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Federal lobbying set new record in 2024
By Indy Scholtens
Business associations, corporations, labor unions and other organizations are spending more than ever to influence policy decisions at the federal level. In 2024, lobbying spending reached a record-breaking $4.4 billion, according to a new analysis by OpenSecrets. The $150 million increase in lobbying continues an upward trend that began in 2016.
Lobbying spending has increased by more than $1 billion over the past decade, totaling almost $37 billion since 2015. In each quarter of both 2023 and 2024, federal lobbying spending surpassed $1 billion.
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* Biggest spenders. The National Association of Realtors spent more on lobbying in 2024 than any other organization, with over $86.3 million on lobbying expenditures, an increase of almost $35 million. The second largest spender of 2024 was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce [[link removed]] , the largest business advocacy association in the United States. Representing a large coalition of businesses, the Chamber of Commerce has been the top spender since 2015 with over $746 million [[link removed]] in total spending.
* Biggest issue. The most common issue addressed by lobbyists was federal spending, with lobbying pushing for increased appropriations, following a recent trend. Spending by the federal government attracted 4,787 clients in 2024, with the majority – 3,797 clients – signing in during the last quarter, to advocate for their stakeholders as a government shutdown loomed in December.
* Biggest legislation. The massive Defense Department authorization bill [[link removed]] , which approved spending on programs for the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community and parts of the Energy Department, was the most heavily lobbied legislation. General Dynamics, RTX Corp, Lockheed Martin and Amazon were the top lobbyists [[link removed]] on that bill, which was signed into law [[link removed]] on Dec 23, 2024.
* Biggest change. Nippon Steel, a Japanese steelmaker, increased its spending from $30,000 in 2023 to $4.3 million in 2024. The company announced in December 2023 that it planned to buy U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion [[link removed]] – an acquisition that was blocked by Biden in January, just before he left office. President Trump has vowed [[link removed]] to block the deal as well.
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Explore the lobbying data yourself
Year-end 2024 lobbying data is now available on OpenSecrets. This comprehensive data includes detailed information on lobbying activities, expenditures, and the top firms, industries and issues involved, providing a vital resource for those interested in the intersection of money and politics.
You can explore the data at www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying [[link removed]] . As always, OpenSecrets provides a clear, nonpartisan look at the lobbying landscape, helping reporters and researchers alike navigate this complex world of political influence.
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What’s happening at the FEC?
By David Meyers
Ellen Weintraub, chair of the Federal Election Commission, revealed Feb. 6 that President Donald Trump sent her a letter [[link removed]] informing her that she has been removed from the commission, effective immediately.
But Weintraub, who has been a commissioner since 2002 and was elected chair in December 2025, is refusing to leave.
“There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it,” Weintraub wrote on X.
The FEC is tasked with collecting and sharing federal campaign data as well as enforcing federal campaign finance laws. Because it is by design evenly divided between three Democratic and three Republican commissioners, partisan gridlock [[link removed]] often prevents the agency from doing much beyond collecting required disclosures and making them available to the public.
Both parties have contributed to dysfunction at the FEC [[link removed]] , where bipartisanship is required to take any action. When fully functional, the FEC investigates campaign finance violations such as excessive contributions, misreporting of campaign activities, and prohibited contributions from unions, corporations or foreign individuals and entities.
According to federal law, the process to replace a commissioner requires presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. Only after a successor is approved would Weintraub be compelled to leave. But Weintraub has already been removed from sections of the FEC website [[link removed]] that identify members of the commission.
Trevor Potter, a former FEC chairman who now leads the Campaign Legal Center, said Trump’s action “violates the law, the separation of powers, and generations of Supreme Court precedent.”
As Potter noted in his statement [[link removed]] , there is a path for Trump to change the composition of the commission.
“With multiple FEC commissioners serving on expired terms and one vacant seat, Trump is free to nominate multiple new commissioners and to allow Congress to perform its constitutional role of advice and consent,” he said. “It’s contrary to law that he has instead opted to claim to ‘fire’ a single Democratic commissioner who has been an outspoken critic of the president’s lawbreaking and of the FEC’s failure to hold him accountable.”
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Over the past week, you have have seen discussions about government funding of media companies, whether through subscriptions or funding of public media like NPR and PBS.
Every organization is entitled to an appropriation financial structure, but we want to make clear that OpenSecrets receives no government funding. We rely on the generosity of foundations and individual donors [[link removed]] , as well as a growing line of products for corporations that need deeper access to data.
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What else we're reading
Bondi Diminishes Justice Department White Collar Enforcement [[link removed]] (Bloomberg)
These States Won’t Let Utilities Charge Customers for Their Lobbying and Marketing [[link removed]] [[link removed]] (Mother Jones)
Trump's penny purge sends one corner of zinc lobby reeling [[link removed]] (Axios)
Donald Trump Keeps Up His Fundraising Under a Reorganized PAC [[link removed]] (The Dispatch)
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
2024’s Top Lobbying Risers [[link removed]] (Sludge)
Companies, trade associations, and other groups spent more money on federal lobbying last year than ever before, according to data from OpenSecrets. Taking inflation into account, the total of $4.4 billion spent on lobbying last year was the most since 2012.
‘Team Pepsi’: Rumors of Coca-Cola calling ICE on their workers ignites Latino boycott [[link removed]] (Daily Dot)
According to OpenSecrets, a database that tracks corporate political donations, Coca-Cola donated $14,717 to Trump and $50,000 to Make America Great Again Inc. in 2024, plus $51,463 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In the same year, it gave $87,246 to former Vice President Kamala Harris. According to the data, they’ve been greasing both blue and red wheels pretty equally since 1990.
NRSC Chair Tim Scott Predicts Record-Breaking Spending in 2026 Senate Races [[link removed]] (Campaigns & Elections)
If Scott’s predictions end up coming to fruition, the 2026 Senate elections will be the most expensive midterm cycle yet, with more than one race shattering the spending record currently held by the 2020 contest in Georgia between Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican former Sen. David Perdue. That race ultimately cost more than $500 million, according to the campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.
How Many Trump Officials Have Taken Money From Qatar? [[link removed]] (The Intercept)
Qatar is a heavy-hitter on the think tank circuit, spending $9.1 million since 2019. The Persian Gulf monarchy has also deployed huge sums on lobbying the U.S. government, outstripping even such groups as the National Rifle Association by spending more than $72 million between 2015 and 2022, according to a separate analysis by OpenSecrets.
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