The Lobbies
Shaping Congress

Opposes gun control legislation and promotes firearms ownership rights under the 2nd Amendment. Lobbies against universal background checks, red flag laws, assault weapons bans, and magazine capacity limits.

The largest single-sector lobbying spender in Washington most years. Opposes Medicare drug price negotiation, generic drug competition, and drug importation. Supports extended patent protections to maintain monopoly pricing.

Represents oil, gas, and natural gas industries. Spends hundreds of millions opposing climate legislation and carbon taxes. Promotes fossil fuel subsidies, pipeline expansion, and rollback of EPA regulations.

Largest lobbying organization in the US by total spend. Opposes minimum wage increases, labor union rights, environmental regulations, and corporate tax increases.

Promotes unconditional U.S. military and financial aid to Israel. AIPAC's Super PAC spent over $100M in the 2022 election cycle - more than any other outside group.

Lobbies for financial deregulation, against consumer protection measures, and for lower taxes on capital gains and investment income.

Top contractors Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics collectively spend $150M+ annually lobbying for defense budget increases and weapons procurement contracts.

Supports union organizing rights, minimum wage increases, worker protections, and collective bargaining. Opposes right-to-work laws and anti-union legislation.

Largest US labor union representing 3 million teachers. Lobbies for education funding, teacher rights, and opposes school vouchers and for-profit education.

Represents major technology and platform companies. Lobbies on antitrust, data privacy, content moderation (Section 230), AI regulation, and H-1B visa policy. Among the fastest-growing lobbying sectors in Washington.

Led by the National Association of Realtors, one of the largest lobbying spenders. Protects the mortgage interest deduction, opposes commission-structure reforms, and shapes housing finance and zoning policy.

Represents health insurers through AHIP and member companies. Opposes a public option and single-payer, shapes Affordable Care Act rules, and influences Medicare Advantage payment policy.

Represents large agricultural producers and the Farm Bureau. Shapes the Farm Bill, crop subsidies and insurance, trade policy, and opposes some environmental and labor regulations affecting farms.

Represents telecom and media carriers. Lobbies on net neutrality, spectrum allocation, broadband subsidies, and media ownership rules.

Represents digital asset firms and exchanges. A rapidly growing political spender, including through Super PACs. Seeks favorable regulatory classification and opposes strict SEC oversight of tokens.

Represents property, casualty, and life insurers. Shapes state and federal insurance regulation, opposes federal oversight expansion, and influences disaster and liability policy.

Represents electric utilities and power generators. Shapes grid policy, rate structures, renewable mandates, and emissions regulation.

Represents airlines, railroads, and shipping. Lobbies on infrastructure funding, safety regulation, labor rules, and consumer protection requirements.

Represents trial lawyers, bar associations, and large law firms. Opposes tort reform and liability caps, and shapes civil justice and class-action policy.

Represents retailers and consumer-goods makers. Lobbies on trade and tariffs, labor and minimum-wage rules, swipe-fee policy, and product regulation.

Represents construction firms and building trades. Shapes infrastructure spending, prevailing-wage rules, immigration and labor policy, and building and safety codes.

Captures money flowing through leadership PACs and party committees rather than a single industry. These vehicles let lawmakers and parties pool and redistribute donor funds to allies.

Catch-all for ideological and single-issue advocacy groups across the spectrum (abortion, environment, civil liberties, and others) that give based on cause rather than industry profit.

Catch-all bucket for organized PAC and corporate contributions that do not map to a named sector above. Surfaced so no classified donor money is left invisible.