Anthropic’s Lobbying Expenses Surge Past $3.5 Million in Six Months

Anthropic has dramatically stepped up its lobbying efforts in Washington, nearly tripling its spending to $3.53 million in the first half of 2026. This figure surpasses OpenAI’s lobbying bill by over $1 million, highlighting a fierce competition for influence over federal AI regulations.

The company expanded its lobbying targets this quarter, adding the Treasury Department to its list for the first time. Meanwhile, OpenAI almost doubled its expenditure to a record $2.22 million. Both firms are intensely focused on shaping rules around new AI model releases, as well as influencing infrastructure concerns like data center permits and energy supply.

Amba Kak from the AI Now Institute pointed out that this lobbying surge serves a dual purpose: it’s not just about fending off restrictive regulations but also pushing for government policies that actively support AI development.

According to Issue One, the combined lobbying spend from January to June reached $41 million across 11 major tech, social media, and AI companies and their trade groups. That averages more than $226,000 daily a figure that’s 8% higher than the same period last year.

Within this group, six companies Alphabet, Anthropic, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI employed 324 lobbyists in the second quarter alone, roughly one lobbyist for every 1.5 members of Congress. Meta led the pack with nearly $6 million spent, followed by Alphabet’s $5.3 million and Microsoft’s $3 million.

Anthropic’s $1.97 million lobbying spend in Q2 marks its highest quarterly total since it began lobbying in March 2024. In comparison, OpenAI’s Q2 spend was $1.2 million. Just four years ago, Anthropic, Nvidia, and OpenAI had zero federal lobbyists on record, showing how quickly these companies ramped up their Washington presence.

The push for influence isn’t limited to AI giants. Prediction market platforms like Kalshi also increased their lobbying activities, spending nearly $1.8 million including external firms in the first half of the year, while Polymarket maintained a smaller presence.