Spending on federal lobbying reached a record-breaking $4.4 billion last year, illustrating how business associations, corporations, labor unions, and other groups are working more than ever to influence federal policy.
The cash blitz in 2024 was a $150 million surge over levels in 2023 and beats federal lobbying spending by $1.2 billion over roughly the last decade, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan watchdog group. Taken together, lobbying spending has totaled almost $37 million since 2015, federal disclosures show.
FULL LIST OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ACTIONS, AND PROCLAMATIONS TRUMP HAS MADE AS PRESIDENT
“The trend is clear — corporations, unions and other organizations are collectively spending more on lobbying every year,” David Meyers, a spokesman for OpenSecrets, told the Washington Examiner. “One interesting thing to watch this year will be lobbying on federal appropriations. That was the biggest issue for lobbyists last year, and with Donald Trump, Elon Musk and congressional Republicans working to slash spending, we can expect interest groups to fight hard for their issue.”
In 2024, the top spender was the National Association of Realtors, the largest trade group in the United States. It dropped over $86 million lobbying the government on issues related to housing, taxes, insurance, banking, and more.
The National Association of Realtors runs a political action committee that typically outspends major corporations and also, according to a New York Times report, bankrolls a nonprofit group fueling conservative-aligned causes. As the Trump administration gets underway, the NAR is expressing support for some of Trump’s nominees and notably put out a statement applauding an executive order from the president on housing affordability and the supply crisis.
Second to the NAR in lobbying spending was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the massive business advocacy group in Washington, D.C. The chamber spent $76.2 million — deploying almost 150 lobbyists, including 56 former federal officials, to lobby agencies on the likes of reforms to torts, banking, trade, and finance.
Heading further into Trump 2.0, the chamber is walking on thin ice with the Republican Party. GOP lawmakers such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) have increasingly raised concerns about the group’s ties to Democrats — claiming the organization purports to act in favor of business interests but aligns with “woke” progressive causes. The chamber cut a $50,000 check to support Trump’s inauguration, doubling its giving from 2017, the Washington Examiner first reported.
The chamber, whose employees overwhelmingly donate to Republicans, received written questions last year from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) over donations it accepted from the Tides Foundation, a progressive nonprofit group.
Top lobbying spenders in 2024 were also the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, the American Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet, according to federal disclosures.
Federal spending was the most common issue area that organizations lobbied on, seeking to influence government appropriations efforts for over 4,700 clients. The bulk of that lobbying was for advocacy in connection to the looming government shutdown in December of last year — a high-profile spending bill fight that pitted Republicans against each other before Trump’s inauguration.
The most heavily lobbied-on legislation was the Defense Department’s authorization bill for 2025, earning interest from defense contractors such as General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, and the likes of Amazon and RTX Corp., according to disclosures. The bill, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden, authorized $895 billion in funding for Defense Department and Energy Department national security programs.
Meanwhile, the most significant lobbying expense change was that of Nippon Steel, a Japanese steelmaker that Biden blocked from buying U.S. Steel. It spent $4.3 million in 2024, compared to just $30,000 in the preceding year, federal disclosures show.
But by industry, the biggest spender was, by far, pharmaceuticals. The health sector spent $384 million — a small increase from 2023 and which should come as no surprise given its role as the top lobbying spender since 1999.
“Since 1950, the pharmaceutical companies’ lobby has been the most powerful,” said Brody Mullins, the co-author of The Wolves of K Street and a lobbying expert. “They have won almost every issue.”
Industries that surged in spending included oil and gas, which sought to fend off anti-fossil fuel regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. For instance, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Association increased its spending by roughly $20 million amid the EPA introducing rules to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The real estate industry spent $47.9 million in 2024 lobbying after a $418 million settlement that culminated in policy changes to how real estate agents are paid, disclosures show. Other big spenders were groups in the tech sector, including the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Intel, who spent over $250 million combined.
The record lobbying spending wasn’t solely the product of domestic companies. ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, spent $10.4 million compared to just $270,000 in 2019 as it tried to fend off a ban. Biden approved the ban last year but Trump has urged for it to be paused — leading to Apple and Google restoring TikTok on their stores this week.