Federal disclosures show AI and technology companies sharply increased Washington lobbying in early 2026, with Anthropic outspending OpenAI and broader industry totals hitting a record.
AI, technology and prediction market companies spent record sums lobbying Washington in the first half of 2026 as they sought to shape federal policy on model releases, infrastructure and regulation. Federal disclosures show Anthropic nearly tripled its spending to $3.53 million for the period, topping OpenAI by more than $1 million, while OpenAI nearly doubled its total to a record $2.22 million. Issue One counted $41 million in combined lobbying spending from January to June by 11 major technology, social media and AI companies and their trade associations, up 8% from $38 million a year earlier, or more than $226,000 per day. Meta led second-quarter spending at nearly $6 million, followed by Alphabet at $5.3 million, Microsoft at about $3 million and Nvidia at $1.25 million. Anthropic spent $1.97 million in the second quarter, its highest since it began lobbying in March 2024, while OpenAI spent $1.2 million. Companies are pressing Washington not only to limit restrictive regulation but also to support industry expansion through policy on data center construction and power supply. Prediction market operators are also increasing their presence, with Kalshi spending $990,000 in the first half and nearly $1.8 million including outside firms, while Polymarket maintained a smaller footprint.