters feeling unheard.” The coalition Fair Elections for New York, which had [rallied](https://twitter.com/FairElectionsNY/status/1641447522509164545) for the small-donor match at the State Capitol and last month [launched](https://twitter.com/FairElectionsNY/status/1643695041985101824) a call-in campaign urging lawmakers to follow through on funding the matching program, similarly [applauded](https://twitter.com/FairElectionsNY/status/1653747613144068101) the budget appropriation. “New York’s small donor matching program—which is now funded and ready for the 2024 election—is a key model for states and municipalities across the country,” said Karen Wharton, Democracy Coalition Coordinator for coalition member Citizen Action for New York. “It gives more power to everyday people, rather than special interests and megadonors, and is broadly popular with voters. It can be transformative for our national democracy.” For decades, New York elections were a playground for large donors to funnel money to candidates through the “[LLC loophole](https://citylimits.org/2018/09/07/coming-to-grips-with-the-two-decade-deluge-of-llc-money-into-new-yorks-democracy/),” which allowed pass-through companies to be treated as individuals and package multiple large donations—for example, up to $65,100 to statewide candidates. From 2016-2019, according to an [analysis](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/09/big-donors-and-pacs-dominate-campaign-funding-in-nearly-every-state-report-finds/) by the Campaign Finance Institute, only 9% of candidates’ funds in gubernatorial and legislative elections came from individuals giving $250 or less. The loophole was finally closed by legislation signed into law by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after exploiting it to [raise millions](https://www.propublica.org/article/cuomo-has-raised-millions-through-loophole-he-pledged-to-close) from state business interests, in January 2019. Last cycle, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign hauled in more than [$2.5 million](https://public-accountability.org/report/crooked-kathys-dirty-donors/) from 51 billionaires and their families, the nonprofit Public Accountability Initiative found. Hochul raised a record-shattering $60 million in her bid for a full term as governor. A campaign finance disclosure in 2022 showed that [less than one percent](https://www.politico.com/story/2022/01/19/hochul-donors-new-york-governor-1406084) of Hochul’s donations had come in donations of $250 or less, with donations [rushing in](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/nyregion/hochul-fund-raising-donors.html) from wealthy real estate industry groups as the governor considered a major Penn Station redevelopment plan and other issues. Hopefuls for elected office in New York [told Sludge](https://readsludge.com/2020/06/18/grassroots-ny-challengers-take-on-the-pandemic-and-the-big-money-machine/) that they eagerly awaited the launch of the state public campaign financing option after the 2022 cycle, which would enable them to fund their campaigns by amplifying grassroots donations from the communities they were running to represent. The voluntary matching system, passed into law in April 2020, builds on the model of a [widely-used program](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) that has been run for decades in New York City. In New York City’s experience, the matching program’s [impacts](https://www.nyccfb.info/program/impact-of-public-funds/) include incentivizing small donors: [more than 92%](https://www.nyccfb.info/follow-the-money/cunymap-2021) of individual contributions to all participating candidates in the last election cycle were in the amount of $250 or less, according to data from the city’s campaign finance body, helping [grassroots candidates run for office](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) without already having a rolodex of wealthy donors. In New York’s [program](https://pcfb.ny.gov/program-overview), donations of $5-$250 to qualifying and participating statewide candidates—governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and comptroller—will be matched at a 6-to-1 ratio, with candidates being able to claim up to [$3.5 million](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) for each race. Participating candidates are free to raise and spend private contributions [outside](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/analysis-shows-amplification-small-donors-under-new-ny-state-public) of the matching program, subject to campaign finance limits. Donations of $5-$250 to legislative candidates—for state Senate and Assembly—from individuals in the district will be matched at an innovative ratio: 12-to-1 for the first $50, 9-to-1 for the next $100, and 8-to-1 for the next $100\. For example, for a participating New York Senate candidate, a $100 contribution from a district resident would be eligible to receive $1,050 in public matching funds, for a total of $1,150 raised. In order to participate, candidates must first [qualify](https://readsludge.com/2023/04/07/new-york-groups-call-on-lawmakers-to-fully-fund-small-donor-matching-program/) by reaching a threshold of small donations raised, and must submit to regular disclosure reports and funding audits, with program data posted transparently online. Candidates must also commit to taking part in public debates and limit personal spending on their bid, among other requirements. Earlier this year, an [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/analysis-shows-amplification-small-donors-under-new-ny-state-public) by the Brennan Center and the nonpartisan OpenSecrets found that New York’s innovative matching formula could transform campaigns’ funding sources. In statewide races, the share given by New York residents in donations of $250 and under could leap from 6% to 41% of all campaign funds under the match, according to the groups’ modeling. In New York legislative elections, the amount contributed by small donors could shoot up from 11% to as much as 67% of all donations—an increase entirely from residents of a Senate or Assembly district, reflecting 2022 state campaign finance data. In parallel with the small-donor match, the state law taking effect this cycle also significantly reduces campaign contribution limits that had been the highest in the nation. Public campaign financing programs in New York City and San Francisco have been [strengthened](https://readsludge.com/2021/04/02/democrats-public-financing-proposal-could-give-small-donors-more-influence/) by voters in recent years, with voters’ participation in a “democracy voucher” program [rising](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) in Seattle, and Oakland voters recently [adopting](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) a voucher program in their city. *Photo by New York Communities for Change, a Fair Elections NY coalition member, on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nychange/status/1641448649120186368).* --- ## Read more: ## [Hochul’s Stadium Swindle](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/25/hochuls-stadium-swindle/) ## [Real Estate and Private Equity Billionaires Set to Profit From NY Clean Grid Investments](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/15/real-estate-and-private-equity-billionaires-set-to-profit-from-ny-clean-grid-investments/) ## [GOP Megadonors Fund Andrew Yang Super PAC](https://readsludge.com/2021/05/21/gop-megadonors-fund-andrew-yang-super-pac/) ### Minnesota Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Bill to Increase Voting Access URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/27/minnesota-lawmakers-pass-sweeping-bill-to-increase-voting-access/ Last updated: 2023-08-16T17:11:46.000Z While lawmakers in dozens of states have recently introduced legislation that could make it harder for people to vote, lawmakers in Minnesota countered the trend by passing a bill that will increase election access, including streamlining the voter registration process. Last night, the Minnesota Senate passed an elections bill, the Democracy for the People Act, along party lines, with 34 members of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party voting in favor and 33 Republicans voting against the [bill](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF0003&ssn=0&y=2023). The bill passed the Minnesota House on April 13 with the same [text](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF3&ssn=0&y=2023) in a vote of 70-57\. The state’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz recently said that he will sign the bill into law. The Democracy for the People Act would create automatic voter registration when people update their drivers’ licenses or interact with the state government, allow voters to permanently opt-in to receive an absentee ballot for every election, enable 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote, enhance disclosure requirements for secretive groups spending in elections, and increase penalties for voter intimidation, among other things. Bill advocates say the automatic process for voter registration complements another Minnesota bill, enacted in March, that restores the right to vote for people convicted of felonies who are no longer incarcerated. Yesterday’s vote also makes Minnesota the first state to pass a ban on foreign-influenced corporations spending money to influence state elections. Once in effect, that provision of the bill will prohibit any company that is five percent or more owned by multiple foreign owners, or one percent or more owned by a single foreign owner, from spending money in Minnesota state or local elections or donating money to a super PAC or other entity to spend. Supporters say the measure will prevent companies with appreciable foreign investment interests from using opaque spending groups to sway Minnesota elections or ballot initiatives. > Minnesotans are now at the center of elections, not foreign corporations and wealthy special interests. > > Lilly Sasse, campaign director, We Choose Us In 2022, Minnesota Democrats held the state House and flipped control of the Senate, with Gov. Walz winning re-election to give the party a trifecta. In January, the Democracy for the People Act was introduced by lead authors Rep. Emma Greenman and Sen. Liz Boldon just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., which Greenman told Sludge [illustrated the need for](https://readsludge.com/2023/02/10/minnesota-democrats-pass-voting-rights-bill-in-committee/) strengthening elections and expanding voting rights. It was given a prominent bill number in each chamber—HF 3 and SF 3—signaling its priority for the Democratic caucus. “What you see here in the Democracy for the People Act is really extraordinary,” said Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon in a press conference yesterday ahead of the Senate vote. “It’s a once in a generation opportunity for Minnesota to be the kind of state that voters said they wanted. Democracy was on the ballot last fall, but it was more than about candidates. It was about approaches to our democracy.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/04/MN_We_Choose_Us_rally_04-26-23-1024x768.jpg) Coalition members rally in the Minnesota Capitol before the Senate vote on the Democracy for the People Act. We Choose Us The Democracy for the People Act was supported by We Choose Us, a coalition of 37 grassroots organizations, unions, and advocacy groups in Minnesota, as part of its policy agenda called [Expanding Democracy](https://www.wechooseusmn.com/the-expanding-democracy-agenda). Lilly Sasse, the coalition’s campaign director, told Sludge, “While we’re seeing attacks on multiracial democracy across our country, we’re proud to live in a state where we are working to advance pro-democracy reforms and take steps to realizing a multiracial democracy.” “I think this is just the first step—there’s more we need to do, but this bill will have the biggest impact since 1974, when Minnesota passed same-day voter registration,” Sasse told Sludge. She mentioned pre-registration of voters and providing voting resources across languages as two of the provisions that would invite more people to participate in voting. “In this bill, we’re signaling to young folks that their voices matter in the political process,” Sasse said. Speaking at the press conference, Sasse said the groups in the We Choose Us coalition had been building support for the Expanding Democracy agenda since the campaign’s formal launch in June of last year. After the 2022 election, the coalition gathered more testimony from Minnesotans about the importance of countering attacks on democracy. In March, a lobby day at the Capitol connected constituents with legislators to discuss expanding access to voting. This month in the legislature, testimony in favor of the Democracy for the People Act came from Leota Goodney, a retired CPA who serves elderly and disabled clients; Charlie Schmidt, a 17-year old election judge who encouraged his high school friends to pre-register to vote; and Khadar Muhamed, a young leader in the Somali community, who said the bill’s provisions providing voting resources in multiple languages would reduce voter intimidation at the polls. Last month, the We Choose Us coalition released results of a [poll](https://www.wechooseusmn.com/2022-democracy-polling) taken a week after the 2022 elections, conducted by Lake Research Partners and surveying voters across parties and geographic regions of the state. The results found that two-thirds of voters said it was important for Minnesota to protect and expand democracy, an issue that came in second behind addressing inflation and rising prices. Steps to bar foreign influence in elections were supported by 80% of Minnesotans, the poll found, with 73% in favor of an automatic voter registration process when people take actions like signing up for Medicaid. The bill’s lead House author Greenman [told](https://www.kttc.com/2023/04/27/mn-senate-sends-democracy-people-act-governor/) local media that as many as 400,000 Minnesotans could be enrolled through automatic voter registration, or AVR for short. Nationwide, 22 states have an AVR process when people interact with offices like departments of motor vehicles, according to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Labs’ [tracker](https://tracker.votingrightslab.org/issues/automatic-voter-registration), with Minnesota looking to soon join. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/04/MN_We_Choose_Us_sign-1024x768.jpg)We Choose Us Sean Lim, program director of the Minnesota Youth Collective, told legislators in testimony, “There are countless benefits to AVR: data within the system is accurate, verified, and up to date, every time a voter interacts with a government agency like the DMV, updated to reflect any address or name change, when they present documents confirming citizenship. It is safe, efficient, and seamless. “This is great for the thousands of college students and renters I’ve engaged with, who are busy and highly mobile and move annually,” Lim said. A record number of bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year to restrict voting access, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. As of February, the Brennan Center’s [tracker](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-february-2023) of state voting rights bills recorded more than 150 legislative items nationwide have been introduced this year that would make it harder for eligible Americans to register to vote, stay on the voting rolls, or cast a ballot, with 27 more bills introduced that could increase partisan interference in elections. Such restrictive voting bills, introduced in Minnesota and states including Arizona, Maine, Tennessee, and Texas, would [disproportionately impact](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/impact-voter-suppression-communities-color) voters of color, sometimes by discouraging registered voters from casting a ballot, according to the Brennan Center. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/04/We_Choose_Us_members_2-1024x768.jpg) We Choose Us supporters At the press conference, the bill’s lead Senate author Boldon said, “I come to this work because there is work I want to do making sure that we have healthcare access for everyone, that we are taking action to prevent gun violence, that we are taking action on the climate crisis, that we are taking action to prevent homelessness, that we are taking action to invest in education. I know that all that other work is predicated on having a strong and functioning multiracial, multigenerational, inclusive democracy.” The bill’s ban on foreign-influenced election spending by corporations has roots in legislation [passed by ordinance](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/06/nonprofit-group-takes-aim-at-foreign-money-in-politics/) in Seattle, Washington in 2020, with similar initiatives introduced in cities including San Jose, California. A dissenting opinion in the 2010 Supreme Court *Citizens United* [warned](https://freespeechforpeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/sozan-politicalspending-factsheet-updated-may-3-2022.pdf) that allowing unlimited spending by outside groups in elections opened the door to undisclosed political interference by foreign oligarchs, international fossil fuel giants, or wealthy foreign investors with stakes in U.S. companies that seek to influence laws. To increase transparency of the interests spending on elections, the Democracy for the People Act would adopt federal standards to define when a group’s communication advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate—even in cases when the message lacks so-called “magic words” like “vote for” or “defeat.” The reform would enhance the number of groups that spend money to influence political contests and are required to disclose their spending to the state. “Minnesotans are now at the center of elections, not foreign corporations and wealthy special interests,” Sasse told Sludge. “This bill is a constitutionally compliant way to ensure that our elections are run by Minnesotans, for Minnesotans.” --- --- ## Read more: ## [Oakland Voters Approve ‘Democracy Dollars’ Program to Boost Participation in City Elections](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [Protesters Target Michigan Businesses Over Voter Suppression](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/02/protesters-target-michigan-businesses-over-voter-suppression/) ### GOP Energy Bill Authors Stand to Profit From Oil and Gas Stocks URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/24/gop-energy-bill-authors-stand-to-profit-from-oil-and-gas-stocks/ Last updated: 2025-08-18T15:33:28.000Z Several Republican House members who sponsored energy deregulation bills that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has included in his debt ceiling bill could personally profit if McCarthy’s package is signed into law. McCarthy has included H.R. 1, titled the Lower Energy Costs Act, in his debt ceiling proposal, which is expected to be voted on by the House later this week. The bill consists of dozens of measures put forth by House Republicans that would expand oil and gas drilling on public lands, repeal clean energy investments passed into law last year, undo a methane fee set to apply to energy facilities, and speed up exports of liquid natural gas, among other things. Nearly a dozen of the House GOP members who introduced legislation that is now in H.R. 1 and McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill own fossil fuel industry assets in their household portfolios, with several of the bills’ authors holding hundreds of thousands of dollars worth and one holding millions of dollars in oil wells. If provisions of H.R. 1 are signed into law as part of a debt ceiling agreement, fossil fuel companies could benefit through limited environmental reviews, waivers issued for energy facilities, and more. As the House Energy and Commerce Committee was developing the bill, the oil and gas industry’s top lobbying group, the American Petroleum Association (API), sent a [letter](https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2023/02/07/api-urges-congress-to-pass-legislation-to-advance-us-energy) to the committee’s leaders expressing its support for the individual bills that were being rolled into it, and the group [applauded](https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2023/03/30/api-statement-on-house-passage-of-hr-1) the House in March for passing the bill. API represents many of the companies in whose stocks the H.R. 1 bill sponsors are invested. The government faces a deadline of sometime this summer to agree on a bill raising the debt ceiling so the Treasury can continue making payments on its obligations. One of the Republicans’ primary focuses with H.R. 1 is accelerating the permitting process for energy projects through steps such as prohibiting federal agencies from considering indirect and cumulative environmental effects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and limiting judicial actions to [120 days](https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/alerts/2023/april/3/house-republicans-advance-legislation-providing-their-vision-of-energy-and-permitting-reform) after an environmental review’s completion. Environmental groups [argue](https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/house-republican-bill-would-upend-bedrock-environmental-review-law-2023-02-27/) that these steps would allow fossil fuel corporations to effectively rubber-stamp proposals. In response to H.R. 1, some environmentally-focused House Democrats have [proposed](https://www.eenews.net/articles/house-climate-hawks-pitch-clean-permitting-plan/) a plan that would accelerate the permitting process for clean energy projects incentivized in the Inflation Reduction Act, aiming to keep the country’s emissions reductions in line with international climate goals. The measures of H.R. 1 were criticized for their environmental impacts during a February [hearing](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/02%5F07%5F23%5FJoint%5FE%5Fand%5FE%5FLegislative%5FHearing%5FMemo%5F3ce46e3b86.pdf?updated%5Fat=2023-02-06T14:39:57.111Z) of two House energy subcommittees by witnesses Raul Garcia, legislative director for healthy communities at Earthjustice, and Tyson Slocum, director of the Energy Program at Public Citizen. Garcia’s [testimony](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/02%5F07%5F23%5FRaul%5FGarcia%5FEnergy%5Fand%5FCommerce%5FHearing%5FTestimony%5F71c40a6300.pdf?updated%5Fat=2023-02-09T18:21:15.007Z) noted that while the bills in H.R. 1 undermine bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Air Act by waiving requirements for “critical energy resources,” the legislation does not define what can be labeled as such, leaving it up to the decision of whoever heads the Department of Energy at the time. ## **Legislation That Went Into H.R. 1** In February, Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana introduced a bill, [H.R. 1140](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1140), that would authorize the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive requirements for energy facilities under the Clean Air Act if it determines a certain energy resource is needed to “meet the national security or energy security needs of the United States.” Pence’s bill was included in H.R. 1. According to his most recent financial disclosure report, as of the end of 2021, Pence’s spouse holds stock in Marathon Oil Corporation, a Houston-based oil and gas exploration and production company, valued at between $250,001 and $500,000, providing dividend income of between $5,000 and $15,000 that year. The brother of the former vice president, Greg Pence formerly [worked for](https://rollcall.com/2017/10/18/greg-pence-files-papers-to-run-for-congress-in-indiana/) Marathon Oil and petroleum exploration company Unocal Corporation before becoming vice president of Kiel Brothers Oil Company, a family-held business of gas stations and convenience stores. Another member of the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, & Grid Security, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, got a [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1141) added to H.R. 1 called the Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act. The bill would [repeal](https://rollcall.com/2023/03/20/with-u-s-fossil-fuel-production-up-gop-would-step-on-the-gas/) a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act that would tax oil and gas facilities for methane emissions beginning in 2024, the first such tax of its kind on the potent greenhouse gas. Representing the Permian Basin region of West Texas, a region where environmental groups are [warning](https://www.permianclimatebomb.org/chapter-6) of unpermitted methane flares amid a fracking boom, Pfluger’s family owns the Gentry Creek Ranch. August Pfluger is a member manager and director of Gentry Creek Energy LLC in San Angelo, Texas, which he describes in his latest financial disclosure as a pipeline and infrastructure company. The company provided Pfluger with between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of partnership income in 2021 and between $100,000 and $250,000 in income the year before. Pfluger also holds up to $15,000 worth of stock in pipeline giant Enterprise Product Partners, a [member](https://www.enterpriseproducts.com/Enterprise-Products-2021-2022-sustainability-report.pdf) of dozens of industry trade associations that cheered H.R. 1’s passage including API and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. Enterprise owns the huge Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) project located off the coast of Texas to export crude oil that was approved in November 2022 by the U.S. Department of Transportation and is now the subject of a [lawsuit](https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-approval-of-sea-port-oil-terminal-2023-01-19/) by environmental and community groups including the Center for Biological Diversity. The Hill offices of Pence and Pfluger did not respond to requests for comment. One of the House members with the most fossil fuel industry assets is third-term Rep. Kelly Armstrong, whose family business owns hundreds of oil and gas wells around Dickinson, North Dakota. Armstrong introduced a bill in February, [H.R. 1058](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1058), that would remove the presidential permit requirement for oil and gas pipelines and electric transmission facilities that cross international borders, authorizing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review applications for cross-border pipelines and the Department of Energy (DOE) for those for electricity transmission. The bill was included in H.R. 1\. One upshot of his bill, Armstrong said in a [statement](https://armstrong.house.gov/media/press-releases/armstrong-introduces-legislation-streamline-permitting-cross-border-energy), would be to prevent a future president from blocking a cross-border pipeline, as President Obama decided to do with the KeystoneXL project. Sludge previously [reported](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/29/at-least-100-house-members-are-invested-in-fossil-fuels/) that Armstrong’s oil and gas assets in his 2020 annual disclosure report were valued as worth between $3 million and $10.6 million, with income of up to $1.5 million from them that year. In addition to serving on the Subcommittee on Energy, Armstrong is a member of the Conservative Climate Caucus, a House group that defends the use of fossil fuels in the energy grid. In March, Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman introduced a bill that got wrapped into H.R. 1 called the [COAL Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1457) that seeks to speed the leasing process under the Mineral Leasing Act for sites administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The freshman Hageman’s financial [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10043990.pdf) for 2021 lists an interest in “land/oil and mineral rights” in Converse County worth between $5,000 and $15,000, with income of up to $5,000 that year. In [town halls](https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/at-town-hall-hageman-calls-for-need-to-rein-in-federal-regulators,80395) this month, Hageman said she hopes to keep the burning of coal in the energy grid and accelerate coal and mineral leases. Other Republican representatives who introduced bills that were [incorporated](https://www.speaker.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Lower-Energy-Costs-Act-1.pdf) into H.R. 1 hold stock in the fossil fuel industry: Rep. John Curtis (Utah), in Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Valero Energy; and Rep. Larry Bucshon (Ind.), in an energy exchange-traded fund that includes ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and oilfield services company Schlumberger. Rep. John Joyce of Pennyslvania, who introduced a [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1131) that the House Speaker’s office said would “cut red tape for critical energy resource facilities,” owns ownership interest in Pittsburgh-based gas drilling company 3RC/Sun Energy, LLC that was valued at between $50,000 and $100,000 as of the end of 2021, according to his [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10046722.pdf). ## **Amendments to H.R. 1** As part of the amendment process to H.R. 1 the day before its passage on March 30, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced an [amendment](https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/house-amendment/145?s=a&r=24), agreed-to by voice vote, that would direct FERC to withdraw two policy statements that would integrate climate considerations—such as greenhouse gas emissions from pipelines—into its public interest determinations. Roy’s most recent annual financial [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10048901.pdf) for 2021 shows his household owns between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in Chevron, a [member](https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/investors/documents/2023-lobbying-and-trade-associations.pdf) of trade association API and others, as well as up to $15,000 worth of stock each in pipeline companies Energy Transfer, Kinder Morgan, NuStar Energy, and oil major ExxonMobil. Another amendment, [agreed-to](https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/house-amendment/137?s=a&r=32) by a recorded vote of 228 – 206, was introduced by Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, expressing the sense of Congress in “disapproving of the proposed tax hikes on the oil and natural gas industry” by the Biden administration. Through a family foundation and trust, as of the end of 2021 Hern owned between $275,000 and $550,000 worth of stock in gas transmission and pipeline giant Williams Companies, as well as between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of stock in ExxonMobil. Hern’s funds have continued trading fossil fuel industry stocks in recent months, according to periodic transaction reports, including purchasing between $16,000 and $65,000 worth of stock in oil and gas exploration company Devon Energy the day after H.R. 1 passed the House. Hern’s stock purchases this year have included Pioneer Natural Resources, Magellan Midstream Partners, ONEOK gas transmission company, and utilities such as NextEra Energy. Last year, a Hern spokesperson [told](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/politics/congress-members-stock-trading-list.html) the New York Times that the congressman does not have control over the investment funds’ transactions. Hern receives [millions](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10048189.pdf) of dollars in annual income from his stock holdings, with tens of thousands of dollars in income attributed to the Williams Companies assets. The Hill offices of Roy and Hern did not respond to requests for comment. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, who introduced an [amendment](https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/house-amendment/139?s=a&r=30) to H.R. 1 requiring the EPA to report on existing regulations that have “negatively affected domestic energy independence and increased energy cost for Americans,” owns up to [$15,000](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10049881.pdf) worth of stock in each of ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. ## **Pipeline Stock Traders** Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, chosen this year by his colleagues to chair the House Committee on Homeland Security, has leaned heavily into hundreds of stock trades in pipeline and midstream energy companies over the past few years, with the maximum value of the sales and purchases worth [tens of millions of dollars](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/13/reps-bought-pipeline-stocks-before-passing-the-infrastructure-bill/). Most recently, about a week before voting to pass H.R. 1, Green bought up to $250,000 worth of stock in midstream company NGL Energy Partners and sold up to the same amount in Energy Transfer LP, then sold up to $100,000 of stock in the Dallas-headquartered Energy Transfer on April 10. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, has similarly frequently bought and sold pipeline company stocks in recent years. This year, Foxx’s stock pickups have included liquid natural gas shipping company Flex LNG and electricity and natural gas company Duke Energy, according to periodic transaction reports filed with the Office of the Clerk. In February, Foxx sold between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in Marathon Oil Corporation, and has purchased up to $30,000 worth of stock in coal company Alliance Resource Partners, most recently on March 10\. About a week before voting for H.R. 1, Foxx purchased up to $15,000 worth of stock in Plains All-American Pipeline, a stock she also held last year. ## **Democrats Voting for H.R. 1** When the GOP’s Lower Energy Costs Act passed on March 30 by a vote of [225 to 204](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023182) with six members not voting, four Democrats were among those voting “aye.” Two were Texas Reps. Henry Cuellar, nicknamed “Big Oil’s Favorite Democrat” for his pro-industry [voting record](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/22/fossil-fuel-allies-in-congress-stand-with-embattled-rep-henry-cuellar/), and Vicente Gonzalez, who founded the Congressional Oil & Gas Caucus in 2017\. Both of their re-election bids benefited last year from supportive campaign spots by a shadowy pop-up group, Better Jobs Together, that Sludge [uncovered](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/16/revealed-oil-industry-lobbying-group-funded-dark-money-ad-campaign-for-conservative-democrats/) was funded by API, with its pro-Cuellar spending reaching at least $1.4 million. Gonzalez owns just over $10,000 in Chevron stock, Sludge [found](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/29/at-least-100-house-members-are-invested-in-fossil-fuels/) by examining the congressman’s scanned banking statements that he attached to his most recent financial disclosure. ## **Texas Republicans Hold Millions in Oil & Gas Assets** The sweeping measures in the H.R. 1 energy package were a priority for McCarthy’s caucus after the fossil fuel industry [dramatically increased](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/) its donations to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a McCarthy-endorsed super PAC that spent $227 million to help Republicans retake the House in the 2022 midterms. A trio of Texas Republicans who voted for H.R. 1 are among the top fossil fuel investors in the House, based on Sludge’s 2021 [review](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/29/at-least-100-house-members-are-invested-in-fossil-fuels/) of financial disclosures. Rep. John Carter, the fifth-ranking member on the House Committee on Appropriations and a subcommittee chair, [owns](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10049259.pdf) between $2 million and $10 million worth of ExxonMobil stock that provided dividends of between $100,000 and $200,000 in 2021\. The household of Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the former chair of the Homeland Security Committee, owns millions of dollars worth of fossil fuel industry assets, with his spouse purchasing up to $250,000 worth of ConocoPhillips stock in February. Rep. Roger Williams holds a real property asset, named Quintana Energy Partners, valued at between $250,000 and $500,000, according to his 2021 financial disclosure, and noted as providing partnership income. Quintana Energy Partners is an oil and gas fund managed by the Houston-based private equity firm Quintana Capital Group. Williams also holds up to $100,000 worth of stock in Chevron, with his spouse holding up to $15,000 more, and up to $50,000 worth of stock in oil and gas exploration company Diamondback Energy. The conflicts of interest posed by federal lawmakers [invested](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/02/the-conflicted-reps-own-stock-in-companies-while-serving-on-committees-overseeing-them/) in industries they oversee has risen to greater public attention over the past few years, but Democratic leadership in each chamber of the previous Congress did not bring up legislation limiting stock trading or ownership for a vote. Last year, good government and progressive groups [urged](https://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action/legal-complaints/crew-18-other-groups-send-letter-to-congress-demanding-ban-on-stock-trading/) House leaders in both parties to pass measures that would ban members of Congress and their households from owning or trading individual stocks, noting that [two-thirds](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/590216-two-thirds-of-americans-support-banning-lawmakers-from-trading-stocks-new-poll/) of voters supported such a ban, according to polls. One previous legislative item that would have barred stock ownership and trading by lawmakers, the TRUST in Congress Act, was [co-sponsored](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/336/cosponsors) in the previous Congress by Roy and a dozen other Republican House members, along with scores of Democrats. This month, Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Sherrod Brown of Ohio [introduced](https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/04-18-2023/senate-on-stock-trading/) the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act, which would prohibit ownership of individual securities by a lawmaker and their household. Under the [proposal](https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-representatives-unveil-bipartisan-legislation-to-end-corrupt-stock-trading-activities-by-members-of-congress), lawmakers would be required to either divest, diversify into allowable assets like mutual funds, or place assets in a qualified blind trust at the end of their current term in office. The bill has a House companion led by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Michael Cloud (R-Texas), which currently has two other [co-sponsors](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2678/cosponsors?s=1&r=3), both Democrats. **Correction: this post originally stated that Rep. John Joyce of Pennsylvania owned stock in pipeline companies Kinder Morgan and TransCanada, when he does not hold those stocks. Those assets are owned by Republican Rep. David Joyce of Ohio.** *Featured image of Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.) modifies a photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images*. --- ## Read more: ## [Republican Energy Bill Follows Massive Increase in Fossil Fuel Donations](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/) ## [Oil Industry Completes Sweep of Congressional Energy Committees](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/29/oil-industry-completes-sweep-of-congressional-energy-committees/) ## [Chevron-Funded Super PAC Boosted Oil-Friendly Dem in California Congressional Primary](https://readsludge.com/2022/07/15/chevron-funded-super-pac-boosted-oil-friendly-dem-in-california-congressional-primary/) ### General Atomics-Funded Lawmakers Call on Pentagon to Give Ukraine Reaper Drones URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/19/general-atomics-funded-lawmakers-call-on-pentagon-to-give-ukraine-reaper-drones/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:25:54.000Z Over the past year, the United States has gradually and consistently increased the varieties of weapons it is sending to Ukraine. Starting mainly with small arms and equipment that helped Ukrainian soldiers defend themselves in close combat situations, the U.S. quickly began sending man-portable Javelins and surface-to-air missile systems that could help them fight Russians at further distances, as well as larger systems like rocket launcher vehicles and tube-fired explosive drones. The U.S. has even committed to sending Ukraine dozens of M1 Abrams tanks, a weapons system that the Pentagon initially said it wouldn’t send despite months of Ukrainian pleas. One weapon platform the Pentagon has been reluctant to ship to Ukraine, however, is the General Atomics-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, a large, high-endurance attack aircraft that is used by the U.S. Air Force. The Reaper could be a game-changer for Ukraine, allowing the country to launch attacks deep into Russian territory. The MQ-9 can carry a payload of up to 1.5 tons, nine times greater than the payload capacity of the Turkish-made TB2 drones that the Ukrainian military has been employing, and it can fly nearly twice as high and for a longer duration. The Biden administration has been concerned about the possibility of escalation if Ukraine obtains more high-powered weapons, leading Russia to view the U.S. as an enemy combatant in the conflict and take retaliatory steps. U.S. military officials have also argued that drones like the Reaper would be outmatched by Russia’s superior air defense systems. Ukrainian officials have met with General Atomics on multiple occasions to discuss weapons, and General Atomics has offered to [donate the drones](https://web.archive.org/web/20230419135938/https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-company-offers-advanced-drones-to-ukraine-for-one-dollar-with-caveat-11675203260) for $1, as long as Ukraine also commits to spending $10 million to prepare and ship the aircraft, as well as $8 million a year for maintenance. General Atomics’ executives make hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of campaign donations each election cycle, and now some of the top recipients of that money are pressuring the Biden administration to approve transfering Reaper drones and other powerful General Atomics weapons to the Ukrainian military. Since 2017, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) received at least $693,00 from General Atomics employees, with more than $600,000 of that coming from donations by the company’s CEO Neal Blue and Vice Chairman Linden Blue, according to Federal Election Commission data. The funds have been received by his campaign committee, leadership PAC, and joint fundraising committee. General Atomics’ PAC has sent an additional $105,500 to Calvert’s fundraising committees during that period, making the company one of the congressman’s [top career donors](https://web.archive.org/web/20230419135938/https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/ken-calvert/contributors?cid=N00007099&cycle=CAREER&type=I). Calvert’s district in Southern California is close to General Atomics’ San Diego headquarters. Calvert in December confirmed what anonymous sources told [Politico](https://web.archive.org/web/20230419135938/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/09/air-force-reaper-drones-ukraine-00073344), that the Air Force has approved the idea of sending Reapers to Ukraine, but that the Pentagon is holding it up. “We ought to be able to put in the MQ-9 Reaper and Gray Eagles that would help change the course of this war,” Calvert said. He also told Politico that we should begin training Ukrainians now on how to use the weapons, in anticipation of the administration giving General Atomics the green light. The Gray Eagle is another General Atomics drone that has a smaller payload capacity and shorter range than the Reaper, but can be useful for shorter-range missions and in more restricted environments. Calvert’s most recent large donation was [$150,000](https://web.archive.org/web/20230419135938/https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00699553/1698794/sa/ALL) from Neal Blue, which his joint fundraising committee received on February 10\. Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who in 2018 received a $100,000 donation from Neal Blue via his joint fundraising committee, recently pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley on why the U.S. is not sending Reaper drones to Ukraine. “One system we have never offered, and I haven’t heard a lot of talk about are the MQ-9s,” Cramer [said](https://web.archive.org/web/20230419135938/https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/23-18%5F03-28-2024.pdf) during a hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 28\. “Since we just lost one recently in the Black Sea, where it is probably more likely to be recovered by Russia than the United States, and the fact that the Air Force wants to retire 48 older MQ-9s, is there any chance that it might be a reasonable system to offer Ukraine?” Both Austin and Milley responded by saying the Reaper would not do well due to Russia’s superior air defense capabilities. “It is not a survivable platform if they try to use that in that environment,” Austin said. Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who has received more than $60,000 from the company’s employees and PACs, is another member of Congress who has called on the U.S. to send General Atomics weapons to Ukraine. “We need to give Ukraine ATACMS, long range missiles and advanced drones like the Grey Eagle and Reaper,” said Wicker during a speech he made on the Senate floor in January. “We should deliver these assets quickly to make an immediate difference on the battlefield. In concert with our allies, this approach of ‘more, better, faster’ would give the Ukrainians a real shot at victory.” _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Private Equity Giants Back Sinema in Q1 URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/17/private-equity-giants-back-sinema-in-q1/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T13:18:50.000Z Sen. Kyrsten Sinema drew a line in the sand last year when she was a crucial vote for the Senate Democrats who wanted to pass their signature budget bill the Inflation Reduction Act. The Democrats had wanted to make it harder for investment industry executives to pay reduced tax rates by lengthening the amount of time they would be required to hold their investments, from three years to five years, to qualify for the break. But Sinema demanded the provision be cut from the bill in exchange for her vote. “Senator Sinema said she would not vote for the bill, not even move to proceed unless we took it out,” Sen. Chuck Schumer [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/05/sinema-made-schumer-cut-carried-interest-loophole-from-reconciliation-bill.html) last August. “So we had no choice.” Sinema has since left the Democratic Party and has [reportedly](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/03/23/sinema-trashes-dems-gop-00088461) insulted its members in comments to Republican lobbyists, and the party has embraced a Democrat, Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running to take over her Senate seat in 2025\. But Sinema’s investment industry donors are sticking by her, according to a new Federal Election Commission [filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00789834/1699263/sa/ALL). Executives and employees with the private equity firm The Carlyle Group donated $253,600 to Sinema in the first quarter of the year, while people affiliated with Blackstone gave her $274,500 and those affiliated with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) gave her $103,700\. The donations from employees and executives of those three investment firms made up more than 45% of the total money the senator’s joint fundraising committee raised in the first quarter. Other investment firms whose executives gave to Sen. Sinema in the first quarter of the year include Bain Capital, Tenaya Capital, and GreenWood Investors. Sinema’s fundraising from private equity and hedge funds has been strong ever since she got the tax provision deleted from the Inflation Reduction Act. In the months last year after the IRA wrangling, Sinema raised $526,000 from donors in the private equity, hedge fund, and venture capital industries, Sludge has previously [reported](https://perfectunion.us/sinemas-private-equity-donations-keep-flowing-after-saving-tax-loophole/). In total, Sinema raised $2.1 million in the first quarter, while Gallego raised $3.5 million. Sen. Sinema has not yet announced if she is planning to run for re-election in 2024 as an Independent, but [reports](https://www.wsj.com/articles/kyrsten-sinema-is-preparing-for-a-2024-re-election-campaign-23edb2fb) say that she is preparing to run. --- ## Read More: ## [Gallego Opposes Progressives on Cutting Pentagon Budget](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/24/gallego-opposes-progressives-on-cutting-pentagon-budget/) ## [Republican Energy Bill Follows Massive Increase in Fossil Fuel Donations](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/) ## [Drug Lobby Revenues Skyrocket During Covid Pandemic](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/01/drug-lobby-revenues-skyrocket-during-covid-pandemic/) ### Here Are the Wealthy Executives Funding McCarthy’s ‘Protect the House’ Effort URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/10/here-are-the-wealthy-executives-funding-mccarthys-protect-the-house-effort/ Last updated: 2023-12-20T18:48:54.000Z Wealthy business executives are funding House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) campaign to keep the U.S. House of Representatives in Republican control after the 2024 elections. In January, McCarthy formed the Protect the House 2024 joint fundraising committee to raise money for incumbent House Republicans who may face challenging re-elections next year, as well as for Republican Party groups that can spend money to help re-elect them. Besides the candidates, the group is raising money for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the McCarthy-endorsed super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund, and several state Republican Party groups. According to [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mccarthys-protect-house-2024-doles-out-millions-boost-incumbent-republicans), McCarthy recently began doling out checks from the committee at an event at the Capitol Hill Club in D.C., distributing $4 million from Protect the House 2024 and another $4.4 million that he collected from House Republican members to 32 vulnerable House incumbents. Protect the House 2024 was set up to support Republicans including Reps. Lauren Boebert (Co.), John Duarte (Calif.), and Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), according to its incorporation documents. The group is expected to report having raised $35 million in the first quarter of the year, according to the Fox News report. A disclosure filed today with the Federal Election Commission reveals the identities of 45 individuals who donated to the group. The names on the list include many of the billionaires and business executives who have helped to propel the Republicans into power in recent years through donations to Republican super PACs as well as to past joint fundraising committees McCarthy has formed, such as Take Back the House 2022\. Many of the donors come from the investment management industry. In recent years, the Republican Party has protected the tax advantages that private equity firms and hedge funds enjoy, such as the so-called “carried interest loophole” that allow fund managers to treat their income as capital gains, which was not addressed in their 2017 tax bill. Investment firm executives that donated to Protect the House 2024 include Craig Duchossois of The Duchossois Group, Keith Rabois of Founders Fund, John Kelsey of Hamilton Point Investment, and Michael Psaros of KPS Capital Management. Other donors to Protect the House 2024 have made their fortunes in energy, a sector that the House Republicans have worked to deregulate during their first few months in control of the chamber. The Republicans used the symbolic H.R. 1 designation for their package of industry-supported proposals dubbed the “Lower Energy Cost Act,” which they recently passed. The package rolls back environmental review procedures of permitting applications for energy projects, accelerates the approval process for mining projects, and makes available more public lands for oil drilling, among other things. Among Protect the House 2024’s energy industry donors are Energy Transfer Partners CEO and Chairman Kelcy Warren, Midland Energy founder and CEO Syed Javaid Anwar, and Energy Capital Partners founder Doug Kimmelman. Oil and gas companies, their trade associations, and their executives donated [$27 million](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/) during the 2022 election cycle to the McCarthy-endorsed Congressional Leadership Fund, Sludge has reported. The [disclosure](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00796433/1696721/sa/ALL) was filed by a recipient of Protect the House 2024 funds, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), so it does not show the amount of money the donors have given to the committee. Because the committee was designed to split donations between 54 separate entities, including the Congressional Leadership Fund that can accept unlimited donations, it is likely that many of the donors who are named in Edwards’ filing have contributed tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the group. In the previous cycle, some of these donors gave more than $1 million to McCarthy’s joint fundraising committee. Those details are due to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission by Saturday, April 15. Other notable donors to the group include casino resort developer Steve Wynn, real estate developer Ross Perot Jr., and chicken producer Ron Cameron. A full list of known donors to Protect the House 2024 is below: Michael Hayde, Western National Group Anwar Syed, Midland Energy Inc. Paul Foster, Franklin Mountain Management John Nau, Silver Eagle Distributors Ross Perot Jr. Melissa Argyros, Arnel and Affiliates Annette Simmons Amy Warren Kelcy Warren Betty McKee Ronald Cameron, Mountaire Corporation Darcy Marshall W.L. Lyons Brown Robert Book, Book Capital Enterprises Craig Duchossois, The Duchossois Group Barbara Grimm Marshall Laura Khouri, Western National Group Andrea Wynn Stephen Wynn Charles Schwab, Charles Schwab Corporation Keith Rabois, Founders Fund Thomas Peterffy, Interactive Brokers John Malone, Liberty Media John Kelsey, Hamilton Point Investments Michael Psaros, KPS Capital Partners Nachhattar Singh Chandi Doug Kimmelman, Energy Capital Partners Dwight Schar Martha Schar Rose Friedman Philip Friedman, Computer Generated Solutions Inc. Steven Sherwood, CWS Capital Partners John Saunders, Saunders Property Company David Pyle, American Career College Joanne Trempala, Know Corporation John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Group James Batmasian, Investments Limited Mark Friedman, Level Four Business Management David Fischer, Suburban Collection Holdings Charles Brumbaugh, Kavigem Deborah Castello Haim Chera, Vornado Realty Trust Saul Fox, Fox Paine & Company Syed Javaid Anwar, Midland Energy Inc. Jason Blackwell, Carr Blackwell and Associated Robert Bishop, Impala Asset Management Jay Robinovitz, Goldstein Group Management --- --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Congressional Leaders Are Embracing Dark Money Like Never Before](https://readsludge.com/2023/03/01/congressional-leaders-are-embracing-dark-money-like-never-before/) ## [No Labels Makes Initial Investment in Bipartisan Presidential Ticket](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/20/no-labels-makes-initial-investment-in-bipartisan-presidential-ticket/) ## [Oil Industry Completes Sweep of Congressional Energy Committees](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/29/oil-industry-completes-sweep-of-congressional-energy-committees/) ### New York Groups Call on Lawmakers to Fully Fund Small-Donor Matching Program URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/04/07/new-york-groups-call-on-lawmakers-to-fully-fund-small-donor-matching-program/ Last updated: 2023-08-09T19:16:26.000Z After another New York election cycle dominated by large donors, advocates for public campaign financing in the state are awaiting word regarding whether a matching funds system that was signed into law in 2020 will be fully funded in the mammoth state budget that is currently being negotiated. The due date for an agreement on the New York State budget—this year clocking in at $227 billion—was April 1, but as frequently happens in Albany, it was pushed back by the legislature to April 10\. Budget negotiations are ongoing between Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and the Democratic heads of the state legislature, centering around bail reform, housing policies, and other issues. Last month, more than 70 organizations in New York [sent a letter](https://www.fairelectionsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/70-Organizations-Sign-Letter-to-New-York-State-Legislature-on-Funding-Public-Campaign-Finance-Program.pdf) to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie urging state lawmakers to follow through and provide adequate funding for the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program (PCFP), which [launched](https://pcfb.ny.gov/) in November for the 2024 cycle and beyond. The PCFP aims to democratize campaign funding in New York races by offering participating candidates public matching funds at a ratio of six-to-one or greater for donations of up to $250 they raise from people who live in the district they seek to represent. Similar programs that offer public campaign financing, like New York City’s longstanding system, have been [shown](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/small-donor-public-financing-plays-role-electing-most-diverse-new-york) to increase diversity in the pool of campaign donors and curb candidates’ dependence on wealthy donors. Set rolling by the legislature in a law passed in 2020, the voluntary statewide program will be offered to state legislative candidates in the current election cycle and statewide candidates, such as governor and state attorney general, in the 2026 elections. Earlier this year, [rumors circulated](https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11917-public-campaign-finance-system-state-budget) in Albany that the PCFP might be delayed by lawmakers, but last month, the Assembly, Senate, and Hochul all endorsed funding the program at the same level in their budget proposals, $39.5 million, suggesting that they were all planning to move forward with the plan. The budget proposals each suggest providing $25 million for matching funds and $14.5 million for administration of the program. In New York’s drawn-out budget process, after the governor and legislative bodies release their budget proposals, legislative leaders and the governor privately negotiate dollar amounts for a proposal that they can all agree on, then the final budget bill is revised by the governor’s office and sent to the legislature for a vote. While advocates for the PCFP await the budget details to ensure the program has the funding support to remain on its timeline, the coalition Fair Elections for New York this week launched a [call-in campaign](https://www.fairelectionsny.org/) to Stewart-Cousins, Heastie, and other lawmakers to petition for the PCFP to be fully funded and on schedule. The coalition’s [partner](https://www.fairelectionsny.org/about/) organizations include the law and policy institute Brennan Center for Justice, community organizing group New York Communities for Change, and the grassroots immigrant-led Make the Road New York, among others. At the end of March, coalition members [rallied](https://twitter.com/nychange/status/1641448649120186368) in Albany to support robust funding for the PCFP’s rollout in state races. “New Yorkers have waited over 20 years for a public campaign finance system, and we can’t wait anymore,” said Jessica Wisneski, co-executive director of coalition member Citizen Action of NY. “The legislature and the government publicly promised to fund this program and must honor that commitment. The program is in flight, candidates are already signing up, and this program must be available without delay ahead of the 2024 election cycle, as the law demands.” A February [poll](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/poll-62-new-york-voters-want-lawmakers-fund-public-financing-program) released by the progressive advocacy group Stand Up America and Data for Progress found that a large majority of voters support the new statewide PCFP running as designed. Of New York voters, 62% support providing sufficient funding for the optional PCFP, including a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle in seven regions across the state. After more than a decade of [corruption](https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/albany-corruption-trials) [convictions](https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2018/10/the-growing-list-of-corrupt-cuomo-associates/178043/) emanating from Albany’s legislative and government leaders, 70% of New York voters told the poll they wanted their elected officials to counter the influence of wealthy donors in politics. “This poll says it loud and clear: New York’s voters support the public financing program, and they want Albany to fund it adequately in this budget,” said Joanna Zdanys, senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, in a statement. “Whether they’re upstate or downstate, Democrat or Republican, New Yorkers are concerned about the influence of the wealthiest over state politics, and they want small donor public financing to have a chance to succeed.” New York’s PCFP will be the [first state system](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/major-strides-public-campaign-financing) of matching funds implemented since the 2010 *Citizens United* ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court allowed outside groups to raise and spend unlimited amounts influencing voters in elections—groups often closely tied to politicians, though skirting the line of direct coordination. With money flooding into state elections nationwide, the 2022 midterms saw state political committees hit a record $7.4 billion in fundraising, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/03/state-and-federal-midterms-cost-16-4-billion-with-state-level-fundraising-projected-to-reach-nearly-7-5-billion/), making up part of the [most expensive](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/02/midterms-spending-spree-cost-of-2022-federal-elections-tops-8-9-billion-a-new-midterm-record/) midterms cycle ever. Data from OpenSecrets and the nonpartisan Brennan Center shows that 21 megadonor families gave more in the 2022 midterms, [$783 million](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/4-takeaways-about-money-midterms) in total, than 3.7 million small donors did. In New York’s most recent elections, the pattern held true of large donors dominating fundraising hauls: the 200 biggest donors gave nearly [$16 million](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/analysis-shows-amplification-small-donors-under-new-ny-state-public) to candidates, more than the combined donations of 206,000 people giving $250 or under, the OpenSecrets and Brennan Center analysis found. However, this donation pattern to legislative candidates stands to be transformed by New York’s PCFP, the [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/analysis-shows-amplification-small-donors-under-new-ny-state-public) found: under the matching system, the share of campaign funding coming from small donors could rise from 11% to as much as 67%, an increase entirely composed of donors who live in a candidate’s district. “New Yorkers have long been frustrated by the deplorable condition of our state’s campaign finance system and the outsized power of wealthy interests in Albany,” said Laura Ladd Bierman, executive director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, one of the coalition members calling on Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders to fund the PCFP and not delay its implementation. “The task now before the legislature is to finish this historic improvement to our broken campaign finance system, a system which has for far too long undermined democracy and sown public distrust in government. Elected officials should be beholden to their constituents, not their large donors.” To participate in the New York PCFP, registered candidates must first qualify by reaching a [threshold](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) of small donations—for Senate candidates, $12,000 from at least 150 district residents, and for Assembly candidates, $6,000 from at least 75 district residents. In addition, candidates must agree to limit their personal campaign spending to no more than three times the individual [contribution limit](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) for their race—for example, $5,000 for a state Senate primary election—and to submit regular disclosure reports, with the PCFP’s data on matching funds to be displayed publicly online in a searchable database. A unique feature of New York’s PCFP is its greater incentive for smaller contributions: for state legislative offices, amounts up to $50 from residents of the Senate or Assembly district will be [matched](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) 12-to-1, with the next $100 matched 9-to-1, and the next $100 matched 8-to-1\. For statewide offices, the match will be 6-to-1\. A $100 contribution to a New York Senate hopeful from a voter in their district would receive $1,050 in public matching funds for a total of $1,150 raised. Contributions from non-individuals like PACs and corporations are not eligible to be matched, nor are in-kind contributions or contributions from campaign vendors, registered lobbyists, or individuals outside of the district, among other rules. Among other requirements to take part in the match, statewide candidates in the PCFP will have to participate in at least one public debate before funding is released. Candidates will be subject to caps in matching funds that can be awarded for their race—for example, $375,000 for a state Senate primary and the same amount in the general election. Under the PCFP, participating candidates are allowed to raise large donations outside of the matching offer as well, subject to contribution limits for the office sought. In New York’s 2020 law, individual contribution limits were lowered and will be the same for all candidates, those participating in the PCFP and not—for example, [$5,000](https://pcfb.ny.gov/candidate-committee-services) for a state Senate primary and the same amount for a general. Participating candidates and treasurers will be required to attend a mandatory PCFP training and will have their books examined in a post-election audit. In New York City, the widely-used public campaign financing system established in 1988 was [strengthened](https://readsludge.com/2018/11/05/nyc-progressives-coalesce-around-campaign-finance-ballot-initiative/) by 80% of voters to an eight-to-one match in a 2018 ballot initiative. In its most recent cycle, the program encouraged [record amounts of small donations](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) and saw a new high in use by candidates. The New York City Campaign Finance Board said that more than 93% of individual contributions to city candidates in the most recent election cycle were less than $250—which a Sludge analysis found is nearly the inverse of state campaigns, where between 2016 and 2019 only [9% of funding](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/09/big-donors-and-pacs-dominate-campaign-funding-in-nearly-every-state-report-finds/) came from small donors. Record numbers of women and people of color [were elected](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) to the New York City Council in 2021, many of them opting-in to the small-donor matching program to finance their campaigns with small donations from people in their communities. In the 2024 cycle, when all 213 seats in the state legislature are up for election, eligible matching donations are scheduled to begin to be reviewed soon after petitions are filed. In its letter, the Fair Elections coalition says candidates have already begun opting in to the program, which will be [overseen](https://pcfb.ny.gov/about-public-campaign-finance-board) by Chair Barbara Lifton, a former New York state assemblywoman for nearly two decades. “New York’s democracy has taken a huge step forward through the voting and campaign finance reforms passed by the state Senate and Assembly,” Tom Speaker, policy analyst at the nonprofit Reinvent Albany, a group long active in proposals for a statewide public campaign financing system. “We urge Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to stay strong and make sure the state’s new public campaign finance program stays fully funded in the budget.” --- ## Read more: ## [Oakland Voters Approve ‘Democracy Dollars’ Program to Boost Participation in City Elections](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) ## [Big Donors and PACs Dominate Campaign Funding in Nearly Every State, Report Finds](https://readsludge.com/2020/07/09/big-donors-and-pacs-dominate-campaign-funding-in-nearly-every-state-report-finds/) ## [NYC Public Campaign Financing Program Leveled the Playing Field: Report](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) ### With Chicago’s Mayoral Race Awash in Big Money, Reformers Aim to Amplify Small Donors URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/31/with-chicagos-mayoral-race-awash-in-big-money-reformers-aim-to-amplify-small-donors/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:24:12.000Z The race for Chicago mayor has been a high-raising affair, with large campaign contributions rushing into the candidates’ campaigns ahead of the April 4 runoff election. Coming out of last month’s nine-candidate general election, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas, both Democrats, advanced to the runoff. Overall in the Chicago mayor race, nine candidates who have been in the running have raised a combined $48.5 million, according to [Illinois Sunshine](https://illinoissunshine.org/mayoral-races/), a campaign finance resource led by the nonprofit Reform for Illinois (RFI). Another $1.8 million has been spent by outside groups to support or oppose candidates, much of it powered by “dark money” funding, RFI [found](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/campaign-finance-update-johnson-and-vallas-stockpile-cash-with-less-than-a-week-to-go/) in reviewing state election data. Only a tiny share of funding in Chicago’s mayoral campaigns through the end of 2022 has come in small donations of $150 or under directly from city residents: a minuscule 0.9% of all funds in the race, according to [a report](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/a-drop-in-the-bucket-how-small-donors-are-left-behind-in-chicagos-2023-mayoral-race/) released last month by RFI. Large donors who gave $10,000 or more, meanwhile, accounted for a whopping 57% of money in the race to lead Chicago. To address the supersized role played by large donors, the nonpartisan research and advocacy organization RFI is supporting legislative proposals at the state and city levels that would increase transparency in election spending and empower small donors in Chicago. In an encouraging sign for government ethics reformers, both of the candidates in the mayoral runoff are on the record supporting the Chicago proposal to amplify small donations and cultivate more grassroots interactions with voters. In a [questionnaire](https://www.reformforillinois.org/2023-good-governance-candidate-questionnaire-results/) posed to all of the candidates by RFI and the good government group Common Cause Illinois, Johnson and Vallas expressed support for rolling out a public campaign financing program for city offices, an option that would include the new police district council and elected school board offices. “There’s been a lot of momentum around campaign finance reform, more awareness around Big Money in democracy and how harmful it can be,” Alisa Kaplan, executive director of RFI, told Sludge. “We see that in the wave of reforms getting passed around the country, and it’s Chicago’s time now.” Illinois politics is famously no stranger to corruption by party leaders. In the latest of the many such cases going back decades, former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan will head to trial in April 2024, facing federal charges of racketeering and bribery that a U.S. attorney [said](https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/03/02/mike-madigan-indicted-on-federal-charges-accused-of-using-bribery-schemes-report-says/) amounted to his “leading, for nearly a decade, a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance his political power and financial well-being.” “People in Illinois have put up with a lot in terms of corruption and trust in their government and they’re ready for change,” Kaplan said. ## **Tracing ‘Dark Money’** During the Chicago mayoral race, groups such as LLCs and nonprofits whose funders are not publicly disclosed have donated to super PACs, rendering the true source of the PACs’ spending opaque to voters and elections watchdogs. According to an [analysis](https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-dark-money-influence-chicago-mayoral-race-20230329-ng34k6yfmrdgbnjpm3xrfjmuvu-story.html) by RFI, more than $1 million in ad funding in the race came through such opaque channels, most of it supporting Vallas and former candidate Jesús “Chuy” García. In the past couple of weeks, more six-figure dark money [donations](https://twitter.com/Reform4Illinois/status/1641163165349163018) were received by super PACs supporting Vallas and opposing Johnson. To shed light on the interests behind the spending, Democratic state Rep. Maurice West last month introduced legislation, [House Bill 3804](https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=3804&GAID=17&SessionID=112&LegID=149062), that would require groups spending on elections to disclose their original funding sources. Kaplan says RFI [worked with](https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-dark-money-influence-chicago-mayoral-race-20230329-ng34k6yfmrdgbnjpm3xrfjmuvu-story.html) Rep. West on the bill to require transparency for pass-through groups like the disclosure enhancements enacted in other states, or a measure recently [passed in Arizona](https://campaignlegal.org/update/arizona-leads-stopping-secret-spending) with the support of 73% of state voters. “The goal of House Bill 3804 is to make sure voters have the information they need to make fully informed choices about who to vote for,” Kaplan said. “We don’t believe they can do that if they don’t know who is providing significant financial support to a candidate. Voters should know who might be influencing their elected officials and who has an interest in them getting elected, so they can decide whether they share those donors’ interests. “Disclosing donors has an important anti-corruption function,” Kaplan said. “You want to see who is giving money to make sure they’re not trading favors, whether it is as blatant as an explicit quid pro quo. Or it might be something subtler but worth knowing about like pay-to-play politics, where donors give money so they can get better access to elected officials and get their ear on issues that are important to them. That’s the type of attention most ordinary voters don’t have a chance of getting.” “A small group of wealthy interests could potentially have a lot of influence over the next mayor of Chicago. If that money is dark, voters wouldn’t know about it,” Kaplan said. ## **Amplifying Small Donors** Heading into Election Day, Vallas has a far larger war chest, having raised [$17.8 million](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/campaign-finance-update-johnson-and-vallas-stockpile-cash-with-less-than-a-week-to-go/) overall to Johnson’s $10.1 million. Clear differences jump out in the [major sources of funding](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/a-drop-in-the-bucket-how-small-donors-are-left-behind-in-chicagos-2023-mayoral-race/) for the two candidates in the runoff. The overwhelming majority of donations to Johnson’s campaign through the end of last year came from the political action committees of city labor unions. Johnson’s top donors have been the PACs of the Chicago Teachers Union and the American Federation of Teachers, totaling [$2.4 million](https://illinoissunshine.org/committees/34198/) and $2.2 million respectively in the campaign overall. The vast majority of Vallas’ donations through the end of 2022 came from 16 individual donors, who gave his bid $50,000 or more, according to RFI’s [review](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/a-drop-in-the-bucket-how-small-donors-are-left-behind-in-chicagos-2023-mayoral-race/). Vallas’ top donors have been businessman and golf course developer Michael Keiser and his wife Rosalind, who have combined to give [$900,000](https://illinoissunshine.org/committees/37382/) in the campaign. Craig Duchossois, an investor based in Chicago and a Republican Party [megadonor](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/02/22/billionaires-bet-big-to-influence-2022-elections/), has contributed a total of [$760,000](https://illinoissunshine.org/committees/37382/) to Vallas. More than a third of Vallas’ donations have come from outside of Chicago, largely from other Illinois cities, RFI found in its latest [update](https://www.reformforillinois.org/blog/campaign-finance-update-johnson-and-vallas-stockpile-cash-with-less-than-a-week-to-go/). “Let’s face it: most of these individual large donors, someone who can drop a $200,000 check, don’t have much in common with everyday Chicagoans,” said Kaplan. To support small donor participation in city elections, Alderman Matt Martin last year introduced the [Chicago Fair Elections Ordinance](https://chicago.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5733928&GUID=B80CEB6C-A220-4374-A8B4-5BE1F65C58D2), which Kaplan discussed and supported in [testimony](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Srst0AnZdEOSgUZZx0hgaB7ECpT8h2%5FN/view?mc%5Fcid=89701e5974&mc%5Feid=2e9f0a9893) to the City Council’s Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight earlier this year. Following the [model](https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/public-campaign-financing) of small-donor matching programs offered in other cities, the legislation as drafted would create an option for qualifying candidates to opt-in to have valid donations of up to $175 matched six times by a pool of public funding. A similar longstanding New York City small-donor matching program was expanded by voters in a 2018 ballot initiative, and the program hit record [highs](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) of use in the city’s 2021 election cycle. An [analysis](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) from the nonpartisan Brennan Center found that the matching program was widely used to underwrite the campaigns of women and people of color who won Council seats that year. Another public campaign financing program, one based on vouchers distributed to all registered voters that can be redeemed for campaign funding by participating candidates, was [adopted](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) by Oakland voters in November, after succeeding in [diversifying](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) and expanding the municipal donor pool across several election cycles in Seattle. In the City Council hearing on the public campaign financing proposal, Kaplan said, “We heard from several alderpeople about their frustration with the current system and how much they would prefer to run a competitive campaign that relied on everyday Chicagoans—people in their ward who really needed their help—instead of spending a bunch of time in a dark room calling the wealthiest people they know. “There are always people who want to do a better job of representing people who need government the most,” Kaplan said. “We’re going to keep working to bring attention to these issues and waiting for the opportunity to get these reforms passed.” --- --- ## Read more: ## [Oakland Voters Approve ‘Democracy Dollars’ Program to Boost Participation in City Elections](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [NYC Public Campaign Financing Program Leveled the Playing Field: Report](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) ### Republican Energy Bill Follows Massive Increase in Fossil Fuel Donations URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/30/republican-energy-bill-follows-massive-increase-in-fossil-fuel-donations/ Last updated: 2024-04-24T18:16:01.000Z House Republicans demonstrated their support for the fossil fuel industry today by passing a package of legislation to weaken environmental protections and increase drilling on public lands that they have deemed H.R. 1, a symbolic bill number that is typically reserved for the top legislative priority of the party in control in each congressional session. The House vote, [225 to 204](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023182?Page=2), came after House Republicans’ campaign efforts received a large sum of cash from donors in the fossil fuel industry, which is now strongly cheering the bill. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), the highest-spending super PAC backing House Republicans that is endorsed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, received at least $27 million during the 2022 election cycle from donors in the fossil fuel industry, according to a Sludge review of Federal Election Commission data—a threefold increase over the amount of fossil fuel money it received during the previous cycle. The sweeping H.R. 1 [package](https://www.speaker.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Lower-Energy-Costs-Act-1.pdf), titled the Lower Energy Costs Act, combines bills introduced by dozens of Republicans and is sponsored by some of the House members who received the most in oil & gas industry donations last cycle, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, with co-sponsorship from Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (Ark.), and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (Mo.). The GOP took control of the House in the midterm elections with a net gain of nine seats. At a time when big oil companies were banking [record profits](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/08/big-oil-rakes-in-record-annual-profit-fueling-calls-for-higher-taxes.html), many Republicans argued during their campaigns that government regulations were responsible for high gas prices. While President Joe Biden has promised to veto the bill, and it is opposed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has [called](https://www.axios.com/2023/03/15/schumer-senate-house-republicans-energy-bill) it a “wishlist for big oil,” some of its provisions could be attached to legislation to raise the debt ceiling. Republican leaders like Scalise and Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama have [threatened](https://thehill.com/homenews/3924788-republican-leaders-inject-energy-policy-into-debt-ceiling-fight/) to demand energy permitting reforms in exchange for a bargain with Democrats on voting to raise the federal debt ceiling before this summer. ## Join Our Mailing List Get our latest headlines delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The CEO of oil industry trade association the American Petroleum Institute (API) sang the bill’s praises in a [letter](https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2023/03/15/hr1-a-step-to-lasting-bipartisan-permitting-reform) to House leaders earlier this month. More industry groups led by the Independent Petroleum Association of America reportedly [flocked](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2023/03/27/downtown-mobilizes-to-pass-gop-energy-package-00089085) to the Hill this week to round up Republican support for the bill, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [endorsed](https://www.uschamber.com/energy/u-s-chamber-key-vote-letter-on-h-r-1-the-lower-energy-costs-act) the bill and stamped it with a “key vote” alert. Among other steps, the Republican bill would narrow the environmental review processes for permitting of energy projects in several ways, including by consolidating the number of agencies that have jurisdiction over natural gas pipelines, establishing new deadlines, and providing for facilities that process “critical energy resources” to operate under interim status while awaiting approvals required by hazardous materials laws. It would also boost mining projects by setting timelines for permitting reviews and prohibiting lawsuits unless they are filed within 120 days of a permit being approved. The bill would also [repeal](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3902279-what-is-in-house-republicans-energy-policy-package/) measures that were signed into law last year in the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), undoing programs like a series of grants and [fines](https://www.eenews.net/articles/house-republicans-are-chipping-away-at-landmark-climate-law/) meant to reduce methane emissions, as well as one that is designed to leverage private funding for climate projects based in low-income and disadvantaged communities. “H.R. 1 is clear evidence that in ramping up their campaign contributions to House Republicans last cycle, the fossil fuel industry is getting what it paid for,” said Mitch Jones, deputy director of Food & Water Action. “The push for expanded production of fossil fuels flies in the face of scientific consensus. The only thing that can justify it is the desire to increase the donations even more for 2024 when the Republicans try to defend their tiny majority.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### TikTok Hires Former Biden Staffer as it Fights U.S. Ban URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/24/tiktok-hires-former-biden-staffer-as-it-fights-u-s-ban/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:59:47.000Z The company is facing pressure from U.S. lawmakers over its data practices and its ownership by a Chinese company. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Wisconsin Groups Keep It Local Amid Record Ad Blitz in Supreme Court Race URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/16/wisconsin-groups-keep-it-local-amid-record-ad-blitz-in-supreme-court-race/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:52:55.000Z The April 4 election for a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is on track to break spending records nationwide for a campaign of its type. With former Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz, aligned with Democrats, facing off against former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, aligned with Republicans, more than $22.7 million in political ads have been ordered overall, according to the [Buying Time](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/buying-time-2023-wisconsin) resource from the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. That ad deluge is already running neck-and-neck, when adjusted for inflation, with the previous record of [$15.2 million](https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-supreme-court-race-expected-break-campaign-spending-records) spent in a 2004 Illinois Supreme Court contest—and a wave of ad spending is still expected to hit Wisconsin. This year’s spending is sure to shatter the previous state record set in the 2020 Wisconsin Supreme Court contest, which saw [$10 million](https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/outside-groups-set-new-campaign-spending-record-in-wisconsin-supreme-court-race/) in total candidate and outside group spending. Spending in state supreme court races has [sharply risen](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/01/outside-groups-spend-big-on-pennsylvania-supreme-court-race/) over the past decade, with the previously-modest contests transforming into more partisan and high-profile battles, according to experts at the Brennan Center. An [analysis](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/politics-judicial-elections-2019-20) co-authored by the institute’s Democracy counsel, Douglas Keith, found that the 2019-2020 cycle was the most expensive ever for state supreme court elections, with nearly $100 million shelled out by big donors and interest groups. The trend of record-high spending [continued](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/key-2022-state-supreme-court-election-results-and-what-they-mean) in the 2022 cycle, Keith and colleagues found, in court races in Illinois, Montana, and North Carolina. Spending in state judicial contests often takes the form of [inflammatory TV ads](https://readsludge.com/2020/11/19/dark-money-attacks-judges-for-being-soft-on-crime/) accusing candidates of being “soft on crime,” paid for by obscure groups whose funding source is [opaque to voters](https://web.archive.org/web/20230302180820/https://www.grid.news/story/politics/2022/12/27/leonard-leo-is-quietly-remaking-state-high-courts-in-his-conservative-image/), but originates from corporations, trade associations, and “dark money” advocacy nonprofits. The upcoming Wisconsin election is crucial in that three state Supreme Court justices lean liberal and four lean conservative, so the replacement for the retiring conservative justice will likely determine the court’s makeup in potentially taking up [major cases](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/14/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-funding-donors-election-deniers) on abortion access, nonpartisan redistricting, and voting rights. A strict 1849 state law on the books bans legal access to abortion procedures, which re-elected Democratic Wisconsin ​​Attorney General Josh Kaul is in the process of [challenging](https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-abortion-ban-lawsuit-josh-kaul). The candidate Protasiewicz launched ads affirming her support for access to abortion care, and while rival Kelly has recently [declined](https://www.nbc15.com/2023/02/14/one-on-one-wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate-dan-kelly/) to address questions about abortion rights, he’s been [endorsed](https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-wisconsin-state-government-24b0f44f1c1a613af1ebbc2715325379) by three prominent state groups that oppose access to abortion and he previously [performed work](https://truenorthresearch.org/2023/03/more-groups-focused-on-banning-abortion-access-are-hitting-wisconsin/) for Wisconsin Right to Life. Wisconsin’s court election could change the legal landscape around redistricting in the battleground state, where Republican lawmakers have long [entrenched](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/12/wisconsinites-prepare-fair-maps-to-counter-expected-gop-gerrymandering/) district maps that give their candidates a sizable edge. In recent years, a Wisconsin [Fair Maps](https://www.fairmapswi.com/) campaign seeking to establish nonpartisan redistricting has been endorsed, through referendums and resolutions, by counties representing a vast majority of the state’s population. After an [appeal](https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/janet-protasiewicz-daniel-kelly-on-wisconsin-redistricting/) to preserve the Republican-drawn district maps was taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court and then bounced back to the state court level last year, further Democratic [legal challenges](https://wisconsinwatch.org/2022/12/wisconsins-assembly-maps-are-more-skewed-than-ever-what-happens-now/) to electoral boundaries are expected and could advance if Protasiewicz is elected. Court challenges to gerrymandering in Wisconsin date back to 2011, when Gov. Scott Walker signed the state Republican redistricting plan—which Kelly was [hired to help defend](https://www.wpr.org/justice-daniel-kelly-follows-conservative-path-bid-keep-wisconsin-supreme-court-seat) with the state’s Department of Justice, led then by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel. ## **‘Money Bomb’** Recent Supreme Court campaigns in the Badger State should have voters expecting a late-breaking ad push benefiting the conservative Kelly. In 2019’s contest between the Democratic-aligned Appeals Chief Judge Lisa Neubauer and Republican-aligned Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), the national group that [campaigns](https://www.rslc.gop/what-we-do/state-courts) for conservative state judicial candidates, spent more than [$1.2 million](https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/acs-on-dark-money-who-is-capturing-our-courts-wisconsin-edition/) in last-minute ads. Hagedorn won by less than one percent of the vote. The watchdog and investigative group [True North Research](https://truenorthresearch.org/) highlights how the RSLC, in a press release since taken offline, [took credit](https://web.archive.org/web/20200426203738/https://www.rslc.gop/news/2019/04/04/how-the-rslc-jfi-helped-win-the-wisconsin-supreme-court-race/) for Hagedorn’s win through its spending blitz of more than a million dollars in the final week of the 2019 campaign—a sum that was only disclosed in an amended filing on Election Day. Another RSLC press release last year [touted](https://www.rslc.gop/press-releases/conservative-justice-daniel-kelly-advances-to-general-election-in-crucialnbspwisconsinnbspstate-supreme-court-racenbsp) its “significant impact on the redistricting process” after sweeping five state Supreme Court races in North Carolina and Ohio. As a [527 organization](https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/), the RSLC can spend to support or oppose individual candidates for office, but only discloses its donors in periodic reports to the Internal Revenue Service, as opposed to more-frequent filings to the Federal Election Commission—and only in forms that run into the hundreds of pages, as opposed to parsable data. While the RSLC has not yet released a disclosure for 2023, a Sludge review of the group’s forms from 2021 and 2022 reveal that its largest donors have been the conservative Concord Fund, the dark money group closely tied to Leonard Leo, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and conglomerate Koch Industries. The RSLC says it has spent at least [$29 million](https://www.rslc.gop/press-releases/conservative-justice-daniel-kelly-advances-to-general-election-in-crucialnbspwisconsinnbspstate-supreme-court-racenbsp) on court races over the past decade through its affiliate the Judicial Fairness Initiative. Evan Vorpahl, senior researcher with True North Research, says this cash deluge has largely gone to attack ads against judges who have reputations in their states for fairness. “As a 527 organization, there are no limits on how much money the RSLC can receive from billionaires, dark money shell groups, and corporations,” Vorpahl told Sludge. “Last year, one of its top funders was Leonard Leo’s Concord Fund. Leo now sits at the helm of a billion-dollar trust fund that uses conduits to influence who becomes a state supreme court justice or state attorney general, now that he has packed the U.S. Supreme Court with the judges that overturned *Roe v. Wade* and are assailing other key precedents in our democracy.” Vorphal added, “One of the RSLC’s other big funders has been the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose state affiliate Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has also received dark money from Leo’s operation.” In addition to the Concord Fund, True North [found](https://truenorthresearch.org/2023/02/the-secretly-funded-wmc-imc-efforts-to-alter-wisconsins-highest-court/) the state business group WMC has received funding from the Wellspring Committee, an [influential](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/05/an-influential-dark-money-group-turns-off-the-lights-for-the-last-time/) dark money group in promoting Leonard Leo-approved U.S. Supreme Court nominees that abruptly shuttered in 2019\. Figures this month from [AdImpact Politics](https://twitter.com/AdImpact%5FPol/status/1633205397585637379) show that WMC has reserved $3.2 million in ads to support Kelly. “We anticipate that RSLC will appear in Wisconsin again with a last-minute ‘dark money bomb’ in the last week of the election,” Vorpahl said. “In 2020 they backed Kelly’s bid to remain on the high court, which was roundly rejected by Wisconsin’s voters. Following the 2022 midterms, the Judicial Fairness Initiative stated it was looking forward to Wisconsin’s supreme court election, saying, ‘JFI will be there.’ We should take them at their word on this.” With Kelly’s recent campaign filing showing only [$376,723](https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/kelly-accuses-protasiewicz-of-slandering-him-in-campaign-ads) in the bank, his bid is evidently relying on deep-pocketed outside spending groups to carry the burden on ad buying. Kelly’s campaign is being backed by a bevy of super PACs including Fair Courts America, an [offshoot](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2023/02/22/deluge-of-dark-money-expected-as-wisconsin-supreme-court-election-moves-toward-runoff/) of the Restoration PAC funded by right-wing billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein, and the American Principles Project PAC, a Virginia-based [right-wing policy](https://americanindependent.com/jennifer-dorow-daniel-kelly-wisconsin-right-wing-donors/) think tank, among others. According to the [Brennan Center](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/buying-time-2023-wisconsin)’s tracker as of Mar. 14, Fair Courts America has ordered more than $4.4 million worth of political ads during the state court campaign, counting broadcast TV as well as cable, satellite, and radio ads. Behind it in spending, the advocacy arm of business group WMC has booked $3.5 million worth of political ads, and progressive group A Better Wisconsin Together has booked $2.8 million during the campaign. ## **Youth-Led Engagement** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/03/LIT-UWM-VoteReg_1920px-1024x683.jpg) Leaders Igniting Transformation members at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) Wisconsin’s April 2020 election generated memorable images of the challenges around election access in the state, with students and city residents facing [long lines](https://readsludge.com/2020/04/19/slammed-by-trump-vote-by-mail-gathers-momentum-in-states-during-pandemic/) to vote in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Restrictive voting measures [passed](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/10/wisconsin-2022-midterms-gerrymandering-redistricting-evers-michels/) under state Republican control, like a strict voter ID law, cast a chill on voter turnout that disproportionately affects Black voters in counties—and places Wisconsin a distant [47th among states](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/20/us/politics/cost-of-voting.html) in ease of voting, according to one recent study. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/03/LIT_YouthPowerSummit_1920px-1024x683.png) A member of LIT at a summit Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) Leaders Igniting Transformation, or LIT for short, is a youth-led civic engagement organization in Wisconsin that works to mobilize election participation among Black and brown youth across the state. Some of the organization’s priorities are ensuring fair redistricting for communities of color, expanding early voting hours and locations, and securing polling locations for students on college campuses. Amanda Avalos, co-executive director of LIT, told Sludge, “LIT creates resources to engage and educate youth on these issues and others that are important to young people’s daily lives—that includes things like unpacking the state budget and why it matters, demystifying the legislative process and what bills LIT supports, and hosting youth lobby days so legislators hear directly from youth about the issues they care about more.” Member stories, ranging from thoughts on Hispanic Heritage Month to the inequalities of the Covid-19 pandemic, can be read on the group’s [blog](https://www.litwi.org/lit-voices). Avalos says the next youth lobby day will be held on April 18 at the Capitol in Madison. ## **‘How-Tos’ for Local Participation** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/03/LWV-Milwaukee-1024x683.jpg) League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (LWVWI) members in Milwaukee LWVWI Many voters casting a ballot will search for reliable information not just about candidates running in high-profile races, but also in less-familiar local contests. In January, the nonprofit League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (LWVWI) [launched](https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/article/voter-education-tool-vote411-launched-spring-primary) the latest version of its [Vote411](http://vote411.org/) voter guide, ahead of the primary and general elections, providing information in English and Spanish on the voting process, from the state Supreme Court runoff down to local races like circuit court judges and city boards. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/03/LWVRipon-576x1024.jpg) A table of voter education materials from LWVWI in Ripon, Wisconsin. LWVWI The online tool is just one way the nonpartisan LWVWI, established in 1920, stays active locally in informing and motivating the public to participate in democracy. Debra Cronmiller, executive director of LWVWI, told Sludge that group members are holding community forums and virtual briefings on issues like Fair Maps and the redistricting process, reproductive rights, PFAS chemicals and water quality, and the role of the courts on all those fronts, as well as judicial independence and accountability. “We are supporting our 20 local Leagues by promoting their community events and outreach, developing ‘how-tos’ for participation, including bilingual materials and resources,” Cronmiller said. “In addition, we have developed and distributed our voter guide at VOTE411.org for statewide races, distributed 101 Guides about the judiciary and other elected offices, and created and distributed more Get out the Vote bilingual materials.” The LWVWI will also sponsor text and phone banking to remind voters to turn out, Cronmiller said. --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Minnesota Democrats Pass Voting Rights Bill in Committee](https://readsludge.com/2023/02/10/minnesota-democrats-pass-voting-rights-bill-in-committee/) ## [Leonard Leo’s ‘Dark Money’ Group Donates Millions to Back Republican State Campaigns](https://readsludge.com/2022/10/31/leonard-leos-dark-money-group-donates-millions-to-back-republican-state-campaigns/) ## [GM, Ford, and DTE Among Companies Funding Michigan Republicans Behind Voter Suppression Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/) ### Pfizer Spends Big on IP Lobbying With Billions on the Line URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/09/pfizer-spends-big-on-ip-lobbying-with-billions-on-the-line/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T02:17:16.000Z *This piece by journalist Walker Bragman was written in partnership with the* [*Important Context*](https://importantcontext.substack.com/) *newsletter.* Last year, as it was raking in cash from its COVID vaccine and newly authorized oral treatment Paxlovid, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer spent big bucks to safeguard its intellectual property (IP), federal lobbying disclosures reveal. The nearly $900,000 lobbying tab came amid a global fight over how best to ensure fair access to COVID tools like vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Uneven distribution of such tools has been an ongoing problem throughout the pandemic, which has killed more than six million people worldwide by official numbers. Estimates of its true death toll, however, [range into the tens of millions](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates). Wealthier nations have [hoarded](https://www.citizen.org/article/letter-urging-pfizer-to-address-paxlovid-inequality/) critical supplies while lower-income countries in the Global South have struggled with procurement. One solution that has gained traction at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) is an intellectual property waiver for COVID tools. The idea has faced stiff opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. Pfizer in particular has [long been lobbying](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/05/big-pharma-shatters-q1-lobby/) to stave off any such waiver. The company’s spending on the issue through last year, including $140,000 in the fourth quarter alone, shows how significant and persistent a threat those global discussions are to its bottom line and provides insight into how the pharmaceutical giant has prioritized profits over global equity and human lives. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Intuit’s Top Lobbying Firms Are Also Major DSCC Bundlers URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/08/intuits-top-lobbying-firms-are-also-major-dscc-bundlers/ Last updated: 2025-07-17T16:58:00.000Z Not long after Tax Day this year, a government report is due to Congress that could be a first step in helping Americans pay less to file their annual tax returns. The report could set up a collision between lawmakers and their campaign donors in the lucrative tax preparation business—as well as the giant lobbying firms that advocate for their interests on Capitol Hill. For decades, financial software companies—led by Intuit, owner of TurboTax—have waged a [formidable influence campaign](https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free) to block the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from offering an officially-supported, free tax filing tool online. The IRS currently offers an array of third-party tools that are free for households that earn $73,000 and under, but the options, sponsored by little-known companies with names like TaxSlayer, are used by only [2-3% of taxpayers](https://www.propublica.org/article/files-taxes-free-inflation-reduction-act). The little-used IRS program means hefty revenue—estimated at [$1 billion annually](https://slate.com/technology/2022/04/turbotax-free-file-online-ftc.html)—for the market-dominating Intuit, which also owns QuickBooks and Credit Karma, from customers who start using one of its heavily-advertised products only to [encounter fees](https://thebrick.house/the-lobbyists-who-make-filing-your-taxes-a-nightmare/) along the way. Intuit’s spending on federal lobbying reached a new high of more than $3.5 million last year, OpenSecrets News [reported](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/02/turbotax-parent-company-intuit-is-pouring-more-money-than-ever-into-lobbying-amid-push-for-free-government-run-tax-filing), as the company faced heightened scrutiny from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and House lawmakers like Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) into the company’s “revolving door” hiring practices. The tax prep companies’ lobbying campaign had a setback last year. In August, Sen. Warren [announced](https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-highlights-priorities-secured-in-inflation-reduction-act) that the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed that month by President Biden, included [$15 million](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22136117-inflation%5Freduction%5Fact%5Fof%5F2022#document/p39) for a “task force to design an IRS-run free ‘direct efile’ tax return service,” building on legislation she had introduced. The report, including feedback from an independent third party on the feasibility of the program, is due to Congress within nine months of the IRA’s enactment—at the latest, by May 16, 2023. If the U.S. joined other wealthy countries in offering a free government-sponsored tax filing service, not only could far more taxpayers use the official option, but also the U.S. could move a step closer to [having the IRS provide a pre-populated return](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/30/congress-explores-free-tax-filing-program-to-cut-out-middlemen.html) for taxpayers to approve, slashing the cost and stress of the process. A study [highlighted](https://www.propublica.org/article/files-taxes-free-inflation-reduction-act) by ProPublica journalists Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel found that somewhere from 41% to 48% of all returns could be pre-filled by the IRS. Intuit said in a [statement](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/02/turbotax-parent-company-intuit-is-pouring-more-money-than-ever-into-lobbying-amid-push-for-free-government-run-tax-filing) this month that such a government-run option would be “a waste of taxpayer dollars.” Intuit isn’t the only company with a financial interest in keeping Tax Day as usual. The law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (BHFS) was the [number one](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-lobbying-firms) spender last year on federal lobbying, and since December 2018 it has lobbied for Intuit subsidiary Credit Karma, which [says](https://accounts-help.intuit.com/app/intuit/2019328) it shares data with its parent company. BHFS reported $240,000 in lobbying for Credit Karma last year, tied with government affairs shop Ice Miller Strategies for the most Intuit spent with an outside firm. With BHFS, Intuit’s lobbyists included policy director Zachary Pfister, a former House Democratic staffer and Democratic [bundler](https://twitter.com/donnydonny/status/1417871184973242372). Among the specific lobbying [issues](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/1a5ac5b9-929a-47f9-86d3-0adf16dc0447/print/) that BHFS mentioned in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to disclosures filed with the Senate, was “Promote consumer access to responsible financial product.” Other reports last year show BHFS lobbyists mentioning issues of data privacy and “Support FINTECH innovation and consumer protections.” In January, BHFS threw its 12th annual fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), raising $525,000, according to an [item in Punchbowl News](https://punchbowl.news/archive/12623-punchbowl-news-am/card/24/). Hosts included Nadeam Elshami, a BHFS policy director and former communications director for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who lobbied for Intuit last year. Last year’s BHFS fundraiser, held at the Charlie Palmer steakhouse by the Capitol, saw at least two BHFS lobbyists for Intuit [mixing](https://thebrick.house/the-lobbyists-who-make-filing-your-taxes-a-nightmare/) with Senate Democrats: Pfister and attorney Katelynn Bradley, a former senior counsel with the House Committee on Financial Services. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Congressional Leaders Are Embracing Dark Money Like Never Before URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/03/01/congressional-leaders-are-embracing-dark-money-like-never-before/ Last updated: 2023-12-19T17:00:51.000Z In his first interview after the collapse of his cryptocurrency empire FTX, founder Sam Bankman-Fried made the surprising admission that he had donated as much to Republicans as he had to Democrats—just that, as he put it, “All my Republican donations were dark.” Bankman-Fried hasn’t volunteered more details, but it’s likely that he made his donations to one of the “dark money” nonprofits that are affiliated with super PACs aligned with Republican Party leaders in the U.S. House and Senate. The now-indicted mogul said he may have secretly been the second or third-biggest Republican donor in the midterms. Donors are increasingly steering their political giving along these secretive paths. The four super PACs aligned with congressional leaders received more in contributions than ever last election cycle from their largest dark money affiliates, according to a Sludge review of Federal Election Commission data. The four super PACs that are endorsed by congressional leaders, though technically independent from them, have come to dominate spending on congressional elections in recent years, spending far more than national party committees like the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) or Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to help elect their party’s candidates. In the 2022 cycle, these super PACs became the four highest-spending outside groups on federal races, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/by%5Fgroup/2022?chrt=2020&disp=O&type=A). They each received large contributions from an affiliated 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that does not publicly disclose its donors—for example, the top donor group to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is the nonprofit American Action Network (AAN). The president of both the CLF and the AAN since just after the 2018 midterms has been Republican strategist Dan Conston. These nonprofits offer a legal channel for wealthy individuals, businesses, or other organizations to secretly funnel unlimited amounts of money to PACs benefiting House or Senate leaders—who can [control which bills](https://readsludge.com/2020/08/21/congressional-leaders-are-raising-more-dark-money-than-ever-through-their-super-pacs/) come to the floor, or [appoint powerful committee chairs](https://readsludge.com/2021/10/21/the-secretive-group-steering-the-dems/). “Money funneled through corporate entities and other types of entities that are not subject to the same types of disclosure rules that federal committees have to comply with are often the preferred vehicles for those spending huge amounts of campaign money—but who don’t want people to know they’re the ones spending it,” said Erin Chlopak, senior director of campaign finance at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. Due to campaign finance laws governing outside spending groups, the super PACs are not formally linked to members of Congress—but campaign finance watchdogs [point out](https://campaignlegal.org/update/super-pac-deals-are-bad-deal-democracy) how closely the super PACs are tied to party leaders like McCarthy. In January, as part of the negotiations for McCarthy to corral the votes from his caucus to be House speaker, the ostensibly independent CLF [struck a deal](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3799420-mccarthy-backed-pac-agrees-to-less-spending-open-rules-in-exchange-for-speakership-backing/) with another major outside spending group, the Club for Growth, not to spend on primaries in safe GOP districts. The four dark money affiliates—on the Republican side, the American Action Network and One Nation, and on the Democratic side, House Majority Forward and Majority Forward—made contributions worth a combined $209.2 million to the four major congressional leader-aligned super PACs in the 2022 cycle, according to a review of FEC data. That sum is a more than 19% increase on the amount the groups contributed in the 2020 cycle to the four super PACs. The vast majority of the contributions were monetary, but these sums also include contributions described in FEC records as in-kind services of research, data, or development, as well as provisions of salary, office space, and health insurance. Three of the four dark money groups increased their contributions to congressional leader-aligned super PACs in the midterm elections compared with the 2020 cycle—only One Nation’s total given to the Senate Leadership Fund declined. Dark money groups, in addition to continuing to spend money on things like television ads to influence voters, have increasingly been routing their contributions to super PACs: along with shell companies, nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors donated [$612 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/01/dark-money-groups-have-poured-billions-into-federal-elections-since-the-supreme-courts-2010-citizens-united-decision) to federal groups in the midterms, OpenSecrets found. The resulting lack of public disclosure has caused some to refer to super PACs like CLF as “gray money” groups: while they are legally required to disclose their donors, the individuals or businesses that fund their top donors like AAN are allowed to remain secret. “Knowing who is behind these vast sums of money poured into political campaigns is crucial for voters to be able to make informed choices about who they want to represent them, and we don’t have that information available,” said Chlopak. “Without it, voters can’t make informed decisions and sometimes are deceived, as we’ve been reading about recently in the case of George Santos.” ## **House Republican Dark Money Soars** In the midterms, contributions from AAN to CLF soared by more than two-thirds compared with 2020, to a total of $50.7 million. AAN also spent more than [$30.7 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/11/dark-money-groups-aligned-with-party-leadership-steer-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-2022-federal-elections/) on TV and digital ads, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis based in part on figures from the media tracking firm AdImpact. Along with more in [donations](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/congressional-leadership-fund/C00504530/donors/2022) from Republican billionaires like hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin and fossil fuel companies like Chevron, the CLF succeeded in helping to flip control of the chamber, giving Republicans a House majority of [222 members](https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown) to 212 Democrats, with one vacancy. The CLF’s website [states](https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/clf-club-for-growth-come-to-key-agreement-in-support-of-kevin-mccarthy-for-speaker/) it is endorsed by McCarthy. The CLF also received [$1 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202301239574923167) on Oct. 27, 2022 from a group called Building America’s Future, listing an address in Alexandria, Virginia, that releases no information about itself. The group’s website links to the Coalition to Protect American Workers, a conservative anti-tax group [founded](https://www.axios.com/2021/03/30/top-republicans-form-new-group-to-fight-biden-tax-hikes) in 2021 by Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, to block the Biden administration’s agenda. Short previously worked with Freedom Partners, a group in the right-wing [Koch network](https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/16/koch-network-mike-pence-trump-00083161), and his wife worked for the Koch Foundation, according to a [report](https://theintercept.com/2021/10/15/conservative-dark-money-ads-biden-build-back-better/) in The Intercept. The AAN’s contributions amounted to more than 19% of the $260.6 million that the CLF raised in the 2022 cycle. ## **House Democrats Join in Secret Money** After the 2018 elections, the 501(c)4 nonprofit House Majority Forward (HMF) was founded as an [affiliate](https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/25/dems-launch-secret-money-ad-blitz-to-back-house-majority-1436416) of the House Majority PAC (HMP), sharing personnel including president Robby Mook, a longtime Democratic strategist who was Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016, and former executive director Abby Curran Howell, who previously worked for the DCCC. In last year’s midterms, HMF ticked its donations to HMP up to $10.2 million, a rise of more than 25% compared with the 2020 cycle. The group’s executive director is [Mike Smith](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/10/new-democratic-house-leader-blesses-top-pelosi-aide-lead-super-pac/), who was formerly a senior adviser for Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) [blessed](https://www.thehousemajoritypac.com/news/house-majority-pac-announces-new-president) the elevation of Smith to president of the group earlier this year, saying in a quote published on the HMP website that Smith “will help ensure a smooth transition.” The HMP brought in nearly $181.8 million in the 2022 cycle to support House Democratic candidates, meaning that HMF’s share amounted to nearly 6% of those contributions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/09/Biden_GettyImages-1445482730--1-.jpg) President Joe Biden meets with congressional leaders to discuss legislative priorities through the end of 2022 at the White House on Nov. 29, 2022\. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images) ## **Senate Republicans Got the Most From Dark Money Affiliate** The massive 501(c)4 nonprofit One Nation contributed $75 million to the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) aligned with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the midterms, a dip of about 12% compared with the previous cycle. Contributions from One Nation made up SLF’s top source of funding in the 2022 cycle, providing SLF with more than three times as much as its next top donor, private equity CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman. The SLF received other donations from groups whose funding is opaque, such as $3 million from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the business lobbying behemoth that does not publicly disclose its member companies or its donors. The SLF also received $1.5 million from Conservative Americans PAC, a new super PAC [funded](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/08/two-dark-money-groups-bankrolled-pop-up-super-pac-spending-millions-gop-primaries/) by two dark money groups, the American Economic Freedom Alliance and American Prosperity Alliance. The SLF’s president is Steven Law, who has been listed as the president and CEO of One Nation in past tax filings. Law [bills himself](https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/steven-law/) as president and CEO of both groups in media appearances, as well as the CEO of the super PAC American Crossroads, which spent [$5.7 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail?cmte=C00487363&cycle=2022) last cycle, virtually all of it opposing Democrats. Of the nearly $289.6 million the SLF raised last cycle, the share from One Nation—which marks the names and addresses of its contributors as “restricted” in [tax forms](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271937961/202003219349310230/full)—makes up close to 26%. ## **Senate Democrats Got Almost As Much as GOP Rivals** Last cycle, the 501(c)4 nonprofit Majority Forward contributed $73.3 million to the Senate Majority PAC (SMP), an increase of 40% over the 2020 cycle. The group’s president last year was JB Poersch, who is also president of SMP and worked from 2004-2010 at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), according to his LinkedIn profile. The SMP, which is aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and which he has [helped fundraise](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4558585-Schumer-Senate-Majority-PAC-Solicitation-Letter.html?platform=hootsuite) for, raised nearly $337.5 million last cycle, and Majority Forward’s share amounted to almost 22% of that total, as Democrats held on to a slight Senate majority. As with their Republican rivals, the dark money affiliate was far and away the SMP’s top source of contributions last cycle, donating more than four and a half times as much as retired businessman Fred Eychaner of Chicago. The ability for tens of millions of dollars to flow secretly to groups that benefit Senate and House leaders sets up questions about whether the money influences what they prioritize legislatively. In the previous Congress, bipartisan lawmakers behind antitrust bills targeting a handful of Big Tech companies [said they had the votes](https://perfectunion.us/schumer-freezes-antitrust-bills-after-big-tech-lobbyists-bundled-millions/) secured to overcome a Senate filibuster and pass both chambers—only to have Majority Leader Chuck Schumer go back on his word and not bring the bills up. Wary of tech executive largesse flowing to Senate Democrats’ dark money group, last summer the digital rights group Fight for the Future [led a call](https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2022-07-13-senate-majority-leader-chuck-schumer-disclose-dark-money-donations-from-big-tech) on Schumer to “disclose publicly any contributions Big Tech companies, their executives, or affiliated advocacy organizations have donated this Congress to Majority Forward,” but Schumer made no public statements on the abandoned antitrust legislation as the Congress ended. Because Majority Forward’s donors are not publicly revealed, it’s difficult for the public to judge if Schumer’s actions were corrupted by donations from big technology companies. ## **Movement for Transparency at the State Level** Since the 2010 Supreme Court decision in *Citizens United v. FEC* opened the door to unlimited election spending by outside groups, nonprofits that don’t disclose their donors have themselves spent more than [$1 billion](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/reports/a-decade-under-citizens-united) on federal races, according to research by OpenSecrets. The DISCLOSE Act, a bill to require greater transparency in the original sources of funding for groups spending on elections, among other provisions, was [reintroduced](https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/whitehouse-cicilline-reintroduce-disclose-act-to-end-corrupting-influence-of-dark-money-in-american-democracy) recently in what its sponsor Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called an effort “to end the corrupting influence of dark-money spending.” “Legislation like the DISCLOSE Act is exceptionally important because it would require transparency about the true sources of funding,” said Chlopak. With Republicans in control of the U.S. House and stronger disclosure laws facing an uphill battle, campaign finance reform advocates in states are taking the initiative to make the cash behind influence efforts in state and local contests more transparent. “At the state level, perhaps the most exciting development has been passage of Arizona’s Proposition 211 by a sweeping majority,” Chlopak told Sludge. The [measure](https://campaignlegal.org/update/arizona-leads-stopping-secret-spending), also known as the “Voters’ Right to Know Act,” would require groups spending more than $50,000 in statewide campaigns, or $25,000 on other campaigns, to disclose the original funding source of all donations of $5,000 and above. It passed in November with [more than 72%](https://azsos.gov/sites/default/files/2022Dec05%5FGeneral%5FElection%5FCanvass%5FWeb.pdf) of voters in favor. Other state measures being tracked by Campaign Legal Center include an elections bill in Illinois, where House Democratic Rep. Maurice A. West recently introduced [H.B. 3804](https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=112&GA=103&DocTypeId=HB&DocNum=3804&GAID=17&LegID=149062&SpecSess=&Session=), which would similarly require disclosure of funding sources behind large donations to groups spending on elections. And in Oregon, a ballot initiative [Petition 9](https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/2024-irr.aspx), titled “Honest Elections: Fight Political Corruption and Require Disclosure and Transparency,” has been submitted to face state voters in 2024. “It’s encouraging to see states taking action themselves given the gridlock we see at the federal level,” Chlopak said. --- ## Read more: ## [Corporate Dems’ Rapidly Growing ‘Dark Money’ Arm](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/22/corporate-dems-rapidly-growing-dark-money-arm/) ## [Trump-Backed MAGA Hub Growing Rapidly, Tax Docs Reveal](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/17/trump-backed-maga-hub-growing-rapidly-tax-docs-reveal/) ## [REVEALED: Oil Industry Lobbying Group Funded ‘Dark Money’ Ad Campaign for Conservative Democrats](https://readsludge.com/2022/11/16/revealed-oil-industry-lobbying-group-funded-dark-money-ad-campaign-for-conservative-democrats/) ### Biden Decision in Apple Watch Patent Dispute Could Benefit His Megadonor URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/02/24/biden-decision-in-apple-watch-patent-dispute-could-benefit-his-megadonor/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:19:43.000Z In upholding a federal agency’s ruling in a dispute between Apple and medical device company AliveCor, President Biden has also boosted the patent case of one of his 2020 campaign’s largest donors and fundraisers. The megadonor is Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of medical technology company Masimo, which like AliveCor is battling Apple over patents underlying sensor features of the Apple Watch. Kiani and his company have donated millions of dollars to pro-Biden super PACs and the Biden Inaugural Committee, as well as hosting in-person and online fundraisers for Biden as a presidential candidate. This week, Silicon Valley startup AliveCor [announced](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3867669-biden-declines-to-veto-apple-watch-ban-setting-up-court-battle-company/) that the Biden administration informed it that it had decided not to veto a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) [ruling](https://www.alivecor.com/documents/337%5F1266%5Fnotice%5F12222022sgl.pdf/) from December that Apple Watch devices’ electrocardiogram (ECG) function infringes on its patents. The ITC ruling concluded that imports of Apple Watches with the ECG feature should be banned, among other remediation, but it also stated that enforcement of an import ban import should be held off while AliveCor’s patents were being reviewed by a separate agency, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Presidential vetoes of ITC rulings are a rare occurrence, although President Obama did step in in 2013 to veto a ban on iPhones and other Apple products after an ITC decision in a patent battle with Samsung. Apple [says](https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/white-house-opts-not-veto-itc-ruling-favor-alivecor-ecg-patent-battle-apple) it plans to appeal the ITC ruling. In siding with AliveCor, President Biden is keeping alive the possibility of an Apple Watch import ban, which is precisely what Kiani’s company is seeking in a separate suit. Masimo has launched similar patent challenges against versions of Apple Watches, seeking to have their importation to the U.S. banned. Masimo first [sued](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-30/apple-watch-should-be-blocked-from-import-to-u-s-masimo-claims) Apple in 2020, and filed an ITC complaint in 2021, over what it argued was infringement of five pulse oximeter patents used for sensing blood oxygen levels. Last month, an ITC judge [ruled](https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-rules-apple-watches-infringed-masimo-patent-medical-device-maker-2023-01-11/) that one of Masimo’s patents had been infringed by Apple in the devices, setting up the case for a full commission review. Masimo [hailed](https://www.masimo.com/company/news/news-media/#17ac5ee3-c465-48e3-935c-a25da953efcf) the ruling as a win for intellectual property rights, and Kiani made a [CNBC appearance](https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/01/11/masimo-ceo-on-how-its-watch-compares-to-the-apple-watch.html) to tout his company’s case against the tech giant. A decision in that case on whether to ban certain Apple Watch imports is expected from the ITC in May. Masimo has [requested](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-watch-faces-potential-import-201330855.html) that an import ban on infringing Apple Watches go into effect, which was supported by the initial ruling from ITC administrative law Judge Monica Bhattacharyya. The appeals process in the two cases is expected to take more than a year, and the AliveCor dispute will also [wend its way](https://www.axios.com/2023/02/18/apple-watch-patent-fight-ekg) through the Patent Office’s Trial and Appeal Board. Tech industry observers at The Verge [suggested](https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/21/23608810/apple-watch-alivecor-biden-itc-import-ban) that the case could result in hefty licensing fees from Apple for AliveCor and Masimo over the technologies. Bloomberg Law [estimated](https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/11/23550036/the-apple-watchs-blood-oxygen-feature-is-at-the-center-of-a-potential-import-ban) that annual royalties of up to $300 million a year could be on the table for Masimo. ## **Biden Fundraiser Host** At a crucial point in the 2020 presidential nomination contest, Joe Kiani and his wife Sarah Kiani stepped up as major fundraisers supporting Biden’s campaign. The businessman Kiani already had a relationship with the former vice president: in 2017, the Masimo Foundation was [listed](https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-donor-awarded-white-house-job-fed-contracts/) as a $1 million donor to the Biden Foundation. The following year, Biden [recognized](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-health-ap-top-news-san-francisco-1b5f2f9c901b44a0971d02d1a2c3a23b) Kiani as “one of his closest friends” in remarks given at a health care conference on the search for a cure for cancer. The foundation, which supported programs in areas like gay rights and college affordability, and in so doing provided salaries to some in Biden’s orbit of political staffers, was [shuttered](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/us/politics/joe-biden-foundation-president.html) as Biden readied to enter the presidential race. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### TikTok Owner Uses Back Door to Donate in Honor of Members of Congress URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/02/17/tiktok-owner-uses-back-door-to-donate-in-honor-of-members-of-congress/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:04:41.000Z A growing number of U.S. senators and representatives are raising alarms about the potential for Americans to have their personal information end up in the hands of the Chinese government through ByteDance, the company that owns the social video app TikTok. In August 2020, former President Donald Trump sought to block the app from U.S. phones by issuing an executive order that was later blocked in court and then rescinded by the Biden administration in June 2021\. More recently, President Biden signed into law legislation from Sen. John Hawley (R-Mo.) that bans TikTok from being installed on federal devices. Hawley has also proposed the [No TikTok on United States Devices Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/85) that would block that app from all U.S. phones and devices, as well as prohibit anyone in the U.S. from doing business with ByteDance. Although the push against TikTok has mainly come from Republicans, some Democrats also appear to have concerns. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) [said](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-2-12-23-sen-chuck-schumer/story?id=97057961) that banning TikTok is “something that should be looked at.” In the House, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) has signed on to legislation to ban the app in the U.S., saying a [press statement](https://gallagher.house.gov/media/press-releases/gallagher-rubio-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-ban-tiktok) that “revelations surrounding the depth of TikTok’s ties to the CCP highlight the urgency of protecting Americans from these risks before it’s too late.” Amid this pressure from lawmakers, ByteDance has increased its lobbying presence in Washington. According to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/02/bytedance-ramps-up-lobbying-concerns-over-tiktoks-china-ties-and-data-security-mount/), ByteDance has spent more than $13.4 million on lobbying the federal government since 2019, including $5.3 million it spent last year, a new record for the company. So far, however, the company has not facilitated political donations to senators, representatives, and candidates for Congress, likely because of its status as a foreign company. Campaign finance law [prohibits foreign nationals](https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/foreign-nationals/) from making political contributions, although it allows U.S. divisions of foreign companies to form PACs that can raise money from U.S. employees. ByteDance is in the process of forming a [U.S. division for TikTok](https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-steps-up-efforts-clinch-us-security-deal-2022-12-22/) in partnership with Oracle, but so far it has not formed a PAC that it could use to donate to candidates. The company’s only known [political donations](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2020/08/07/facing-increased-scrutiny-tiktok-gave-money-to-state-attorneys-general-groups/) to date have been given to groups that supports state attorneys general candidates. But according to a recent disclosure filed by ByteDance, the company has found another way to donate in the U.S. that could ingratiate them with the lawmakers who may end up voting on whether or not to ban TikTok. Since mid-2022, ByteDance has donated at least [$410,000](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/contribution/d373b963-30ad-4688-b7ae-720e1b4730e7/print/) to think tanks and nonprofits that are affiliated with members of Congress. The donations were made in honor of the members of Congress, according to the disclosure. The recipients of the largest ByteDance donations have been the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which each received $150,000 from the Chinese company in December. The donations honor the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, according to ByteDance’s filing. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Minnesota Democrats Pass Voting Rights Bill in Committee URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/02/10/minnesota-democrats-pass-voting-rights-bill-in-committee/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:55:24.000Z The day after the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol in D.C., Minnesota legislators in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party introduced legislation to address a host of election issues, from expanding voter registration to reforming campaign finance laws. With the state House of Representatives then under Republican control, the legislative package on elections stalled in committee. But in the 2022 midterm elections, Minnesota Democrats won a trifecta in state government, flipping control of the House. This week, three committees of the Minnesota legislature advanced a bill that supporters say would increase voting access, combat secret spending by groups in elections, and more. Titled the [Democracy for the People Act](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF3&b=house&y=2023&ssn=0), the bill was among the first legislative items introduced by Minnesota Democrats this year, a sign of its priority. The Senate Committee on Elections [passed](https://senatedfl.mn/democracy-for-the-people-act-heard-today-in-senate-elections-committee/) the bill on Feb. 7, with the House Committee on Elections and Senate Transportation Committee passing it the next day. The bill will be heard next week in the House Transportation, Finance, and Policy Committee before it can receive a vote by the full body. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who after the midterm election called to set up a “[firewall](https://twitter.com/GovTimWalz/status/1607786952740278276)” for free and fair elections in the state, [said](https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/01/10/minnesota-election-law-changes-automatic-voter-registratio-walz) recently he would sign bills passed by the legislature that “protect the right to vote.” The Democracy for the People Act would create automatic voter registration, restore the right to vote for people convicted of felonies who are no longer incarcerated, allow voters to permanently opt-in to receive an absentee ballot for every election, enable 16- and 17-year olds to pre-register to vote, and increase penalties for voter intimidation, among other things. The bill would also increase campaign finance transparency by adopting federal standards to define when a group’s communication advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate—even when the message lacks so-called “magic words” like “vote for,” “support,” or “defeat.” This change seeks to require more groups that spend money to influence politics to have to disclose their spending to the state. The bill would prohibit foreign-influenced corporations—defined as those where a foreign owner holds more than one percent of total equity, among other conditions—from spending on behalf of state candidates or ballot measures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/02/WeChooseUs_MN_02_1920_px-1024x576.jpg) Unidos leader Lupe Tejada Diaz speaks at the “Democracy Day” event at the Minnesota state capitol, Jan. 17, 2023. We Choose Us MN The legislative package comes as many other states are passing bills to make voting access more restrictive. Since the 2020 elections, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, [20 states](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/restrictive-voting-laws-enacted-2020-effect-midterms) have enacted 33 laws that limit voting access, and last year [seven states](https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/ensure-every-american-can-vote/voting-reform/state-voting-laws) enacted laws that allow for partisan interference in the election process. Minnesota Rep. Emma Greenman (D), author of the House version of the Democracy for the People Act and a former voting rights attorney, told Sludge, “The bill is a response to the urgent and overdue need to invest in, strengthen, and protect democracy. For the past few years, we’ve seen the need to respond and ensure that democracy is rooted in the communities of Minnesota and the voices of the voters.” Greenman was first elected in 2020, and she related that one of her first days as a lawmaker coincided with the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, underscoring the challenges facing elections. Greenman sees the bill’s voting access provisions as a response to the controversy surrounding the 2020 presidential election results. “Last year, democracy was on the ballot in Minnesota,” Greenman said. “One in four members running for the legislatures questioned the outcome of the 2020 election or were outright election deniers.” Greenman mentioned the Secretary of State race—which pitted Democratic candidate Steve Simon, who supports expanded voter registration, against Republican Kim Crockett, who disputed the 2020 presidential election outcome—as presenting “a contrast: a vision of democracy that’s inclusive and accessible, or one rooted in conspiracy theories and a restrictive vision of who should be able to participate.” Simon won the contest by more than nine points, with over 54% of the vote in the midterm election. Greenman said that in the lead-up to the November election where Democrats won a state trifecta, democracy was one of the main issues about which people in Minnesota were talking. “What we heard on the doors is that people really care that we have an inclusive multiracial democracy, they really want us to do the work to be sure that their voices are the ones that are driving policy decisions and politics,” she said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/02/MN_07_crop-1024x777.jpg) Brian Fullman, lead organizer of partner organization Barbershop and Black Congregation Cooperative (BBCC), speaks at Democracy Day. We Choose Us MN Greenman said that the Democracy for the People Act’s money in politics provisions aim to “put Minnesota voters, not corporations or wealthy interests, at the center of decision-making.” In the previous legislative session, she said, the bill had been scrutinized by six committees and during at least 10 hours of testimony in the Minnesota House over the past two years. “It’s important that voters know who is spending money to influence their votes and make choices based on that,” Greenman said. “Current disclosure laws don’t provide anywhere near sufficient transparency around independent spending.” The Democracy for the People Act has been buoyed by We Choose Us, a coalition of grassroots organizations, unions, and advocacy groups in Minnesota, and its provisions align with the coalition’s [Expanding Democracy Agenda](https://www.wechooseusmn.com/the-expanding-democracy-agenda). Lilly Sasse, the campaign director, told Sludge, “Coming out of the 2020 election, and 2016, and the rise of authoritarianism nationally, it caused us in Minnesota to have to make a choice between realizing a multiracial democracy and an authoritarian way of governing. To do that, we agreed we had to have an on-offense strategy, calling for what multiracial democracy looks like and who was included, rather than just defending against the negative.” Sasse said, “In talking to different organizations who have been leading the work for decades in our state and new groups that haven’t been on the policy wonk side but have been in the practice of building of multiracial democracy—immigration groups, racial justice, reproductive freedom organizations—we tried to get a sense from people of what it could look like to crush these silos and form a coalition.” Groups that became coalition [partners](https://www.wechooseusmn.com/partners) include the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, racial and economic justice group Unidos MN, Clean Water Action, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, and climate group Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/02/WeChooseUs_MN_04_1920px-1024x576.jpg) We Choose Us coalition members at the Minnesota state capitol We Choose Us MN “The original Democracy for the People Act was introduced in 2021, and we used that as a launchpad, getting to the point where the coalition launched in June 2022 with events in Duluth and Rochester, a statewide effort that reflected the geography across the state. We Choose Us launched with 22 coalition partners, and engaged in democracy summits and public feedback forums,” Sasse continued. “In a post-election poll on voters’ feelings around democracy, behind the top issues of inflation and rising prices, money in politics was a unifying force among Democrats, Republicans, and independents,” Sasse said. The Democracy for the People Act originally would have also broadened a Minnesota program called the political contribution refund (PCR), where voters can get up to $50 per year in contributions to qualified candidates or parties reimbursed by the state. The bill, as introduced, proposed moving the PCR program forward by issuing “democracy dollar” vouchers to all registered voters as two coupons valued at $25 apiece, redeemable for campaign funding from the state. However, after the Senate’s committee hearing last week, the democracy dollars provisions were stripped from the omnibus. According to Sasse, the democracy dollars program will be introduced as a standalone bill and campaigned for by We Choose Us. Sasse said that the PCR system has been underutilized in the state and could do more to encourage small-dollar donations to Minnesota candidates. “The incentive for folks to use the PCR is low, because campaigns have to send a receipt to a donor, who can go months without that $50 in their bank account,” Sasse said. “We wanted to have a system that modernized our PCR and turned it into what it’s truly meant to do, which is give everyone an opportunity to contribute to candidates and causes they believe in.” The We Choose Us coalition held a launch event for the [Expanding Democracy Agenda](https://www.wechooseusmn.com/the-expanding-democracy-agenda) on Jan. 17 at the state capitol, where organizations met with legislators and 300 members of the partner groups participated in a multiracial and multigenerational rally to advocate for their legislative priorities. Coalition members broke off into constituent groups for about 40 conversations with their legislators, where Sasse said they tied the issue of an inclusive democracy to their work in areas like addressing climate challenges. The coalition’s testifier program gathered more stories for individuals to present at hearings for legislators. Speakers at the Democracy Day event, coming out to show support for the omnibus bill, included Minnesota Secretary of State Steven Simon, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, along with coalition group leaders. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2023/02/WeChooseUs_MN_05_Keith_Ellison-1024x768.jpg) Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison addresses the Democracy Day rally. Wh “The transparency and foreign influence provisions are responses to people seeing the Citizens United decision and feeling that corporations and wealthy special interests have too much power in decision making,” Sasse said. Outside spending to influence voters by groups whose funding sources are often opaque has been rampant in Minnesota. A [study](https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/219523/Transparency%20and%20Campaign%20Spending%20Report%202020.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) released in March 2021 by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs found that in the 2020 cycle, independent expenditures made up the majority of spending on state House races. The authors of the study also found that campaign donors in the 2018 Minnesota elections were invited to testify to legislators in favor of bills they favored and against bills they did not. If the standalone bill for “democracy dollars” advances, Minnesota could be the first state to pick up vouchers as a tool to boost public campaign financing. The democracy voucher model first adopted by Seattle in 2015 has [grown in use](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) there over the past three municipal election cycles, and was recently [adopted](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/) by Oakland voters. **Correction, Feb. 13: This post has been edited to state that the bill’s campaign finance transparency provisions seek to increase disclosure of political spending by groups, not the identity of donors.** --- --- ## Read more: ## [Protesters Target Michigan Businesses Over Voter Suppression](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/02/protesters-target-michigan-businesses-over-voter-suppression/) ## [Nonprofit Group Takes Aim at Foreign Money in Politics](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/06/nonprofit-group-takes-aim-at-foreign-money-in-politics/) ## [Arizona Students Launch Hunger Strike to Pass Voting Rights Bill](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/07/arizona-students-launch-hunger-strike-to-pass-voting-rights-bill/) ## [Florida Republican Introduces ALEC Bill to Protect Dark Money in Politics](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/25/florida-republican-introduces-alec-bill-to-protect-dark-money-in-politics/) ### STOCK TICKER: Blumenthal’s Wife Invests in Biotech Hedge Fund as He Chairs Panel Overseeing Drug Prices URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/02/03/stock-ticker-blumenthals-wife-invests-in-biotech-hedge-fund-as-he-chairs-panel-overseeing-drug-prices/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T16:29:52.000Z As he leads a subcommittee that oversees drug pricing reforms, Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Conn.) spouse has been investing heavily in a pharmaceutical industry hedge fund. According to a [disclosure](https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/paper/e88a2069-7bc6-4635-ae19-37fbd533a3f1/) Blumenthal filed yesterday, his spouse in late December 2022 invested as much as $650,000 in Commodore Capital Domestic LP, a hedge fund that invests exclusively in biopharmaceutical companies. The fund’s [top holdings](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1831942/000183194222000007/xslForm13F%5FX01/commodoreq3.xml) as of the third quarter of 2022 were in the shares of Cogent Biosciences, Xenon Pharmaceuticals, and Viridian Therapeutics. Bumenthal is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. That committee, which is responsible for consumer affairs and consumer product safety, has frequently dealt with issues related to pharmaceutical industry price gouging. Under Blumenthal’s leadership, the subcommittee has focused on the role of pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) in driving up the cost of drugs. PBMs are companies like CVS Caremark and Express Scripts that manage prescription drug benefits for insurance providers and large employers. They play a middle-man role between drug companies and patients, and have frequently been identified as a hidden cause of the high costs of drugs. In May 2022, Blumenthal convened a hearing on the impact that PBMs have on drug prices and consumer choices. “As people feel the weight of high health care costs, we cannot ignore the power of PBMs and their influence in drug pricing in eroding patient and provider choice,” Blumenthal said in his [opening statement](https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-chairs-hearing-on-impact-of-pbms-on-high-drug-prices-and-consumer-choice). The pharmaceutical industry lobby has been working to get policymakers in Washington to put their focus on the PBMs when they consider drug pricing issues. In recent comments to [Fierce Pharma](https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/novartis-ceo-incoming-phrma-chair-narasimhan-outlines-3-priorities-post-ira-pharma-industry), the new chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) said that pushing for PBM reform is one of the top three items on its agenda. “The pharma industry has long lamented that it has been unfairly shouldering the blame for rising drug prices, while drug middlemen have gone without as much scrutiny,” Fierce Pharma wrote. Blumenthal is an original co-sponsor of a bill proposed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called the [Prescription Pricing for the People Act](https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/prescription%5Fpricing%5Ffor%5Fthe%5Fpeople%5Fact%5Fof%5F2023%5F-%5Fsummary1.pdf) that would target PBMs by requiring the Federal Trade Commission to report on how the companies engage in anticompetitive practices that drive up drug prices. The bill is [supported](https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/1/cantwell-grassley-continue-fight-against-skyrocketing-drug-costs) by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, whose members include companies that Commodore Capital is invested in such as Cytokinetics, Karyopharm Therapeutics, and Rezolute. --- --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Drug Lobby Revenues Skyrocket During Covid Pandemic](https://readsludge.com/2022/12/01/drug-lobby-revenues-skyrocket-during-covid-pandemic/) ## [Corporate America Butters Up Likely Next Energy and Commerce Chair](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/23/companies-butter-up-likely-next-energy-and-commerce-chair/) ## [Lockheed-Funded Granger Vows to Protect Defense Spending](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/13/lockheed-funded-granger-vows-to-protect-defense-spending/) ### Natural Resources Chairman Hires Oil Lobbyist as Chief of Staff URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/01/31/natural-resources-chairman-hires-oil-lobbyist-as-chief-of-staff/ Last updated: 2024-09-25T14:24:11.000Z *Copyright,* [*Truthout.org*](https://truthout.org/articles/house-gops-natural-resources-chair-has-a-new-chief-of-staff-an-oil-lobbyist/)*. Reprinted with permission. Click* [*here*](https://truthout.org/donate/) *to support Truthout. Authored by Sharon Zhang*. A new report unveils that a significant number of Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee — which oversees key issues like fossil fuel usage and land conservation — employ former fossil fuel lobbyists in top staff positions that could influence policy in coming years. Watchdog Accountable.US [released a report](https://accountable.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230110-House-Staffers-Revolving-Door.pdf?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=wp%5Fclimate202&wpisrc=nl%5Fclimate202) showing that seven Republicans in the House have oil lobbyists in top positions and legislative roles. Five of these Republicans sit on the Natural Resources Committee. The two others, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Louisiana) and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minnesota), are in leadership positions for the caucus. Perhaps the most egregious of these hires was made by Rep. Bruce Westerman (Arkansas), who is now the chair of the Natural Resources Committee. Westerman recently hired oil and gas lobbyist Nancy Peele, who in past years lobbied on behalf of fossil fuel companies like Taylor Energy Company LLC — a Louisiana [company responsible for](https://truthout.org/articles/was-the-katrina-oil-spill-disaster-a-harbinger-for-the-atlantic-coast/) an oil spill off the coast of Louisiana that has been ongoing since 2004 — and Hornbeck Offshore Services, to [allow](https://www.nola.com/news/business/article%5F46df62be-93ff-5eec-8d00-b58440689afb.html) the company to profit from oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico, like that of Deepwater Horizon. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Gallego Opposes Progressives on Cutting Pentagon Budget URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/01/24/gallego-opposes-progressives-on-cutting-pentagon-budget/ Last updated: 2023-11-01T12:14:29.000Z Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego announced on Monday that he is running for Senate in 2024, possibly against centrist Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. In an announcement video posted to Twitter, Gallego speaks about growing up poor and being raised by a single immigrant mother, and how he “stepped up” despite those challenged to be a father figure for his younger brothers. Elected to Congress in 2014, Gallego has risen the ranks of the Democratic Party and has chaired two subcommittees: the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, and the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indigenous People of the United States. Gallego is generally regarded as a progressive Democrat. He is a member of the Medicare for All Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and he has a 97% lifetime voting score on environmental issues from the League of Conservation Voters. However, there is one issue on which Gallego has repeatedly broken rank with his fellow progressive caucus members. In May 2020, dozens of Progressive Caucus members signed a [letter](https://pocan.house.gov/sites/pocan.house.gov/files/documents/Pocan-Lee%20Defense%20Spending%20Reduction%20Joint%20Sign-on%20Letter%205-19-20.pdf) to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith and Ranking Member Mac Thornberry urging them to authorize a lower level of funding for the annual Department of Defense budget. “We must remain focused on combating the coronavirus and not on increasing military spending that already outpaces the next 10 closest nations combined,” the members wrote in the letter. Gallego was not among the progressives signing the letter. Months later, the House voted on an amendment to the Defense budget authorization bill from Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Mark Pocan that would have lowered the Pentagon’s budget by 10%, roughly $74 billion, and redirect it to a a grant program for health care, housing, and other expenses in cities with high levels of poverty. Gallego voted [against](https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2020/roll148.xml) the amendment. Over the next two years, Gallego voted two more times against Democratic amendments to cut the Department of Defense budget by 10%, once in September 2021 on [an amendment](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2021284?Page=1) offered by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and again in July 2022 on [an amendment](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022317) that was proposed by Rep. Barbara Lee. Over the period between the Pocan and Lee vote, more members of Congress got behind the idea of a 10% Pentagon budget cut, and the 2022 Lee amendment ended up winning support from a majority of House Democrats and 14 Republicans. Still, Gallego was a “no.” Spending on the Department of Defense makes up about 13% of the federal budget and accounts for about half of the discretionary spending that Congress doles out each year. In 2023, Congress passed a record large Pentagon budget authorization of $858 billion. Many progressives believe that reducing the Defense Department’s budget is essential for freeing up funding that could be used for things like infrastructure investments, education programs, and subsidized child care. It’s unclear why Gallego opposed the amendments to reduce the Pentagon’s budget—his campaign did not reply to a request for comment—but a review of his campaign fundraising history reveals the votes were in line with the financial interests of some of his biggest donors. Gallego’s top corporate PAC donor over the course of his congressional career has been Honeywell International, a North Carolina-based multi-industry conglomerate that is among the largest U.S. defense contractors. Honeywell’s PAC has donated $74,000 to Gallego’s campaign and leadership PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records. In 2020, Honeywell was awarded a Department of Defense [contract worth up to $3.5 billion](https://defbrief.com/2020/02/08/honeywell-gets-3-5-bln-for-us-air-force-egi-m-gps-navigation-modernization-work/#:~:text=The%20US%20Air%20Force%20has,follow%2Don%20production%20and%20sustainment.) for production, sustainment and engineering services in support of a new Air Force navigation system. Another of Gallego’s biggest donors is Raytheon, the company that pulls in the second most revenue from Defense contracts, according to [Defense News](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/). Raytheon’s PAC has given Gallego’s campaign and leadership PAC $41,500\. Other large defense contractors whose PACs have made substantial donations to Gallego include Northrop Grumman ($36,500). General Atomics ($30,000), and General Dynamic ($29,500). Since 2015, Gallego has received $267,000 from various defense company PACs, according to OpenSecrets. While Gallego hasn’t voted to reduce the Pentagon budget, in multiple years he got language added to the National Defense Authorization Act that requires the U.S. to retain a minimum level of troops in certain foreign countries. In 2018, Gallego introduced [an amendment](https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hasc-marks-ndaa-gallego-provision-reinforcing-us-military-presence) to the NDAA that was adopted requiring that U.S. active duty forces in South Korea not fall below 22,000 troops without a certification by the Secretary of Defense. The next year, he secured an increase of that number to 28,500 American troops. In 2020, he secured passage of a [similar amendment ](https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-fy-2021-ndaa-key-gallego-provisions)requiring the U.S. to have at least 9,500 troops stationed in Germany. Another issue Gallego has championed during work on the NDAA has been to stop the Air Force from retiring any A-10 Warthog fighter jets. In early 2020, the Air Force notified Congress that it was planning to retire some older Warthog jets, a plan that was [strongly criticized](https://www.defensenews.com/video/2020/03/16/a-10-moves-causing-anger-from-lawmakers-defense-news-weekly-extra/) by Gallego during a committee hearing. In response, Gallego [added a provision](https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/gallego-provision-halt-all-10-warthog-divestment-house-defense-bill) to the NDAA that his committee debated that summer that halted the Air Force’s plans to retire the planes. Since then, Northrop Grumman was awarded a [$186 million contract](https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2020/november/6703-northrop-grumman-awarded-contract-for-a-10-aircraft-structural-integrity-program.html) to extend its engineering support for the aircraft for another ten years, and Raytheon won a [$46 million](https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/raytheon-wins-46m-contract-to-modernise-a-10-avionics/149185.article) contract to modernize the A-10’s outdated avionics system. Asked recently by [Defense News](https://www.defensenews.com/congress/budget/2023/01/12/republicans-eye-pentagon-savings-after-mccarthy-spending-agreement/) about House Republicans’ deal to reduce Defense spending made around the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker, Gallego said the budget could go down. “You don’t need to take a meat cleaver to the defense budget; you should take a scalpel to it,” Gallego said. “There’s always, I think, some legacy platforms that could be retired.” The hawkish pro-Israel lobby has also embraced Gallego and in the 2022 election cycle began providing him substantial campaign funding. The PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) gave Gallego $7,900 and earmarked individual donations for him totaling $18,800\. Another pro-Israel group called Pro-Israel America PAC, which acts as a conduit for contributions and has ties to AIPAC,collected $20,800 in donations from individuals for Gallego in the 2021-22 cycle. Gallego has also directed money to a super PAC deeply tied to AIPAC that has spent millions of dollars to oppose the elections of progressive Democrats who they believe have not been sufficiently supportive of financially aiding Israel in its conflicts with Palestine without any conditions. Gallego is the chairman of the Committee for Hispanic Causes’ BOLD PAC, which since 2020 has donated $170,000 to a super PAC called Democratic Majority for Israel, or DMFI. Run by former AIPAC officials, DMFI has become a powerful force in Democratic primaries in the past two election cycles. The PAC has made $15 million of independent expenditures since 2020, with its biggest targets of negative advertising having been Bernie Sanders, [Nina Turner](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/22/heres-whos-funding-the-pac-attacking-nina-turner/), Jamaal Bowman, and Marie Newman. --- --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Lockheed-Funded Granger Vows to Protect Defense Spending](https://readsludge.com/2023/01/13/lockheed-funded-granger-vows-to-protect-defense-spending/) ## [House Dems Opposed to Cutting Pentagon Budget Got 3.7x More in Defense Industry Cash](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/24/house-dems-opposed-to-cutting-pentagon-budget-got-3-7x-more-in-defense-industry-cash/) ## [Here’s Who’s Funding the PAC Attacking Nina Turner](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/22/heres-whos-funding-the-pac-attacking-nina-turner/) ## [House Dems Launch PAC to Fight Progressive Primary Challengers](https://readsludge.com/2021/06/26/house-dems-launch-pac-to-fight-progressive-primary-challengers/) ### Apple Spent Record Amount on Lobbying as it Fought Antitrust Legislation URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/01/23/apple-spent-record-amount-on-lobbying-as-it-fought-antitrust-legislation/ Last updated: 2024-03-20T13:08:57.000Z Apple spent a record amount on lobbying Congress and the federal government in 2022 as it sought to kill a pair of tech-focused antitrust bills that would have prohibited it from giving preference to its own apps on its App Store or requiring app developers to use its payment system, among other things. According to disclosures filed with the Senate, Apple spent more than $9.3 million on federal lobbying in 2022, surpassing its previous high of $7.4 million spent in 2019\. The company topped off its record year by spending more money on federal lobbying in the fourth quarter—nearly $2.9 million—than it had ever spent in previous quarters. The antitrust bills, which would also have affected other large tech companies including Amazon and Alphabet, officially died earlier this month when the last congressional session came to a close. They had both been approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee by bipartisan majorities, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declined to call them up for votes on the Senate floor despite [committing](https://www.axios.com/2022/05/19/scoop-schumer-seeks-tech-antitrust-bill-vote-by-early-summer) earlier in the year to do so. And in the House, one of the bills was advanced by the Judiciary Committee in June 2021, but former Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not call it up for a vote, [saying](https://time.com/6182329/the-strange-coalition-in-congress-poised-to-score-a-major-win-against-big-tech/) she wanted the Senate to pass it first. Although bills can be reintroduced in subsequent sessions of Congress, killing the bills last year was seen by Apple and the tech industry as crucial because it would likely be the last time for years that Democrats would control both chambers of Congress and the White House. Analysts had been predicting that Republicans would gain control of at least one chamber of Congress, and the antitrust bills have far less support among Republicans, despite that party’s rhetoric against the unchecked power of Big Tech. The bills to curb the market power of the largest tech platforms were the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as a co-sponsor, and the Open App Markets Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) as a co-sponsor. The AICOA would have applied to tech companies with valuations of more than $550 billion, which would have included Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Meta, and prevented them from engaging in anticompetitive practices such as preferencing their own products and services. The Open App Markets Act would have targeted app stores with more than 50 million U.S. users—that is, those of Apple and Google—and barred them from requiring developers to use the platform’s payment system for in-app purchases, among other prohibitions. Over the summer, Sen. Grassley [confirmed](https://twitter.com/sachalouise/status/1547350699192864770) that the AICOA had enough support to advance past a possible filibuster in the Senate if it was given a floor vote. In comments to Punchbowl, Grassley said that he had assured Schumer that enough Republicans supported the bill for it to get over the 60-vote filibuster hurdle. In its first three quarterly lobbying disclosures of 2022, Apple reported lobbying on the Senate versions of the AICOA and the Open App Markets Act more than any other bills in Congress, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/12/big-tech-lobbying-push-helped-block-bipartisan-bills-that-aimed-to-curb-alleged-anti-competitive-behavior/). In the fourth quarter, the bills were frequently mentioned in lobbying reports from [Google](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/26343dff-b793-4f79-bec2-fde78654accb/print/) and [Apple](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/9b97b4b5-7f40-4c47-a3ae-39e00c2336a6/print/), as well as those filed by [Amazon](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/2046deaf-bd5d-42dd-b10f-fbedbe06e99a/print/) and [Meta](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/c393044f-5425-486a-9ef7-75844656ec3f/print/). Apple CEO Tim Cook made multiple lobbying trips to Congress last year, according to reports. Cook met with lawmakers in late November as pressure was mounting on Schumer to bring the antitrust bills to a vote, and in June he visited senators including Democrat Jon Tester (Mont.) and Republican John Thune (S.D.). Earlier in the year, Cook appeared in D.C. at the International Association of Privacy Professionals conference, where he [spoke against](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq0fcmmzfog) the Open App Markets Act allowing users to download other app stores, saying, “taking away a more secure option will leave users with less choice, not more.” In January of last year, Apple’s chief lobbyist Tim Powderly sent lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee a letter that [said](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/18/apple-says-antitrust-bills-increase-risk-of-iphone-security-breaches.html) “millions of Americans will likely suffer malware attacks on their phones” if the Open App Markets Act became law. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### No Labels Makes Initial Investment in Bipartisan Presidential Ticket URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/01/20/no-labels-makes-initial-investment-in-bipartisan-presidential-ticket/ Last updated: 2024-04-05T17:04:44.000Z The dark money group No Labels has put millions behind its plans to run a bipartisan unity presidential ticket if the 2024 nominees are Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Tax documents obtained by Sludge show that No Labels transferred $2.4 million in 2021 to an unknown organization that appears to be tied to the effort, which they describe as an “insurance policy” against divisiveness. The organization, named Insurance Policy for America, is based at the same office address as No Labels in Washington, D.C. No Labels did not respond to questions about who runs Insurance Policy for America, or other questions about its plans for a presidential ticket... _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lockheed-Funded Granger Vows to Protect Defense Spending URL: https://readsludge.com/2023/01/13/lockheed-funded-granger-vows-to-protect-defense-spending/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T13:28:32.000Z Republican Rep. Kay Granger, the number one recipient of defense sector donations in the House and a "vocal supporter" of the over-budget F-35 fighter program, will chair the House Committee on Appropriations. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Oil Industry Completes Sweep of Congressional Energy Committees URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/12/29/oil-industry-completes-sweep-of-congressional-energy-committees/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:48:10.000Z Cathy McMorris Rodgers will take control of the Energy and Commerce Committee after receiving more money from oil and gas PACs than any other House Republican. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate Dems’ Rapidly Growing ‘Dark Money’ Arm URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/12/22/corporate-dems-rapidly-growing-dark-money-arm/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T05:10:25.000Z A corporate lobbyist-directed “dark money” group closely affiliated to the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative Democrats saw its revenue nearly double in 2021 from the prior year, according to tax documents reviewed by Sludge. The Washington D.C.-based Center Forward, formerly known as the Blue Dog Research Forum, serves as an outside support group for the Blue Dogs, providing the conservative Democrats with policy suggestions, polling, campaign ads, and more. In 2021, it had record high revenue of more than $18.8 million, according to its [tax return](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23466381-center-forward-2021-form-990). The amount marked a sharp increase from the group’s 2020 total revenue of $10.6 million and its 2019 total revenue of $5 million. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, Center Forward does not publicly disclose its funding sources, but tax documents show that since 2016 it has received at least $6.2 million from drug industry trade association the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Oakland Voters Approve ‘Democracy Dollars’ Program to Boost Participation in City Elections URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/12/15/oakland-voters-approve-democracy-dollars-program-to-boost-participation-in-city-elections/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:24:31.000Z Last month, Oakland voters made their city the first in California to adopt a program of public campaign financing for elections known as “Democracy Dollars.” Advocates in other California cities say the Oakland measure’s success could help spur similar efforts in their areas, toward leveling the playing field in local elections. Oakland’s democracy dollars program was approved on Election Day as the centerpiece of [Measure W](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/), a ballot measure that passed with [74% of city voters in favor](https://www.acgov.org/rovresults/248/). The measure will establish a program that sends four $25 vouchers to every Oakland registered voter, which voters can then donate to qualifying candidates for city office and school board. The candidates would then redeem the vouchers for public campaign funding, starting in the 2024 cycle. The democracy dollars program in Oakland is based on the first-of-its-kind voucher program in Seattle, which was used for the third time last year in the city’s municipal elections. By distributing vouchers to all voters, the program aims both to counteract the influence of wealthy donors and broaden participation in local politics, helping more of the city’s voters back candidates in their communities and enabling candidates to run who don’t already have networks of wealthy backers to fund their campaigns. A [study](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) of the latest Seattle election, which included the first race for mayor with democracy vouchers in play, found that it helped the donor pool become the most diverse yet in terms of race, age, and income. In addition to creating the democracy dollars option for candidates and a system to transparently display the voucher program’s data, Measure W—titled the Oakland Fair Elections Act—strengthened campaign finance rules on other fronts: the campaign contribution maximum in city races was lowered from $900 to $600, campaign ads will be required to list their top three contributors, and watchdogs at the independent Public Ethics Commission received a funding boost to hire staff. > If you don’t have personal wealth or networks of wealthy donors, and you have a long history of community leadership and grassroots support, you can run a viable campaign for city council using the Democracy Dollars program. And that’s a game changer. > > Jonathan Mehta Stein, California Common Cause > The Oakland measure was supported by a coalition of groups that included the nonprofits California Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of Oakland, and the grassroots group Oakland Rising, part of the Bay Rising alliance of community organizations. The Fair Elections campaign was joined by a broad list of [endorsing](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/endorsers) organizations including the ACLU of Northern California, the Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, and the multi-racial group Causa Justa :: Just Cause, led by low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents. The breadth of the Yes on W campaign’s endorsers helped propel the measure to a resounding approval, Jonathan Mehta Stein, the executive director of California Common Cause, told Sludge. “We spent four years building a coalition that included not just the democracy reform and good government groups, but also groups rooted in Oakland’s communities, specifically its communities of color and working-class communities, and civil rights organizations that care about this from a racial equity perspective,” Stein said. “That combination of groups meant we had a diversity of perspectives at the table, which was helpful, but also we could reach a diversity of city council members, no matter their perspective.” ![](https://i0.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Oakland_Rising_supporter_12-15-22_1920px.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1) A Fair Elections Act supporter in the lead-up to Election Day Oakland Rising Action The Oakland City Council [advanced](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/oakland-voters-to-decide-on-fair-elections-measure/) Measure W in July to appear on the November ballot in a unanimous vote of members present. Stein said, “By the time the election rolled around, we had a coalition of trusted groups with names people recognized—we had the Sierra Club, we had labor unions, we had the Alameda County Democratic Party. We had community organizing groups door-knocking, so while we didn’t have big money, we had people power.” “This is an attempt to empower all people with a real emphasis on the families, neighborhoods, and communities that are currently left out and ignored by the political system,” Stein said. “If you don’t have personal wealth or networks of wealthy donors, and you have a long history of community leadership and grassroots support, you can run a viable campaign for city council using the Democracy Dollars program. And that’s a game changer.” Oakland candidates who opt-in to the democracy dollars program must first qualify by reaching a threshold of eligible small-dollar contributions, then are required to limit their total campaign spending, cap their household’s out-of-pocket campaign spending, and participate in public debates, among [other things](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f4185b8185bc4f05ad3955/t/630d4e80143ad303bf0e50ea/1661816455556/Measure+W+Full+Text.pdf). At the launch of the Yes on W campaign in March, the Berkeley-based civic tech nonprofit MapLight [released a report](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/11/oakland-community-groups-launch-campaign-to-fight-big-money-in-elections/) on its findings that since 2014, just half of Oakland candidates’ fundraising came from city residents, with money coming in from outside residents and donations from trade associations and PACs making up a sizable share. Of Oaklanders’ donations, some 45% of campaign contributions came from the city’s richest and whitest neighborhoods, a disproportionate amount compared with zip codes that had a lower median income below $60,000. “For too long, our elections have been funded by wealthy special interests and out-of-state donors,” said liz suk, executive director of Oakland Rising Action. “In recent years, over half of money raised by city council and school board candidates was from people who don’t even live in Oakland. Measure W will empower Oaklanders to have a bigger influence, and ensure candidates are listening to voters rather than special interests. “This victory was many years in the making and it happened because we all built a strong coalition and organized not only with voters, but also with city council members to qualify the measure for the ballot,” suk said. “Oakland Rising and Oakland Rising Action’s public education work throughout 2022 built momentum with the nearly 8,000 new and infrequent voters with whom we held conversations.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/12/Ballot-Party-3-Oakland-Rising-1024x768.jpeg) A ballot party held by Oakland Rising Common Cause’s Stein says that while the U.S. Supreme Court has proven itself to be unfriendly territory for money in politics reformers, the Oakland coalition’s success shows a path for similar campaigns. “My hope is that Oakland represents a light in that darkness—not just a win, but an emphatic margin of victory, one that can show other jurisdictions that this is possible,” Stein said. “We’ve already begun conversations with coalitions in other cities and our Oakland coalition would be thrilled to help anyone bring this to their city, school board, county, or state.” Public campaign financing advocates in other California cities were eyeing the results of the Democracy Dollars vote in the Bay Area. In San Diego, the Voters’ Voice Initiative is sharing [educational materials](https://sdvotersvoice.org/why-democracy-dollars%3F) about the results from Seattle’s voucher system in increasing candidate choice and small-donor participation. Amy Tobia, a local leader with the reform group Represent San Diego, told Sludge, “We’re excited to see how significant the support was for Measure W and their success will be a boost for our efforts locally.” In Los Angeles, in the wake of turmoil after council members were taped engaged in [racist conversation](https://www.npr.org/2022/10/26/1131817688/the-los-angeles-city-council-censures-members-involved-in-racist-conversation), the group Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers is calling not only for campaign finance reform, but also for redistricting reform and expanding the city council. A voucher option modeled on Seattle’s program is central to its goal of improving the city’s representation. Group co-founder Tom Latkowski told Sludge, “We’ve been targeting a 2024 ballot initiative, but we’re even more excited now, looking at what the new council coming into office looks like. We’re eager to work with them on initiatives.” Oakland voters approved all [10 measures](https://oaklandside.org/2022/11/10/election-2022-oakland-ballot-measures-passing-early-results/) that appeared on their ballots in November, including an overhaul of city tax rates and an $850 million infrastructure bond. Measure W’s accompanying provisions underscore how its authors want Democracy Dollars to encourage face-to-face discussions with voters where they live, not just at high-dollar fundraisers. “Pairing a Democracy Dollars program with a lowering of the campaign contribution limit is a no-brainer, because they’re both geared at the same idea: getting candidates to raise smaller dollar contributions from a wider base of people,” Stein said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/12/Oakland_Rising_Action_supporters_bench_1920px_12-15-22-1024x768.jpg) Oakland Rising Action supporters ahead of Measure W’s approval The Oakland measure’s new requirements that campaign advertisers list their top three donors in their ads will boost public transparency about spending in elections. “It’s an attempt to address the fact that no matter how transformative Democracy Dollars are, we still have to contend with money in politics because of the Roberts Supreme Court,” Stein said. The latest Oakland elections saw their share of shadowy spending by Bay Area business interests. In the race for Oakland mayor, a former city council member, Ignacio De La Fuente, received a large number of first-place votes in the ranked-choice voting system. The volunteer group No Coal in Oakland [tracked](https://nocoalinoakland.info/coal-developer-donations-to-ignacio-de-la-fuente-pollute-2022-mayoral-race/) how hedge fund founder Jonathan Brooks, whose firm has interest in a coal terminal site, donated at least $550,000 to an independent expenditure committee backing De La Fuente’s bid. The committee, named Californians for Safer Streets Supporting Ignacio De La Fuente, also received $50,000 from the company of real estate developer Phil Tagami, who has been proposing to build the coal export terminal. In the last round of ranked-choice voting [tabulation](https://www.acgov.org/rovresults/rcv/248/rcvresults.htm?race=Oakland%2F001-Mayor), Oakland City Council President Pro Tem Sheng Thao edged out District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor to become mayor-elect. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/12/Oakland_Rising_Action_canvassers_12-15-22_1920px-1024x683.jpg) Fair Elections Act canvassers prepare to go door-knocking. Kathy Sloane via Oakland Rising Action Oakland voters will have a chance to hear directly from more city office seekers as the program rolls out. Candidates who opt in to the democracy dollars program commit to take part in public debates—at least [five for mayor](https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5706035&GUID=DD9CE141-DC12-40D3-8DDC-EFD8E6B49B4D), three for other offices. In a press [statement](https://www.commoncause.org/california/press-release/oakland-voters-overwhelmingly-approve-measure-w/) after the measure was approved, Ashley Morris of the ACLU of Northern California said, “By requiring candidates to participate in public debates, Oaklanders will have more opportunity to develop a better understanding of the candidates’ plans for the issues that impact their lives—like housing, community safety, and public schools—and allocate their democracy dollars vouchers accordingly.” Oakland’s wasn’t the only successful ballot measure for a public campaign financing program last month: voters in Portland, Maine approved by [almost two-thirds](https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/dec12b09-575a-4da0-94bb-db63f30f272d?cache=1800) a [Clean Elections](https://www.fairelectionsportland.org/) measure that will expand the state’s public funding option to qualified city candidates, as [proposed](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/176/November-Municipal-Election) through a city Charter Commission process. --- --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Maine’s Biggest City to Vote on Clean Elections Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/09/maines-biggest-city-to-vote-on-clean-elections-measure/) ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [Major US Companies Slam Voter Suppression Laws Then Donate to Their Sponsors](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/18/major-us-companies-slam-voter-suppression-laws-then-donate-to-their-sponsors/) ### Leonard Leo-Tied Group Pushing Radical Election Theory Got $66 Million Recently From 'Dark Money' Hub URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/12/06/leonard-leo-tied-group-pushing-radical-election-theory-got-66-million-recently-from-dark-money-hub/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:37:10.000Z The Honest Elections Project helped catapult an extreme legal theory on elections to the Supreme Court. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Drug Lobby Revenues Skyrocket During Covid Pandemic URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/12/01/drug-lobby-revenues-skyrocket-during-covid-pandemic/ Last updated: 2024-02-29T16:12:45.000Z In 2021, as Americans consumed record amounts of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals, the drug industry’s chief lobbying group surpassed $609 million in revenues, according to tax documents obtained by Sludge. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA) $609 million in revenue in 2021 is a new record for the group, which has been rapidly growing in recent years. In its 2020 filing, it reported revenue of $573 million. Its revenue has more than doubled in the past five years. In 2021, PhRMA also spent more money than ever on lobbying the federal government, reporting to Congress expenditures of more than $29.3 million. Combined with political expenditures, PhRMA’s 2021 tax filing says it spent more than $205 million on non-deductible lobbying. This sum includes amounts spent on influencing legislation, intervening in political campaigns, communicating with government officials, or attempting to influence the general public. PhRMA spent more on federal lobbying in 2021 than just two other organizations, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-spenders?cycle=2021). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Trump-Backed MAGA Hub Growing Rapidly, Tax Docs Reveal URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/11/17/trump-backed-maga-hub-growing-rapidly-tax-docs-reveal/ Last updated: 2023-11-17T19:45:07.000Z A prominent right-wing group led by former Trump administration officials that is coordinating attacks on election integrity saw its revenue skyrocket last year, according to newly-obtained tax filings. The Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) received more than $45 million in contributions and grants in 2021—a more than sixfold increase over the previous year’s contributions of $7.1 million. The group and a constellation of partner organizations it launched last year have been influential in spreading conspiracies about stolen elections, as well as in shaping conservative messaging around Big Tech and critical race theory. One CPI offshoot announced last year says it works to “identify, educate, and credential” the next generation of conservative leaders. In addition to its think tank-style public education and legal work, CPI operates a media production studio that has filmed clips for organizations like Newsmax and PragerU. It also hosts podcasts for The Federalist and Republican members of Congress Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs, and in 2021 it was the home to TV shows from Epoch Times and Blaze Media. ## Get Sludge's muckraking Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. It's free, and unsubscribe anytime. The group’s paid officers include former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who received compensation of $559,000 last year as senior partner, and former Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell as senior legal fellow and secretary, who was paid $231,000\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/11/CPI_990_revenue-1024x150.png) Revenue section of the Conservative Partnership Institute’s 2021 Form 990 The new highs raised by the CPI went to further Donald Trump’s contentions that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and to promote disinformation about the integrity of elections ahead of the midterms. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit’s Form 990 for 2021, which is not available on CPI’s website and has not yet been released by the Internal Revenue Service, was obtained by the nonpartisan watchdog Accountable.US and shared with Sludge. Mitchell, who in 2020 worked with Trump to try to pressure Georgia officials to overturn election results, helms CPI’s Election Integrity Network, a project whose mission Mitchell [described](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/30/us/politics/republican-poll-monitors-election-activists.html) as recruiting “a volunteer army of citizens” to monitor election offices based on baseless theories of widespread voter fraud. In states such as Arizona this year, [armed militia](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/06/election-officials-facing-armed-militia-presence-at-some-polls.html) attempted to intimidate voters at polling sites in line with the “Stop the Steal” movement’s calls. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/11/Mitchell_CPI_v1-1024x562.jpg) Former Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell in a promotional video Conservative Partnership Institute While CPI does not publicly disclose its funding sources, one large donation last year was reported in Federal Election Commission filings: Trump’s Save America PAC gave [$1 million](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/01/trump-gave-1m-to-meadows-nonprofit-weeks-after-jan-6-panels-creation.html) to CPI on July 26, 2021, weeks after the U.S. House voted to establish a select committee to investigate Jan. 6’s riot at the Capitol Building. The million-dollar donation to Meadows’ nonprofit made up the vast majority of giving by Trump’s PAC to political allies last year. Meadows’ role in joining CPI, founded by early Tea Party supporter former Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, was reported to be [building networks](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/27/mark-meadows-conservative-group-job) of conservative leaders and elected officials in the mold of Jim Jordan and Ted Cruz. Donors Trust, the “dark money” funding hub, donated a total of $1.3 million to CPI, according to its [latest tax filings](https://accountable.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DT-reprint-1.pdf) obtained by Accountable.US. The majority of the grants were for general support, with $200,000 earmarked for the youth-focused American Moment and $10,000 in support of the Election Integrity Project, among other uses. “It should concern all Americans that a small group of ultra-wealthy donors have increased their investment in an anti-voting rights fringe group by such a massive scale,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Power & Influence at Accountable.US. More than $25 million of CPI’s revenue came from a single anonymous individual, and at least six other anonymous individuals donated $1 million or more. CPI’s total revenue for 2021 was reported to be more than $45.7 million, compared with $6.2 million the previous year, after accounting for negative revenue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/11/CPI_2021_Form_990_donor-1024x361.png) A nearly $25.7 million individual donation to CPI in 2021 Mitchell, who participated in the Jan. 2 calls with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during which Trump pressured him to “find” thousands of ballots marked for him, was tapped last year by CPI to [head a campaign](https://thebrick.house/gop-recruits-trump-conspiracy-theorists-to-fight-the-for-the-people-act/) against the For the People Act’s voting reform legislation, introduced by congressional Democrats but blocked last summer by Senate Republicans. In addition to coordinating conservatives’ legal push at CPI, Mitchell last year also helped lead a [$10 million initiative](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-campaigns-8ea24e5b4c240aceec71fbfa703d0394) by the right-wing advocacy group FreedomWorks training conservative activists on local elections. As she worked with state lawmakers on developing greater voting restrictions, Mitchell said she [stayed in contact](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-georgia-elections-campaigns-8ea24e5b4c240aceec71fbfa703d0394) with Trump. From its soaring bank accounts, CPI compensated its top officials handsomely. Chairman DeMint received more than $545,000 last year from the organization, while President and CEO Ed Corrigan was paid $382,000\. Mitchell’s expanded role is a change compared with the group’s IRS filings for [2019](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/821470217/202110639349300421/full) and [2020](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23310511-conservative-partnership-institute%5F990%5F2020), when she was listed as a board secretary working an average of two hours per week without compensation. CPI’s revenue for 2020 totaled $6.2 million, according to IRS figures. Other former Trump administration officials employed by CPI include Dan Scavino, who is leading efforts related to tech company censorship, and Wesley Denton, the group’s chief operating officer. The tax filing also reveals that CPI has been building up its network, giving more than $3.9 million last year to its partner organizations, many of which it launched in 2021 and are also controlled by individuals in the Trump administration orbit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/11/Screen-Shot-2022-11-17-at-11.37.12-AM-1024x559.png) Former Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller in a promotional video Conservative Partnership Institute At the forefront of CPI’s giving is its partner the America First Legal Foundation, founded by former Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller, which was issued a donation of $1,334,105 for “mission and program support.” From his position in the White House, Miller worked to “[purge](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/04/stephen-miller-dhs-purge-kirstjen-nielsen-immigration)” government agencies of those he perceived to be less than loyal and [cited](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/us/politics/stephen-miller-white-nationalism.html) the white nationalist website VDARE in advancing anti-immigration policies. Miller describes his legal group as the right’s answer to the ACLU. CPI granted more than $1 million to the American Voting Rights Foundation, based in Hudson, Wisconsin, an entity identified in IRS records as the Center for American Restoration and awarded tax-exempt status in August 2021\. Announced in January 2021 by Trump’s former OMB Director Russ Vought, the new nonprofits will [focus](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/26/former-omb-director-to-set-up-pro-trump-think-tanks) on claims of voter fraud and champion conservative cultural issues like Big Tech regulation and critical race theory. Another group of which Vought is the president, the Center for Renewing America, is a CPI partner and received $583,701 from CPI. The American Accountability Foundation, an [opposition research group](https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees) that is a CPI partner and whose founder Tom Jones previously worked for Republican senators including Ron Johnson and Ted Cruz, was awarded over $335,000 from CPI. Another partner, the nonprofit American Moment, founded by Saurabh Sharma and Nick Solheim, received $336,000 for work it promotes as developing conservative youth leaders and running fellowship programs. The American Cornerstone Institute, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Ben Carson, the former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, received nearly $161,000 from CPI. The group highlights faith in public life. The Virginia-based Institute for Citizen Focused Service received $100,000 and the Public Interest Legal Foundation, [chaired](https://publicinterestlegal.org/about/board-of-directors/) by Mitchell, received $50,000 from Meadows’ group. The Indiana-based legal group is known for [bringing lawsuits against states](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/10/cleta-mitchell-trump-supporters-election-polls.html) and localities to eliminate voters from their rolls. Another director of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, Hans Von Spakovsky, is a prominent Republican lawyer who [promoted voter restrictions](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/10/29/the-voter-fraud-myth) such as strict voter I.D. requirements adopted by many states. Since the 2020 presidential election, nearly two-thirds of Republicans have believed that Biden won due to voter fraud, according to [nine polls](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/28/nearly-700-days-later-most-republicans-still-believe-trumps-big-lie/) conducted by Monmouth University. According to a tally cited by [USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/elections/2021/01/06/trumps-failed-efforts-overturn-election-numbers/4130307001/), out of 62 cases in federal and state courts that challenged the 2020 presidential election, 61 have failed due to lack of standing or evidence—including several dismissed by [Trump-appointed](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/01/louie-gohmert-lawsuit-mike-pence-overturn-election-dismissed/4110658001/) federal judges, such as U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Kernodle. --- ## Read more: ## [Leonard Leo’s ‘Dark Money’ Group Donates Millions to Back Republican State Campaigns](https://readsludge.com/2022/10/31/leonard-leos-dark-money-group-donates-millions-to-back-republican-state-campaigns/) ## [GOP Effort to Subvert Democracy Heads to SCOTUS](https://readsludge.com/2022/07/01/gop-effort-to-subvert-democracy-heads-to-scotus/) ## [Corporate America is Helping to Elect Anti-Abortion Attorneys General](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/16/corporate-america-is-helping-to-elect-anti-abortion-attorneys-general/) ### REVEALED: Oil Industry Lobbying Group Funded ‘Dark Money’ Ad Campaign for Conservative Democrats URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/11/16/revealed-oil-industry-lobbying-group-funded-dark-money-ad-campaign-for-conservative-democrats/ Last updated: 2023-11-25T22:34:05.000Z A “dark money” group that spent millions of dollars this year on ads supporting conservative Democrats, including Reps. Henry Cuellar and Kurt Schrader, was funded by oil and gas industry lobbying group the American Petroleum Institute, Sludge has discovered. The American Petroleum Institute’s (API) 990 tax form for 2021 shows it paid more than $3.5 million to the Better Jobs Together Campaign, an opaque Virginia corporation that was formed in April 2021, for advocacy services it performed as an independent contractor. Better Jobs Together has spent more than $2.5 million according to AdImpact figures to run television ads that praise a handful of conservative congressional Democrats for policies that they say protect the climate and jobs. API did not respond to a request for comment. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### With Abortion Access at Stake, These Companies Donated to Anti-Choice Georgia Republican AG Chris Carr URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/11/09/with-abortion-access-at-stake-these-companies-donated-to-anti-choice-georgia-republican-ag-chris-carr/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:04:06.000Z Incumbent Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has been declared the winner in a tightly contested race against Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan. Multiple Georgia news organizations called the race for Carr on Wednesday morning, with Carr leading Jordan by just over 5% of the vote with more than 95% of votes having been tallied. Abortion was the most prominent issue in the contest, and in re-electing Carr, Georgia voters selected the candidate who will enforce the state’s near-total ban that was enacted by the legislature in 2019 and put in force following the Supreme Court’s overturning of *Roe v. Wade* in its *Dobbs* decision. On June 24, the day the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the *Dobbs* case, Carr’s office filed a [notice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U5SW%5FH7d9RtDSnNndrTpRlpiiX2UUaVo/view?usp=sharing) with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta requesting that it reverse an earlier decision and allow the state’s “heartbeat law” to take effect. The law prohibits doctors in Georgia from providing abortion services to women in cases where a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which typically occurs about six weeks after conception. It includes limited exceptions for medical emergencies and cases involving rape or incest. In contrast, Jordan pledged throughout the campaign that if she was elected, she would challenge the law in state court as being in violation of the state’s Constitution. She also [said](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/abortion-fight-thrusts-state-attorney-general-races-forefont-rcna28663) during the campaign that she “would not enforce” the law, and that she would “use whatever tools I have” to “protect the fundamental right” to abortion. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Oil and Gas Companies Fuel GOP Congressional Takeover Attempt URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/11/03/oil-and-gas-companies-fuel-gop-congressional-takeover-attempt/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:07:00.000Z With control of Congress up for grabs in the November midterms, fossil fuel companies and trade groups have contributed record amounts this cycle to two Republican super PACs aligned with Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, according to a Sludge analysis of Federal Election Commission data. Companies including Chevron and Koch Industries, and lobbying groups like the American Petroleum Institute, have donated nearly $32.8 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) as of Oct. 19 in the 2022 cycle. The super PACs are the two highest-spending outside groups this election cycle, flooding the airwaves with pro-Republican and anti-Democrat ads ahead of the Nov. 8 elections. The CLF and the SLF do not have formal ties to McCarthy and McConnell due to campaign finance regulations, but they are known to be closely aligned with and steered by the Republican leaders. A Republican majority in either or both chambers of Congress would likely seek to weaken or reverse climate change mitigation measures like those that were enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to promote clean energy and electric vehicles, regulate methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, and more. The fossil fuel lobby opposed the IRA as it was being advanced by the Democrats, saying in a [letter](https://www.api.org/-/media/Files/News/2022/08/11/Joint-Trades-Letter-Pelosi-McCarthy-IRA-081122.pdf?la=en&hash=A8B7DB67B735D799BDD17394B6E5178A2A0344FE) to House leaders that it was particularly concerned about the bill’s tax increases and provisions constraining oil and gas development. Fossil fuel industry donations to the CLF and the SLF, which can receive donations of unlimited size, have been steadily rising over recent election cycles. A Sludge review found that organizations in the fossil fuel industry contributed $24.5 million in the 2020 cycle and just over $20 million in the 2018 cycle to the PACs. Donations from fossil fuel companies and trade groups make up about 6.6% of the super PACs’ overall fundraising this cycle. The largest fossil fuel industry lobbying group, the American Petroleum Institute (API), has donated a total of $3 million this cycle to the CLF in its efforts to make Kevin McCarthy the next House speaker. Two-thirds of that haul came in September, according to FEC records. The funding was API’s largest-ever donation to the CLF—by comparison, in the 2018 election cycle, it contributed just $10,000 to the super PAC. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Leonard Leo’s ‘Dark Money’ Group Donates Millions to Back Republican State Campaigns URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/10/31/leonard-leos-dark-money-group-donates-millions-to-back-republican-state-campaigns/ Last updated: 2024-06-19T20:40:37.000Z A “dark money” group tied to Donald Trump’s judicial adviser Leonard Leo made a pair of donations totaling $1.85 million in September to the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), according to new IRS filings. The donations came as the RSLC began ramping up its ad spending in state court races that will be crucial for determining access to abortion care, ruling on gerrymandering cases, and other issues. The Concord Fund, a nonprofit that does not publicly disclose its funders and is closely linked with Federalist Society co-chair Leo, also donated $1 million to the RSLC in 2021\. Its donations through the third quarter of this year mark a step up from the 2019-2020 election cycle, when the group, which was called the Judicial Crisis Network until February 2020, donated $1.6 million to the RSLC. The RSLC, the state campaign arm of the Republican Party, has spent more than any other group to support conservative state judicial candidates in recent election cycles. Earlier this year, it [pledged to hit](https://www.governing.com/now/state-supreme-court-races-big-issues-big-money) new spending highs in state court races this cycle, and it recently [announced](https://www.rslc.gop/press-releases/rslc-sglf-eclipse-cycle-fundraising-record-with-one-quarter-left-to-go) it broke its per-cycle fundraising record. In addition to state judges, the RSLC backs candidates for state legislature seats, secretary of state, and other down-ballot positions. In the first three quarters of this year, the RSLC reported raising nearly $33.9 million in its IRS disclosures, and last year it took in more than $26.4 million. One of the RSLC’s strategies for influencing judicial contests has been to unload [last-minute ad barrages](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/01/outside-groups-spend-big-on-pennsylvania-supreme-court-race/) that play up grisly themes, with ads often purchased by its affiliate the Judicial Fairness Initiative or by funneling money to pop-up committees. For example, in North Carolina, where two state Supreme Court seats are up for election on Nov. 8, television watchers are being shown an ad where, after a dramatic “Breaking News” graphic, a voiceover says that two Democratic candidates for the state Supreme Court are “not protecting our children.” While the spot looks like a local TV news segment, a tiny disclosure at the end says it is sponsored by a PAC named Stop Liberal Judges. Stop Liberal Judges was formed [just one month](https://cf.ncsbe.gov/CFOrgLkup/ViewDocumentImage/?DID=281712) ago and is led by Lawrence J. Shaheen, a conservative North Carolina attorney. Though it’s a new and unknown group, Stop Liberal Judge’s funding can be traced back to an RSLC-funded organization. On Oct. 25, Stop Liberal Judges received a contribution of $850,000 from Citizens for a Better North Carolina, just days after that group received at least $3.6 million from a group called the Good Government Coalition (GGC), according to records compiled by [True North Research](https://truenorthresearch.org/). From July to September of this year, GGC received more than $2.8 million from the RSLC. _This post is for subscribers only._ ### How Manchin Capitalized on Being at the Center of the IRA Debate URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/10/19/how-manchin-capitalized-on-being-at-the-center-of-the-ira-debate/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:13:13.000Z This summer, while he was negotiating with Democratic leaders over the Inflation Reduction Act and pushing his energy permitting bill, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) set up a new committee allowing him to receive larger contribution checks. From July through the end of September, Manchin used this new fundraising vehicle to raise more than $300,000, much of it from individuals in the fossil fuel industry who stood to benefit from the bills. Manchin [formed](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00817700/1600867/) the Manchin Leadership Fund on June 8 as a joint fundraising committee that would disburse funds to his campaign committee and leadership PAC. Joint fundraising committees don’t allow donors to give more money than they could otherwise by maxing out to the individual committees they are affiliated with, but they make it easier for a politician to solicit a single large check from donors. The checks began coming into the fund in early July, according to a recent [FEC filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00817700/1642738/sa/ALL), just weeks before Sen. Manchin made his [surprise announcement](https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-supports-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022) that he had struck a deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and would support a pared-back version of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Manchin’s deal with Schumer included new spending on climate mitigation programs while requiring the government to make millions of acres of federal land and waters available for new oil and gas leasing. The deal also included [an agreement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/08/01/manchin-pipeline-drilling-permit/) with House Speaker Pelosi and President Biden that they would separately pass Manchin’s legislation to accelerate the environmental permitting process for energy infrastructure projects like multi-state oil and gas pipelines and fossil fuel exporting terminals. Many of the donations to Manchin Leadership Fund come from the energy industry in Colorado, including from the CEOs and lobbyists of Colorado-based oil drilling companies. Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper has been [credited](https://www.coloradopolitics.com/colorado-in-dc/hickenlooper-credited-with-keeping-manchin-at-table-to-reach-deal-on-climate-budget-package/article%5F975e8c64-0ed0-11ed-826f-6b1e4174d02a.html) with pushing Manchin to cut the deal with Schumer, and he told [Colorado Public Radio](https://www.cpr.org/2022/08/02/john-hickenlooper-interview-colorado-water-climate-change-monkeypox-outbreak/) that he had encouraged corporate executives to contact Manchin and pressure him to get a deal done. During the summer, there were [reports](https://www.cpr.org/2022/07/27/john-hickenlooper-joe-manchin-no-labels/) that Hickenlooper planned to host a fundraiser for Manchin at his Colorado home along with the nonprofit No Labels group, based on an invitation obtained by Colorado Public Radio, but Hickenlooper’s office denied the accuracy of those reports. Unlike many other Democrats, Hickenlooper said that he [supported](https://www.eenews.net/articles/lawmakers-want-to-change-permitting-bill-will-they-succeed/) Manchin’s permitting bill. Several of the big donors to Manchin Leadership fund are affiliated with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a national lobbying firm that is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and has a major focus on representing clients in the energy sector. In Colorado, Brownstein’s lobbying clients include the Petroleum Development Corporation and oil and gas company Suncor Energy, while its federal clients in D.C. include the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, and hundreds more companies. Brownstein senior policy director Michael Stratton donated $10,510 to Manchin Leadership Fund on August 31\. Stratton is described on the Brownstein website as “a leading voice in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party” who played a central role in the election of Sen. Hickenlooper. Stratton’s federal clients include Freeport LNG Development, the operator of a liquid natural gas exporting terminal in Freeport, Texas that is among the largest such facilities in the world. The permitting bill would have benefited Freeport LNG by accelerating pipeline construction and increasing its supply of natural gas to ship overseas. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Illinois Billionaire-Funded Super PAC Floods Competitive Florida House Race With Negative Ads URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/10/18/illinois-billionaire-funded-super-pac-floods-competitive-florida-house-race-with-negative-ads/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:14:17.000Z A super PAC funded by a finance industry executive from Chicago is spending millions on attack ads and other media to boost the chances of a Democratic candidate in a competitive Florida House race. Since last November, a group called Progress Pinellas PAC has spent more than $6.8 million in the Florida 13th Congressional District race. The bulk of the money, more than $4.7 million, has been spent to oppose Republican candidate Anna Paulina Luna with negative TV ads and mailers, while the remainder went towards materials to support Democratic candidate Eric Lynn. The $4.7 million that Progress Pinellas has spent against Luna dwarfs the total amount that her own campaign has raised—about $2.7 million as of the end of September. Overall, the PAC has spent more than any other single-House-race-focused outside spending group this cycle, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/super%5Fpacs). Progress Pinellas PAC was established in November 2021 by a former campaign treasurer for former Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Its only donor as of its most recent FEC filing, which covers through the end of September, is Justin Ishbia, a founding partner of Chicago private equity firm Shore Capital Partners. Ishbia has donated at least $5 million to Progress Pinellas PAC, according to FEC data. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pelosi Super PAC Funds ‘Moderate Party’ Backing Rep. Malinowski URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/10/13/pelosi-super-pac-funds-moderate-party-backing-rep-malinowski/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:15:28.000Z A super PAC closely tied to Nancy Pelosi is funding a new “moderate” political party organization that is trying to help re-elect New Jersey Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski. House Majority PAC donated $500,000 in September to the Moderate Party Independent Fund, according to a new [disclosure](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00822379/1637319/sa/ALL) filed with the Federal Election Commission. The Moderate Party has [filed](https://newjerseyglobe.com/fr/newly-formed-moderate-party-seeks-return-to-fusion-voting-files-petitions-for-malinowski-as-their-nj-7-candiddate/) nominating petitions to make Malinowski’s name appear on the November ballot twice, once under the Democratic Party line and once under their own, new line. The House Majority PAC donation is the only money that the Moderate Party group has raised as of the end of September, according to the disclosure. Until today’s filing, it was not publicly known that the group was being funded by a Democratic PAC. Malonowski wrote [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/malinowski/status/1534269852713639937?lang=en) in June that he had accepted an endorsement from the newly established Moderate Party, writing that it had been “formed by Republicans and Independents fed up with the extremism of today’s GOP, and eager to heal our country’s divisions.” In attempting to give voters multiple party-line options to vote for Malinowski, the group seeks to provide the candidate an advantage over his Republican rival Thomas Kean. “The Moderate Party was formed by Americans who believe that we have too much extremism—on the left and right,” the political party’s [website](https://moderatepartyfund.org/) states. The website has the text “Moderate Party Independent Fund” at the top, above a headline that reads “Moderate Party of New Jersey.” One of the group’s co-founders is lifelong Republican Richard A Wolfe, the former mayor of East Amwell Township. In an interview with [Insider NJ](https://www.insidernj.com/prodigal-family-richard-wolfe-republican-party/), Wolf said the goal of the Moderate Party is to give disaffected Republicans a way to vote for a Democrat without supporting the Democratic Party. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Michigan Ballot Measure Would Finally Bring Financial Disclosures—and Weaker Term Limits URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/10/07/michigan-ballot-measure-would-finally-bring-financial-disclosures-and-weaker-term-limits/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:54:18.000Z Michigan is one of just two states where lawmakers and executive branch officials don’t have to file financial disclosures, keeping the public in the dark about who’s paying public officials and what kinds of financial conflicts of interest their legislators have while they do their work. In November, Michigan voters will have a chance to require public officials to start disclosing their personal financial information, but only if they also agree to amend the state’s term limit rules in a way that would allow hundreds of currently term-limited politicians to become eligible again to run for office. Michigan Proposal 1, which is backed by a blend of big labor and business interests, is a ballot measure that would apply a flat 12-year limit for members of the state House of Representatives and Senate, and a requirement that legislators and executive officials annually disclose their incomes, assets, liabilities, gifts from lobbyists, agreements about future employment, payments made by others on their behalf, and more. Currently, Michigan politicians are limited to three two-year House terms and two four-year Senate terms in their lifetimes. Though that potential cap of 14 years of service in both chambers is higher than the new proposed 12-year flat cap, most politicians do not serve in both chambers, so for many the net effect would be that they would be eligible for more time in office. An analysis by Michigan news company [Gongwer](https://www.gongwer.com/news/index.cfm?article%5Fid=611620103) of state House members going back to the mid ‘90s, when the current term limits were established, found that more than 300 current and former House members would become newly eligible to run for office again if the measure is approved. Gongwer wrote that the initiative would be “a boon to 30 current members of the House now running for what otherwise would be their third and final term.” While term limits are generally [popular](https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-biden-age-poll-term-limits-medical-checks-poll-2022-9) among voters, lobbying groups may seek to weaken them as they could restrict their ability to build long-term relationships with lawmakers who could help them advance their legislative goals. Accordingly, many of the most powerful interests in Michigan politics have thrown their support behind the proposal. As of the most recent campaign finance disclosure, which covers donations through July, the top donor to the campaign in support of the ballot measure, at $75,000, is Rock Holdings, a Detroit company that owns major financial services brands like Rocket Mortgage and Nexsys Technologies. Several businesses and business-aligned advocacy groups have given $50,000 in support of the measure, including construction trade group MITA, a group called Michigan Energy First that has [deep ties](https://www.energyandpolicy.org/michigan-energy-promise/) to utility company DTE Energy, and the PAC of the Michigan realtors association. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has contributed $10,000 to back the measure and the PAC of the Michigan Bankers Association chipped in $500\. The campaign behind the measure, called Voters for Transparency and Term Limits, put forth the [initial proposal](https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/24delrio/Voters%5Ffor%5FTransparency%5Fand%5FTerm%5FLimits%5F03-28-2022%5F750777%5F7-%282%29.pdf?rev=d99008228ca84e12badf23ac107f7677&hash=18FED01F3FC916BF14091ABCF8D09EDE) in March, before it was tweaked by the legislature over the summer as they approved it for the ballot. Voters for Transparency and Term Limits has been endorsed by a mix of liberal organizations like Michigan People’s Campaign and AFL-CIO Michigan, as well as business associations like Insurance Alliance of Michigan, Michigan Manufacturers Association, and Business Leaders for Michigan, a nonprofit whose [members](https://businessleadersformichigan.com/our-members/) include executives of companies including Ford, Amway, McKinsey & Company, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The group is co-chaired by former Michigan Chamber of Commerce CEO Rich Studley. Voters for Transparency and Term Limits argues the term limits changes would help slow down the revolving door between the legislature and private interests that may seek to influence it. “When House members know they have only 6 years in that chamber, House seats often quickly become little more than stepping stones to the next position.” the campaign website states. On the financial disclosure portion of the measure, the legislature weakened the language originally proposed by Voters for Transparency and Term Limits in a couple ways. The original proposal said that the legislature must implement the disclosure requirement in a way that is no less stringent than the requirements of annual financial disclosures for members of Congress, but that language was removed by the legislature. The original version also would have required public officials to disclose gifts, using a definition in state law since 1978 (“’Gift’ means a payment, advance, forbearance, or the rendering or deposit of money, services, or anything of value, the value of which exceeds $25.00…” with [multiple exceptions](http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28eax1fxxesita0vhvqt1dxxbj%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-4-414)). But the version on the ballot would only require disclosure of gifts from registered lobbyists, and only those that lobbyists themselves would already have to report under existing laws. In comments to the [Michigan Campaign Finance Network](https://mcfn.org/node/7446/with-new-holes-financial-disclosure-and-term-limits-proposal-heads-to-november-ballot), Voters for Transparency and Term Limits attorney Steve Liedel said that “unless the legislature broadens the enactment statute, there could be gifts from a non-registered entity that has no obligation to register that would not be reported.” --- --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [GM, Ford, and DTE Among Companies Funding Michigan Republicans Behind Voter Suppression Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/) ## [Oakland Voters to Decide on Fair Elections Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/oakland-voters-to-decide-on-fair-elections-measure/) ## [Maine’s Biggest City to Vote on Clean Elections Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/09/maines-biggest-city-to-vote-on-clean-elections-measure/) ### Oakland Voters to Decide on Fair Elections Measure URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/oakland-voters-to-decide-on-fair-elections-measure/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:11:21.000Z In a few weeks, voters in Oakland, California will start to receive their ballots in the mail for the November 8 general election. One of the questions they’ll be deciding on is the Oakland Fair Elections Act, a measure that would bring a new public campaign financing program to city elections, as well as lower campaign contribution limits in city races and increased transparency of campaign donors. The effort to place the fair elections measure on the ballot was [launched in March](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/11/oakland-community-groups-launch-campaign-to-fight-big-money-in-elections/), with local outreach by the Bay Rising alliance of community organizations in a coalition with democracy reform groups including California Common Cause and the League of Women Voters of Oakland. During a [July 11 meeting](https://oakland.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=984815&GUID=5DFD273F-D6D3-4B78-8A74-C4A56FFD3345&Options=info%7C&Search=), the Oakland City Council discussed reports on the measure, including recommendations from [three council members](https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2022/bas-advances-progressive-ballot-measures-for-a-more-democratic-and-resourced-oakland-for-all) and a supplemental report from the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, an independent oversight body composed of city residents. In a unanimous vote by the six council members who were present, the measure got the go-ahead to face voters. It will be called [Measure W](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f4185b8185bc4f05ad3955/t/630d4e80143ad303bf0e50ea/1661816455556/Measure+W+Full+Text.pdf) on the ballot. The centerpiece of the Fair Elections Act is the creation of “Democracy Dollars” for Oakland elections, a public campaign financing program similar to one that recently completed its third cycle of use in Seattle. Under the program in Oakland, just as in Seattle, four vouchers valued at $25 each would be mailed to every registered voter in the city, which they could donate to candidates for city offices who opt-in to the program. Candidates who opt-in would first need to qualify by reaching a threshold of qualifying small-dollar contributions, then by agreeing to limit their total campaign spending, limit their household’s out-of-pocket campaign spending, and participate in public debates, among other requirements. > There’s excitement among voters that the Fair Elections Act will put them at the center of elections and campaigning in the future. > > liz suk, executive director, Oakland Rising and Oakland Rising Action The program aims to enable candidates to run for city office who don’t already have a wealthy donor network or support from deep-pocketed business groups. A [report](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f4185b8185bc4f05ad3955/t/621e675c042bbe2451c70566/1646159710423/Campaign+Cash%5FMarch+2022+Final.pdf) prepared this year by the civic technology nonprofit MapLight found that just half of all campaign contributions in Oakland since 2014 came from city residents, and that those donations mostly came from the whitest and most affluent areas of the city Last year in Seattle, residents donated vouchers to local candidates in record numbers according to city data, and [studies show](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) the program is spurring participation among communities that traditionally had not been as active in cash donations. Toward the democracy voucher programs’ goals of broadening the donor base, Seattle voucher users now look similar to the city’s population in terms of age, income, and race, the latest [research](https://mccourt.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Broadening-Donor-Participation-in-Local-Elections%5FReport%5F2022.pdf) by Associate Professors Jen Heerwig of Stony Brook University and Brian J. McCabe of Georgetown University shows. The multiracial collaborative group Oakland Rising, part of the coalition supporting [Yes on W](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/), has stayed active in grassroots outreach since the measure qualified for the ballot, highlighting how it can amplify the voices of voters in marginalized communities and curb the influence of wealthy campaign funders. “We’re in the thick of our campaigning and now bringing in endorsements from community organizations,” liz suk, executive director of Oakland Rising and Oakland Rising Action, told Sludge. “There’s excitement among voters that the Fair Elections Act will put them at the center of elections and campaigning in the future—they want to see that they’re a central part of the electoral process, and that candidates see them as an important part of winning and bringing power for policies and changes to their communities.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/09/Oakland_Rising_Election-Day-2022-volunteers-1024x683.jpg) Volunteers with Oakland Rising ahead of the June primary election Adriana Oyarzun Photography Oakland Rising Action’s suk said the group has been phone-banking and holding volunteer walk days for the measure. “Right now, much of our outreach is to low-propensity voters in the flatlands—those are the folks that people say don’t vote, but they don’t vote because no one comes to talk to them about voting. Candidates talk to high-propensity voters and to those who contribute to their campaigns. Folks in the flatlands are looking forward to the implementation of the ‘Democracy Dollars’ program so candidates will see them as an important part. “When we talk about what it would mean to give four vouchers, folks are really excited about that, ‘I get to use this to give to a campaign,’” suk said. With voters’ interest piqued, suk says, group volunteers follow-up with text messages to provide more information about how the program would work. As in Seattle’s program, Oakland would create and maintain a public-facing website with data on every Democracy Dollar given, with information on totals raised by participating candidates and electronic access to campaign statements. The Oakland Fair Elections Act would lower the maximum campaign contribution amount in city races from $900 to $600, encouraging greater use of Democracy Dollars by candidates and voters alike. The measure would also require campaign ads to list the top three contributors to the ad’s sponsor, while expanding disclosure requirements for campaigns and mandating that groups making independent expenditures file reports with the Public Ethics Commission. The top-spending groups in Oakland elections in recent cycles were funded predominantly by Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire donor behind a pro-charter school group that spent $920,000, and transportation company Lyft, which spent $439,000, according to [MapLight](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f4185b8185bc4f05ad3955/t/621e675c042bbe2451c70566/1646159710423/Campaign+Cash%5FMarch+2022+Final.pdf). In Oakland, where this year the offices of mayor, city auditor, and city council are up for election, outside spending by corporate interests remains prevalent. With Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf term-limited, 10 candidates will appear on the ballot for mayor, including Ignacio De La Fuente, a former councilmember from 1999 to 2013\. While De La Fuente is not among the [fundraising leaders](https://www.opendisclosure.io/office/oakland/2022-11-08/mayor/), his bid received a hand up early in September, according to the volunteer group [No Coal in Oakland](https://nocoalinoakland.info/coal-developer-donations-to-ignacio-de-la-fuente-pollute-2022-mayoral-race/), from a pair of $50,000 donations made to an independent committee, Californians for Safer Streets Supporting Ignacio De La Fuente, which was set up the month before by a coal lobbyist. The two donors, found in state campaign finance reports by Oakland reporter Jaime Omar Yassin, were Jonathan Brooks, a hedge fund executive with a likely interest in a proposed coal terminal site, and a shell company of Phil Tagami, a prominent real estate developer behind the proposed terminal. Independent expenditure committees spending on ads like political mailers would need to include the line, “Funding details are available on the Oakland Public Ethics Commission’s website,” offering access to information about the ad’s sponsor, as well as contributions the sponsor has made of $100 or more in the current year to city candidates or ballot measure committees. The independent Public Ethics Commission would be empowered with staff to oversee compliance with the act. The Bay Area real estate industry is also spending well into the six figures on ballot measures soon facing Oakland voters. Oaklanders Together, a coalition of business groups and the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, has raised [$608,000](https://www.opendisclosure.io/committee/1445852/), according to city records compiled by the volunteer transparency resource Open Disclosure, including $75,000 from real estate development firm TMG Partners. Expenditure data from the Oakland Public Ethics Commission details tens of thousands of dollars spent by Oaklanders Together on petitioning, political data, and market research. This year, Oakland voters will consider [ballot measures](https://oaklandside.org/2022/08/16/ballot-measures-how-voters-could-change-oaklands-laws-this-fall/) on business tax rates, eviction protections, an $850 million Affordable Housing and Infrastructure Bond, council member term limits, and more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/09/Election-Day-2022-Oakland-80-_-canvassers-1024x683.jpg) Volunteer canvassers with Oakland Rising with info on “Democracy Dollars” Adriana Oyarzun Photography The Fair Elections Act would roll out “Democracy Dollars” by augmenting the Public Ethics Commission with four staff people and resources to administer the program, including a way for voters to donate their vouchers electronically. Funding for participating candidates redeeming vouchers would be disbursed by a new Democracy Dollars Fund, seeded with $4 million for each two-year election cycle. While Seattle’s voucher program was financed with a property tax approved by city voters, Oakland’s would be paid for from the general fund. If Measure W is approved, the Democracy Dollars’ funding would be appropriated for the budget beginning July 1, 2023\. In addition to the [Yes on W](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/) coalition groups like Bay Rising, suk said more Oakland groups have recently added their names as endorsers: Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Alameda County Democratic Party, the nonprofit and nonpartisan California Clean Money Campaign, and Causa Justa :: Just Cause, a grassroots organization of low-income San Francisco and Oakland residents. Other Oakland-based nonprofits joined in support, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, and Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a grassroots organization led by and for Latina immigrant women. Some national organizations that endorsed Yes on W, suk said, include the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, RepresentUs, and progressive Jewish group Bend the Arc. Early voting at [vote centers](https://acgov.org/rov%5Fapp/vcalist) in Alameda County is set to begin on October 10\. Advocates of voucher programs in other California cities, like the group [Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/27/how-democracy-vouchers-increase-political-engagement/) and a coalition in [San Diego](https://boltsmag.org/in-california-cities-a-new-frontier-for-public-financing-of-elections/), are following the upcoming Oakland vote in their efforts to offer versions in their cities. The Oakland campaign is gaining momentum heading toward Election Day, suk says, as they talk to more voters across the city. “What we’re looking forward to with Democracy Dollars is that candidates will see that the power actually lies in the majority of Oakland who live in the flatlands, working-class, poor communities of color, immigrant, impacted by the criminal justice system,” suk said. “That if they engage those people, we could build a city that is equitable and build an Oakland for all.” --- --- ## Read more: ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [Maine’s Biggest City to Vote on Clean Elections Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/09/09/maines-biggest-city-to-vote-on-clean-elections-measure/) ## [GM, Ford, and DTE Among Companies Funding Michigan Republicans Behind Voter Suppression Measure](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/) ### Democrats' Stock Ban Bill Has a Major Loophole, Ethics Expert Says URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/28/democrats-stock-ban-bill-has-a-major-loophole-ethics-expert-says/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:17:01.000Z Democratic House leaders have unveiled the text of their bill to ban congressional stock trading. While the bill appears strong on many levels—it would force divestiture and it would apply not only to members of Congress but also their spouses and dependent children, among others—it contains language that could potentially open up a major new loophole. Under the bill, which they are calling the [Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act,](https://cha.house.gov/sites/democrats.cha.house.gov/files/documents/EIGA-Reform%5FBill%20Text%202022%2009%2027.pdf) members of Congress, senior legislative branch employees and other covered individuals would be barred from owning or trading any securities, futures, cryptocurrencies, or other covered assets. In order to comply with the law, they would have 180 days after the law is signed, or after joining Congress, to divest of these banned assets or place them in a blind trust. The bill appears to mostly rely on the [definition](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5a/compiledact-95-521/title-I/section-102) of “qualified blind trust” that has been in U.S. law since Congress passed the Ethics in Government Act of 1978\. That law established the requirement for members of Congress to file financial disclosures, and it exempted assets held in blind trusts from needing to be disclosed. To qualify, blind trusts have to meet several conditions: the trustee and all of their employees must meet several criteria to be considered sufficiently independent, assets in the trust must not have restrictions with respect to their transfer or sale, the trustee must have sole control of the assets, and more. However, the Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act would amend the law to say that all the requirements of a blind trust in the 1978 law could be made moot if Congress or other government officials decide they want to redefine what a blind trust is. The bill states that “Notwithstanding \[the requirements of the 1978 law\]”, a qualified blind trust could be any “form of a trust approved by the Office of Government Ethics, Judicial Conference, House of Representatives, or Senate through rulemaking or by majority vote for its respective jurisdiction.’’ The bill puts no further restrictions on how these government bodies could redefine what would qualify as a blind trust. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Steve Wynn Makes Biggest Political Donation Yet URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/20/steve-wynn-makes-biggest-political-donation-yet/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:17:49.000Z Casino and hotel industry billionaire Steve Wynn made his largest ever political donation in August. According to records filed this morning with the Federal Election Commission, Wynn donated [$10 million](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00532630/1630915/sa/11AI) on August 24 to a pro-Trump super PAC called Our American Century. The donation is in addition to $350,000 that Wynn donated to the PAC in March. During the 2022 midterm election cycle, the PAC has spent $6.7 million on buying ads that back Republican Senate candidates and oppose Democratic candidates. So far in September, it has disclosed spending $5 million on ads attacking 10 Democratic Senate candidates. The group’s largest expenditures so far this cycle have been toward ads that support Trump-endorsed Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz. It has spent $910,000 on pro-Oz ads, according to FEC records. Our American Century’s latest round of YouTube ads attack Democrats including Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio), Sen. Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and others over voting to fund new IRS agents. Another ad published by the group this morning attacks Oz’s opponent John Fetterman as a reliable, party-line vote for President Biden’s agenda. The PAC’s YouTube ads have been viewed up to 3.2 million times in the past 5 days, according to Google’s ad transparency portal. According to FEC records, Wynn’s previous largest donation was $5 million that he donated to the Mitch McConnell-tied Senate Leadership Fund in November 2020\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sugar Industry-Backed Senators Urge No Action on High Sugar Prices URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/15/sugar-industry-backed-senators-urge-no-action-on-high-sugar-prices/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:22:55.000Z A dozen U.S. senators, including the top recipients of donations from the sugar industry, recently wrote to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge him not to make changes to the federal government’s system of support for sugar prices, even as the price of food is increasing at rates not seen since the 1970s. “It is imperative that USDA not make changes that would create a glut in the U.S. market and collapse prices below grower costs of production,” the [letter](https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Vilsack-Sugar-Letter-9.9.22.pdf), led by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), states. Hoeven sent the letter just days after his legislative correspondent attended a sugar industry lobbying retreat in Fargo, North Dakota called “[Sugar 101: The Industry A-Z](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/gtimages/ST/2022/500025209.pdf).” ## Join Our Mailing List Get our latest headlines delivered to your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. It's free. Unsubscribe anytime. The letter is likely to be a response to a letter that Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) sent to Vilsack late last month. Shaheen’s [letter](https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2022-8-17%20Shaheen%20Sugar%20Supply%20Letter%20to%20USDA.pdf) urges Vilsack to take action “to improve domestic supplies of sugar and help bring down the cost of food and beverage products for American consumers.” Specifically, Shaheen is calling on Vilsack to increase transparency around its policies for adjusting sugar quotas and to establish new policies around what constitutes “reasonable prices,” among other things. For decades, the U.S. government has guaranteed a minimum price for U.S. sugar producers through a combination of nonrecourse price support loans that allow farmers to repay the government in sugar, import quotas, and direct purchases of crops, which it sells to ethanol manufacturers. The program is designed so there is no net cost to government, but the higher sugar prices it supports lead to more expensive processed foods, so consumers end up footing the bill. According to economist and American Enterprise Institute contributor Michael Wohlgenant, the policies cost consumers about [$2.4 billion](https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/-sweets-for-the-sweet-the-costly-benefits-of-the-us-sugar-program%5F153001980761.pdf) per year. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Maine’s Biggest City to Vote on Clean Elections Measure URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/09/maines-biggest-city-to-vote-on-clean-elections-measure/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:53:19.000Z With campaign spending on the rise in their city’s elections, voters in Portland, Maine will decide this November on a ballot question that aims to level the playing field for local office seekers. The ballot question, called [Clean Elections](https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/7121086e-dd65-4a44-b36a-c3475f75eca3?cache=1800), would create a voluntary public campaign financing program for candidates running for municipal office in Portland—one similar to a well-established program offered to candidates for state office in Maine. If approved, the Clean Elections program would make Portland the first municipality in Maine to offer public funding for candidates. The measure would also ban all candidates from taking corporate contributions, prohibit entities under foreign influence from making expenditures related to ballot questions, and enhance transparency of campaign contribution information. The Clean Elections initiative was [approved](https://www.themainewire.com/2022/07/commission-submits-final-report-proposing-eight-changes-to-portlands-charter/) to appear on the ballot on July 11 by the Portland Charter Commission, a body created in 2020 to review changes to the City Charter. The initiative then received the green light to appear on the ballot on Sept. 1 from the City Council. The campaign backing the measure, Fair Elections Portland, [says](https://www.fairelectionsportland.org/about) it “will put power back in the hands of the people” and empower elected officials to represent the people who elected them rather than special interests. > We already had strong experience with using a clean elections system at the state level, passed by referendum in 1996, a longstanding and popular program. > > Anna Kellar, campaign manger, Yes on 3—Clean Elections Though the U.S. Census estimated Portland’s population at a modest 67,000 as of 2020, city elections have become increasingly expensive. The most recent race for Portland mayor in 2019 saw [record amounts](https://www.pressherald.com/2019/09/25/money-continues-to-flow-in-portlands-third-mayoral-race/) of money, with candidates raising into the six figures and PACs [jumping](https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/28/portland-mayoral-candidates-have-77k-to-spend-in-final-days-of-campaign/) in to back their preferred candidates. Fair Elections Portland, which is leading the effort on the ballot question, compiled [figures](https://www.fairelectionsportland.org/data) showing that overall spending in the 2019 race for mayor was more than double that of the city’s 2015 contest. Over the past decade, candidate fundraising totals have also grown sharply in elections for Portland at-large council seats, district council seats, and school board races, according to data from Fair Elections Portland. “In 2017, a group of Portland activists started talking about the increasing problem of money in politics at the local level,” said Anna Kellar, campaign manager for the Yes on 3 campaign, the Clean Elections question. “What had always been low-key local elections were becoming much more hotly contested and high-spending, and with that all of the concerns that go along—could ordinary people afford to run, what kind of influence was it buying over local officials? ![](https://i1.wp.com/readsludge.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/FairElectionsPortland_group_photo-scaled.jpeg?fit=1024%2C791&ssl=1) Members of the Fair Elections Portland coalition “With that problem, we were lucky to have a solution right in front of us: we already had strong experience with using a clean elections system at the state level, passed by referendum in 1996, a longstanding and popular program,” Kellar told Sludge. “Candidates for state legislature in the Portland area use it, and there’s a high degree of familiarity with it in the city. A decision was made to head to a charter amendment for a clean elections program.” In Maine, a voluntary public funding system for participating candidates for all state offices was [passed](https://www.mainecleanelections.org/cleanelections) by voters in 1996 as the Maine Clean Elections Act, and [strengthened](https://www.maine.gov/ethics/candidates/maine-clean-election-act) by a referendum in 2015\. The program requires candidates to gather a certain amount of $5 contributions from voters in their district in order to qualify, and then commit to only spending money they receive from the state while eschewing all private funding. From the 2016 to 2020 election cycles, 55% of state candidates participated in the grants program, according to a [March 2021 report](https://issuu.com/jen-democracymaine/docs/2021%5Fmarch%5Fstate%5Fof%5Fdemocracy%5Ffinal) from the group Democracy Maine. The report also shows that as of the 2020 election, public funding has grown to become the larger share of state campaign spending, after having been dominated by privately-raised funding as recently as 2016. At its peak, [up to 85%](https://billmoyers.com/2015/02/26/maine-shows-public-finance-can-work-everyone/) of the legislature used Clean Elections, according to Andrew Bossie, the former executive director of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections (MCCE), with seven out of 10 women in office saying that having a public financing option was very important in their decision to run. In Portland, the Clean Elections program, proposed to start in the 2023-2024 elections, would—similar to the state system—issue funding to participating candidates who prove support from Portland residents, abide by limits on private contributions, and agree to take part in at least one public debate, among other things. As with other public campaign financing programs in states and cities, the city clerk’s office would create a searchable online database of all campaign finance information. Any unused funds in Portland’s system would be returned to the Clean Elections Fund. A [cost estimate](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xMPnfu-J-QJXqc%5FNwqd%5FwRSlXC1IAbGJ/view) prepared by the Charter Committee placed the per-cycle total of the program at about $290,000, an amount substantially less than candidates had been raising for mayor, even before including fundraising for city council and school board positions. In addition, the Clean Elections question would require the city to adopt rules that ban corporate contributions to municipal candidates for office and prohibit foreign entities from spending on ballot questions, whether by contributing to campaigns or by making direct expenditures. In June of last year, the Maine legislature [passed](https://campaignlegal.org/update/maine-enacts-law-prohibiting-direct-corporate-contributions-candidates) and the governor signed a bill prohibiting corporate contributions to candidates, joining 23 other states and the federal government in the prohibition. Companies may still establish separate segregated fund committees, or PACs, and allow PACs to use their telephones and computers. ## Long Path to Ballot The Clean Elections question will appear on the November ballot after a delay of several years spent navigating legal questions. In the summer of 2019, organizations including the League of Women Voters of Maine and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections gathered enough signatures to place a clean elections question on the ballot, with [over 8,000](https://www.pressherald.com/2021/07/20/maine-voices-city-should-let-voters-speak-on-publicly-financed-elections/) signatures from Portland residents. In September 2019, however, the City Council [voted](https://mainebeacon.com/lawsuit-looms-as-portland-council-reluctant-to-give-too-much-power-to-its-citizens/) to prevent the citizen’s initiative from appearing on the ballot, mounting an argument that the initiative would instead require a lengthier charter revision process, a decision that triggered years of legal challenges from advocates. Kellar says that in 2019 the coalition reached the formidable signature threshold with volunteer efforts across the city, “a combination of door-to-door, street corners and farmers markets, and community meetings.” One campaign volunteer led outreach in Portland’s South Sudanese community, and another brought clean elections petitions to Portland arts and music venues. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/09/FairElectionsPortland_Gathering-1024x791.jpeg) A gathering of Fair Elections Portland volunteers In the summer of 2020, the city put out a call for a Charter Commission, a process that Kellar said opened up another path for the Clean Elections initiative to be approved to reach the ballot. Kellar says that Fair Elections Portland groups worked closely with commissioners—three [appointed](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/737/Charter-Commission-2020-to-2022) by the city council, nine elected by voters—in reviewing the municipal proposal in light of the state’s public financing system. The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics submitted a [memo](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IiAOVwWtu%5FSmuaP4-WjsRwaPl4Cr4t2y/view) in September 2021 to the city’s Charter Commission on best practices for administering a campaign finance program that included guidelines on auditing and bookkeeping. Because it would approve an amendment to the City Charter, Kellar said, the initiative would provide dedicated funding for the program, insulating the clean elections program from the risk of funding being stripped by the city council from year to year. “After being caught up in the process since 2019, this ballot question is a return to the core issue: the cost of running for office,” Kellar said. “Let’s talk about the problem of money in politics and how clean elections can fix that. People need to know they have the opportunity to turn out and vote for something really positive that they already support in the state.” Also this year, voters in Oakland, California will decide on a [ballot measure](https://oaklandside.org/2022/07/08/oakland-considering-city-council-term-limits-overhauling-campaign-finance-rules/) that would create a public campaign financing option called “[democracy dollars](https://fairelectionsoakland.org/)” for city candidates—a program similarly designed to increase participation in local politics and enable candidates from a wider variety of backgrounds to mount competitive campaigns for office. --- --- --- ## Read more: ## [Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program](https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/) ## [Oakland Community Groups Launch Campaign to Fight Big Money in Elections](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/11/oakland-community-groups-launch-campaign-to-fight-big-money-in-elections/) ## [NYC Public Campaign Financing Program Leveled the Playing Field: Report](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) ### The Conflicted: Reps Own Stock in Companies While Serving on Committees Overseeing Them URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/09/02/the-conflicted-reps-own-stock-in-companies-while-serving-on-committees-overseeing-them/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:18:16.000Z Polls show Americans want to crack down on the glaring ways that members of Congress could enrich themselves with insider information, after several lawmakers were caught in 2020 making stock trades following privileged briefings on the coronavirus pandemic. The issue of senators and representatives trading stocks has [popped up](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3590362-stock-trading-ban-becomes-hot-button-campaign-issue/) in the North Carolina Senate contest and other midterm races. But even when lawmakers are not buying and selling stocks, in many cases they’re holding stocks that pose conflicts of interest with their work on congressional committees. Sludge reviewed the latest congressional annual disclosures and transaction reports and found several examples of representatives and senators holding stock in companies while serving on the committees that are responsible for preparing legislation determining how their investments’ industries are regulated. In some cases, lawmakers are holding stock in government contractors while sitting on the committees that approve funding for the agencies that dole out their investments’ contracts. In June, third-term Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) was tapped to join the House Financial Services Committee by Ranking Member Patrick McHenry, who [touted](https://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1343) Norman’s “extensive private sector experience in real estate development.” In taking the position, Norman gained new power over an industry in which he is heavily invested: Norman holds between $500,000 and $1 million worth of stock in South State Corporation, the holding company for SouthState bank, according to his financial disclosures. The asset sent him between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of dividends in 2021\. In his disclosure, Norman also listed liabilities to four creditors, including South State, valued at between $3 million and $12 million relating to property investments. Asked whether Rep. Norman might join some of his House Republican colleagues and publicly support bills to limit congressional stock activities, Austin Livingston, his communications director and deputy chief of staff, told Sludge his boss is leaning against it. “Rep. Norman has no position yet on any proposed legislation concerning direct ownership of stocks or individual securities,” said Livingston. “However, given what we’ve consistently seen from House Democrat leadership, Congressman Norman does not expect any such legislation to be well formulated.” Livingston declined to comment on the bank assets and liabilities listed in Norman’s annual financial disclosure. In January, Speaker Pelosi was pushed by House members to reverse her position and say she would support her Democratic colleagues advancing tighter rules for lawmakers’ stock trading. But since an April 7 [hearing](https://cha.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/examining-stock-trading-reforms-congress) to examine proposals, the Committee on House Administration, the body Pelosi tasked with developing legislation on transactions or ownership of securities, has yet to release the text that may be introduced. A framework was expected in August, with a vote in September, according to a Punchbowl News [item](https://punchbowl.news/archive/7-28-22-punchbowl-news-am/). Meanwhile, the willingness of the Senate to take up a reform measure is unclear, with little heard publicly from a [working group](https://thehill.com/news/senate/3261099-democrats-make-last-ditch-effort-to-ban-stock-trading-by-lawmakers/) of Democratic senators reportedly laboring to find consensus earlier this year. Good government groups have been pushing congressional leaders to “move expeditiously to advance legislation” that would prohibit members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks and other securities. In an [Aug. 2 letter](https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Coalition-Letter-Stock-Ban-Legislation-August-2022.pdf) addressed to Speaker Pelosi, a coalition of nearly two dozen groups including the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) wrote, “​​We fear that without your strong leadership and advocacy this critical good government reform will stall. The August recess and the November elections loom. Each day that passes increases the chance that Congress will not have time to take up and pass this legislation. That must not happen.” For the past four years, Sludge has [dug through](https://readsludge.com/category/stocks/) the investment portfolios of hundreds of members of Congress using a combination of software tools and manual review of scanned PDFs. Below are a selection of lawmakers who are invested in the stocks of companies that fall under the jurisdiction of the congressional committees on which they sit, based on a review of the most recent annual disclosures, for 2021, and subsequent periodic transaction reports. ## **Big Tech** Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) [owns](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10046476.pdf) between $500,000 and $1 million worth of Microsoft stock and up to $100,000 worth of Meta stock as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The committee’s sprawling jurisdiction includes “electronic communications and the internet” as well as “privacy, cybersecurity and data security.” A tech platform antitrust bill that Microsoft [supports](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/apple-google-microsoft-locked-in-lobbying-fight-over-app-store-bill), the Open App Markets Act, was referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee last August, though no committee action has been taken on it yet. Still, the committee has been engaged in many issues that could impact Microsoft’s business. The Energy and Commerce Committee has held hearings already this session on legislation to protect internet users’ privacy, reforming tech companies’ legal immunity protections, and more. The stock holdings of Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) [include](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10047702.pdf) up to $1 million in Apple, up to $500,000 in Amazon, and up to $250,000 in Microsoft shares. The third-term representative sits on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations, which funds the federal government. Among the subcommittee’s responsibilities is setting [funding levels](https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/appropriations-committee-releases-fiscal-year-2023-commerce-justice-science-and) for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, which enforces federal antitrust laws and is [increasing scrutiny](https://www.vox.com/recode/22822916/big-tech-antitrust-monopoly-regulation) of the practices of platforms operated by the Big Tech companies. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, not including Case, [asked](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazon-criminal-probe-doj-congress/) the Department of Justice to look into what they called Amazon’s “pattern and practice of misleading conduct” during an antitrust investigation in the previous Congress. Case is also the policy co-chair of the Blue Dog Caucus, a group of conservative Democrats, many of whom initially [blocked](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/09/corporate-backed-blue-dogs-threaten-democrats-budget-plan/) the passage of the Build Back Better Act last August until a further review of its 10-year spending impacts was performed. In recent years, Amazon has [disclosed](https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc%5Fdownloads/political%5Fexpenditures%5Fstatement/2018-Political-Expenditures-Statement.pdf) being a member of the behemoth business lobby group the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Last summer, the Chamber [said it would](https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/31/business-lobbying-democrats-reconciliation/) do “everything we can” to spike the Democrats’ Build Back Better Act, which died in the Senate in December. ## **Military Contractors** After a report last year by [Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/pat-fallon-congress-texas-stock-trades-boeing-2021-6) found that Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) was late in filing more than 90 disclosures as required by the STOCK Act, a number that has since grown to [122 instances](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2022/06/01/rep-pat-fallon-late-to-report-122-stock-trades-worth-up-to-21m-ethics-office/) of late reporting, Fallon filed a [report](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/ptr-pdfs/2022/20020983.pdf) in May with details on last year’s flurry of trades. As of his 2021 annual financial disclosure, released in August, Fallon still [owns](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10048366.pdf) between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of stock in Boeing as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which takes the lead in the annual bill authorizing the mammoth defense budget. Boeing was the third-largest U.S. military contractor last year, according to [Defense News](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/), bringing in over $35 billion in defense revenue from the U.S. government and foreign governments. Also a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which is tasked with investigating wasteful contracts, Fallon sold Boeing stock and stock options a number of times throughout 2021\. Another House Armed Services Committee member, Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), moved his stock holdings—including in military contractors—to a blind trust after being dinged for 76 instances of late reporting of stock trades under the federal STOCK Act, according to a [tally](https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/12/13/freshman-utah-rep-blake/) by Insider. According to his latest financial [disclosure](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2021/10046400.pdf), Moore owns up to $50,000 worth of stock in Boeing and up to $66,000 of stock in Raytheon, the second-largest defense contractor last year. On June 7, Moore entered into a blind trust [agreement](https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public%5Fdisc/financial-pdfs/2022/8219029.pdf), “To avoid any conflict of interest, or appearance of such conflict…” Earlier this year, Moore joined as a co-sponsor of a bipartisan House bill to limit congressional stock ownership, the TRUST in Congress Act ([H.R. 336](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/336)). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Manchin Delivered 'Game Changer' to His Top Donor URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/08/29/manchin-delivered-game-changer-to-his-top-donor/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:24:19.000Z While forcing his fellow Democrats to scale back their climate and health care legislation, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) made sure the bill included a lucrative gift for his biggest donor: a fossil fuel company whose CEO recently called the legislative gift a potential “game changer” for its business. [Critics](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/16/opinion/climate-inflation-reduction-act.html) say the provision — tax credits for unproven carbon capture technologies — is a handout to the oil and gas industry that could end up prolonging fossil fuel use instead of accelerating a transition to renewable energy. In addition, Manchin has reportedly negotiated a side deal for separate legislation that could also enrich that same fossil fuel industry donor. The situation illustrates the continued power of fossil fuel industry lobbyists to shape legislation, even in an era when scientists say that industry’s products are destroying the livable ecosystem. It also sheds light on a contradiction at the heart of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): A bill sold to the public as a climate solution includes significant resources for the oil and gas industry fueling the climate crisis. ### “A Game Changer” Many business interests have worked to build relationships with Manchin in recent years as he has become a key figure in deciding what Congress can and cannot pass. But none have done so more than the Houston-based oil and gas pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners. Since the beginning of this Congress, Enterprise Products’ executives, employees, and political action committee (PAC) have donated [at least $159,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/joe-manchin/contributors?cid=N00032838&cycle=2022&type=C) to Manchin’s campaign and leadership PAC, making the company the senator’s top donor entity this election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. The company also now employs Manchin’s son-in-law. Marshall Roberts, who is married to Manchin’s daughter Brooke, has worked for Enterprise Products since June 2020, most recently as a senior manager for commercial refined products, according to [his LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-roberts-02146b3/). Now, thanks to language in the reconciliation bill that Manchin negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Enterprise Products’ investment in the senator might soon pay off. The IRA, signed last week, expands and extends a tax credit known as 45Q for companies that use technologies to capture carbon oxide that they would normally release into the atmosphere. More than 500 environmental organizations signed a [letter](https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CCS-Letter%5FFINAL%5FUS-1.pdf) warning that the unproven technology “delays the needed transition away from fossil fuels and other combustible energy sources, and poses significant new environmental, health, and safety risks.” But Manchin claimed credit for the subsidies in a [letter](https://www.manchin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/coal%5Fassociations%5Fresponse%5Fletter1.pdf) to the West Virginia Coal Association, and they were included in the bill – just as his donor, Enterprise Products, is positioned to profit off them. In April, Enterprise Products [signed a letter of intent](https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2022/04/25/10757333/enterprise-oxy-mull-gulf-coast-carbon-capture-project/) with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, a subsidiary of oil giant Occidental Petroleum, to develop and commercialize a joint carbon capture and storage (CCS) service that they plan to sell to power plants and refineries, initially focusing on those in the industrial corridor spanning from Houston to Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Seattle Residents Make Record Use of ‘Democracy Voucher’ Program URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/08/23/seattle-residents-make-record-use-of-democracy-voucher-program/ Last updated: 2022-09-17T20:13:45.000Z Seattle residents made record use of the city’s public campaign financing system in the 2021 elections, with more people donating “democracy vouchers” than ever before in the first contest where vouchers could be given to candidates for Seattle mayor. A review of the program found that not only did democracy voucher use hit a record high, but also that the donors were the most racially diverse group of Seattleites since the program began. The city’s innovative democracy voucher program has now more than doubled its users since its debut in the 2017 election cycle. The new [report](https://mccourt.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Broadening-Donor-Participation-in-Local-Elections%5FReport%5F2022.pdf), by Associate Professors Dr. Jen Heerwig of Stony Brook University and Brian J. McCabe of Georgetown University, found that democracy voucher users are increasingly representative of the city, similar to Seattle’s general election voters in their age distribution, income levels, and race. Adopted by Seattle voters through a 2015 ballot initiative, the democracy voucher [program](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/about-the-program) aims to increase participation in the campaign finance system and foster political engagement while encouraging candidates who don’t already have networks of wealthy donors to run for office. Last year, 48,071 Seattle residents gave a voucher to a candidate running in the city, making up 7.6% of the voting-age population—or, as a percentage of residents who received vouchers in the mail, a participation rate of 9.4%. The 2021 elections, the third cycle with democracy vouchers offered to Seattle voters, included contests for two at-large city council seats and city attorney, in addition to the crowded field of candidates running for the open mayoral seat. Under the first-of-its-kind program, the independent Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) mails four democracy vouchers worth $25 apiece to every registered voter, who can donate them to qualifying candidates for city office, either through the mail, digitally, or by signing in-person to hand to a candidate. The candidates who choose to accept vouchers, which are redeemable for funding from the city, agree to abide by lower campaign contribution limits—including both vouchers and cash donations from individuals—and participate in at least three public debates, with their funding totals from vouchers displayed online. Candidates who participate also agree to observe a maximum amount they can raise and spend for the offices they seek—for example, [$800,000](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/i-am-a-candidate/candidate-faqs) for the mayoral primary and general election combined, counting voucher donations and monetary contributions. In Seattle’s 2021 elections, the majority of candidates for mayor, at-large city council, and city attorney participated in the public financing program, including the [two mayoral candidates](https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher/i-am-a-seattle-resident/participating-candidates) who moved on to the general election, Bruce Harrell and Lorena González. The high-profile race attracted most of the vouchers: about 71% of Seattle’s voucher users last year donated a voucher in the mayoral election. The researchers note that only a small percentage of Seattleites have used their vouchers in all three election cycles, writing, “These findings suggest that the voucher program is offering space for new participants in local politics, rather than entrenching a class of consistent voucher users.” From the 2019 elections to the 2021 elections, Heerwig and McCabe found that the participation rate for democracy vouchers increased across all racial groups, with Black Seattleites more than doubling their participation rate from 3.1% to 7.5%. Voucher use among Hispanic residents nearly doubled last year. Compared to the program’s debut in 2017, voucher participation in the age group 18-29 jumped from 2.4% to 6.3% in 2021, and doubled among voters aged 30-44\. Similarly, voucher participation nearly doubled among the households in the lowest income bracket of $30,000 and below, going from 4% in 2017 to 7.7% last year. > Participation in the program increased across all demographic groups, but some of the largest gains in 2021 were among African-American residents, younger residents and low-income residents. Disparities persist, but the gaps are closing. (5/7) [pic.twitter.com/h6X2LtOBjP](https://t.co/h6X2LtOBjP) > > — Brian J. McCabe (@ordinarysquares) [August 19, 2022](https://twitter.com/ordinarysquares/status/1560621061955207168?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) Alongside the rise in voucher usage, Heerwig and McCabe found that the rate of Seattle residents donating cash to city candidates also more than doubled since the introduction of vouchers, going from 1.5% in 2013 to 3.4% in 2021—an indication, they write, that the voucher program could be spurring more engagement both among voters with vouchers and among the pool of candidates who choose to run for local office. The steady growth in democracy voucher users, especially among groups that historically have had lower election participation rates, means that voucher users are mirroring the registered voters of Seattle in their income levels and age distribution—and that in 2021, people of color in Seattle were [as likely to use a voucher](https://twitter.com/ordinarysquares/status/1560621066313256960) as they were to vote. Teresa Mosqueda, an at-large Seattle City Council member who won in 2017 and again last year participating in the voucher program, [told](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/faces-small-donor-public-financing-2021) the Brennan Center for Justice of her experience, “Not only did we hear people say, ‘Hey, this is the first time I’ve ever donated,’ but the map shows it so expli­citly… If you look at the contri­bu­tions for the at-large city coun­cil seats like mine, you saw people donat­ing in the South End, histor­ic­ally Black and Brown areas of the city, in the North End, a histor­ic­ally lower income area of our city.” ## **Less Money Flowing In From Donors Outside Seattle** A recent [report](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/EthicsElections/Election%20Reports/2021ElectionReport.pdf) from SEEC, which in addition to administering the public financing program receives campaign finance reports from city candidates, suggests another way that democracy vouchers could be working to bolster local participation and incentivize politicians to be more responsive to their communities. The report found that the share of contributors from outside Seattle in the 2015 contest for at-large city council seats—before the voucher program was underway—was a hefty 31.6%. In the 2017 and 2021 cycles, however, that share shrank to just 6.7% and 6.6% of contributors, meaning that far fewer donors outside Seattle have been giving cash to candidates since vouchers came into play. The results are even more stark looking at last year’s mayoral race. In the 2013 and 2017 contests, before vouchers were in effect in the election for mayor, about 23% of contributors to mayoral hopefuls came from outside Seattle, whereas in 2021 that share fell to just 7.1% of contributors. Instead of donors outside Seattle making up one of the largest blocs of campaign contributors, last year the out-of-city donors made up a smaller share than any of Seattle’s seven districts. Even in races pitting one candidate who opted in to public financing against one who did not, small donors still made up the largest share of contributors, according to the [analysis by](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/EthicsElections/Election%20Reports/2021ElectionReport.pdf) SEEC. In the general election for at-large Seattle council seats last year, where two of the four candidates opted in to the democracy voucher program, the number of contributors giving under $100 was nearly double the number giving in amounts between $100 and $399\. The voucher program’s rollout has significantly boosted the overall number of small donors, as shown by data in the SEEC report: in at-large city council races in 2021, the number of contributors giving below $100 jumped by nearly six times compared with 2015, before democracy vouchers were launched. In the election for mayor last year, more than five times as many small donors gave compared with the 2017 election cycle, before vouchers were offered in the mayor’s race. Last year, large business interests in Seattle [changed their spending strategy](https://readsludge.com/2020/12/22/seattles-democracy-vouchers-doubled-users-in-second-election/) after dropping over $4.1 million on city council races in the 2019 cycle, led by [$1.8 million](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/spending-on-seattle-elections-doubled-led-by-amazon-now-council-member-wants-to-get-big-money-out-of-politics/) by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s PAC, which had received a $1.5 million donation from Amazon. With the business-favored candidates largely defeated in 2019 races and facing blowback to the onslaught of spending in the city’s elections, donors from Seattle’s real estate and investment industries [steered their donations](https://mynorthwest.com/3084455/large-donations-compassion-seattle-dwarf-races-2021/) in 2021 to a charter amendment on homelessness called Compassion Seattle. The measure was [rejected](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/judge-strikes-seattle-charter-amendment-on-homelessness-from-november-ballot/) by a state judge in late August of last year and did not appear on the ballot. Tom Latkowski, a policy organizer at the nonpartisan Democracy Policy Network who released a [book](https://www.democracyvouchers.org/) last year on the impacts of democracy vouchers, told Sludge of the latest Seattle analysis, “I’m thrilled by these results, which demonstrate the program’s effectiveness at engaging underrepresented communities, and expanding access to the political process.” In 2023, seven Seattle council districts will be on the ballot, and the tens of thousands of Seattleites who gave a voucher to a mayoral candidate last year will have another chance to donate to one or more council candidates. In Oakland, voters this November will decide on a ballot measure to create “Democracy Dollars” in their city. The success of Seattle’s program in increasing political engagement [helped inform](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/11/oakland-community-groups-launch-campaign-to-fight-big-money-in-elections/) the efforts of the Bay Area groups promoting the ballot measure, according to the community group Oakland Rising. *Corrections: this report initially stated that vouchers were redeemable for funding from the state government, when the funding is transferred from the city government*; *and the seven Seattle council districts will be up for election in 2023, not 2025.* --- --- --- ## Read more: ## [How Democracy Vouchers Increase Political Engagement](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/27/how-democracy-vouchers-increase-political-engagement/) ## [NYC Public Campaign Financing Program Leveled the Playing Field: Report](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/02/nyc-public-campaign-financing-program-leveled-the-playing-field-report/) ## [Delta Donates to Sponsors of Georgia Voting Bill After Calling it ‘Unacceptable’](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/10/delta-donates-to-sponsors-of-georgia-voting-bill-after-calling-it-unacceptable/) ### GM, Ford, and DTE Among Companies Funding Michigan Republicans Behind Voter Suppression Measure URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/08/18/gm-ford-and-dte-among-companies-funding-michigan-republicans-behind-voter-suppression-measure/ Last updated: 2024-10-04T18:59:24.000Z The Defend Black Voters Coalition is running a grassroots campaign calling on large Michigan companies to drop their financial support for state lawmakers who are trying to pass laws that could make it harder for people to vote. Michigan Republicans are attempting to enact a package of voting restrictions they call Secure MI Vote by using a quirk in Michigan law that allows legislators to use the ballot measure process to bypass both voters and the potential of a gubernatorial veto. If the Republicans can get enough signatures to have the measure approved for the ballot, the legislature is allowed by the state Constitution to pass the proposal by a simple majority before it appears on the ballot, and the Constitution also provides for such measures to be immune from vetoes. The Secure MI Vote ballot initiative would require a photo ID for in-person voting and absentee ballot applications, ban the mass distribution of absentee ballot applications, and prohibit state and local election officials from accepting election funding from private parties, among [other things](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republicans-launch-secure-mi-vote-drive-reform-michigan-election-laws). The state Republicans claim it’s needed to secure election integrity, but Michigan nonpartisan pro-democracy organization Voters Not Politicians says the measure is designed to disenfranchise voters. “From day 1, the campaign has made clear that this is a package of voter suppression bills disguised as a citizen initiative,” Voters Not Politicians’ executive director Nancy Wang said in a statement to [MLive](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/07/michigan-voter-id-initiative-submits-signatures-late-could-pass-via-legislature.html). A new report from the [Defend Black Voters Coalition](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv/), shared with Sludge, found that the six largest corporate donors in Michigan have contributed nearly $1.5 million since the 2016 election cycle to state Republicans who have voted for at least one of the five election-related bills in the Michigan Legislature that have been rolled into the ballot measure proposal or taken a public position backing the Secure MI Vote measures. More than $126,000 in donations to the GOP politicians has come from these six companies so far in 2022, while the Defend Black Voters Coalition campaign has been in full swing, including with a [series of protest actions](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/02/protesters-target-michigan-businesses-over-voter-suppression/) at a prominent business conference on Mackinac Island earlier this summer. The six companies targeted in the campaign—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Delta Dental of Michigan, Ford, General Motors, and utility companies DTE Energy and Consumers Energy—have all put out [statements](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv/) supporting equitable access to the ballot box and endorsing principles of racial justice. For example, the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and DTE Energy signed an April 2021 [statement](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XSwfVfMBuTMEbdQwwFr0nGW90ZK1RPl1/view) urging the government to avoid disenfranchising voters. “The right to vote is a sacred, inviolable right of American citizens,” the statement read. “Government must avoid actions that reduce participation in elections – particularly among historically disenfranchised communities, persons with disabilities, older adults, racial minorities and low-income voters.” The Defend Black Voters Coalition has been calling on the companies to join a [pledge](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv-pledge/) to halt donations to any politician who supports voter suppression bills. The pledge also calls on corporate leaders to promise not to employ former elected officials who backed the restrictive voting measures or their senior staff, and to drop out of trade associations that won’t take similar steps, among other things. The coalition’s new analysis found that insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan continues to be the top contributor since the 2016 cycle to the group of [80 Republican state legislators](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv-pledge/) who have voted for at least one of five restrictive bills, making almost $400,000 in contributions. Not long after the close 2020 election in the battleground state, Michigan Republican leaders floated their strategy to enact new restrictions on voting access. Addressing a friendly audience in March 2021, Michigan GOP Chair Ron Weiser [said](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/26/michigan-gop-chairman-plans-go-around-whitmer-voting-law-changes/7010417002/) that election-related bills passed by the Republican-controlled legislature would be passed by the legislature through the Secure MI Vote ballot initiative, [circumventing](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/how-republicans-plan-tighten-michigan-voting-laws-evade-whitmer-veto) the expected veto from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Whitmer [did veto](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/whitmer-vetoes-michigan-election-bills-gop-petitions-bypass-her) election changes similar to Secure MI Vote that were [passed](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2021-10-06/michigan-senate-approves-bill-with-voting-restrictions) by the legislature last year, citing their disproportionate impact on communities of color and the lack of evidence of election fraud. Last year, a Republican-led Michigan Senate committee “found no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud in Michigan’s prosecution of the 2020 election,” the authors [wrote](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/us/politics/michigan-2020-election.html), debunking false claims that the presidential election suffered from widespread fraud. Late last month, Michigan Republicans submitted more than [514,000 signatures](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/secure-mi-vote-turns-signatures-late-still-seeks-action-lawmakers) in favor of having the Secure MI Vote measures appear on the ballot. While Michigan Republicans expect that they’ve reached the qualifying threshold of 340,047 valid signatures, their submission was more than two months late due to an [epidemic of forged signatures](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/secure-mi-vote-turns-signatures-late-still-seeks-action-lawmakers) affecting state GOP petition drives—meaning it likely won’t be considered by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office until the 2024 election cycle. The group of 80 GOP lawmakers have received donations so far this year totaling nearly $67,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, nearly $67,000 from Consumers Energy, $66,000 from DTE Energy, nearly $26,000 from Delta Dental, $23,5000 from Ford, and nearly $12,000 from General Motors, according to the coalition’s analysis. When including donations to state Republican political committees that support the lawmakers’ campaigns, the total contributions from the six leading companies over that time reach $2.8 million, including $260,675 so far in 2022, according to the Defend Black Voters Coalition report. ## **A Hearing on DTE Energy Rate Hikes** On Monday, August 22, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) will hold a [public hearing](https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/commission/news-releases/2022/08/04/mpsc-august-22nd-detroit-hearing-dte-electric-rate-case) in Detroit on an application by DTE Energy to raise its rates. Byron Hobbs, a member of the Defend Black Voters Coalition’s steering committee and a senior strategic campaigner with its national partner organization, Community Change Action, told Sludge that grassroots pressure prompted the meeting, after the agency initially demurred. DTE Energy president and CEO Jerry Norcia signed the [letter](https://www.newsweek.com/ford-general-motors-michigans-biggest-companies-object-proposed-election-bills-1583275) last year of Michigan business leaders that read, in part, “Government must support equitable access to the ballot to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their rights.” Since 2016, DTE Energy has donated over $318,000 to the group of Michigan Republican lawmakers who took action on the restrictive voting bills, according to the Defend Black Voters Coalition’s analysis. “We’ve ramped up accountability efforts on DTE and Consumers Energy,” Hobbs said. “In our conversations with the Michigan Public Service Commission, they held a rate case hearing in Detroit a month ago where we brought about 50 folks to the meeting. Our ask to the MPSC was to hold a public hearing in Detroit on the rate case applications.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/08/DBV_Coalition_Michigan_members-1024x769.jpg) Defend Black Voters Coalition members at a utilities commission hearing in Detroit, Michigan, July 2022 The testimony from members of the Defend Black Voters Coalition can be seen in videos on the Facebook pages of member groups [Emergent Justice](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1414407229027157) and the [Michigan People’s Campaign](https://www.facebook.com/MichiganPeopleCmpg/posts/pfbid02s8pwmQYqTrcH8joRzfGrRBRzvxYQSEQi1xVe3ibuKQDLdfwXC3EBYtgybnSx4bcWl?%5F%5Fcft%5F%5F[0]=AZVhEuUhSZXOmlukH95dOFbhd8lgCvCpQUQeDUtSxHK7lhXLiyjFTF5u11uwSlrIpYtaL-xzuuqiUc74qjQDEuZ-1CYYqYqMYnjGLw0KLq4PcCTwbpR8Ywi46zYfLmCONagmQgbUpEbk6R4nA1wGns6dRNokquZIvphpIv8%5FoKw2Cc7whXEa3D3UGiCTF3vGq-4Ydfos34NNN%5FmO1TAKV2jZ&%5F%5Ftn%5F%5F=%2CO%2CP-R). DTE and Consumers Energy had been seeking rate increases of 9% and 7%, respectively, when the coalition [held its action](https://michiganadvance.com/2022/07/28/social-justice-coalition-fights-utility-rate-hike-requests/) in July. The coalition has been [campaigning](https://michiganadvance.com/2022/04/20/defend-black-voters-coalition-to-utilities-offer-accountability-for-outages/) on what it describes as under-investment by utilities, resulting in [power outages](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/study-claims-michigan-has-more-blackouts-most-states-not-true-says-dte) for Michiganders even as the companies continue to donate to lawmakers behind the Secure MI Vote initiative. “Folks in southeast Michigan face some of the highest rates in the Midwest but receive the poorest service,” Hobbs said. “DTE is one of the six largest corporations in the state that have been giving contributions to extremist lawmakers behind voter suppression efforts.” Hobbs said the rate increase could bring approximately $236 million to DTE Energy, if approved by the MPSC. “The utilities should do due diligence with investment in majority-Black communities in Detroit so they don’t suffer power outages,” Hobbs said. The coalition is also building pressure on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBS) through the insurer’s relationship with three of the state’s largest universities. Hobbs told Sludge that at the September meetings of the regents of Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, the coalition will introduce resolutions for the universities to call on BCBS to not support voter suppression efforts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/08/DBV_Coalition_Michigan_testimonial-1024x769.jpg) A member of the Defend Black Voters Coalition speaks at a hearing of the Michigan Public Service Commission in Detroit, July 2022 Hobbs said that BCBS executives had twice agreed to meet with the Defend Black Voters Coalition, only to cancel both times. “At the end of the day, these corporations all came out in support of Black Lives Matter, and many signed a public letter standing against any form of voter suppression,” Hobbs said. “But behind the scenes they fund the individuals trying to advance a Jim Crow-style voter suppression agenda in Michigan. They can’t have it both ways. We’ll continue to call out the hypocrisy until these corporations come to the table and commit to stop funding voter suppression efforts in Michigan.” A rival Michigan ballot initiative [expected to be](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/2022-michigan-ballot-issues-tracker-what-know-about-election-proposals) on the ballot this November, Protect the Vote, would seek to [counteract](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/secure-mi-vote-turns-signatures-late-still-seeks-action-lawmakers) many of the limits on voting access sought by the Secure MI Vote initiative, should the voting restrictions be passed in 2024 by the state legislature or voters. Supported by [groups](https://promotethevotemi.com/) including ACLU of Michigan, League of Women Voters of Michigan, and Voters Not Politicians, the Protect the Vote [initiative](https://www.michigan.gov/sos/-/media/Project/Websites/sos/24delrio/Promote%5Fthe%5FVote%5FMI%5F747933%5F7.pdf?rev=a11f969520784ab994cce5c2c7692b98&hash=68634BDAFE62A2558A3B7FF1732BEA28) would establish nine days of early voting, continue to allow voters without a state ID to sign an affidavit attesting to their identity, require a certain number of absentee ballot drop boxes be made available for voters, and other measures. ## Read more: ## [GOP Effort to Subvert Democracy Heads to SCOTUS](https://readsludge.com/2022/07/01/gop-effort-to-subvert-democracy-heads-to-scotus/) ## [Delta Donates to Sponsors of Georgia Voting Bill After Calling it ‘Unacceptable’](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/10/delta-donates-to-sponsors-of-georgia-voting-bill-after-calling-it-unacceptable/) ## [Corporate America is Helping to Elect Anti-Abortion Attorneys General](https://readsludge.com/2022/06/16/corporate-america-is-helping-to-elect-anti-abortion-attorneys-general/) ### Mysterious Super PAC Attacks Biaggi in Homestretch of Primary Against DCCC Chair Maloney URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/08/09/mysterious-super-pac-attacks-biaggi-in-homestretch-of-primary-against-dccc-chair-maloney/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:27:14.000Z In New York’s Hudson Valley, progressive state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi is being attacked in her primary against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney by a mysterious new super PAC that is sending mailers to voters criticizing her past statements on law enforcement. In the past week, a group called Our Hudson PAC has reported spending [nearly $94,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00820175/1622405/se) on direct mail pieces opposing Biaggi, marking an increase in outside spending targeting the challenger. One side of an incendiary Our Hudson PAC mailer that Sludge viewed decries what it calls Biaggi’s “divisive politics,” calling her “irresponsible” for tweets she posted in 2020 during the protests against the killing of George Floyd that are critical of police. One tweet screenshotted on the mailer omits where Biaggi said, “#VOTE #VoteBidenHarris2020.” In a February [interview](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/17/trailer-texas-republicans-battle-room-right/) with the Washington Post, Biaggi addressed the tweets and said that she supports increasing funding for things like mental health services and social welfare programs, and that police should be focused on solving violent crimes, not responding to mental health crises. Our Hudson PAC, [incorporated](https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/627/202207079517843627/202207079517843627.pdf) on July 6, does not offer any information on its website about its founders. In an FEC report released on Aug. 11, the PAC disclosed that it received a contribution of [$300,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00820175/1623241/sa/11C) from the National Association of Realtors on July 25 and [$50,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00820175/1623241/sa/11AI) from Sucro Sourcing, a sugar refiner and distributor headquartered in Florida, on Aug 1\. The group’s cash on hand stands at nearly [$297,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00820175/1623241/#DETAILED). Our Hudson PAC did not respond to a request for comment on the people behind the pop-up group or its plans to disclose its funders. The mailing address of Our Hudson PAC is a UPS store in Midtown Manhattan, outside of the district. Maloney recently declined calls by members of his own party to condemn super PAC spending like that from Our Hudson PAC. Last month, national Democrats from the Progressive Caucus [sent a letter](https://www.thedailybeast.com/progressives-to-party-leaders-help-us-bar-outside-money-from-primaries?ref=scroll) to DCCC Chair Maloney and other Democratic leaders calling on them to publicly condemn the flood of super PAC spending in primaries. The letter was led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Mark Pocan (Wisc.), and Jamie Raskin (Md.). Local groups in New York’s 17th Congressional District including Rockland United, Peekskill Progressives, and Progressive Women of New York [also sent Maloney a letter](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2022/07/14/adams-second-sanctum-00045776) in July endorsing the Progressive Caucus members’ letter and asking him to join the call, but Maloney declined to issue any sort of condemnation of super PAC spending. The Maloney campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the spending by Our Hudson PAC. For the direct mail pieces, the newly-formed super PAC used an unknown vendor named Winning Edge Strategies. Records with the New York Department of State show that Winning Edge Strategies was registered on Sept. 30, 2021 and has an [address listed](https://nyopengovernment.com/NYOG/corporation.action?id=10129705) as the offices of Manhattan law firm Eiseman Levine Lehrhaupt & Kakoyiannis. The company’s service of process contact is an attorney in the law firm’s corporate & securities practice. Winning Edge Strategies has not had any other clients in federal elections, according to FEC records, and no other political group had tapped the company for work in New York, according to the state Board of Elections. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Microsoft Hosted Congressional Staffers as it Lobbied on Antitrust Bills URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/08/03/microsoft-hosted-congressional-staffers-as-it-lobbied-on-antitrust-bills/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:28:20.000Z As Big Tech was lobbying to keep the Senate from passing antitrust legislation, Microsoft flew dozens of congressional staffers out to Washington for a multi-day visit with its lobbyists and executives. During the event, held June 29 through July 1, the staffers met Microsoft’s senior director of government affairs, Alli Halataei, according to [gift travel disclosures](https://giftrule-disclosure.senate.gov/media/2022/PW053XnKlkegafX97cbKQ.pdf) filed with the Senate and House. Halataei is one of the lobbyists the company reports as having held discussions with members of the House and Senate on antitrust issues, according to its lobbying [disclosure](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/20b06ef9-bbb2-4e97-a150-b520f9d3304b/print/) for the second quarter of this year. In particular, the disclosure indicates that Halataei lobbied on the Open App Markets Act and the American Choice and Innovation Online Act (ACIOA), the two antitrust bills that passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year but are being held back from floor votes by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for unknown reasons. Microsoft is [supportive](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/apple-google-microsoft-locked-in-lobbying-fight-over-app-store-bill) of the Open Apps Market App, as it would impact their competitors Apple and Google much more so than it would them, but it is not supporting the ACIOA. “We’re not trying to lobby in favor of the bill. But that doesn’t mean we’re opposing it either,” is how Microsoft President Brad Smith described the company’s position on the ACIOA in a recent interview with [Geekwire](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/interview-microsofts-president-on-turbulent-times-for-the-company-country-and-world/). _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pharma Lobby Enlists Minority Groups to Fight Drug Pricing Reform URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/28/pharma-lobby-enlists-minority-groups-to-fight-drug-pricing-reform/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:30:38.000Z Congressional Democrats have for years been trying to pass a law to lower prices for some drugs by allowing the federal government to negotiate down the prices of some high-cost prescription drugs with pharmaceutical manufacturers, but so far they have been stymied by the pharmaceutical lobby and its allies in Congress. Public opinion polls consistently [show](https://khn.org/news/article/poll-prescription-drug-price-negotiation-medicare-public-support/) that most Americans are concerned about the costs of their prescription, and they also indicate that majorities of both Republican and Democratic voters want to allow the government to negotiate lower prices. As of yesterday, the pharmaceutical industry has a new talking point to use in its fight against government negotiations—one that may be compelling to policymakers who are receptive to perceptions of how their actions may impact communities of color. “Over half of voters of color oppose government negotiation of drug prices once they learn about consequences for patients,” according to [a poll](https://www.nmqf.org/nmqf-media/2022/7/27/poll-over-half-of-voters-of-color-oppose-government-negotiation-of-drug-prices-once-they-learn-about-consequences-for-patients) out this week from the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) and National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), two nonprofits with missions to improve quality of life for people of color. To get a majority of the respondents to say they oppose allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies, the pollsters told respondents that it “could delay people’s access to newer prescription medicines”—a common pharmaceutical industry talking point. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office [found](https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-10/hr3ltr.pdf) that an earlier, much more expansive version of the Democrats’ proposal, House Democrats’ H.R. 3, would lower drug prices and improve people’s health, but that over the next 10 years it “would lead to a reduction of approximately 8 to 15 new drugs coming to market.” NMQF President and CEO Gary Puckrein [discussed](https://twitter.com/nmqf/status/1552294748983001093?s=21&t=xglnTAJgmrCL6Gk55UiRrA) the poll findings yesterday afternoon at an event attended by at least one member of Congress, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), that was hosted by The Hill, a D.C. publication that is widely read by congressional staff and other policymakers. The new polling comes as the Senate is preparing to vote on a pared-back version of the drug price negotiation proposal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) [announced](https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-majority-leader-chuck-schumer-d-ny-and-sen-joe-manchin-d-wv-on-wednesday-announced-that-they-have-struck-a-long-awaited-deal-on-legislation-that-aims-to-reform-the-tax-code-fight-climate-change-and-cut-health-care-costs) that they had struck a deal on a package of legislation that the Democrats could pass under the budget reconciliation process that denies the minority the ability to filibuster. The package would allow the government to negotiate drug prices, but unlike earlier versions of the proposal the lower, negotiated prices would not be made available to buyers outside of Medicare and it does not retain a provision that would have capped the cost of insulin. The new version also allows the government to negotiate on only 10 drugs, whereas a previous version would have enabled it to negotiate on a minimum of 25 drugs. Schumer and Manchin said in their announcement that they plan to have the Senate vote on the budget reconciliation package next week. Republican Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho) [told reporters](https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1551979745914544128) earlier this week that Senate Republicans are going through the proposal line by line to see if there are ways they can disqualify it from budget reconciliation procedures, which is generally only available for legislation that has a direct impact on the budget. If it passes the Senate, the legislation would then move to the House of Representatives. National Minority Quality Forum, which describes itself as an “independent research and education organization,” is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Since at least 2010, NMQF has received annual donations from pharmaceutical industry lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) of between $25,000 and $442,000, according to Sludge’s review of tax documents. Its “[corporate roundtable](https://www.nmqf.org/about)” members include companies that make some of the most expensive drugs in the world, including Amgen, Abbvie, and Gilead. Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s director of federal affairs and advocacy has a seat on NMQF’s advisory board. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pelosi Net Worth Growing Rapidly, Per New Disclosure URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/25/pelosi-fortune-growing-rapidly-per-new-disclosure/ Last updated: 2024-07-05T18:40:02.000Z On June 17, Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi exercised options he had purchased a year earlier to purchase 20,000 shares of stock in semiconductor manufacturing company Nvidia at a price of $100 per share, according to a disclosure filed by the speaker. Nvidia shares traded at between $160 and $169 the following day when markets opened. Two days after Pelosi bought the stocks, the Senate voted to proceed to consider a bill that would provide about $52 billion in subsidies over the next five years to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Nvidia stock jumped to around $181 a share following that vote. [Pelosi Fundraiser Retained by Palo Alto NetworksNancy Pelosi’s husband recently invested up to $1.25 million in call options for the cybersecurity firm’s stock.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/sl-icon-square.png)SludgeDonald Shaw![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/size/w1200/2024/03/GettyImages-2074389659.jpg)](https://readsludge.com/2024/03/19/pelosi-fundraiser-retained-by-palo-alto-networks-prior-to-investment/) Trades like that have stoked suspicion that Paul Pelosi, an investment banker, may be making stock trades based on non-public information he receives from his wife, which would violate anti-corruption laws. In a July 20 [letter](https://www.hawley.senate.gov/following-pelosi-trades-hawley-calls-hearing-banning-insider-trading-congress) to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) accused Speaker Pelosi and her husband of “cashing in” through what he describes as “arguably inappropriate stock trading activities.” Nancy Pelosi [denied](https://twitter.com/Forbes/status/1550138203490975745) that her husband has ever made trades using information she gave him during a July 21 press conference. Nancy Pelosi is one of the wealthiest members of Congress, and the couple’s net worth has increased rapidly over the past few years. After generally hovering near an estimated $100 million throughout the 2010s, the Pelosis’ net worth began shooting up in 2020 and by the end of 2021 had reached more than $171 million, according to Sludge’s review of financial disclosures. In 2021 alone, the Pelosis’ estimated net worth increased by $38.9 million, the largest annual increase the couple has enjoyed in all but one other year since 2010. Members of Congress disclose the value of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges, and Sludge determines net worth estimates by calculating the average value of a members’ assets and unearned income and subtracting the average value of their reported liabilities. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Big Tech Lobbyists Butter Up the Dems URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/21/big-tech-lobbyists-butter-up-the-dems/ Last updated: 2024-05-07T12:47:55.000Z This week, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) took to the Senate floor to call for a vote on a long-simmering bipartisan bill that would reshape tech platform antitrust policy—with dwindling time in the legislative calendar before the midterm elections. “It’s time to stop throwing popcorn at the C.E.O.s and actually do something,” Klobuchar said in her remarks. “Now it is time to bring this bill to a vote on the floor.” Referring to the tech giants, Klobuchar said, “At some point they have gotten so big that you have to put some rules of the road in place to ensure that we can have the next Google or competitor to Google, or we can have a true competitor to Amazon… this isn’t going to happen if you let four big platforms control the day.” The American Innovation and Choice Online Act ([S. 2992](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2992/actions)), sponsored by Klobuchar with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), seeks to curb the market power of tech platforms like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google by making it illegal for them to privilege their own products on their platforms or unfairly limit availability of their competitors’ products. In January, the bill passed out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary by a bipartisan vote of [16 to six](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/21/senates-tech-antitrust-push-notches-win-major-hurdles-loom/), but since then it has been stalled by Senate Democratic leadership, which has refused to call it up for a vote. The bill, AICOA for short, received an unambiguous thumbs-up from the committee’s ranking member Grassley on July 13 in a [comment](https://twitter.com/sachalouise/status/1547350699192864770) to Punchbowl News. Grassley confirmed he had told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that enough GOP senators would support the bill to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to invoke cloture if a senator moves to filibuster it. ## Join Our Mailing List Investigative journalism on money in politics, delivered to your inbox Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. A second bill backed by antitrust reform advocates, the Open App Markets Act ([S. 2710](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2710)), which is sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), has seven Republican co-sponsors and was approved in committee in February by a [20-2 vote](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/04/app-store-clampdown-sails-through-key-vote-marking-lawmakers-latest-antitrust-win/). The bill would [require](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/04/app-store-clampdown-sails-through-key-vote-marking-lawmakers-latest-antitrust-win/) that giant companies like Apple allow apps in their App Store to use in-app payment processing services that they do not own. The bills’ Senate supporters [expressed confidence](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/12/fate-lawmakers-tech-antitrust-push-is-up-air/) last week in their ability to marshal the votes to pass the Senate and the House. Advocacy groups that support the measure have been [campaigning](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/27/antitrust-tech-battle-congress/) for Majority Leader Schumer to bring the bipartisan legislation to a vote this month, before the August recess, with the likelihood that its support among lawmakers will be lessened in the next Congress. Focus is on Schumer because he controls the legislative calendar and could bring the bills up for votes whenever he chooses. On Wednesday, Schumer [told reporter Jake Sherman](https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1549466783685509120) that he supports the bills, reiterating his [statement](https://www.axios.com/2022/05/19/scoop-schumer-seeks-tech-antitrust-bill-vote-by-early-summer) from May, and wants to bring them to the floor. One of Schumer’s daughters is a [registered lobbyist](https://www.protocol.com/newsletters/policy/schumer-aicoa?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4) for Amazon in New York and another daughter works as a product marketing manager at Facebook. The U.S. House is also sitting on tech company-focused antitrust legislation that has long since advanced out of committee. Last summer, the House Committee on the Judiciary [approved](https://thebrick.house/big-tech-funded-groups-lobby-against-antitrust-bills/) a package of tech platform antitrust legislation after a marathon markup—with one bill, the Ending Platform Monopolies Act ([H.R. 3825](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3825)), squeaking through in a vote of 21-20\. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law and a leading supporter of the tech platform measures, issued a [statement](https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/judiciary-committee-publishes-final-report-on-competition-in-the-digital-marketplace) this week calling on Democratic leaders to bring the bills up for votes. “We’ve just got to get the bills to the floor for the vote,” Cicilline [told reporters](https://twitter.com/m%5Fccuri/status/1549473618173861890) on Tuesday. “I am confident we have the votes to pass in both chambers.” The tech companies have funded a sustained [lobbying and PR blitz](https://www.axios.com/2022/06/06/antitrust-bills-progress-tech-lobbying-splurge) against the legislation, raising [concerns](https://rollcall.com/2022/02/11/a-guessing-game-how-sen-klobuchars-tech-bill-will-impact-consumers/) that widely-used products would be affected. Schumer has been on the receiving end of [personal calls](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/27/antitrust-tech-battle-congress/) from the CEOs of Google and Amazon, and earlier this month reportedly [met with](https://www.fedscoop.com/senate-leader-chuck-schumer-met-with-microsoft-president-brad-smith-re-anti-big-tech-bills/) Microsoft President Brad Smith on a trip to Washington State. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Chevron-Funded Super PAC Boosted Oil-Friendly Dem in California Congressional Primary URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/15/chevron-funded-super-pac-boosted-oil-friendly-dem-in-california-congressional-primary/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:35:07.000Z One month after receiving its first-ever donation from Chevron, a super PAC with deep ties to the Blue Dog Coalition of conservative House Democrats spent tens of thousands on ads to help a Democratic California state legislator known as an ally for Big Oil defeat a Democrat endorsed by environmentalist organizations in the primary for an open seat in the U.S. House. According to a [disclosure](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00568444/1610450/se) filed yesterday with the FEC, Center Forward Committee spent $60,000 in May to produce and promote digital ads supporting Adam Gray, a California assemblyman, who was facing Democrat Phil Arballo and multiple Republicans in the open primary for California’s 13th Congressional District. The group spent the money in support of Gray shortly after receiving a $100,000 donation from California-based oil giant Chevron on April 26, according to the disclosure. It was the first time Chevron had donated to Center Forward Committee since the super PAC was formed in 2014\. All of Chevron’s other super PAC donations since 2014 have gone to groups that back Republican candidates, according to FEC data. The ads tout Gray’s “independence” and say that he is ready to work on protecting water access and lowering crime rates. They ran on Facebook from May 31 until election day on June 7\. Asked about the Chevron-funded super PAC’s ads, Gray’s spokesperson Mike Lynch told Sludge, “Adam led the fight that suspended the diesel tax and is working to reduce taxes on gasoline.” Chevron’s spokesperson defended the company’s donation by telling Sludge, “Chevron supports organizations that recognize the importance of sound energy policy. Our goal is to help shape effective, responsible and non-partisan U.S. energy policy that supports our ambition to deliver affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy.” Chevron discloses spending [millions of dollars](https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/investors/documents/2021-trade-associations.pdf) annually to support trade associations like the American Petroleum Institute that lobby against measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate Media Must Stop Making Ads for Fossil Fuel Companies URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/06/corporate-media-must-stop-making-ads-for-fossil-fuel-companies/ Last updated: 2023-12-02T17:53:07.000Z *This post was authored by Maria Bustillos and Alex Kotch, with reporting by Amy Westervelt*,** [***Drilled***](https://drilled.media/)*.* *Sludge is joining dozens of independent news outlets today in publishing this op-ed by the nonprofit OptOut Media Foundation, to draw attention to the fossil fuel industry funding behind mainstream media.* **Who’s to blame for a lack of action on climate change?** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/07/optout-climate-image-1-1024x576.png) “There’s simply no reason to take drastic action now.” **The oil companies, most obviously;** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/07/optout-climate-image-2-1024x576.png) “Energy! Environment! Some say it’s either/or… I don’t buy it.” **PR and ad agencies, paid to hire chipper young adults urging viewers to become “energy voters”;** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/07/optout-climate-image-3-1024x576.png) “Members…need to start focusing on the issues that are impacting everyday Americans, and the consequences of an overly ambitious and unrealistic climate agenda.” **Politicians who carry water for the fossil fuel industry.** These are all easy to blame. But without the complicity of corporate and legacy media, none of the fossil fuel industry’s propaganda would fly. Outlets including [*The New York Times*](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/18/the-forgotten-oil-ads-that-told-us-climate-change-was-nothing),[ *The Wall Street Journal*](https://www.dropbox.com/s/5aonilhliu8up5y/WSJ%5FAdvertorials%5FBooklet%5FAug1975.pdf?dl=0), and [*The Washington Post*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/creativegroup/sponsor/americanpetroleuminstitute/) have been allies of the fossil fuel industry for decades, not only running their ads but [helping to create them](https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/big-oil-pr-fossil-fuel-lobby-herb-schmertz/). Even now, when scientists say we’ve done irreversible damage to our planet, these and other media giants won’t give up the fossil fuel dollars. ## Creating ‘Issue Ads’ for Big Oil When Mobil Oil and the *Times* teamed up to create the advertorial in the 1970s, their spin doctors admitted freely that the goal of the partnership was to “[influence the influencers](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ib5xfz4h9znfpj0/EvolutionofMobilPublicAffairs-1981.pdf?dl=0).” In fact, part of the [original legal push for corporate personhood](https://www.dropbox.com/s/ui0kysmukkahj0x/RawleighWarner%5FEdisonElectricInstitute%5FCorporateFreeSpeech%5FCBS%5FJune1974.pdf?dl=0) in the U.S. stems from those early Mobil campaigns. Mobil invented what it called “[issue advertising](https://www.dropbox.com/s/89rfwt95inijzrm/SchmertzIssueAs%20ertising1976.pdf?dl=0)” or “advocacy advertising” in the late 1960s and early 1970s to deal with image problems not dissimilar to those they’re facing today—gas prices were high, profits were even higher, and an oil tanker had just dumped a large amount of oil on the lovely beaches of Santa Barbara, California. Access to trusted outlets such as [*The New York Times*](https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjt5wmm8pipfgt7/Mobil%5FOpEd%20Schedules%201987-19988.pdf?dl=0) and the [*Los Angeles Times*](https://www.dropbox.com/s/251pg01ofvcgbb8/Mobil%5FLA%20Times%20Thought%20Leader%20Mailing.pdf?dl=0)—which worked with Mobil to publish content that helped the company establish a friendly, responsible reputation—went a long way toward painting Mobil as a corporate “good guy.” But in 1973, something unusual happened. Mobil’s PR department created TV versions of its print advertorials, and two commercial stations—[CBS](https://www.dropbox.com/s/4twzh4otjrpjeuq/CBS%5FFightOverTVadvertorials%5F1973WarnerLetters.pdf?dl=0) and [ABC](https://www.dropbox.com/s/t8jvylwrd2f96x6/FightWithABC1974%5FSchmertz.pdf?dl=0)—declined to run them, explaining that the spots were propaganda, and that running them would be unethical and might even violate FCC regulations. Mobil execs saw this as the potential end of a strategy that had helped them win over not only the public, but also journalists and policymakers. The company launched a major offensive, placing op-eds in all the big papers, and sending flacks onto every TV and [radio show](https://www.dropbox.com/s/330gq8ats53mpwn/RadioShowAboutAdvertorials%5FOct1979%5FSchmertz.pdf?dl=0) to alert the public to the urgent need to [protect corporate free speech rights.](https://www.dropbox.com/s/4f1kv74hnkjihi4/NYT%5FCorpFreeSpeech%5FMay1978%5FSchmertz.pdf?dl=0) Mobil helped support the precursor to Citizens United ([*First National Bank of Boston v Bellotti*](https://www.dropbox.com/s/a286bw62wl165wn/Corporate%5FFree-Speech%5FMovement%5FCognitive%5FFeudalism....pdf?dl=0)), and fought hard for their right to continue using the media as their [personal corporate PR machine](https://www.dropbox.com/s/iokhskztt9t04nr/RawleighWarnerToEconomicClubChicagoCorporateFreeSpeech.pdf?dl=0). They won, as you might have guessed, and oil companies today are making the [same “corporate free speech”](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/10/oil-companies-corporate-free-speech-laws-climate-litigation) arguments to defend their right to mislead the public on climate change. ## Amid Catastrophic Climate Change, It’s Still Happening While there’s some momentum now toward accountability for the oil company polluters and their friends in corporate media, most legacy outlets are still taking the industry’s bait. The *Post* is still running [pay-for-play op-eds](https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/wp/2019/02/15/low-and-no-carbon-future-starts-with-natural-gas/) from the American Petroleum Institute, which API spokespeople amplify as though they’re real articles, not just ads by another name. And when Russia began to invade Ukraine, American Petroleum Institute president Mike Sommers and Sempra Energy CEO Dan Broulette took to social media and cable TV to [set the fossil fuel-friendly narrative](https://theintercept.com/2022/05/25/fossil-fuels-disaster-capitalism-russia-ukraine/): we need to ban Russian gas, we need to increase U.S. oil and gas production, and Biden’s climate policies raised prices at the pump. Only a media system addicted to fossil fuel dollars would let these dangerously destructive industries control the climate crisis narrative in order to make even more money. Now that the bill for all those long and profitable years of media complicity is coming due—when we’re faced not only with heat waves and historic floods, but also with a U.S. government that seems less prepared to deal with the problem than ever, and a Supreme Court that also seems to have consumed a steady media diet of climate delay, we may question the wisdom of trusted media institutions that chose to take the check, year after year, and ignored their responsibility to accurately inform the public when there was still time. This breach of trust affects every subject, not just climate. Should we believe coverage of wars that’s sponsored by the weapons industry? Should we trust Covid-19 reporting funded by Big Pharma? ## OptOut of Oil-Funded Media In this time of emergency, new publishers and organizations are springing up to create better and more trustworthy models for journalism. An expanding group of independent editors, publishers, and journalists has come together to form a network led by [OptOut](https://optout.news), a nonprofit charity that has launched a [free iOS app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/optout-news/id1531008271?platform=iphone) (Android version coming soon) and a [newsletter](https://originals.optout.news) providing news, analysis, and opinion from more than 150 financially independent media outlets that aren’t cashing checks from Exxon or Chevron. We are working to change the dominant media narratives on essential issues like climate, democracy, human rights, and labor by distributing news coverage from journalists who are paid by readers and subscribers, not by corporations “newswashing” their images through mass media. “As a network of scrappy, uncompromising media organizations, including many nonprofits and reader-funded publications, we are saying to the corporate and legacy news giants, if we don’t need to hawk fossil fuels to our audiences, you don’t have to either,” said Alex Kotch, co-founder and executive director of the OptOut Media Foundation. “Sludge is proud to be a founding member of OptOut, media that pulls no punches on the catastrophic damage caused by the fossil fuel industry and its influence over lawmakers,” said David Moore, co-founder of Sludge. “The planet has only a few years to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and have a chance at staying [within the bounds](https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emissions-gaps/) of the Paris Climate Agreement, though the [potential gains](http://progressivereform.org/cpr-blog/the-missing-ingredient-in-the-green-new-deal/) in environmental and human health are immense.” The following publications and news leaders from the OptOut network endorse this article: [Champagne Sharks](https://linktr.ee/champagnesharks) [Dame Magazine](https://www.damemagazine.com/) [Discourse Blog](https://www.discourseblog.com/) [Drilled](https://www.drilledpodcast.com/) Joshua Frank, co-editor of [Counterpunch](https://www.counterpunch.org/) [HEATED](https://heated.world/) Michael Sainato, founder of [The Labor Report](https://thelaborreport.substack.com/) OptOut Media Foundation [Popula](https://popula.com/) [Power and Pop Culture](https://elizmizon.substack.com/) [Rift Magazine](https://www.riftmag.org/) Sam Sacks, host of [Means Morning News](https://means.tv/programs/mmn) [Skipped History](https://www.skippedhistory.tv/) [Sludge](https://readsludge.com/) [Spencer Snyder](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder) [Struggle Session](https://sesh.show/) [The David Feldman Show](https://davidfeldmanshow.com/) [The District Sentinel News Co-op](https://districtsentinel.com/) [The Lever](https://www.levernews.com/) [The Rational National](https://www.youtube.com/c/Therationalnational) [Tech Won’t Save Us](https://techwontsave.us/) [True North Research](https://truenorthresearch.org/) [Welcome to Hell World](https://www.welcometohellworld.com/) *Video production and editing by [Spencer Snyder](https://www.youtube.com/c/spencersnyder)* – **About OptOut** The OptOut Media Foundation is a nonprofit charity with a mission to educate the public about current events and help sustain a diverse media ecosystem by promoting and assisting independent news outlets and, in doing so, advance democracy and social justice. ### [Download the iOS app.](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1531008271?platform=iphone) ### [Learn more about OptOut.](https://www.optout.news/) ### [Sign up for OptOut’s free newsletter.](https://originals.optout.news/#/portal/signup) ### [DONATE](https://www.optout.news/support/) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/optoutapp) • [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/optoutnews) • [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/optoutapp) ### Dems Hire Oil and Gas Astroturf Group Lobbyist for Environment Subcommittee URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/01/dems-hire-oil-and-gas-astroturf-group-lobbyist-for-environment-subcommittee/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:38:08.000Z House Science Committee Democrats have hired a lobbyist for an oil and gas industry front group as a professional staff member for their Subcommittee on Environment. Kristi Parrott, the subcommittee’s [new staff member](https://www.legistorm.com/pro%5Fnews/2957/house-science-subcommittee-picks-up-energy-lobbyist.html?utm%5Fsource=Registered+LegiStorm+Users&utm%5Fcampaign=04eed1cf3c-COE%5FWkly%5F2022-07-01%5Fnon%5Fhill%5Fnon%5Fpro%5Fnon%5Ftrial&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5Faa20686cb5-04eed1cf3c-85613505), comes from HBW Resources, where she was federal affairs director. HBW Resources is a PR, communications, and lobbying firm that specializes in representing clients in the energy industry. The firm appears to operate Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), an oil and gas company-funded nonprofit that fashions itself as a consumer group and describes its mission as “expand\[ing\] the dialogue between the energy & consuming sectors to improve overall understanding of the need for a balanced energy policy for America.” CEA’s [members](https://consumerenergyalliance.org/about/our-members/) include oil companies like Chevron, Shell, and Occidental Petroleum, as well as trade groups like the U.S. Oil & Gas Association and the American Petroleum Institute. Chevron discloses paying the group [up to $49,999](https://www.chevron.com/-/media/chevron/investors/documents/2021-trade-associations.pdf) annually, Phillips 66 disclosed a payment of [$80,000](https://www.trackyourcompany.org/company-details/?Contributions%5FOrg%5FID=111) in 2019, and utility company Dominion Energy disclosed paying the organization [$88,000](https://www.trackyourcompany.org/company-details/?Contributions%5FOrg%5FID=61) in 2018\. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### GOP Effort to Subvert Democracy Heads to SCOTUS URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/07/01/gop-effort-to-subvert-democracy-heads-to-scotus/ Last updated: 2023-04-19T15:58:20.000Z The Supreme Court [agreed to hear a case](https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/063022zor%5F5he6.pdf) next term that could give state legislators vast new powers over congressional and presidential elections, potentially allowing them to directly appoint Electoral College electors. The case, *Moore v. Harper*, has been brought by Republicans in the North Carolina legislature, who are appealing a congressional district map for the state that was drawn earlier this year by the North Carolina Supreme Court after it determined the map drawn by the legislature unfairly benefited Republicans. The North Carolina Republicans, led by House Speaker Tim Moore, argue that the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the [sole authority](https://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/nc-isl.pdf) to set the “Times, Places, and Manner” of holding elections for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The case parallels one [brought to the Supreme Court](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21279431/21a457.pdf) in late February by Pennsylvania Republicans arguing against Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of district maps that came out of the Republican-controlled state legislature. On March 7, the Supreme Court [declined to hear](https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/03/justices-decline-to-reinstate-gop-backed-congressional-voting-maps-in-north-carolina-pennsylvania/) the Pennsylvania case, *Toth v. Chapman*, referring it to a district court, but left open the possibility that they could pick up the case on appeal. The *Moore v. Harper* case rests on what’s called the independent state legislature theory (ISLT), [described](https://www.brennancenter.org/independent-state-legislature-theory) by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice as a “radical and unprecedented approach to the U.S. Consti­tu­tion’s Elec­tions and Elect­ors Clauses that would give state legis­latures wide author­ity to gerry­mander elect­oral maps, pass voter suppres­sion laws, and, at the most extreme, over­turn elec­tions.” The conservative majority on the Supreme Court could hand to state legislatures total control over which Electoral College electors it approves, with no checks from the state executive or judicial branches. It could also protect their laws related to things like voter registration and identification from judicial review. In an alarmed response to the Supreme Court’s announcement that it would hear the case, Michael Li, the Brennan Center’s senior counsel in the Democracy Program, wrote on Twitter that state courts have recently served as a bulwark against partisan gerrymandering in states where both Democrats and Republicans control the legislatures. > State courts have been one of the true bright spots in the fight against partisan gerrymandering this redistricting cycle, striking down both GOP & Democratic gerrymanders. > > But with the North Carolina ISLT case, the Supreme Court could be about to curtail that power. > > — Michael Li 李之樸 (@mcpli) [June 30, 2022](https://twitter.com/mcpli/status/1542535742894784513?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) This year, courts in Maryland and New York [threw out ](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/us/politics/congressional-maps-gerrymandering-midterms.html)district maps drawn by Democrats as gerrymandered. In January, courts in Alabama and Ohio struck down maps that unfairly benefited Republican politicians, in addition to the cases in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. In 2018, Li [told Sludge](https://readsludge.com/2018/08/20/alec-launches-effort-to-protect-gerrymandering-from-judges/), “It’s important to have a check and balance in the process because state legislatures often are prone to be captured by special interests, especially when it comes to something like redistricting that your average member doesn’t understand and maybe never has done before—since it takes place only once every 10 years.” The claim of ISLT that only state legislatures can determine federal election processes would break Supreme Court precedent, where the term “legislature” has been determined to [refer more broadly](https://www.vox.com/23161254/supreme-court-threat-democracy-january-6) to individuals or bodies in state government that have some part of lawmaking power. A forthcoming [academic paper](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=4141535) from law professors Leah Litman and Kate Shaw details how ISLT, in its strict elevation of state legislatures over other branches of state government, “is fatally inconsistent with basic precepts of both federalism and the separation of powers.” In a [statement](https://www.commoncause.org/north-carolina/press-release/breaking-u-s-supreme-court-takes-case-threatening-future-of-voting-rights/), Bob Phillips, executive director of good government group Common Cause North Carolina, said, “In a radical power grab, self-serving politicians want to defy our state’s highest court and impose illegal voting districts upon the people of North Carolina.” In February, the North Carolina Supreme Court [rejected](https://www.wral.com/us-supreme-court-takes-nc-case-that-could-radic-ally-change-our-elec-tions/20354927/) the Republican-drawn legislature’s district maps by a vote of 4-3 of its Democratic majority, [saying](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/us/north-carolina-redistricting-gerrymander-unconstitutional.html) the maps were “beyond a reasonable doubt” in violating rights of free elections and free speech. Allison Riggs, chief counsel for voting rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which is representing Common Cause in the case, said in a [statement](https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2022/06/30/breaking-u-s-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-nc-gop-challenge-to-state-court-oversight-of-redistricting-elections/#sthash.S55IMDvJ.dpbs), “Today’s news from the U.S. Supreme Court makes one thing clear: this fall, the future of multiracial democracy is at stake. In Moore, North Carolina lawmakers argue they essentially get a ‘free pass’ to violate state constitutional protections against partisan gerrymandering when drawing districts which undeniably hurt voters.” Mark Gaber, senior director of redistricting at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, said in a [statement](https://campaignlegal.org/press-releases/us-supreme-court-consider-north-carolina-redistricting-case-potentially-paving-way), “This could pave the way for bad faith politicians to manipulate election maps and laws to suit their political interests instead of the interests of voters.” The bloc of four conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—have indicated their openness to ISLT. In October 2020, the four justices sided with Pennsylvania Republicans in a decision that [would have required](https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-campaigns-pennsylvania-elections-62bb4957766f436e27ed7de52921aab3) the state to stop accepting absentee ballots on Nov. 3 when polls close—which law professor Rick Hasen [wrote](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/02/north-carolina-republicans-scotus-gerrymandeering-assault.html) was an endorsement of ISLT, in deferring to the legislature’s whims. The über-conservative former Judge J. Michael Luttig, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, discounted the ISLT in an [April op-ed](https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/opinions/gop-blueprint-to-steal-the-2024-election-luttig/index.html), warning it could be used to promote false election claims as attempted after the 2020 presidential election by pro-Trump Republican figures. Legal expert Hasen [anticipated last year](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/trump-2024-coup-federalist-society-doctrine.html) that five or six justices could endorse ISLT. ## **Ties to the Right-Wing Judicial Network** One influential conservative group promoting ISLT has been the Honest Elections Project, which The Guardian and OpenSecrets reported is a [rebrand](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/conservative-dark-money-network-voting-restrict/) of the shadowy Judicial Education Project. The Honest Elections Project is an alias of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit [85 Fund](https://truthout.org/articles/dark-money-fuels-the-anti-abortion-movements-push-to-control-state-legislatures/), which was [founded](https://www.axios.com/2020/01/07/leonard-leo-crc-advisors-federalist-society) by powerful Federalist Society board co-chair Leonard Leo in early 2020 to fund efforts promoting conservative judges supported by Republicans. The 85 Fund received some $20 million in 2020 from Donors Trust, [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/18/trump-ally-leonard-leo-85-fund-received-20-million-in-2020.html), a nonprofit that does not disclose its wealthy donors. Other tax records show that Donors Trust and its supporting organization the Donors Capital Fund have been [used to fund](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devos/) an array of right-leaning causes by megadonors including the Koch, DeVos, Bradley, and [Mercer](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/15/robert-mercer-family-gave-nearly-20-million-to-dark-money-gop-fund-during-2020-election.html) families. Last year, video obtained by the nonprofit watchdog Center for Media and Democracy showed that the Honest Elections Project [hosted](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/01/alec-lied-about-its-work-on-election-suppression-bills/) a voter suppression academy at a meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing nonprofit that helps state legislators collaborate with corporate lobbyists to create policy proposals. Leo, from his perch at the Federalist Society, has operated as a top Republican “[judge whisperer](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/08/03/group-run-by-trumps-judge-whisperer-leonard-leo-provides-more-than-a-third-of-ragas-revenue-so-far-in-2021/),” reportedly [personally curating](https://www.npr.org/2022/06/30/1108351562/roe-abortion-supreme-court-scotus-law) a list of Supreme Court candidates for President Donald Trump that included three of the justices who now form a conservative supermajority. In October 2020, the Honest Elections Project filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the case brought by Pennsylvania Republicans, which [Salon](https://www.salon.com/2021/09/27/beware-the-independent-state-legislatures-doctrine--it-could-checkmate-democracy/) reported was prepared with assistance of counsel BakerHostetler, a prestigious law and lobbying firm. In the [brief](https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20-542/158843/20201026174831279%5FHEP%20Amicus%20Brief%20FINAL.pdf), it laid out the ISLT argument and said that “only the Pennsylvania General Assembly, not the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, may establish regulations governing the upcoming presidential elections.” Another [amicus brief](https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-1271/215509/20220302163114039%5F21A455%20Amicus%20NRRT%20Supp.%20Applicants.pdf) in *Moore v. Harper* was filed in March 2022 by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, an organization [founded in 2018](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/11/national-republican-redistricting-trust-executive-director-776565) to defend Republican legal efforts around the decennial redistricting processes. The legal trust’s executive director is Republican operative Adam Kincaid, who also serves in that role for the 501(c)(4) nonprofit Fair Lines America. The brief similarly argues that the Elections Clause grants the regulation of federal elections solely to the legislature. In North Carolina, Speaker of the House Tim Moore’s top campaign contributors over his career have included North Carolina Association of Realtors, power and natural gas company Duke Energy, and AT&T, according to data compiled by the nonprofit [National Institute on Money in Politics](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=6590148). The PACs of those three donors have contributed nearly $168,000 to Moore’s campaigns and over $200,000 more to the North Carolina Republican Party. Moore was [elected](https://www.ednc.org/north-carolina-house-representative-tim-moore/) to the state House in 2002 and elected speaker in 2015. The case will be heard during the Supreme Court’s Fall 2022 term and a [decision is expected](https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/06/justices-will-hear-case-that-tests-power-of-state-legislatures-to-set-rules-for-federal-elections/) early next year. --- --- --- ## Read more: ## [Supreme Court Strikes Candidate Loan Repayment Limits](https://readsludge.com/2022/05/19/supreme-court-strikes-candidate-loan-repayment-limits/) ## [Laws Preventing Dark Money Disclosure Are Sweeping the Nation](https://readsludge.com/2021/06/15/new-laws-preventing-dark-money-disclosure-are-sweeping-the-nation/) ## [‘Red State Assault’ on Ballot Measures Threatens Direct Democracy](https://readsludge.com/2021/02/25/red-state-assault-on-ballot-measures-threatens-direct-democracy/) ### Hochul's Stadium Swindle URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/25/hochuls-stadium-swindle/ Last updated: 2024-10-02T13:44:21.000Z New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently orchestrated one of the biggest taxpayer stadium subsidy deals of all time—using tribal funds to finance the pact, which could ultimately benefit her husband’s employer. The arrangement doesn’t merely illustrate Hochul’s penchant for prioritizing business interests over marginalized New Yorkers. It is also the latest iteration of New York siphoning revenues from the Seneca Nation and trampling the tribe’s exclusive gaming rights. In the New York state budget passed in April, Hochul [earmarked more than a billion dollars](https://www.investigativepost.org/2022/03/28/taxpayer-hit-on-bills-stadium-tops-1-billion/) in public funding to build a new stadium for her home city football team, the Buffalo Bills. The deal, struck between Hochul and the billionaire Pegula family that owns the team, will be the [second-largest](https://www.investigativepost.org/2022/04/26/titans-stadium-subsidy-surpasses-bills-deal/) taxpayer contribution to a sports stadium in history. Of the project’s $1.4 billion in projected construction costs, New York’s government is putting up $850 million, or 60 percent of the total. Hundreds of millions of dollars more were inked for upkeep of the stadium throughout its 30-year lease, bringing the public’s total projected expense to be more than $1.1 billion. Hochul’s household could benefit handsomely from the deal. Her husband, William Hochul, is [general counsel](https://media.delawarenorth.com/delaware-north-companies/william-j-hochul-jr-general-counsel-delaware-north.htm) and senior vice president at Delaware North, the Buffalo-based hospitality giant that has [operated](https://nypost.com/2022/03/29/kathy-hochuls-husband-could-benefit-from-buffalo-bills-deal/) concessions at the Bills stadium for the past 30 years. While the new stadium does not yet have a hospitality vendor attached, Delaware North’s longtime management position puts it on the inside track to score the contract. During the last primary debate for governor, conservative Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi and progressive New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams [repeatedly slammed](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/nyregion/democratic-debate-governor-hochul.html) Hochul over the high price tag for the Bills stadium deal—and the potential profits for her husband’s company. What has received less attention is that the arrangement came at a steep cost to the Seneca Nation, a democratic government of [8,000 citizens](https://sni.org/about/) and several territories located in Western New York. To get the stadium deal done, the Hochul administration [forced](https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2022/04/buffalo-bills-proposal-hochul-sets-tone-rocky-relationship-seneca-nation/363962/) the Seneca Nation to make a payment of nearly $565 million to the state by freezing the tribe’s bank accounts. The tribe had been holding the money in escrow, arising from a years-long legal dispute with the state over revenue sharing from tribal casinos, and its members decried what they called the state’s “[overreaching](https://www.wgrz.com/article/money/business/seneca-nation-upset-with-new-york-state-actions/71-b2259ab2-6809-4676-bbe4-ed810a97cbed)” actions in freezing their finances. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Here Are the Congressional Democrats Who Donated to Anti-Choice Dem Henry Cuellar URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/24/here-are-the-congressional-democrats-who-donated-to-anti-choice-dem-henry-cuellar/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:39:15.000Z Democratic political leaders are expressing outrage and sadness today after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 *Roe v. Wade* decision and eliminated federal protections for abortion access. “The Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban,” Speaker Pelosi said in her morning press conference following the release of the decision. “They can not be allowed to have a majority in Congress to do that.” However, Pelosi donated $4,000 in 2021 to support the re-election of anti-abortion Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who earlier this week was declared the winner of an extremely tight run-off primary election against progressive, pro-choice candidate Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar won by just 289 votes. Cuellar is the only House Democrat to vote last year against the [Women’s Health Protection Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3755), a bill to codify federal abortion protections, indicating that he is likely to vote with Republicans on restricting access to abortion. Pelosi made her donations to Cuellar two months after he took that vote. Pelosi is far from alone among Democrats who have backed Cuellar. This year’s primary is the second cycle in a row that he has faced Cisneros, and both contests were nail-biters. In the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, at least 18 Democratic House and Senate members have donated to Cuellar through their campaigns or leadership PACs, offering him crucial support as he sought to fend off his pro-choice challenger. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Corporate America Butters Up Likely Next Energy and Commerce Chair URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/23/companies-butter-up-likely-next-energy-and-commerce-chair/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:40:41.000Z With the House of Representatives widely expected to flip to Republican control in the next Congress, corporations and trade associations are starting to butter up the likely next chairman of the committee that makes laws regulating many industries, including health care, energy, and technology. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican representative from Washington State, is currently the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and first in line to be the chair when the committee comes under GOP control. Her district, Washington’s Fifth, is [not considered competitive](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings) this election, and she [is not facing a serious Republican primary challenger](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jun/19/district-5-congressional-race-two-democrats-and-a-/), yet business PACs are throwing more money at her than ever before. From January 2021 through the first quarter of this year, McMorris Rodgers received nearly $1.7 million in campaign contributions from business PACs, more than any other House candidate, according to [OpenSecrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/top-recipients/2022?type=B). That haul puts her on pace to raise far more business PAC money than she ever has before in her prior elections. This is the first election cycle she has breached the top ten in the OpenSecrets rankings of House candidate business PAC recipients. Some of the PACs that have already maxed out to her with $10,000 contributions include ones affiliated with Amazon, Chevron, Pfizer, Verizon, and the National Association of Broadcasters. Energy and Commerce is one of the so-called money committees whose members and chairmen typically raise large amounts of campaign money from donors in industries that have legislative business before it. It has the [broadest jurisdiction](https://energycommerce.house.gov/about-ec/jurisdiction) of any congressional authorizing committee, covering issues including “health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid,” “food, drug, device and cosmetic safety,” “national energy policy,” “electronic communications and the internet,” “consumer protection and product safety,” and more, according to its website. Many of the consumer issues that have been batted around by Congress in recent years, like the high costs of prescription drugs and clean energy standards, get referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee when members try to address them in legislative proposals, so having an ally at the helm of the committee is extremely valuable for business interests as the chair can easily kill legislation by not scheduling it for committee work. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Scott Pruitt Runs for Senate After Trip Through Revolving Door URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/20/scott-pruitt-is-running-for-senate-after-trip-through-revolving-door/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:28:20.000Z Former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt resigned in June 2018 amid a cloud of ethics scandals, seemingly too corrupt even for the Trump administration. Now he is attempting to regain a position in the government — despite the fact that he has continued to make questionable moves on behalf of the oil and gas industry since leaving his post. In late April, Pruitt [filed paperwork](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00813774/1590553/) to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Oklahoma to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe. Pruitt is now running in the June 28 Oklahoma Senate Republican primary election against multiple candidates, including Rep. Markwayne Mullin and the Inhofe-endorsed Luke Holland, a former staffer for the senator. The seat is considered solidly Republican, so whichever candidate emerges from the primary will very likely end up with a six-year term in the Senate. During his two and a half years in the Trump administration, Pruitt was accused of [paying](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/epa-chief-paid-50-night-dc-condo-linked-lobbyist-n861621) below-market rent on an apartment owned by a health care lobbyist who also happened to be married to an oil lobbyist, spending public funds lavishly on items like a [soundproof phone booth](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/16/scott-pruitts-43000-soundproof-phone-booth-violated-spending-laws-federal-watchdog-finds/) and [customized fountain pens](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/06/01/epas-pruitt-spent-1560-on-12-customized-fountain-pens-from-washington-jewelry-store/), and more. Last month, the *New York Times* [reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/us/politics/scott-pruitt-epa-report.html) on a 2018 report by an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) special agent that concluded that Pruitt had routinely pressured his security detail to drive fast with sirens and lights on because he was often running late for appointments. Pruitt first made a name for himself as Oklahoma’s attorney general, where [he worked hand-in-hand](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/us/politics/energy-firms-in-secretive-alliance-with-attorneys-general.html) with the fossil fuel industry to try to block Obama-era environmental regulations. According to Follow the Money, in total the oil and gas industry donated [$274,000](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=6583668) to Pruitt’s various state office campaigns over the years, making it his second-highest donor industry, behind lawyers and lobbyists. Since resigning from Trump’s EPA four years ago, Pruitt has continued to do oil and gas companies’ bidding as a strategic consultant. He may have even helped one of his client’s companies skirt environmental standards through a process he brought about as EPA administrator. In his [first campaign ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBg3bIj7XwY), “I’m Back,” Pruitt claimed that news outlets that repeatedly reported on his ethical lapses, such as the *Washington Post* and the *New York Times,* were his “enemies.” “They think they canceled me, but guess what? I’m back,” Pruitt says in the ad while tossing copies of the papers in a trash can. ### A Spin Through The Revolving Door According to Pruitt’s [recently filed financial disclosure statement](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22058968-efd%5F-annual-report-for-2022-pruitt-edward-s), after he resigned from the EPA, he began working as a manager at two Tulsa, Oklahoma-based consulting firms: ESP Consulting, starting in October 2018, and Clear Worldwide, from May 2020\. For his work, ESP paid Pruitt $533,000 in 2021. According to the disclosure, one of Pruitt’s consulting clients was Red Apple Group, a New York-based real estate and oil and gas conglomerate owned by billionaire John Catsimatidis, CEO of Manhattan grocery store chain Gristedes. In the 2020 election cycle, Catsimatidis and his wife Margo donated more than $800,000 to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee [affiliated](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00618389/1502869/) with the Republican National Committee and Trump’s Make America Great Again PAC. Catsimatidis’ daughter Andrea, a Red Apple executive and chair of the Manhattan Republican Party since 2017, chipped in another $200,000 to Trump Victory, according to FEC records. Red Apple Group also owns United Refining Company, an oil refining and marketing company based in Warren, Pennsylvania, that has sought to dodge environmental standards using a process Pruitt championed while working in the Trump administration. While head of the EPA, Pruitt undermined the Renewable Fuel Standard, a program passed by Congress in 2005 that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and U.S. dependence on foreign oil by requiring transportation fuels to include at least 10 percent renewable fuels made from plant-based sources like ethanol and biodiesel. Pruitt initially sought to roll back the standard through the regulatory process, [proposing a reduction](https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/renewable-fuel-standard-program-standards-2018-and-biomass-based) in the blending requirement for 2018 — but he faced [resistance](https://www.ernst.senate.gov/news/press-releases/grassley-ernst-bipartisan-group-of-38-senators-urge-pruitt-on-rfs) from a bipartisan group of ethanol-industry backed lawmakers. Instead, he acted unilaterally, dramatically increasing the number of waivers the EPA granted through the Small Refinery Exemption (SRE), a provision of the 2005 law that allowed small refiners to argue that compliance with the standard would cause them disproportionate economic hardship. While the provision had only been used sparingly prior to his tenure, under Pruitt, the EPA [approved nearly all](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biofuels-waivers/epa-changed-rules-to-help-profitable-refiners-get-biofuel-waivers-lawsuit-idUSKCN1QO2A2) SRE waiver applications it received. The process saved the oil industry hundreds of millions of dollars. In expanding the use of the SRE waivers, Pruitt went against the advice of EPA staff who warned that doing so would look bad because of Pruitt’s long-standing support from the oil industry, according to [documents](https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/world-policy/article/2019/06/14/adviser-warned-pruitt-appearance-pro) obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Renewable Fuels Association. “To grant the exemptions would be a clear violation of Mr. Pruitt’s oath of office,” former EPA adviser David Schnare wrote in an email to staff in July 2017\. “Second, granting improper exemptions would look like a quid pro quo to the refinery industry — something that could only harm the reputation of both the agency and Mr. Pruitt.” In December 2019, the Red Apple subsidiary United Refining applied to the EPA for an SRE waiver so it could be exempt from the blending requirements that year. In July 2020, the company sued the EPA after not receiving a response on its application within 90 days, as required by law. In November 2021, the EPA formally denied United Refining’s application, concluding that refiners of all sizes should be able to comply with the requirement, since they could offset the cost of compliance by charging higher fuel prices. The law firm that [represented](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/documents/urc%5Fnoi%5F05142020.pdf) United Refining in the matter was Cleveland, Ohio-based Baker & Hostetler LLP, which Pruitt listed as another one of his three clients on his recent financial disclosure statement. Baker & Hostetler also works in government lobbying and has represented several clients with business before the EPA, according to [Senate lobbying records](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/search/?registrant=Baker+%26+Hostetler®istrant%5Fcountry=®istrant%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&client=&client%5Fstate=&client%5Fcountry=&client%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&lobbyist=&lobbyist%5Fcovered%5Fposition=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdisclosure=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Ffrom=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Fto=&report%5Fperiod=&report%5Fyear=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Ffrom=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Fto=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmin=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmax=&report%5Ffiling%5Fuuid=&report%5Fhouse%5Fdoc%5Fid=&report%5Fissue%5Farea%5Fdescription=&report%5Fgovernment%5Fentity=49&affiliated%5Forganization=&affiliated%5Forganization%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmin=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmax=&search=search#js%5FsearchFormTitle). In 2017, during Pruitt’s tenure, the firm lobbied the EPA on behalf of the [American Chemistry Council](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/36b085b6-7b51-4209-9a97-087aa94484c6/print/) on “policy issues relating to the chemistry industry, including the deployment of plastic piping in infrastructure projects.” Baker & Hostetler has also lobbied the EPA on behalf of oil companies including Denbury Resources and Southern Company. In 2015, Baker & Hostetler assisted Pruitt when he, as Oklahoma attorney general, attempted to sue the federal government to stop it from enforcing the Clean Power Plan on states, which would have required them to develop and implement plans to achieve carbon dioxide emissions standards. According to a [report](https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/state/2015/07/26/oklahoma-attorney-general-files-appeals/26339844007/) by the *Southwest* *Times Record*, Baker & Hostetler provided its expertise to Pruitt free of charge. Pruitt’s campaign has raised about $140,000 so far for his campaign, according to FEC filings. Members of the Catsimatidis family gave him four donations of $2,900, and other donors include the executives of oil and gas companies including Alliance Resource Partners, Lucas Oil Products, and Rhoades Oil Company. Early [polling](https://assets.website-files.com/604a6284c2cf945575665724/6286a2d0b4f52168c4cdeebe%5FNews9%5FNewsOn6%20GOP%20Primary%20Report.pdf) of likely Republican primary voters conducted between April 25 and May 11, shortly after Pruitt officially declared his candidacy, found that his opponent Mullin had a commanding lead, with 38 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if the election were held that day. --- ## Read more: ## [The Republican War Against Fossil Fuel Divestment](https://readsludge.com/2022/05/02/the-republican-war-against-fossil-fuel-divestment/) ## [Manchin Sits on Foundation Board With Lobbyists](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/28/manchin-sits-on-foundation-board-with-lobbyists/) ## [Reps Bought Pipeline Stocks Before Passing the Infrastructure Bill](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/13/reps-bought-pipeline-stocks-before-passing-the-infrastructure-bill/) ### Corporate America is Helping to Elect Anti-Abortion Attorneys General URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/16/corporate-america-is-helping-to-elect-anti-abortion-attorneys-general/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:42:03.000Z If the Supreme Court follows through with the draft opinion leaked last month and overturns *Roe v. Wade*, attorneys general in dozens of states with abortion bans already on the books will have new authority over how, or whether, those laws are enforced. The expected ruling, in the case *Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization*, would end the federal right to abortion, making abortion access subject to laws on a [state-by-state](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/abortion-fight-thrusts-state-attorney-general-races-forefont-rcna28663) basis. Twenty-two states have laws that could be used to restrict abortions, according to the [Guttmacher Institute](https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/abortion-policy-absence-roe), including seven with pre-Roe abortion bans and 13 with “trigger” laws that would take effect in the absence of Roe. Most of the states with abortion bans are solidly Republican and likely only to elect attorneys general who will enforce the laws aggressively, but in a handful of battleground states, Democratic candidates running for attorney general are telling voters that if elected they would find ways to legally not enforce the abortion ban laws in their states if Roe is overturned. In two states, Democratic incumbents who have vowed not to enforce abortion bans are facing anti-choice Republican challengers. In Michigan, which has an abortion ban from 1931 that has no exceptions for rape or incest, the Democratic incumbent attorney general Dana Nessell has [vowed not to enforce](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/08/michigan-ag-refuses-draconian-1931-law-00030912) the law if she is re-elected. She is facing Republican challenger Matthew DePerno, who has said he [would enforce](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/abortion-opinion-upends-michigan-campaigns-see-where-candidates-stand) the state law. A similar dynamic is playing out in the Wisconsin attorney general race with pro-choice Democrat Josh Kaul, who has said he [would not use state resources](https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-wisconsin-431bdc117a5ca8a9608d1ba8250f6084) to investigate or prosecute allegations of violations of an abortion ban law that has been on the books in the state since 1849\. He faces challenger Republican anti-choice candidate Eric Toney, who has said he [would enforce](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/05/04/attorney-general-candidate-eric-toney-would-enforce-abortion-ban/9645887002/) the law, accusing Kaul of abdicating responsibility and being unfit to hold the AG office. Two additional battleground states with existing abortion ban laws have seen the issue factor prominently in their attorneys general races. In Arizona, where a law banning abortions after the fifteenth week of pregnancy was enacted in March, the attorneys general contest features several anti-choice Republicans and Democrat Kris Mays, who has [said](https://ktar.com/story/5061294/democratic-arizona-ag-candidate-says-she-wouldnt-prosecute-abortion-cases/) she would not prosecute women or doctors for seeking or providing abortions. In Georgia, where a “heartbeat law” would ban abortions after about 6 weeks of pregnancy, Republican incumbent Chris Carr is facing a challenge from Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who has [said](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/abortion-fight-thrusts-state-attorney-general-races-forefont-rcna28663) she would refuse to enforce the law and would challenge it in state courts. ## Corporations and ‘Dark Money’ Groups Bankroll Republican AG Group In these battleground races, the anti-choice Republican candidates will be supported by spending from the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), a national political group that has already raised $17.7 million this election cycle from conservative “dark money” groups, corporations, and individuals to support Republican AG candidates. RAGA is expected to be a dominant force in these races. It has already committed to [spending $700,000](https://www.wisdc.org/news/press-releases/136-press-release-2022/7111-gop-electioneering-group-plans-to-spend-700k-in-wisconsin-ag-race) on an October ad blitz to defeat Democratic AG Josh Kaul, and Nessel has been the target of its [attack ads](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-attorney-general-candidate-dana-nessel-attacked-her-own-words) in the past. Historically, the group has often been the top spender in state AG races, such as in the 2018 Wisconsin attorney general’s race where it spent [$2.8 million](https://www.wisdc.org/news/press-releases/132-press-release-2021/7024-influence-peddler-for-december-2021-republican-attorneys-general-association) in support of Kaul’s Republican opponent. RAGA’s efforts this election cycle have been funded by millions of dollars from “dark money” groups such as the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), which is registered with the IRS as the Concord Fund and has deep ties to far-right Federalist Society board of directors co-chairman Leonard Leo. JCN has been RAGA’s largest donor, according to the firm True North Research, giving [more than $14 million](https://truthout.org/articles/right-wing-dark-money-is-coming-for-reproductive-rights-in-your-state/) since 2014, including $1 million in the first quarter of this year. RAGA has also drawn more than $370,000 this cycle from the Rule of Law Defense Fund, an affiliated policy nonprofit that does not disclose its donors and was an [organizer of the Jan. 6 protest](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/02/major-companies-donate-to-republican-ag-group-despite-its-role-in-jan-6-riots/) that preceded the riot at the Capitol Building. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Florida GOP Deregulates Nursing Homes URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/06/florida-gop-deregulates-nursing-homes/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:44:12.000Z This past legislative session, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his fellow Republican lawmakers delivered multiple legislative handouts to the nursing home industry. That included extending protections for these companies from COVID-19-related liability lawsuits, as well as reducing the amount of resident care the facilities are required to provide to residents. The legislation came in the wake of the nursing home industry donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to DeSantis and the Florida Republican Party in recent years. The results of these bills could be devastating in a state where nursing homes are already chronically understaffed. In the past year alone, 29 of Florida’s [691](https://www.fhca.org/media%5Fcenter/long%5Fterm%5Fhealth%5Fcare%5Ffacts) licensed nursing homes were flagged by the state for not abiding by the moratorium on accepting new patients when they failed to meet minimum staffing requirements for two days straight, according to reporting by [*Florida Politics*](https://floridapolitics.com/archives/522429-court-records-understaffed-nursing-homes-sidestep-admissions-ban/). Just last month, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration filed an [emergency order](https://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/dm%5Fweb/DMWeb%5FDocsFO/12185669.pdf) to shut down Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in the Florida Panhandle for flagrantly violating the state’s minimum staffing requirements and drastically reducing the quality of care of residents. The agency’s investigation found that residents complained about not having access to showers and baths, routine medical treatments, and other basic assistance. One resident told the agency that she had laid in her own urine for 16 hours because no staff were available to attend to her. Florida’s efforts to protect nursing home companies from liability is part of a nationwide pattern. In April 2020, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo [signed legislation](https://www.levernews.com/investigation-cuomo-gave-immunity/) shielding hospital and nursing home executives from lawsuits stemming from COVID-19, after an influential health industry group funneled more than $1 million into the state Democratic Party backing his campaign. While the state [repealed](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S5177) the law a year later amid Cuomo’s political fall from grace, the legislation helped [inspire](https://www.levernews.com/exclusive-states-are-copying-and/) [26](https://www.npr.org/2021/01/25/960253893/why-nursing-homes-covid-19-legal-shields-may-interfere-with-other-cases) other states to pass similar laws protecting nursing homes from COVID-related lawsuits — including Florida. Observers say such liability shields have had a chilling effect on nursing home-related negligence cases and could be discouraging nursing homes from taking proper safety precautions. According to the [*New York Times*](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/09/us/coronavirus-cases-nursing-homes-us.html), more than three-quarters of total nursing-home deaths early in the pandemic came from states that had granted corporate immunity to health care facilities. Outside Florida, efforts to increase nursing home staffing have also been derailed by industry pressure. Late last year, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) [postponed enforcement](https://prospect.org/health/nursing-home-slumlord-manifesto/) of New York’s “safe staffing” law, which would have required state nursing home operators to spend at least 70 percent of their revenues on patient care, following a massive lawsuit filed by New York nursing homes demanding the law be struck down. “Research shows that both staffing levels and the availability of skilled nursing staff are important predictors of the quality of care that nursing home residents receive,” said Nina Kohn, a law professor at Syracuse University and an expert in elder law. “Florida’s new law reduces the number of hours of certified nursing staff time that facilities must provide to residents each day. This opens the door to nursing homes substituting trained staff for essentially unskilled labor. That is dangerous for residents and a clear step in the wrong direction.” ### Shielding Nursing Homes From Liability One of the first bills passed by the Florida state Senate this year was [SB 7014](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/7014), which extends immunity from COVID-related civil liability claims for nursing homes, hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and others in the health care industry. [Inspired by New York’s approach](https://www.levernews.com/exclusive-states-are-copying-and/), the state had previously shielded the industry from COVID-19 claims until March 2022, but the new bill extends the immunity until June 2023\. DeSantis signed the bill into law in February. The [immunity protections extended](https://casetext.com/statute/florida-statutes/title-xlv-torts/chapter-768-negligence/part-i-general-provisions/section-768381-covid-19-related-claims-against-health-care-providers) by the bill require any claims to be “pled with particularity by alleging facts in sufficient detail to support each element of the claim,” a higher standard than what’s required for typical civil lawsuits in the state. In most Florida lawsuits, plaintiffs are only required to produce “a short and plain statement of the ultimate facts showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Protesters Target Michigan Businesses Over Voter Suppression URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/02/protesters-target-michigan-businesses-over-voter-suppression/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:31:06.000Z In Michigan this week, activists with the Defend Black Voters coalition held a series of protest actions to call out companies in the Detroit Regional Chamber that have donated to politicians who back new voter restriction laws despite claiming to stand for democracy and voting rights. The coalition, composed of state groups such as Michigan People’s Campaign and national organizations such as Community Change Action, brought the demonstration to Mackinac Island, where the Detroit Regional Chamber was holding its biannual public policy conference. The coalition’s first action was dropping a banner on a lighthouse that [read](https://michiganadvance.com/2022/06/02/black-activists-protest-voting-restrictions-by-land-air-and-sea-at-mackinac-conference/): “Loepp, pledge to defend Black voters.” The banner named Blue Cross of Blue Shield of Michigan CEO Daniel Loepp, who last year signed a [joint statement](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XSwfVfMBuTMEbdQwwFr0nGW90ZK1RPl1/view) with business leaders that urged “equitable access to the ballot” but whose company has contributed to state legislators who voted last year for a package of Republican bills that would restrict election access. The activists also marched to the landmark Grand Hotel with signs like one that [read](https://www.facebook.com/MichiganPeopleCmpg/videos/567328914915799/?%5F%5Fcft%5F%5F[0]=AZUCp0ZgoDBO6ZkQtWM83Sha9SPRvNqcvKClNNlIggV1GqB7c5QdPF4dmFJXtZMINYU9IHmoRwpQfMV4D57FRzIku00jIdRZH--SOHuLrLkLqcN-33pLfZZHQt-iw-R956p49fjWltDWVRIXjubQA9-cuBhaFFGBg6ElovnsO62ZFgbpdO8uFvo-uAQKbEymnxg&%5F%5Ftn%5F%5F=%2CO%2CP-R) “Stop Voter Suppression,” and had an airplane circling the island with a banner that listed company names [alongside](https://michiganadvance.com/2022/06/02/black-activists-protest-voting-restrictions-by-land-air-and-sea-at-mackinac-conference/) the message, “Stop funding attacks on Black voters.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/06/Defend_Black_Voters_coalition_Michigan_01-e1654273736162-1024x590.png) Defend Black Voters coalition protestors at the Mackinac Policy Conference, June 2, 2022: “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan CEO Daniel Loepp, remember when you signed a statement against voter suppression in Michigan but continued to fund the politicians doing it? Why won’t you sign the pledge to #DefendBlackVoters?” Michigan People's Campaign The Defend Black Voters coalition is calling on businesses to sign a [pledge](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv-pledge/) to “immediately and permanently cease funding, directly or through conduit entities, any super PAC or other political committee that works to promote the election of any Michigan state legislator who supports voter suppression bills.” Companies signing the pledge would also agree to halt political backing of the members of Congress who objected to 2020 Electoral College results, never employ elected officials who backed voter suppression measures in a senior position after they leave office, and agree to withdraw from any industry association that won’t follow suit. Ken Whittaker, executive director of the Michigan People’s Campaign, who traveled from Detroit to the island this week, told Sludge, “All of these corporations have issued Black Lives Matter statements after the death of George Floyd, but we look at those statements as empty because they continue to fund the legislators who are pushing voter suppression.” Whittaker said the coalition is targeting large corporate sponsors of the conference that, according to a November 2021 [tally](https://communitychangeaction.org/dbv/) by the Defend Black Voters coalition, are the largest corporate contributors to the Republican legislators behind voter restriction bills: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Delta Dental of Michigan, General Motors, Ford, DTE Energy, and Consumers Energy. This year’s Mackinac Policy Conference theme is “the business community’s changing civic role in polarizing times,” and that it would highlight areas where Michigan businesses can set examples, including “advancing diversity as a strength,” “utilizing civility and facts in public discourse,” and “advocating for the fundamental tenets of American democracy.” “Corporations have to do more than issue a tired, empty statement and change their profile photo to a black square,” said Whittaker. “They have to stop paying for an attack on Black and brown voters and pledge to defend democracy for all in Michigan—that includes working families and communities of color.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/06/Defend_Black_Voters_coalition_Michigan_02-1024x551.png) Defend Black Voters coalition, June 2, 2022 Michigan People's Campaign One company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, had agreed to meet with coalition members to discuss the pledge, but it canceled before the meeting and has not attempted to reschedule, according to Whittaker. ## **GOP Plan to Bypass the Veto** The Michigan Republican Party’s plan to pass sweeping election changes goes back to early last year, after Joe Biden carried the state’s presidential election by just over 154,000 votes. In a [speech](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-gop-chair-calls-whitmer-nessel-benson-witches-who-should-be-burned) to the North Oakland Republican Club on March 25, 2021, party chair Ron Weise said that state Republicans would launch a signature drive for a ballot initiative on election reforms. The ballot initiative would be identical to a package of bills, [introduced](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republicans-launch-secure-mi-vote-drive-reform-michigan-election-laws) by Michigan Senate Republicans in March 2021, that would make voter identification rules stricter, limit absentee ballot drop boxes, and ban prepaid return postage for mail ballots, [among other things](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republicans-launch-secure-mi-vote-drive-reform-michigan-election-laws). According to the nonprofit news outlet [Bridge Michigan](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/republicans-launch-secure-mi-vote-drive-reform-michigan-election-laws), the proposal would also prohibit unsolicited absentee ballot applications and ban outside funding of election administration like grants to hire staff. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/06/Defend_Black_Voters_3-225x300.jpg) Members of the Defend Black Voters coalition at Mackinac Island, June 2022 A Republican-led Michigan Senate committee last year “found no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud in Michigan’s prosecution of the 2020 election,” the authors [wrote](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/us/politics/michigan-2020-election.html), and virtually none of the over 60 pro-Trump legal challenges have succeeded in courts nationwide, according to a [count](https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/elections/2021/01/06/trumps-failed-efforts-overturn-election-numbers/4130307001/) by Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias cited by USA Today. In October, Gov. Whitmer [vetoed](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/whitmer-vetoes-michigan-election-bills-gop-petitions-bypass-her) the package of bills that would restrict election access, saying, “There is no evidence that use of affidavit ballots is related to voter fraud.” However, state law provides another avenue through which the Republicans can enact their voter suppression measures. The Michigan [Constitution](http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%283fkzzqyyol3spu0bgdqrxu4u%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-Article-II-9) states that the legislature may enact laws proposed as ballot initiatives, without amendment, within 40 days of receiving a petition with a sufficient number of qualifying signatures, which is about [340,000 signatures](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/how-republicans-plan-tighten-michigan-voting-laws-evade-whitmer-veto) this year. “Legislators realize the bills were packaged into a ballot initiative with no goal of getting onto the ballot, but rather to use what’s called ‘adopt and amend’ strategy, and bypass the governor’s veto,” Defend Black Voters’ Whittaker said. “They’re using the GOP legislature as a weapon—they had no intention of collecting signatures to put the bills on the ballot.” The Republican package, which supporters call Secure MI Vote, [stands at 435,000](https://michiganadvance.com/2022/06/02/ballot-initiative-deadline-passes-only-payday-loan-effort-submits-signatures/) signatures, but its supporters announced this week that they plan to gather more signatures before filing with the Board of State Canvassers. If the legislature takes no action, a qualifying ballot initiative would appear as a measure on the next general election ballot. Since the 2020 election, [18 states](https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-may-2022) have passed laws that restrict access to voting, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. --- ## Read more: ## [Grassroots Groups Call on Boeing to Cut off Donations to Election Objectors](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/20/grassroots-groups-call-on-boeing-to-cut-off-donations-to-election-objectors/) ## [Delta Donates to Sponsors of Georgia Voting Bill After Calling it ‘Unacceptable’](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/10/delta-donates-to-sponsors-of-georgia-voting-bill-after-calling-it-unacceptable/) ## [Major US Companies Slam Voter Suppression Laws Then Donate to Their Sponsors](https://readsludge.com/2022/01/18/major-us-companies-slam-voter-suppression-laws-then-donate-to-their-sponsors/) ### Steny Hoyer’s Secretive Island Club is Sponsored by the Gun Lobby URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/06/01/steny-hoyers-secretive-island-club-is-sponsored-by-the-gun-lobby/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:45:25.000Z Calls for new gun control laws have increased following two recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. While congressional Republicans mainly remain allied with the gun lobby against such measures, Democrats are nearly universally clamoring for the passage of new laws. However, one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress is simultaneously maintaining a tie to a top firearms industry lobbying group, helping to bolster its image among the nation’s elites. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is currently the honorary chairman of the Jefferson Islands Club, an invitation-only social club that was founded in the 1930s by Democratic senators with charter members including Franklin D. Roosevelt and the executives of major corporations like Chase National Bank and General Electric. The club owns Saint Catherine Island, a 50-acre island in the lower Potomac River and has a mission “to support a Club House with suitable surroundings and comforts where members may assemble, discuss and promote Jeffersonian philosophies.” The island, which features a nine-bedroom mid-century retreat, is open for its members from April to December and hosts several annual events, including a spring oyster and wild game reception, and a mid- to late-July crab feast. The club’s skeet shooting range is open during all of its events and it maintains several duck-hunting blinds. New members may apply only upon[ the endorsement of three members in good standin](https://micah-carlson.squarespace.com/membership)g, and the club does not publicly disclose its membership list. A 1994 article by the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1994/07/14/private-island-club-granted-bailout/1d7469d9-fbea-4bed-8621-52d181b68eef/) said the club’s membership was composed of lawyers, lobbyists, and trade association executives. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Heidi Heitkamp Lobbies Against a Democratic FCC URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/31/heidi-heitkamp-lobbies-against-a-democratic-fcc/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:47:03.000Z [*The American Prospect*](https://prospect.org/) *is a nonprofit, independent magazine covering public policy and politics. Sludge is re-publishing this article.* Sixteen months into the Biden presidency, a Democratic majority on the [deadlocked](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/10/fcc-majority-remains-elusive-democrats/) Federal Communications Commission remains elusive. President Biden [acted to fill](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/26/president-biden-announces-key-nominations-8/) a position made vacant by the transfer of presidential power last October, but Gigi Sohn has drawn skepticism and opposition from players across the aisle. In an America where politics are rarely bipartisan, one has to wonder: What did Sohn do right? Sohn is seen as a progressive, “[boundary-breaking](https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049301069/biden-fcc-nominations-rosenworcel-sohn)” nomination; she would be the first openly LGBT commissioner in history, and she would also bring the FCC back into Democratic control. A Democratic FCC would almost definitely reinstate net neutrality, the policy that says telecommunications providers must be unbiased toward content flowing through their networks. This has made her potential elevation to the FCC contentious. Sohn is no doubt qualified; as a top aide to former FCC chair Tom Wheeler, she helped formulate the net neutrality policy. As the founder of telecommunications advocacy group [Public Knowledge](https://publicknowledge.org/), Sohn has supported a “multipronged strategy” to achieve digital equity, noting the lack of access for different marginalized groups and criticizing past failures to adequately address these disparities. Thanks to already having [two Senate Commerce Committee hearings](https://dc.medill.northwestern.edu/blog/2022/02/10/sohn-second-confirmation-hearing/), Sohn has answered more questions than most nominees. But her confirmation to the commission continues to find obstacles in the way, ones put there by big money. The myriad of players opposing Sohn include the [Fraternal Order of Police](https://fop.net/2022/03/gigi-sohn-fop-research-analysis/), who allege that “Sohn’s social media, public policy stances, and employment history has indicated serious animus towards law enforcement officers and the rule of law.” Their analysis is mostly based on Twitter, where Sohn has retweeted pretty basic views such as “police brutality is bad.” This misdirection was picked up by *The* *Wall Street Journal*, whose editorial page claimed that Sohn’s nomination puts Democratic senators “at risk” if they vote for her. Police unions are notoriously [conservative](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21290981/police-union-contracts-minneapolis-reform), so maybe FOP’s opposition is not surprising, even if it does seem out of place. On the other hand, opposition [from the telecom industry](https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1527013451826069508), which profits from throttling traffic and sidestepping investment to build out networks so everyone can have affordable internet access, is very much in place. So much so, in fact, that telecom and cable companies are [using front groups](https://www.techdirt.com/2022/04/13/big-telecom-astroturfers-smear-fcc-nom-gigi-sohn-in-arizona/) like FreedomWorks, Americans for Tax Reform, the [U.S. Chamber of Commerce](https://www.uschamber.com/technology/u-s-chamber-letter-on-the-nomination-of-gigi-sohn-to-be-a-commissioner-of-the-fcc), and the [League of United Latin American Citizens](https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-why-hispanic-activists-are-criticizing-biden-s-fcc-pick/article%5F0b0afb24-ac58-11ec-826f-5f7c2ee7d094.html) (which gets a lot of telecom money) to spread their message. Even the Fraternal Order of Police has a partnership with AT&T. What is more surprising is the intraparty opposition Sohn faces. One Country Project is a political action committee established by former North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, which is “dedicated to reopening the dialogue with rural communities, rebuilding trust and respect, and advancing an opportunity agenda for rural Americans.” This PAC took out a [$250,000 ad campaign](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/18/midterm-politics-endanger-bidens-tech-agenda-00025417) in [six states](https://www.kvrr.com/2022/04/21/heitkamp-pac-launches-campaign-to-block-biden-fcc-nominee/) with members of the Democratic Senate caucus (Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Montana, Nevada, and West Virginia), with the sole purpose of defeating Sohn’s nomination. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Three More Senators Violated the STOCK Act URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/25/three-more-senators-violated-the-stock-act/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:32:28.000Z The deadline for members of Congress to file their annual financial disclosures for 2021 was last week, May 16\. But as usual, most members availed themselves of a 90-day extension that will give them until sometime in August to release their reports. The disclosures list their households assets, as well as other information like outside positions and travel reimbursements, and are often dumped online as hundreds of pages of illegible paper scans. In the Senate, just 23 senators filed their 2021 annual disclosures by last week’s deadline. A review of this batch of disclosures shows that last year at least three more senators appear to have violated the STOCK Act’s requirement that they disclose certain financial transactions made by their households within 45 days. Two senators, Democrats John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Gary Peters of Michigan, filed periodic transaction reports (PTRs) on May 16, 2022 for transactions they made in 2021\. The transactions were also included in their 2021 annual disclosures. The third, Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas, has not yet addressed his missing periodic transaction report from last year for stock transactions that appeared in his 2021 annual disclosure for the first time. The three are just the latest of dozens of members of Congress who have been found to have violated the STOCK Act’s timely reporting requirement recently. According to a tally maintained by [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/congress-stock-act-violations-senate-house-trading-2021-9), at least 60 other senators and representatives have failed to report their trades in accordance with the law. The STOCK Act, signed into law in 2012, requires members of Congress and other government officials to file PTRs within 45 days when they, their spouse, or their dependent children execute transactions worth more than $1,000 of stocks, bonds, and other securities. Senator Hickenlooper’s [errant PTR](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22035558-hickenlooper%5F2022%5Fefd%5F-print-periodic-transaction-report) details five transactions his household made in 2021 that are listed in his [annual disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22035552-efd%5F-annual-report-for-2021-hickenlooper-john-w): two sales of between $100,000 and $250,000 worth of stock in Liberty Broadband Corporation and Liberty Media Corporation by his spouse on March 15; a sale of between $100,000 and $250,000 in Liberty Broadband by his spouse on Sept. 1; a sale of between $250,000 and $500,000 in Liberty Media by his spouse on Nov. 12; and his own purchase on May 11 of between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of non-public stock in Skylark Lounge Holdings LLC, a Denver bar and music lounge. Alyssa Roberts, communications director for Sen. Hickenlooper, told Sludge, “We missed filing these on time by mistake but we’ve implemented steps to prevent it from happening again.” Sludge asked Roberts if Hickenlooper had taken a position on the various legislative items that have been introduced to limit the trading or ownership of individual securities by members of Congress while in office. “Senator Hickenlooper supports legislation to restrict members of Congress from trading individual stocks,” said Roberts. “He believes we should prevent conflicts of interest and build on the disclosure and transparency already in place.” This statement stops short of endorsing the Ban Conflicted Trading Act or any of the three similar bills that have been introduced in the Senate, and Hickenlooper has not joined as a co-sponsor of any of them. Hickenlooper was an active stock trader in 2021, his first year in the Senate, filing seven PTRs for transactions including a six-day [sell-off](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22038405-hickenlooper%5F2021%5Ftech%5Fstock%5Fsales%5Fefd%5F-print-periodic-transaction-report) of technology company stocks in late October and early November. He reported fully unloading his [holdings](https://readsludge.com/2021/10/26/senators-own-up-to-25-million-in-big-tech-stocks/) in Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Facebook, and other tech companies, with a total maximum value of over $4 million. The stock price of Liberty Broadband has declined around 23% since Hickenlooper’s spouse’s first partial sale of the asset on March 15, 2021, and the stock price of Liberty Media has declined by about 6% since that date. Hickenlooper’s spouse, Robin Pringle Hickenlooper, has worked as [senior vice president of corporate development](https://www.nga.org/governor-spouse/robin-pringle-hickenlooper/) at the Englewood, Colorado-based Liberty Media Corporation since 2010\. Liberty Media’s [assets](https://www.libertymedia.com/about/asset-list) include the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise and associated real estate projects, the Liberty SiriusXM Group that holds interests in SiriusXM and Live Nation Entertainment, and other sports companies in the Formula One Group. She sits on the SiriusXM [board](https://investor.siriusxm.com/investor-overview/default.aspx) of directors, which is chaired by Liberty Media CEO Gregory B. Maffei, and she serves on the [board](https://ir.chipotle.com/board-of-directors) of Chipotle. Also on May 16, Sen. Gary Peters’ office filed a [PTR](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22035549-peters%5F2022%5Fefd%5F-print-periodic-transaction-report) for an Aug. 27, 2021 purchase listed in his [annual disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22035548-efd%5F-annual-report-for-2021-peters-gary-c) of between $1,000 and $15,000 worth of stock in FS KKR Capital Corp., a credit solutions company. The senator did not file a PTR for the transaction last year as required by law. Sludge’s inquiries to Peters’ office about the transaction and STOCK Act compliance did not receive a response. The second-term Peters has considerable influence over whether the Senate will move this year to limit stock transactions or ownership by its members. Peters is the chair of the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, where two stock-trading reform bills have been referred: Sen. Jeff Merkley’s [ban](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/564) on federal lawmakers trading stocks, which was reintroduced last year after being introduced in the previous 115th and 116th Congresses, and Sen. Jon Ossoff’s [ban](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3494) on lawmakers owning individual securities other than through a blind trust, both of which have yet to receive a hearing or other legislative action. The Ossoff bill is seen as something of a companion to a bipartisan House measure, the TRUST in Congress Act ([H.R. 336](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/336)), introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Chip Roy (R-Tex.), which has 63 House [co-sponsors](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/336/cosponsors), including GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Democrat Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this cycle, Peters was similarly a frequent stock trader last year, filing six PTRs. The Hill [reported](https://thehill.com/news/senate/3261099-democrats-make-last-ditch-effort-to-ban-stock-trading-by-lawmakers/) recently that he is part of a working group of Democratic senators seeking consensus on new laws on stock moves by members of Congress that could pass the upper chamber in this midterm elections year. The Homeland Security committee chair Peters reports owning between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in Raytheon, which receives the [vast majority](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/23/lawmakers-benefit-from-booming-defense-stocks/) of its revenue from federal defense contracts, as well as many assets in the [fossil fuel industry](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/05/senators-cling-to-fossil-fuel-investments-as-world-heats-up/) such as electric company NextEra, Pacific Gas & Electric, and oilfield services company Schlumberger. The 2021 [annual disclosure](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22035533-efd%5F-annual-report-for-2021-moran-jerry) for third-term Sen. Moran, who is running for re-election this year, lists two sales on Jan. 27, 2021 of up to a combined $30,000 in Costco stock by the senator and his spouse. The senator did not report the transactions in a PTR last year as required by law, and Moran’s office did not respond to a request for comment about his apparent STOCK Act violation. Moran is the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, among other committee assignments. He is not a co-sponsor of any of the proposed bills to limit what securities lawmakers can trade or own in their households during their time in office. In April, the House Administration Committee held a [hearing](https://rollcall.com/2022/04/07/qualified-blind-trust-proposal-receives-chilled-reception-at-congressional-stock-hearing/) on competing legislative proposals to address the conflicts of interest of senators and representatives as they set laws that impact their stock portfolios. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has worked to reform the conflict-of-interest rules around lawmakers’ investments in securities since the [introduction](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/21/elizabeth-warren-bill-would-ban-lawmakers-from-owning-individual-stocks.html) of her signature Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity ethics package in August 2018, which would have banned members of Congress from owning individual stocks. This year, Warren’s bipartisan ban on lawmakers owning individual securities was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where a [hearing](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3631/all-actions-without-amendments) was held on April 5\. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia are among its [co-sponsors](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3631/cosponsors). In March, the nonpartisan ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) led a [letter](https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Congressional-Stock-Ban-Sign-on-Letter-2022-5.pdf) from 20 advocacy organizations to congressional leaders calling for “legislation prohibiting Members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks, bonds or other similar financial investments.” The signing groups, which include Campaign Legal Center, Public Citizen, and MoveOn, lay down the marker that any reform bill include provisions “include a blanket ban on trading or owning any individual stocks… except widely held investment funds.” According to a national bipartisan poll commissioned by the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center [released](https://campaignlegal.org/document/summary-poll-findings-ethics-reform) in November 2021, 67% of all voters favor banning members of Congress from owning stock in specific companies, and [78% of the public](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/unethical-stock-trading-across-government-must-stop) had “extremely serious concerns” with lawmakers trading stocks after receiving classified briefings. --- ## Read more from Sludge: ## [Supreme Court Strikes Candidate Loan Repayment Limits](https://readsludge.com/2022/05/19/supreme-court-strikes-candidate-loan-repayment-limits/) ## [Another Possible Stock Trading Loophole](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/08/another-possible-stock-trading-loophole/) ## [Nonprofit Group Takes Aim at Foreign Money in Politics](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/06/nonprofit-group-takes-aim-at-foreign-money-in-politics/) ### Your Tax Dollars Are Propping Up the Gun Lobby URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/25/your-tax-dollars-are-propping-up-the-gun-lobby/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:32:57.000Z *This post is authored by reporter [Eoin Higgins](@https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins%5F).* Firearms and ammunition manufacturers whose factories make weapons that are decried in Congress for the death they cause are paid by the government for arms. In many cases the profits they earn from their taxpayer-funded contracts are being invested in lobbying the government against gun control laws and for marketing their weapons to civilians. Two massacres in less than two weeks in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas have the country looking more closely at gun laws and the inaction at the federal level from lawmakers to solve what’s become an epidemic of violence. In both cases, an 18-year-old attacked an unsuspecting group of vulnerable people—civilians in a supermarket in New York and children at an elementary school in Texas—killing 10 and 21 respectively. Both shooters appear to have used AR-15 style rifles. But legislation to curtail the rampant gun violence in America is held up in the U.S. Senate, where the archaic filibuster rule requires 60 votes to advance legislation to a vote and where the bare Democratic majority has not made it a priority to change the rules. The majority of the country is in favor of more restrictive gun laws, but the grip of the gun lobby on Congress means that change is a far way off. And American taxpayers are, unwittingly, paying for their democratic will to be stymied. Government weapons contracts to gun manufacturers are often in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and can easily stretch into the millions. The Norway-based company Nammo Defense Systems has been awarded hundreds of contracts from the federal government since 2008, and its contracts that are currently active with the Department of Defense are worth more than $250 million, according to data from the government contracting database USAspending.gov. Its biggest contracts include a [$97 million](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5FW15QKN22F0061%5F9700%5FW15QKN22D0002%5F9700) award from the Army for the production and delivery of anti-tank weapons and a [$63 million](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5FW15QKN18F0232%5F9700%5FW15QKN18D0163%5F9700) order for bunker-buster weapons. Nammo also has several subsidiaries that market ammunition directly to consumers. Its SK Ammunition division specializes in selling .22-caliber ammunition that can be used in the AR-15 style rifles that appear to have been used by the mass shooters in Uvalde and Buffalo. One of Nammo’s newest ammunition products is designed for semi-automatic weapons, aiming in the company’s sales copy to be top-of-the-line. “SK’s Semi-Auto Rifle is designed to outperform, replace and eventually retire all other inferior semi-auto ammunition offerings currently crowding the market,” the company’s website states. “It’s built to deliver pinpoint accuracy while functioning flawlessly through any 10/22 style firearms, AR’s, 597’s, 64’s, and more.” Nammo’s other subsidiaries that make rifle ammo include Lapua and Berger Bullets. The company’s ammunition is widely available in the U.S. through big box stores and online retailers, and its lobbying on the issue of “civilian ammunition sales” likely opposes proposals such as the [Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1207/text), a bill introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) that, in addition to banning online sales, would require bulk ammunition sales to be reported to law enforcement agencies. While it rakes in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars through the military, Nammo is simultaneously spending money on lobbying the government to influence firearm policies. The company has reported spending $400,000 on federal lobbying since January 2021\. Each of its lobbying reports states that the company lobbied the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Defense appropriations as well as “civilian ammunition sales.” The company also employs [Geoff Davis](https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/99703d25-7ac6-4b6c-9a2a-91208b19021b/print/), a former Republican representative, as a lobbyist with the bipartisan firm Republic Consulting to “\[monitor\] munitions policies in Congress.” Nammo also has a PAC that donates to federal representatives and candidates. Its beneficiaries so far this election cycle include Republicans Ken Calvert (Texas), Trent Kelly (Miss.), and Steve Womack (Ark.), as well as Democrats Matt Cartwright (Penn.) and Don Norcross (N.J.). Calvert is the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which provides the funding for Defense contracts, and Womack is a member of the subcommittee. Nammo PAC donated $1,000 to each of these representatives. Glock, one of the world’s premiere handgun makers, has multiple contracts with the U.S. government spanning a number of agencies. Just since the beginning of April, the company has received nine contracts from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security ranging in cost to the government from $2,160 to over $1 million. Two of the biggest open contracts—[$1.1 million for DOJ](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F15F06722F0000514%5F1549%5FDJF161200V0006459%5F1549) that started on April 13 and [$536,000 for DHS](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70US0922F1DHS2052%5F7009%5F70B06C19D00000007%5F7014) that started on May 3—are expressly for providing “handguns and magazines,” specifically in the former case for G19 Gen5 and GLOCK 17M GEN5 9mm handguns. To date in 2021 and 2022, the company [has received 117 contracts](https://www.usaspending.gov/search/?hash=cee0c5e849783c5e80c74c21c0749daf) to provide weapons and training to federal agencies, a lucrative market for the handgun manufacturer. DHS gave Glock [$2.5 million](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70B06C21F00000567%5F7014%5F70B06C19D00000007%5F7014) for 9mm handguns in June 2021, just two years after a [$4.2 million contract](https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT%5FAWD%5F70Z02319FMSA00400%5F7008%5F70B06C19D00000007%5F7014) for the weapons in August 2019\. Government funding forms part of the revenue that Glock uses to pay for lobbying that props up the civilian sales portion of its business. Glock is a [proud donor](https://le.nra.org/media/7495/2016-summer.pdf) to the National Rifle Association (NRA), still the country’s most powerful gun lobbying group, having given [$1 million to the NRA](https://le.nra.org/media/7500/2017-summer.pdf) as of 2017 and having been inducted into the NRA’s Golden Ring of Freedom, and it has connections to and agreements with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other industry groups. The NRA and its affiliates spend [millions of dollars](https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cycle=2020&cmte=National+Rifle+Assn) each election cycle on independent expenditures supporting the elections of Republican candidates who oppose gun control laws. Glock is just one of several government contractors that through organizations like the NRA, American Firearms Association, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation lobby lawmakers to ensure that meaningful gun reform doesn’t stand a chance of passing into law. Several gun companies whose executives and employees serve on the board of governors of the anti-gun control lobbying group the National Shooting Sports Foundation are profiting from government contracts. Beretta USA, whose general counsel Jeff Reh is co-vice chairman of the group, has held hundreds of contracts with the Department of Defense and other agencies. Its biggest recent contract was a $11 million order for its M9 semi-automatic pistols. Other federal contractors with representatives on the National Shooting Sports Foundation board include Olin Corporation, Daniel Defense, and Hornady Manufacturing. The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s PAC has donated [$330,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/national-shooting-sports-foundation/totals?id=D000054336) to Republican members of Congress so far this election cycle, according to OpenSecrets. In 2021, it reported spending $5 million on federal lobbying as it [opposed](https://www.nssf.org/government-relations/factsheets/) regulations of online firearm sales and closing the so-called “gun show loophole” whereby unlicensed gun dealers are able to dodge running background checks. The National Shooting Sports Foundation calls the gun show loophole “a myth.” --- ## More news from Sludge: ## [The Republican War Against Fossil Fuel Divestment](https://readsludge.com/2022/05/02/the-republican-war-against-fossil-fuel-divestment/) ## [Lawmakers Benefit From Booming Defense Stocks](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/23/lawmakers-benefit-from-booming-defense-stocks/) ## [House Dems Opposed to Cutting Pentagon Budget Got 3.7x More in Defense Industry Cash](https://readsludge.com/2021/09/24/house-dems-opposed-to-cutting-pentagon-budget-got-3-7x-more-in-defense-industry-cash/) ### Supreme Court Strikes Candidate Loan Repayment Limits URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/19/supreme-court-strikes-candidate-loan-repayment-limits/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:48:11.000Z The Supreme Court ruled this week to strike down a 20-year-old provision of federal campaign finance law and allow candidates to personally pocket unlimited amounts from private donors to repay themselves for money they have lent their campaigns. Since 2002, federal law had prohibited candidates from repaying themselves more than $250,000 per election from their campaigns with funds they raise after the date of their election. Regulations promulgated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) under that law, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act commonly known as McCain-Feingold, allowed candidates to repay portions of loans over $250,000 with pre-election funds within 20 days after the election, but any amount not repaid within that window had to be treated as a campaign donation that could not be repaid at a later date. The Supreme Court decision wiping out these rules came in a case brought against the FEC by Sen. Ted Cruz. In 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court had sided with Cruz in determining that the limit “burdens political speech and thus implicates the protection of the First Amendment,” and the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, agreed. “The loan-repayment limitation abridges First Amendment rights by burdening candidates who wish to make expenditures on behalf of their own candidacy through personal loans,” [Roberts wrote](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21-12%5Fm6hn.pdf). “This burden is no small matter. Debt is a ubiquitous tool for financing electoral campaigns, especially for new candidates and challengers. By inhibiting a candidate from using this critical source of campaign funding, Section 304 raises a barrier to entry—thus abridging political speech.” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pro-Israel Lobby Spends Big to Defeat Progressive Summer Lee URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/09/pro-israel-lobby-spends-big-to-defeat-progressive-summer-lee/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:49:22.000Z Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), fresh off its victory in helping defeat progressive Democratic challenger Nina Turner in Ohio, has begun throwing money behind corporate attorney and former Republican congressional staffer Steve Irwin in Pennsylvania. Irwin is facing progressive State House Rep. Summer Lee in the Democratic primary for the state’s 12th Congressional District, a solidly Democratic seat that is being vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle. The group’s super PAC recently put [$305,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00710848/1591986/se) behind TV ads and [$95,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00710848/1592380/se) behind internet ads backing Irwin, according to new FEC filings. DMFI is closely tied to the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). It was founded in 2019 by Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster and former AIPAC consultant, and several of its board members have recently held positions with AIPAC and its affiliated groups. Many of its donors have also been affiliated to AIPAC. For example, Stacy Schusterman, the chairman of oil and gas company Samson Energy who is DMFI PAC’s top donor this year with $2.5 million given, is a former AIPAC board member. Irwin co-leads the government relations and securities groups as a partner with the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl law firm. He previously led the firm’s employment group and according to his bio he continues to counsel clients “on all legal aspects of the employment relationship and labor compliance, with special emphasis on the financial services sector.” The employment group specializes in representing employers, and a version of the firm’s [employment group pitch sheet](https://web.archive.org/web/20220505192119/https://www.martindale.com/industry-group/leech-tishman-fuscaldo-lampl-llc-550717/Employment/) archived by the Martindale-Hubbel legal resource lists “Union Avoidance” as one of its services, though that specific language has been cut from the version currently hosted on the Leech Tishman website. In March, labor news website Payday Report [reported](https://paydayreport.com/irwins-law-firm-fought-against-college-athletes-unionizing-crazy-mocha-workers-organizing-%EF%BF%BC/) on documents showing Leech Tishman’s anti-union legal work, as well as Irwin’s work at the firm opposing paid sick leave legislation. In the 90s, Irwin was a legislative aide for then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, a moderate who raised [over $2 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/arlen-specter/contributors?cid=N00001604&cycle=CAREER) from securities and investment firms including Goldman Sachs over the course of his congressional career. The DMFI ad buy is just the latest piece of the explosion in spending by groups in the AIPAC universe this election cycle to boost corporate-aligned Democrats who face strong challenges from left-leaning candidates. AIPAC decided this cycle to engage directly in electoral politics, something it had avoided doing for decades in order to maintain an image of political neutrality around its pro-Israel advocacy. Its first round of endorsements announced in March included more Republicans than Democrats, and it has recently [faced criticism](https://www.thedailybeast.com/aipac-supports-stop-the-steal-candidates-like-jim-jordan-ronny-jackson) for endorsing dozens of the Republicans who voted against certifying Electoral College results on Jan. 6, 2021. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Private Equity-Funded Super PAC Buys Attack Ads Against Progressive Challenger URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/03/private-equity-funded-super-pac-buys-attack-ads-against-kurt-schraders-progressive-challenger/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:50:32.000Z A new super PAC funded by private equity investors is making a major play in the Democratic primary in Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District, opposing progressive challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner as she campaigns against conservative incumbent Kurt Schrader. Mainstream Democrats, a super PAC formed in February, is out with a new ad on TV attacking McLeod-Skinner. It plans to spend nearly $800,000 on running the ad through the district’s May 17 primary election, according to a media monitoring alert viewed by Sludge. The spot is Mainstream Democrats PAC’s first TV ad of this election cycle—and the expenditure is by far its largest so far, taking up the bulk of what the group had raised as of April 13, the date of its most recent disclosure of receipts. The super PAC received at least $1 million in March and April from nine large donors, led by a $500,000 contribution from billionaire Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman, a tech executive and partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Greylock. Its cash on hand as of April 13 was just over $935,000, according to FEC records. Mainstream Democrats PAC [operates](https://prospect.org/politics/ohio-model-for-purging-progressives/) as a sibling of a group with [deep ties](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/22/heres-whos-funding-the-pac-attacking-nina-turner/) to pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), which has hopped into Democratic primaries to oppose progressives. DMFI’s [funding has come from](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/22/heres-whos-funding-the-pac-attacking-nina-turner/) corporate executives and financiers like Stacy Schusterman, the billionaire chairman of Oklahoma-based oil and gas company Samson Energy, and Amnon Rodan, the former chair of the multi-level marketing company Rodan + Fields. The group’s spending so far has been [aimed](https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1519118304421449728) at races where progressive Democratic candidates are mounting primary challenges to incumbents. So far this cycle, its sole spending in elections has been more than $150,000 in three outlays on direct mail opposing progressive U.S. House candidate Nina Turner in Ohio, according to [FEC disclosures](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00804823/1591017/se). The [new ad](https://host2.adimpact.com/admo/viewer/c69a8b32-6b70-4bb7-972c-b9691f05de7d) is the first spot in the contest to criticize McLeod-Skinner, highlighting her 2018 general election loss to incumbent Rep. Greg Walden in Oregon’s Second Congressional District—now represented by Republican Cliff Bentz—and touting Schrader as the better candidate to beat whoever becomes the Republican nominee. Mainstream Democrats’ [website](http://mainstreamdemocrats.com/) says it is working against “far-left organizations” attempting to take over the party that make it “more difficult for Democrats to win the swing seats that make a majority and weakens the party’s ability to govern.” The Oregon 5th district was recently redrawn to include more areas in rural central Oregon, but [one analysis](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-endorses-kurt-schrader%5Fn%5F6266cb90e4b00b4e018222df) found that the district Biden won by 10 points in 2020 would have been won by nine points in its new incarnation. The Cook Political Report categorizes it as one of 10 “[lean Democratic](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings)” districts, meaning it will likely be competitive in the general election but favors the Democratic nominee, compared with 18 Democratic-held districts that it considers toss-ups. Elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales at Roll Call rates the district as “[likely Democratic](https://rollcall.com/2021/10/19/oregon-ratings-schrader-faces-decision-choice-of-two-districts-both-favoring-a-democrat/).” _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Republican War Against Fossil Fuel Divestment URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/05/02/the-republican-war-against-fossil-fuel-divestment/ Last updated: 2023-08-05T18:50:21.000Z Republican state and federal lawmakers, their campaign coffers filled with fossil fuel donations, are quietly building a nationwide effort to pass anti-divestment bills that would punish financial institutions that consider the climate crisis in their business deals or try to do something about it by not working with fossil fuel companies. The effort began last December, when a model bill written by former Texas state Rep. Jason Isaac (R), now director at the Charles Koch-funded think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, was unveiled at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s major gathering of conservative lawmakers. The model legislation, titled the “Energy Discrimination Elimination Act,” calls for states to identify and divest from financial institutions that boycott or otherwise penalize energy companies for falling short of environmental standards. Since then, several states have introduced bills based on the model language, with two versions already becoming law. The push has also made its way to the national level. A federal bill proposed last month by the U.S. House’s top recipient of coal industry money would prohibit financial advisers from considering ESG — environmental, social, and corporate governance — factors⁠ when making investment decisions. Now the fight against ESG considerations is spilling out of the halls of Congress and state legislatures. Last week, Utah’s Republican governor and its entire congressional delegation sent a letter to the credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings opposing the company’s plans to add ESG scores to its global credit ratings for state and local governments. “S&P’s ESG credit indicators politicize what should be a purely financial decision,” the politicians argued in their letter, according to [*Bloomberg*](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-21/utah-blasts-s-p-global-over-politicized-state-esg-indicators). The letter was celebrated on Twitter by the [American Legislative Exchange Council](https://twitter.com/alec%5Fstates/status/1517127785126453248?s=21&t=B3PBtVyY5s5q1f%5FduuirBA) (ALEC) and by [the State Financial Officers Foundation](https://twitter.com/SFOF%5FStates/status/1517121690383360000), a conservative nonprofit whose [board of directors and advisory committee](https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/02/16/republican-group-of-state-financial-officers-takes-on-woke-capitalism/) include ALEC executives. The timeline illustrates the shadowy, concerted way the fossil fuel industry and its political lackeys are responding to the growing threat of the divestment movement. In recent years, climate activist organizations have been [pushing financial institutions](https://www.ienearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Banking%5Fon%5FClimate%5FChange%5F%5F2020%5FvF.pdf%20Show%20less) to stop financing fossil fuel companies, given fossil fuels’ role as the [leading source of carbon dioxide](https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data) emissions. While the effort has been slow going, banks including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup [have](https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/10/jpmorgan-chase-world-s-biggest-funder-fossil-fuels-announces-net-zero) [pledged](https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/03/citigroup-takes-step-toward-ending-coal-power-financing-much-more-work) to reduce their fossil fuel financing to align with the emission reduction goals of the Paris Agreement. Now, in response, the oil and gas industry is trying to do everything in its power to actively punish financial institutions and advisors for trying to take reasonable steps to address the climate crisis. ### “I Eat Coal For Breakfast” Isaac’s model legislation was likely inspired by an anti-energy company boycott adopted by his home state last June. According to [the new Texas law](https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=SB13), which took effect last September, the state’s comptroller must create a list of financial companies that have limited their commercial relationships with energy companies over emissions concerns, and state investment funds would divest from those companies. Last month, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar [sent letters](https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/media-center/news/20220316-texas-comptroller-glenn-hegar-seeks-information-from-19-companies-that-may-be-boycotting-fossil-fuel-industry-1647296122533) to 19 finance companies he believes may be boycotting the fossil fuel industry. The law had six authors, several of whom have received significant fossil fuel funding. State Sen. Drew Springer (R), for example, has raked in more than [$220,000](https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?dt=1&c-t-eid=10238735&d-cci=33#[%7B1%7Cgro=d-id) from the oil and gas industry, making it his top career donor industry. The primary sponsor of the bill in the House, Rep. Ken King (R), has received [$378,](https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?dt=1&c-t-eid=10238744&d-cci=33#[%7B1%7Cgro=d-id)000 from the oil and gas industry. King’s side jobs include being president of oil well parts supplier Black Gold Pump and Supply and vice president of a family oilfield services business, King Well Service. In the months after the Texas bill became law, its authors received additional donations from energy companies. State Sen. [Brian Birdwell](http://204.65.203.5/public/100843237.pdf) (R) received $1,000 from ExxonMobil PAC and $2,500 from Koch Industries PAC in the second half of 2021\. During that same period, state Sen. [Bob Hall](http://204.65.203.5/public/100839774.pdf) (R) received $2,500 from Centerpoint Energy PAC and $10,000 from Farris Wilks, an oil and gas industry billionaire whose recent investments in the industry include stakes in hydraulic fracking company U.S. Well Services and pressure pumping firm ProFrac. Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for other fossil fuel-funded lawmakers in other parts of the country to follow in Texas’ footsteps. That included Democrat-turned-Republican Rupie Phillips, a West Virginia state senator, who is not shy about his support for the coal industry. His Twitter handle is @4WVCoal and his bio says: “I eat coal for breakfast.” Phillips abandoned the Democratic party in 2017, citing President Barack Obama’s advancing of regulations to reduce coal emissions as one of his reasons for his decision. On January 13, 2022, Phillips introduced [SB 262](http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill%5FText%5FHTML/2022%5FSESSIONS/RS/bills/SB262%20SUB2%20ENR.pdf), which closely mirrors sections of the model bill Isaac proposed to ALEC the month before. The bill calls on the West Virginia state treasurer to compile a list of financial companies that limit their commercial relationships with energy companies because they “\[engage\] in the exploration, production, utilization, transportation, sale, or manufacturing of fossil fuel-based energy and \[do\] not commit or pledge to meet environmental standards beyond applicable federal and state law,” or because they do business with such companies. Companies included on the list would be disqualified from entering into banking contracts with the state. On the same day, Phillips also introduced [SB 255](http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill%5FStatus/Bills%5Fhistory.cfm?input=255&year=2022&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill), which requires state government entities to divest from any publicly traded securities issued by such financial companies, and requires the state to get written confirmation from its contractors that they will not boycott energy companies during the duration of their state contracts. While SB 255 has yet to move forward in the legislative process, SB 262 became law last month after it passed overwhelmingly. The law will take effect in June. The mining industry has been Phillips’ [top donor industry](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=6486996) over the course of his career. Mining company political action committees (PACs) and employees have given Phillips more than $116,000, with his top industry donor being the PAC of Murray Energy, a coal mining company that is now known as American Consolidated Natural Resources. According to an email obtained through a public records request by the nonprofit research group InfluenceMap and reported by [*The New Republic*](https://newrepublic.com/article/164916/alec-esg-fossil-fuel-investment), representatives from American Consolidated Natural Resources co-signed a document that was sent to West Virginia lawmakers in February last year, asking them to pass legislation that would punish finance companies for limiting their fossil fuel industry involvement. Murray Energy’s PAC is also [a top donor](https://cfrs.wvsos.gov/index.html#/exploreCommitteeDetail/100943) to the West Virginia Republican Senate Committee, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State. Last November, West Virginia Treasurer Riley Moore (R) led a coalition of financial officers from 15 states that warned in an [open letter](https://www.wvtreasury.com/Portals/wvtreasury/Fossil%20Fuel%20Banking%20Letter%20Nov%2022.pdf) to the banking industry that they would take collective action against banks that boycott fossil fuels, which they called “woke capitalism.” After Phillips’ bill passed last month, Moore put out a [statement](https://wvtreasury.com/About-The-Office/Press-Releases/ID/417/West-Virginia-Passes-Pro-Fossil-Fuel-Banking-Protection-Bill) praising the legislation. “This bill is essential to help us push back against the Biden Administration and its extremist allies who are trying to unfairly pressure banks and financial institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industries,” Moore said. Moore’s top donor sector has been energy and natural resources, according to [the National Institute for Money in Politics](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=32133070). His donors have included PACs affiliated with Arch Coal, Murray Energy/American Consolidated Natural Resources, and power company American Electric Power. Jim Kotcon, conservation chair of the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, said that the backers of the law are ignoring financial shifts that are naturally unfavorable to the coal industry. “Treasurer Riley and the sponsors of Senate Bill 262 are ignoring the on-going trends of bankruptcies in the fossil fuel industry,” said Kotcon. “They need to refocus on their fiduciary responsibility. Wishing that the coal industry is coming back will not overturn the obvious market forces telling us that few if any coal companies will have a profitable future, and investing state dollars in those is bad business.” ### More States Follow Suit Since Philips introduced his anti-divestment bill, several other conservative lawmakers have followed suit. In late January, the Indiana House passed a version of the anti-energy company boycott bill authored by state Rep. Ethan Manning (R). [According to](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=44858049) the National Institute for Money in Politics, the energy and natural resource industry has been Manning’s top donor sector throughout his career, with the PAC of natural gas and electricity provider NiSource topping the list with $6,500. In February, Oklahoma state Sen. Michael Bergstrom (R) introduced [SB 1572](http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb1572&Session=2200), requiring the state to divest from financial institutions that boycott energy companies and prohibiting contracts with such companies. Bergstrom’s largest corporate donor has been fossil fuel-powered utility company NextEra Energy, [according to](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=39828100) the National Institute for Money in Politics. The pending principal House author of the bill is state Rep. Mark McBride (R), who has received more than [$78,000](https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?dt=1&c-t-eid=18915294&d-cci=33#[%7B1%7Cgro=d-id) from oil and gas, his largest donor industry. A version of the bill has also been introduced in the Louisiana House of Representatives, which would prohibit the state’s retirement systems from investing in companies that have policies against doing business with energy companies. The bill was proposed by state Rep. Danny McCormick (R), who has similarly [taken](https://www.followthemoney.org/entity-details?eid=9641101) more money from oil and gas industry interests than from any other industry. ### Taking The Fight To Congress Attempts to codify anti-divestment rules recently reached the halls of Congress. Last month, Reps. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and Rick Allen (R-Ga.) proposed a [bill](https://allen.house.gov/uploadedfiles/esg%5Fact.pdf) that would codify part of a Trump Labor Department rule that required investment advisors to avoid considering environmental factors when advising clients. “Our bill protects average Americans saving and building wealth through retirement plans,” wrote Barr in a [press release](https://allen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4984). “It also preserves access to capital for energy producers to ensure costs won’t skyrocket further for Americans at the pump during a time when gas prices are at a historic high.” In a 2020 [regulatory comment](https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/EBSA/laws-and-regulations/rules-and-regulations/public-comments/1210-AB95/00292.pdf), the lobbying group Western Energy Alliance wrote, “We have observed how ESG advocacy has negatively affected the industry’s access to capital over the last few years, and greatly appreciate that DOL is addressing the larger issue through this rule. The rule will help ensure that activism regarding pension plans does not morph into a halt to investment in the sector that provides nearly 70% of American energy, a nonsensical outcome given the impact throughout the entire economy.” The Western Energy Alliance represents companies involved in oil and gas exploration and production in the West. It does not disclose its members, but information maintained by [DeSmog](https://www.desmog.com/western-energy-alliance/) suggests the members include companies like BP, Chevron, and Koch Exploration. Barr has received [$628,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=E1210&cycle=All&recipdetail=H&mem=Y) from the coal mining industry during his congressional career, more money than any other current House member, according to OpenSecrets. His top career donor is Alliance Resource Partners, which has provided him with $312,600 in donations from its PAC and employees. Alliance Resource Partners, an energy company that primarily produces coal, was a co-signer of the February 2021 letter calling for new laws to protect the industry against ESG initiatives. Barr’s colleague Allen, meanwhile, has received more than [$90,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/richard-w-allen/industries?cid=N00033720&cycle=CAREER) in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, according to OpenSecrets. --- ## Read more: ## [Fossil Fuel Allies in Congress Stand With Embattled Rep. Henry Cuellar](https://readsludge.com/2022/04/22/fossil-fuel-allies-in-congress-stand-with-embattled-rep-henry-cuellar/) ## [A Climate Wake-Up Call for the Chemical Industry](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/10/a-climate-wake-up-call-for-the-chemical-industry/) ## [Senators Cling to Fossil Fuel Stocks as World Heats Up](https://readsludge.com/2021/11/05/senators-cling-to-fossil-fuel-investments-as-world-heats-up/) ## [Manchin Bailed Out Plant That Pays Millions to His Family’s Coal Company](https://readsludge.com/2021/08/06/manchin-bailed-out-plant-that-pays-millions-to-his-familys-coal-company/) ### Kurt Schrader's Hypocritical Citizens United Ad URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/25/kurt-schraders-hypocritical-citizens-united-ad/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T14:51:53.000Z Facing a close Democratic primary contest, Rep. Kurt Schrader is out with a new campaign ad saying he opposes the *Citizens United* decision that allows corporations and other kinds of organizations to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. “The Supreme Court enabled billionaires and special interests to spend millions to stop legislation on everything from climate change to making them pay their fair share,” Schrader says in the ad. “That’s why I sponsored a constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United and stop unlimited contributions to campaigns and curb the power of rich elites trying to buy our elections.” Records from the FEC show, however, that Schrader has personally helped to fund the kind of Big Money groups that *Citizens United* spawned. Schrader has been the treasurer of the Blue Dog PAC since 2016, and during that period the PAC has contributed $750,000 to Center Forward Committee, a super PAC that is now backing Schrader’s campaign. PAC treasurers are responsible for authorizing expenditures or appointing someone else to do so, according to FEC guidance. The Center Forward Committee has spent at least [$385,000](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/24/pharma-lobbyist-run-group-places-300k-ad-buy-for-kurt-schrader/) on ads promoting Schrader so far this year. Super PACs like Center Forward Committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts on elections as long as they are independent from campaigns are allowed to exist because of a 2010 lower court ruling, *SpeechNow v FEC*, that used *Citizens United* as a precedent to determine that applying contribution limits to such groups would be unconstitutional. In Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District, the seventh-term Schrader is in what [one poll showed](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/22/progressives-kurt-schrader-congress-oregon-primary-00019083) to be a neck-and-neck primary race with Jamie McLeod-Skinner, an emergency response coordinator and attorney. Schrader’s ad mentions a constitutional amendment he sponsored to effectively overturn the Supreme Court’s *Citizens United* decision by declaring that Congress has the power to limit political contributions. He first introduced the amendment in 2010 in response to the ruling, and he has reintroduced it in every session of Congress since. The recent iterations of Schrader’s amendment have not received any cosponsors, likely because scores of House Democrats have chosen to sign on instead to a similar amendment that is proposed each session by Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida. Schrader has joined Deutch’s amendment as a co-sponsor since March 2013, but has continued filing his own version as well. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Lobbyists Who Make Filing Your Taxes a Nightmare URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/22/the-lobbyists-who-make-filing-your-taxes-a-nightmare/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T18:35:36.000Z Tax Day arrived recently, and millions of Americans forked over a fee to file their taxes using software products like TurboTax, made by the company Intuit. In the U.S., households earning $73,000 and under qualify to file their taxes free of charge, but many taxpayers start using products like TurboTax and H&R Block that advertise themselves as free, only to be required to pay once the onerous process is nearly complete. On March 29, the Federal Trade Commission [announced](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/03/ftc-sues-intuit-its-deceptive-turbotax-free-filing-campaign) a lawsuit against Intuit for its deceptive ads for its “free” tax filing service, alleging that two-thirds of filers weren’t eligible for the free offering in 2020\. Days before the lawsuit was announced, Intuit voluntarily pulled its ads, but the company says it plans to fight the FTC on the matter. The process is far less of a headache in the dozens of countries that use a public filing system run by the government, the anti-monopoly policy analyst Pat Garofalo [noted](https://boondoggle.substack.com/p/why-taking-on-turbotax-matters?s=r) earlier this month. In 2002, such a setup was floated for the IRS when the Bush administration proposed “an easy, no-cost option for taxpayers to file their tax return online.” The innovation was spiked by a lobbying blitz from Intuit and opposition from Republican members of Congress, as [covered](https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free) extensively by ProPublica journalists Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel. “The TurboTax Trap,” a reporting series [going back to 2013](https://www.propublica.org/series/the-turbotax-trap/p2), exposed how Intuit and H&R Block suppressed their truly free-of-charge filing options from appearing in search results, funneling users instead to paid versions. This week, in a new letter to Intuit’s CEO, Sen. Elizabeth Warren [pressed](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus%5Fasset/file/23397131/2022.04.18%5FWarren%5FIntuit%5FLetter.pdf) the company on its “scam” practices and its hires of former regulators, such as former FTC Commissioner Jon Liebowitz as counsel. She was joined in signing the letter by a pair of California Democrats, Reps. Katie Porter and Brad Sherman. Americans have paid an average of $240 to file their taxes, according to figures in Warren’s [letter](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus%5Fasset/file/23397131/2022.04.18%5FWarren%5FIntuit%5FLetter.pdf), with over a dozen hours spent on the ordeal. Warren’s letter cites [up-to-date reporting](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/03/intuit-spends-millions-lobbying-amid-accusations-of-deceptive-turbotax-advertising) by Anna Massoglia, investigations and editorial manager at the nonprofit OpenSecrets, that four former members of Congress are registered to lobby for the company as it has recently spent over $3.3 million annually on federal lobbying. At the end of 2019, the IRS [agreed](https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-reforms-free-file-program-drops-agreement-not-to-compete-with-turbotax) to reform its Free File program—though the status quo is less than ideal. Taxpayers visiting the [official website](https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free) are confronted with a page of eight products with dubious names like TaxSlayer. Intuit has around 60% of the market share for consumer tax prep software, according to Warren’s letter to the company’s CEO Sasan K. Goodarzi. As laid out in the FTC’s administrative complaint, Intuit’s practices have caused low- and middle-income taxpayers to incur unnecessary fees. Some 14 million taxpayers stumbled down this path in 2019, according to an estimate from a Treasury inspector general, which Justin Elliott [ballparked](https://slate.com/technology/2022/04/turbotax-free-file-online-ftc.html) as generating an additional $1 billion in revenue for commercial tax prep software. A bill introduced by Sen. Warren and Rep. Sherman in the previous Congress, the [Tax Filing Simplification Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1194), would have directed the IRS to develop its own Free File tool. The bill languished in committee in each chamber. Then last year, Warren [added language](https://www.levernews.com/when-youre-mad-about-tax-paperwork-heres-who-to-blame/) to the Democrats’ sweeping Build Back Better Act that would have started the IRS down the path of providing “[filing and account services](https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/12.11.21%20Finance%20Text.pdf),” but Senate Democrats could not muster a 50th vote to overcome the Republican filibuster. Intuit spends [millions of dollars](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2021&id=D000026667) on lobbying and campaign contributions each year, as do other tax software providers like H&R Block. This spending amounts to a formidable influence campaign that likely plays a large part in why the IRS has not decided to create its own Free File tool and why Congress hasn’t taken action to force them to do so. One big name working for Intuit is law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, the [top spender](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-lobbying-firms) on federal lobbying last year. In 2021, the firm reported [$230,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2021&id=D000000724) in lobbying for Intuit subsidiary CreditKarma, which says it shares customer data with Intuit. In February, Brownstein Hyatt threw a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the Charlie Palmer steakhouse in D.C., Politico Influence [noted](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2022/02/03/which-democrats-k-street-is-fundraising-for-00005444), with over a dozen senators in attendance, including Chuck Schumer. (The location’s [dinner menu](https://www.charliepalmersteak.com/washington-dc-menus/#lunch-dinner-dc) offers six East Coast oysters for $21.) Also at the shindig were at least two of the firm’s Intuit lobbyists: Katelynn Bradley and Zach Pfister, the latter of whom bundled $390,000 in donations in January and February for the Democrats' House campaign arm. Overall in the first quarter of this year, Brownstein Hyatt’s PAC bundled over $341,000 for the DSCC, according to the party group’s FEC disclosure. The second-highest spender on D.C. lobbying last year, law firm Akin, Gump, lobbies for Intuit, spending [$190,000](https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/firms/summary?cycle=2021&id=D000000162&t0-search=intuit) last year. The firm’s PAC bundled $100,000 for the DSCC so far in 2022, according to FEC records. Democratic adviser and fundraiser [Jake Perry’](https://www.jakeperry.net/new-page)s firm registered to lobby for Intuit in November and has spent over $60,000 so far, and the tenth-highest lobbying firm by spending, Capitol Counsel, spent $200,000 last year lobbying on Intuit’s behalf. Other Intuit lobbyists last year included a full roster of influence peddlers: law firm Becker & Poliakoff, government relations firm Ferox Strategies, and strategic communications firm Franklin Square Group, as well as FTI Government Affairs, Gephardt Group Government Affairs, multidisciplinary law firm Greenberg Traurig, Ice Miller Strategies, Stanton Park Group, theGroup DC, the Madison Group, bipartisan firm OB-C Group, and the Smith-Free Group. So far this election cycle, the Intuit Inc. 21st Century Leadership Fund PAC has contributed $15,000 to each of the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign arms, according to FEC records. A joint fundraising committee of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy received $2,500 in December, and two centrist Democratic groups received the same amount in August: the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, and the Blue Dog Coalition PAC. For years, government ethics experts have [recommended](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/ban-lobbyists-fundraising-politicians/) that Congress and state legislatures ban the practice of politicians fundraising directly from lobbyists, as Intuit’s outside lobbyists did for Senate Democrats. It was one of the [proposals](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/bold-democracy-reforms-build-h-r-1/) that was not included in the Democrats’ major democracy reform package last year, H.R. 1\. The ethics package was further [whittled down](https://thebrick.house/manchin-removes-ethics-provisions-from-democratic-reform-bill/) by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin before it died of Republican filibusters in the Senate. In the absence of laws barring lobbyist donations, party groups like the DSCC could move to adopt rules that they won’t accept lobbyist contributions, bundled donations from lobbyists, lobbying firm PAC donations, or even any corporate PAC money—types of funding [used by members](https://readsludge.com/2021/03/18/powerful-reps-rely-on-corporate-pacs-to-pay-their-committee-taxes/) of both parties to advance in leadership ranks. Progressive writers have [used](https://prospect.org/politics/case-for-deliverism/) the term “deliverism” to denote a framework that implements good-government programs used by members of the public in noticeable ways, enhancing trust that government can address larger social issues. A truly free tax-filing tool from the IRS might fit the bill nicely. *Originally posted at* [*The Brick House Cooperative*](https://thebrick.house/the-lobbyists-who-make-filing-your-taxes-a-nightmare/) ## Join Our Email List Investigative journalism on money in politics Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. --- ### Read more: ### [New App Helps You Opt Out of Corporate Media](https://thebrick.house/new-app-helps-you-opt-out-of-corporate-media/) ### [Blue Dogs Seek to Delay Democratic Budget Plan After Their PAC Takes Millions From Corporate America](https://thebrick.house/blue-dogs-seek-to-delay-democratic-budget-plan-after-their-pac-takes-millions-from-corporate-america/) ### [Blaine and the Banks](https://thebrick.house/blaine-and-the-banks/) ### Fossil Fuel Allies in Congress Stand With Embattled Rep. Henry Cuellar URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/22/fossil-fuel-allies-in-congress-stand-with-embattled-rep-henry-cuellar/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T15:05:49.000Z Although the Democrats in control of Congress and the White House haven’t taken strong action to address climate change, they usually shy away from aligning themselves openly with the fossil fuel industry whose carbon emissions are the primary factor behind the crisis that threatens the future of civilization as we know it. But there is still a small contingency of the party who are proud to stand with the industry⁠—mostly representatives from heavy fossil fuel-producing states⁠—and right now one of their most senior members is at risk of being ousted by an environmentalist. Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar, who has been dubbed “Big Oil’s Favorite Democrat,” often votes with Republicans on energy policy matters. Last year, he was one of four House Democrats to [vote](https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2021169) with all Republicans against the ESG Disclosure Simplification Act that would require publicly-traded companies to publicly disclose their climate change-related risks, including their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel-related assets, among other things. In 2019, Cuellar voted with Republicans against protecting the Arctic Refuge from oil and gas exploration, against banning offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and against a permanent moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. His lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters is [50%](https://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/henry-cuellar), the lowest score of all Democrats in Congress and lower than several Republicans. He’s so supportive of the oil and gas industry that the [American Petroleum Institute spent $1.3 million](https://readsludge.com/2020/12/17/mysterious-dark-money-group-that-backed-big-oils-favorite-democrat-was-funded-by-big-oil/) to back his 2020 election campaign through a pop-up dark money group. The oil and gas industry has given Cuellar more than $1.1 million in campaign donations since 2001, making it his top donor industry according to OpenSecrets. This year, Cuellar is facing a strong primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, a progressive who supports strong climate action including the Green New Deal, because, her website says, “the way we address climate change needs to be as aggressive as the threat it poses.” Cuellar and Cisneros are heading to a runoff election on May 24, after neither got more than 50 percent of the vote in the March 1 primary election. Cisneros has raised more money than Cuellar, and she is benefitting from more than a million dollars of spending by outside super PACs on ads that promote her. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Grassroots Groups Call on Boeing to Cut off Donations to Election Objectors URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/20/grassroots-groups-call-on-boeing-to-cut-off-donations-to-election-objectors/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T15:07:01.000Z Aerospace giant Boeing, one of the largest recipients of federal contracting dollars, is facing pressure from grassroots groups in Washington State to stop funding the members of Congress who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The Washington nonprofit Fix Democracy First, which advocates for reforms to curb the influence of money in politics, and the local group Seattle Supports Democracy have launched a [petition](https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/boeing-support-our-fundamental-democratic-values) campaign calling on Boeing to halt its PAC donations to the 147 federal lawmakers who backed objections on Jan. 6 to certifying the Electoral College results of Arizona, Pennsylvania, or both. The petition, addressed to company president David L. Calhoun and the Boeing Board of Directors, invokes Boeing’s [statement](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=130806%29) a week after the Jan. 6 melee at the Capitol Building, when it said it would “carefully evaluate future contributions to ensure that we support those who not only support our company, but also uphold our country’s most fundamental principles.” After a three-month pause in giving, however, Boeing’s corporate PAC recommenced donations to many of the Republican members of Congress who voted to sustain challenges to the election results. The petition has been signed by over [two dozen](https://seattledemocracy.wixsite.com/website) local groups from Washington and Illinois, including the Washington State Poor People’s Campaign, the Seattle chapter of Indivisible, and the nonpartisan Reform for Illinois. Boeing’s corporate headquarters is in Chicago. “Boeing is a big part of the community in Washington State and the country,” said Fix Democracy First’s executive director Cindy Black. “They rely on tax incentives, government contracts, and greatly benefit from our people and resources. They need to defend democracy and respect the election results, as they originally stated. They can do this by not donating and supporting those members of Congress who want to undermine the democratic process.” The petition organizers are also submitting local letters to the editor and say they plan to run print ads in the Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger and the Chicago Tribune. The groups are requesting a response from Boeing by April 29, the date of the virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The petition was delivered via certified mail to the Boeing board and government affairs office, Black said. The petition says that after Boeing’s statement, in which it “strongly condemns the violence, lawlessness and destruction that took place in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the company made $244,000 in PAC donations to the election objectors’ campaigns. Boeing’s PAC also donated to the joint fundraising committees of election objectors during that period, like $12,500 given to that of Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, and to Republican Party groups, like $105,000 donated to the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to re-elect representatives who voted to sustain the challenges on Jan. 6. Boeing was the fourth-largest recipient of federal contract funding in 2020, according to [Bloomberg](https://about.bgov.com/news/these-are-the-top-10-government-contractors/), being awarded $23 billion worth of prime contracts. Its work in the defense industry makes up more than half of Boeing’s total revenue, according to figures from [Defense News](https://people.defensenews.com/top-100/), and in 2020 its total revenue from defense was a whopping $32.4 billion. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Finance Billionaires Fund Conor Lamb Super PAC URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/15/finance-billionaires-fund-conor-lambs-super-pac/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:46:26.000Z Trailing in the polls for the Democratic primary in the upcoming Pennsylvania Senate election, Rep. Conor Lamb, [a longtime critic of corporate campaign funding](https://prospect.org/power/conor-lambs-shift-on-campaign-finance/), has embraced the support of a super PAC that has been set up to spend big money on his behalf. Lamb is facing off against Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman in the primary that will be held on May 17\. While Lamb has aligned himself with the corporate wing of the Democratic Party, being a member of groups such as the Problem Solvers Caucus, Fetterman portrays himself as a populist progressive, while on his website steering clear of directly endorsing legislation backed by many progressives in Congress like the Green New Deal. Fetterman leads Lamb 41% to 17% in the [latest polling](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/decision-2022/progressive-democrat-far-right-republican-lead-key-pa-races-poll-says/3208070/) on the race. Lamb’s super PAC, Penn Progress, is run by Erik Smith, a partner at public affairs consulting firm Seven Letter Labs. The firm says on its website that it works for Fortune 500 corporations, but it does not disclose its clients. Some of Seven Letter’s nonprofit clients, however, can be identified through tax forms. For example, Seven Letter worked in 2020 for Consumers for Quality Care, a D.C. health care policy think tank that has received more than $3 million in grants from Center Forward, a nonprofit that in turn is heavily funded by drug industry lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. As reported by [The Lever](https://www.levernews.com/the-corporate-threat-in-dems-must-win-senate-race/), Smith was previously the spokesperson for a health care industry group that was formed to push back against popular support for a Medicare for All-style health care system. Despite calling on his campaign website for the overturning of *Citizens United*, a 2010 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for super PACs, Lamb has been working closely with Penn Progress. According to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/09/carville-promotes-new-super-pac-for-conor-lamb-00007218), Lamb participated in donor calls with Smith in February that had been set up by Democratic strategist James Carville. Penn Progress began spending money on the race in January and earlier this month it bought its first pro-Lamb ads, spending [nearly $900,000](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00789495/1578711/se) on ad production and media buy costs, including digital ads that were contracted through Smith’s firm, according to a FEC filing. The group’s first ad was [rebuked by fact checkers](https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2022/04/07/An-ad-supporting-Conor-Lamb-sparked-a-backlash-for-wrongly-calling-John-Fetterman-a-self-described-democratic-socialist-1/stories/202204070174) for falsely stating that Fetterman is a “self-styled democratic socialist.” At least one TV station in Philadelphia stopped airing the misleading ad. Yesterday, the super PAC released its [quarterly FEC filing](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00789495/1582540/sa/ALL), outlining its fundraising and spending since the beginning of the year. The group raised more than $1.8 million during the three-month period, with contributions from multiple finance industry executives. It’s the first substantial look at who has been funding the group, since its only previous quarterly filing showed just $35,000 in donations. Billionaire Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein gave the PAC $250,000 back in March. Stephen Mandel, a billionaire and the founder of hedge fund Lone Pine Capital, also gave Penn Progress $250,000 in March. Other wealthy investment industry donors to Penn Progress include managing director of private equity company Berkshire Partners Randy Peeler ($100,000), Oaktree Capital co-founder Howard Marks ($25,000), Kinderhook Partners managing partner Steve Clearman ($50,000), and Raine Group partner and co-founder Joe Ravitch ($50,000). These investment firms and their leaders benefit from a tax code advantage known as the carried interest loophole. Partners at the firms don’t invest their own money, but the loophole allows them to treat the money they earn from their investors’ funds as capital gains rather than as ordinary income, meaning their tax liability is often at the long-term capital gains rate of 20% rather than the standard personal income rate of up to 37%. There are two major Democratic bills in the House that would close the loophole—the Stop Wall Street Looting Act and the Carried Interest Fairness Act—and Lamb is not a co-sponsor of either of them. In 2018, Lamb was [one of three Democrats](https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll414.xml) to vote for a Republican bill that would make permanent many provisions of the 2017 Trump tax cuts that the Tax Policy Center found would [disproportionately benefit](https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/analysis-protecting-family-and-small-business-tax-cuts-act-2018/full) the top 5% of income earners. Other top donors to Penn Progress include Constance Williams, a former Democratic politician and heir to the Hess Corporation fortune, who donated $250,000, and billionaire insurance company chairman Thomas Hagen, who also gave $250,000\. The average donation to Penn Progress in the first quarter of the year was more than $36,000, far above the limit of $2,900 that individuals can donate per election to directly to candidates. Twenty-one of the PAC’s 51 donors listed addresses in Pennsylvania. --- ## Read more: ## [Beatty and Gottheimer Funnel Private Equity Donations Through Pop-up Committee](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/03/beatty-and-gottheimer-funnel-private-equity-donations-through-pop-up-pac/) ## [House Democrats’ New Anti-Progressive PAC is Funded by Corporate Lobbyists and PACs](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/01/house-democrats-new-anti-progressive-pac-is-funded-by-corporate-lobbyists-and-pacs/) ## [Deficit Hawk Henry Cuellar Makes it Rain for His Defense Donors](https://readsludge.com/2022/02/22/deficit-hawk-henry-cuellar-makes-it-rain-for-his-defense-donors/) ### Lobbyist-Led Dark Money Group Buys Pro-Schrader Ads in Tightly Contested Oregon Primary URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/13/lobbyist-led-dark-money-group-buys-pro-schrader-ads-in-tightly-contested-oregon-primary/ Last updated: 2024-05-01T15:08:11.000Z A second “dark money” group, one controlled by telecom and fossil fuel industry lobbyists, is parachuting in to promote Rep. Kurt Schrader ahead of his closely-contested Democratic primary with challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner in Oregon’s Fifth Congressional District. The group Better Jobs Together (BJT) is airing $181,000 worth of pro-Schrader ads on broadcast and cable television in the Bend, Oregon area, according to a media monitoring alert viewed by Sludge. One ad touts Schrader’s work in the House, citing his vote for the infrastructure package, and his cosponsorship of a Republican energy bill, among other things. In a voiceover using campaign photos of the seven-term representative, as well as photos of puppies, the spot asks viewers to call Schrader to ask him to “keep protecting the people and pets of Oregon.” Last month, in a statement to The Intercept, Schrader [wrote](https://theintercept.com/2022/03/24/kurt-schrader-oregon-reelection-biden/) that he was working to “fight dark money in politics,” among other causes. At the same time, the dark money group Center Forward, whose directors include lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry and is closely tied to the Blue Dog Coalition whose PAC Schrader chairs, [was spending](https://readsludge.com/2022/03/24/pharma-lobbyist-run-group-places-300k-ad-buy-for-kurt-schrader/) $385,000 on TV and digital ads to bolster Schrader’s reputation on prescription drug pricing and other issues. The Schrader campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the campaign aid from either dark money group, in what [one poll showed](https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/22/progressives-kurt-schrader-congress-oregon-primary-00019083) is a neck-and-neck race. The spots are BJT’s first ad buy in the Oregon primary, but this year the shadowy group has spent big on ads for another Blue Dog Coalition member, Henry Cuellar, who is facing a Democratic primary challenge in a South Texas district. In early February, NBC News [reported](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/biden-emerges-top-gop-boogeyman-2022-campaign-ads-so-far-n1288780) that BJT had been the dominant ad spender in the race, with $1.4 million spent on Cuellar’s behalf. By avoiding language specifically saying to elect Schrader or defeat his opponent and by running the ads more than 30 days before the election, BJT has so far evaded the Federal Election Commission’s definition of “electioneering communications” and thus is not required to report its ad activity. The website for [Better Jobs Together](https://www.betterjobstogether.com/) has no language about who is behind the group, only showing its gauzy ads, including one from August supporting Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. At the time, Sinema was one of the conservative Democrats blocking the Democrats’ sweeping Build Back Better Act in Congress, rejecting its top-line dollar amount and opposing a proposed tax rate increase for millionaires. More centrist Democrats featured in BJT ads on its website include a trio of U.S. reps from Texas: Lizzie Fletcher, who [proposed](https://readsludge.com/2020/04/21/the-democrats-who-want-to-bail-out-the-oil-industry/) an oil industry bailout during the pandemic; Marc Veasey, [one of four co-chairs](https://thebrick.house/lockheed-backed-reps-lobby-against-f-35-spending-cuts/) of the bipartisan F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Caucus; and Vicente Gonzalez, another Blue Dog whose second-highest [career donor](https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/vicente-gonzalez/industries?cid=N00038809&cycle=CAREER) has been the oil and gas industry, according to OpenSecrets. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Good Gov Groups Slam New York’s New Ethics Commission Plan URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/11/good-gov-groups-slam-new-yorks-new-ethics-commission-plan/ Last updated: 2023-08-06T14:47:40.000Z As part of the enormous New York state budget finalized late last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislators came to an agreement to dissolve the state’s dysfunctional ethics board, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), and replace it with a new entity. Good government groups including Common Cause New York and the League of Women Voters of New York had warned before the deal was finalized that the agreement on the commission being floated in the Albany press suffered from the same major flaw as JCOPE: that its members would not be independent of the politicians who would appoint them. The ethics reform “box,” they said in a joint [statement](https://reinventalbany.org/2022/04/oppositionmemo%5Fethicsinbudget/), would not be “checked,” in the wake of years of corruption scandals in state government and the resignation of disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Now, the good government groups are out with a [letter](https://reinventalbany.org/2022/04/watchdogs-on-final-nys-budget-governor-and-legislature-have-failed-to-create-an-independent-ethics-commission/) that slams the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (CELG) as “fatally flawed,” because elected officials will continue to directly select and appoint their own ethics commissioners. The details of the new commission’s composition and selection process, passed as part of the Education, Labor and Family Assistance bill, were finalized in negotiations behind closed doors, with ethics experts unable to see the bill language as it came together in the $220 billion state budget package. In her first State of the State address in January, Hochul called to eliminate JCOPE, which was created in 2011 to ensure compliance with ethics and lobbying laws. Watchdog groups [had called](https://gothamist.com/news/ethics-concerns-over-cuomos-4-million-book-payout-punted-to-cuomo-controlled-ethics-agency) the body “toothless and useless,” with its 14 members appointed by the governor and legislative leaders. The commission was seen by good government organizations and others as dominated by allies of Cuomo, who through his second term as governor had never been probed by JCOPE, even though several of his close associates were [arrested](https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2018/10/the-growing-list-of-corrupt-cuomo-associates/178043/) on corruption charges. In July 2020, JCOPE approved Cuomo’s $5.1 million book deal, a project that was revealed to have been produced through a vast misuse of state resources, according to a sweeping New York State Assembly [report](https://gothamist.com/news/state-assemblys-report-cuomo-confirms-sexual-harassment-misuse-state-resources-lack-transparency-about-nursing-home-death-toll) released in November 2021\. The Assembly’s investigation [concluded](https://nyassembly.gov/Press/?sec=story&story=99809) that Cuomo had used state resources for personal profit. In addition, the FBI investigated the Cuomo administration’s hiding of nursing home data on over 4,100 deaths from the coronavirus, a finding in the Assembly’s report that was later corroborated by an [audit](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/nyregion/nursing-home-deaths-cuomo-covid.html) from the state comptroller. Last August, New York Attorney General Letitia James [released](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/nyregion/letitia-james-ag.html) findings of her office that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women. Those findings were also included in the Assembly’s report, which concluded there existed grounds for Cuomo’s impeachment. In December, JCOPE [ordered](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/14/nyregion/andrew-cuomo-book.html) the former governor to surrender millions of dollars in profits from his book in a 12-1 decision that Cuomo has [challenged](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/nyregion/cuomo-lawsuit-jcope-book.html) with a lawsuit. The new CELG will [form](https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/Read-The-plan-to-replace-JCOPE-17067662.php) an 11-member body: three nominated by the governor, two by the Senate majority leader, two by the Assembly speaker, one by the Assembly minority leader, one by the Senate minority leader, one by the attorney general, and one by the comptroller. The nominees would then be confirmed or denied by an “independent review committee” composed of law school deans. According to the budget bill text, the review committee shall convene as needed or as requested by the elected officials, and vote to approve or deny the commission’s nominees within 30 days. The committee will be made up of American Bar Association-accredited New York state law school deans, interim deans, or a designated associate dean, and the group is charged with publishing its review procedure on its website. Once approved, CELG commissioners will appoint their panel’s chair through a majority vote. Unlike JCOPE, CELG will be subject to state Open Meetings Laws and Freedom of Information Law under language agreed to in the budget. “The commission continues the fatal flaw of JCOPE, which is direct appointments by elected officials,” said Rachael Fauss, senior research analyst of the nonprofit Reinvent Albany. “When watchdogs talk about independence, it is not a system where elected officials are directly appointing the people who regulate them. Unfortunately, that’s what this commission is.” More than half a dozen [editorials](https://reinventalbany.org/2022/04/editorial-boards-ny-must-have-an-independent-ethics-commission/) from around the state criticized the design of Hochul’s plan in the lead-up to its announcement. After a year of high-profile scandals, New York lawmakers continued a history of secrecy when writing the plan for the new commission, the full text of which was not released to the public or to rank-and-file legislators until April 8 as the state budget was under pressure for being past its April 1 due date. “The devil is always in the details and this proposal was about public accountability, but the public couldn’t even read it,” said Fauss. “Because ethics reform was still on the negotiating table alongside big complicated issues like bail reform that meant it was going to be in ‘the big ugly’ budget deal and legislators wouldn’t be able to vote on it as a standalone item. It appeared next to education funding or programs in legislators’ districts.” In their discussions with lawmakers about a better plan for the new commission over the past month, Fauss said, good government groups raised the model of independent legislative redistricting processes in states like California or cities like Austin, Texas, where members of the public can apply to serve, without being nominated by politicians. Several government ethics commissions—for instance, in [Alaska](https://ethics.akleg.gov/committee.php) and [Rhode Island](https://ethics.ri.gov/about-commission)—have members of the public serve, Fauss told Sludge. The New York reform groups’ most recent [proposal](https://reinventalbany.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Memo-to-Legislature-on-Ethics-Commission-Appointment-March-23-2022.pdf) called for a seven-member selection committee appointed by the leaders of the legislature and the three statewide elected officials, with layers of transparency and prohibitions on who can serve and with members of the public able to apply to be ethics commissioners. In California’s case, a 2008 ballot initiative created the Citizens Redistricting Commission, an independent agency composed of 14 citizens—five Democrats, five Republicans, and four that are not affiliated with either of those two parties, from varied ethnic backgrounds and geographic locations in the state—who become candidates to serve through an application and [selection process](https://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/commission/) run by the state auditor. Under the Voters First Act, the law first passed in 2008, the Commission draws the boundaries of California’s congressional, Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization electoral districts. Notwithstanding any court challenges, the district maps the commission crafts apply until the next decennial redistricting. A dozen Democratic state lawmakers including Sen. Alessandra Biaggi sent a [letter](https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/A-dozen-Democrats-protest-party-s-ethics-plan-17061829.php) on April 5 to Hochul supporting the New York groups’ seven-member selection committee plan and pushing back against CELG’s appointment procedures. “​​Asking law school deans to rubber stamp appointments by elected officials is also not sufficient to provide public confidence,” the letter says. Among the civic and good-government groups active in calling for a better process and structure for overhauling JCOPE was the Sexual Harassment Working Group, a volunteer collective of nine former New York State Legislature staffers who reported sexual harassment while working for the state. Erica Vladimer, an attorney, policy analyst, and group co-founder who in 2018 [accused](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeff-klein-accused-of-sexual-misconduct%5Fn%5F5a5531cbe4b03417e872f80e) former state Sen. Jeff Klein of sexual misconduct, a charge Klein denied, told Sludge that her group is involved in the push for a truly independent state ethics body because JCOPE had not protected former state staffers who had experienced harassment, assault, or retaliation from elected or appointed officials. “Four years later, I still have no resolution to holding Jeff Klein accountable,” Vladimer said. In a hearing last year, Klein’s attorney [argued](https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Klein-JCOPE-16174000.php) that JCOPE does not have jurisdiction in the case. The watchdog groups’ [letter](https://reinventalbany.org/2022/04/watchdogs-on-final-nys-budget-governor-and-legislature-have-failed-to-create-an-independent-ethics-commission/) flags that the budget law does not extend the CELG’s authority to matters under the New York State Human Rights Law, which defines sexual harassment in the workplace. “This kind of ambiguity leaves victims incredibly vulnerable,” Vladimer said. “Leaders are supposed to be held accountable for abuse of power, and that includes harming their staff.” After JCOPE’s often-[criticized](https://reinventalbany.org/2021/08/watchdog-testimony-at-senate-ethics-hearing-jcope-has-to-go/) record in handling sexual harassment cases, Vladimer said, she was deeply concerned that the new ethics commission similarly fails to ensure the independence of its members: “It is not only going to keep staff vulnerable, it will not only send a very clear dangerous message to staffers that they don’t matter, but we could be stuck with this for years to come.” *This post was updated to clarify that the five public members of Alaska’s nine-member Select Committee on Legislative Ethics are ratified by two-thirds of the full legislature. Of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission’s nine members, all public volunteers, four are appointed directly by the governor and five are appointed by the governor from lists of nominees submitted by legislative leaders.* --- ## Read more: ## [Small Donors Hit Record Highs in New York City’s Public Campaign Financing Program](https://readsludge.com/2021/07/19/small-donors-hit-record-highs-in-new-york-citys-public-campaign-financing-program/) ## [Cuomo’s Hidden Billions in Corporate Welfare](https://readsludge.com/2021/03/23/cuomos-hidden-billions-in-corporate-welfare/) ## [Real Estate and Private Equity Billionaires Set to Profit From NY Clean Grid Investments](https://readsludge.com/2021/12/15/real-estate-and-private-equity-billionaires-set-to-profit-from-ny-clean-grid-investments/) ### New App Helps You Opt Out of Corporate Media URL: https://readsludge.com/2022/04/08/new-app-helps-you-opt-out-of-corporate-media/ Last updated: 2023-08-05T18:54:09.000Z Capitol Hill is rife with ethics issues, but one has broken through in the mainstream media as a hot topic: the stock trades of members of Congress. The profit-seeking plays of federal lawmakers have caught a wave of headlines. In February, the New York Times published an [editorial](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/opinion/congress-stock-trading-ban.html), “Congress Must Pass A Stock Trading Ban.” Press coverage in the [Times](https://t.co/Y90iWJOu9d), Washington Post, Politico, Marketplace, and others gave the impression that Congress was “[finally getting serious](https://www.vox.com/2022/2/12/22930385/congress-bipartisan-stock-trading-ban-lawmakers-pelosi-schumer)” about cracking down on the obvious conflicts of interest. But all of these outlets failed to inform readers of key legislative context: bills to limit members’ stock transactions were already introduced last year, as amendments to the Democrats’ signature H.R. 1 package, only to have the House Rules Committee [block votes](https://readsludge.com/2021/03/04/pelosi-controlled-committee-blocks-votes-on-congressional-stock-holdings/) on their inclusion. The committee, controlled by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, made no public explanation for why stock trading bans were not among the dozens of amendments that the committee allowed to advance. On this topic, as elsewhere, mainstream media coverage elided an explanation of how popular measures get killed off without public scrutiny. Ad-supported media companies gain in audience for their commercial sponsors if they continually portray stories as “breaking,” pitting Republicans against Democrats in an ongoing battle for the hearts and minds of their viewers. Without providing a fuller background in what steps political leaders have already resisted, though, corporate media does a poor job of informing the public about important ethics issues. > Our outlets don’t fund their energy podcasts with Chevron sponsorships. > > Alex Kotch, co-founder, OptOut News When cable news viewers are being told that national politics is “Team Red” vs. “Team Blue,” it’s important that they have an alternative where they can get in-depth reporting and timely coverage with an independent perspective—such as telling readers that powerful lawmakers ducked a vote on banning their stock trades, just a year ago. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/19/7f/197f3903-b6b0-45e0-bdbc-e1f7f81d7490/content/images/2022/04/optout-badge-1b-1024x1024.png) **OptOut** is a [nonprofit news app](https://www.optout.news/) and network of independent news outlets co-founded by reporters [Alex Kotch](https://twitter.com/alexkotch), a close colleague of ours in launching Sludge who now writes for the investigative site Exposed by CMD, and [Walker Bragman](https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman), with The Lever. The Brick House Cooperative’s founding chair, Maria Bustillos, is a [board member](https://www.optout.news/about/) of the OptOut Media Foundation. Last month, OptOut [launched its free news aggregation app](https://originals.optout.news/media-nonprofit-launches-innovative-independent-news-app-for-ios/) for iPhone and iPad, with an Android version coming soon. The nonprofit [Progressive Coders Network](https://www.progcode.org/#), an activist community building tools to empower the grassroots, took the lead on technology and development of the app. Sludge is among the hundreds of participating outlets, making our content available on the app alongside [publications](https://www.optout.news/) like The American Prospect, In These Times, The City, and scores of multimedia producers. I threw a few questions to Kotch about this exceedingly-neat tech tool the OptOut team has developed and the network of journalists and creators it brings together to amplify. **How does the OptOut app raise the profile of independent and accountability journalism, the kind that doesn’t get airtime on cable news?** Media outlets that are financially independent—not owned by big corporations and not funded primarily by corporate advertising—have trouble breaking through into the national conversation. We don’t have big money behind us, but we do have uncompromising reporting and analysis free from corporate bias. The work is great, but distribution is the problem. By coming together in the OptOut network, independent publications are merging their audiences, giving them access to a large pool of active news consumers who could become subscribers. As our network and audience grow, we think these outlets will have a shot at challenging corporate and legacy media’s dominance and, with their important stories on the issues that matter to working-class people and traditionally marginalized groups, will help steer communities toward stronger democracies and social justice. Accountability journalism is key to our mission. Outlets such as The American Prospect, Eyes on the Ties, Exposed by CMD, The Lever, and Sludge specialize in this type of reporting, and plenty of podcasts and video channels in the network often analyze this reporting or do their own similar work. We have outlets focused on climate (Drilled, Heated), labor (In These Times, Working People), and other key issues, and the corporate and political corruption surrounding them. **How do the OptOut network’s** [**standards**](https://www.optout.news/standards/) **help inform viewers more deeply than cable news networks?** Unlike any other news aggregation app we’re aware of, OptOut vets each news outlet for financial independence, accuracy, editorial direction, and other standards. This means that app users can trust that the news they consume in the app is honest, relevant, and free of corporate conflicts of interest and institutional bias. Our outlets don’t hire ex-CIA heads to analyze U.S. foreign policy or corporate lobbyists to speak on business issues. They don’t fund their energy podcasts with Chevron sponsorships. They don’t platform conspiracy theorists, and they don’t apply false equivalence to police violence, climate change, voter fraud hysteria, or other vital matters. Trust in media is at an all-time low in the U.S. People want a place they can go to find news they can count on. That’s what they’ll get if they [download OptOut News](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/optout-news/id1531008271?platform=iphone) or sign up for our [free newsletter](https://originals.optout.news/#/portal/signup). We are currently putting together a committee of journalists and fact checkers who will review each outlet once a year to ensure they continue to meet our standards. **What are some key features of the app for people who want to find more quality news sources?** ![](https://7fv7qjhptj18x9d41gznajg4-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/OptOut_Majority_Report.jpeg) Livestream in the OptOut app OptOut is a cutting-edge news aggregation app. More than any other app we’ve seen, we seamlessly integrate articles, podcasts, and videos, including livestreams, to create a contemporary mixed-media ecosystem for our users. Unlike most news apps, real journalists curate your news experience, not profit-driven algorithms. Our team of curators selects important content of the day, and when you do enjoy a news item, you can follow the outlet and even individual journalists to create your own, personalized feed. Go to their profiles and you’ll find all their links (website, social, crowdfunding, you name it) and all the content they’ve produced. The other apps want to have a profitable product; we want to elevate independent media outlets and journalists and give the public an ethical, informative news ecosystem. And we’ve only just begun. After we get the Android and web apps out, our focus will shift to adding new features, including news categories and location tags. This will allow users to personalize their app experience further, and will be especially helpful for state and local news outlets. We have a small footing in Canada and the U.K., but we’ll be recruiting heavily from these and other countries once we have additional features. We will also add push notifications and other features, and the OptOut Media Foundation is cooking up new themed newsletters, an events calendar, and a lot more. The ways that people typically find their news—profit-driven social media and corporate search engines and apps—end up reinforcing corporate and legacy media dominance and, in the case of social media, encourage conspiracy theories, lies, hate, and other dangerous social ills. We wanted an app that we wanted to use: one with diverse, independent voices and stories about issues the mainstream media often overlook, all without the hot takes, toxicity, and creepy DMs of other platforms. OptOut is a clean, simple app that’s just the news, created by journalists with no profit motive. We don’t serve ads, and we keep your data safe. We’re proud to say that the app is just what co-founder Walker Bragman and I first envisioned in spring of 2020 as we weathered the New York City Covid lockdown. *Sludge is proud to be a founding member of the [OptOut network](https://www.optout.news/). Check out our stories in the free OptOut app, [now available for iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/optout-news/id1531008271?platform=iphone), and join the [OptOut newsletter](https://originals.optout.news/).* --- ## Read more: ## [Introducing Brick House, a Co-Op Against the Wolves That Killed Your Favorite Websites](https://readsludge.com/2020/08/25/introducing-brick-house-a-co-op-against-the-wolves-that-killed-your-favorite-websites/) ## [News Sites Are Renting Your Inbox to Spammy Political Groups](https://thebrick.house/news-sites-are-renting-your-inbox-to-spammy-political-groups/) ## [Oil and Gas Groups Use Facebook to Fight Climate Measures](https://thebrick.house/oil-and-gas-groups-use-facebook-to-fight-climate-measures/) _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._