Anthropic’s first-half 2026 lobbying topped its full-year 2025 total, underscoring how AI firms are intensifying policy efforts around export controls, cybersecurity and safety standards.
OpenAI and Anthropic raised federal lobbying spending to record levels in the second quarter of 2026, together laying out $3.17 million, up 23% from the first quarter. Anthropic spent $1.97 million from April through June, a 26% increase, while OpenAI spent $1.2 million, up nearly 18%. New disclosures also show Anthropic spent more than $3.5 million in the first six months of 2026, already above its full-year 2025 total of $3.1 million, with lobbying focused on export controls, cybersecurity and AI safety standards. The figures highlight how AI developers are stepping up efforts to shape policy as regulatory pressure on the sector grows ahead of the midterm elections and their anticipated IPOs. Anthropic outspent Nvidia during the quarter and nearly matched Oracle’s $2 million total, while OpenAI came within $50,000 of Nvidia’s $1.25 million. Spending by the “Magnificent 7” group CNBC analyzed was essentially flat at $21.25 million versus $21.27 million in the first quarter, while the eight largest U.S.-based publicly traded defense contractors cut combined lobbying spending 3.3% to $19.68 million.