Posts from Sludge
U.S. Has Worst Health Care Despite Spending the Most On It
Half of lower-income Americans face cost barriers to healthcare access, according to a new report.
Pro-Israel Super PAC Prevails in Ohio Primary
Democratic establishment favorite Shontel Brown defeated progressive Nina Turner and several other candidates in a Democratic Ohio special election primary on Tuesday night, virtually guaranteeing her a seat in Congress. Brown received 37,666 votes, while 33,420 people cast their ballots for Turner. Turner, a former delegate to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, raised more than twice […]
Committee Asking for More War Ships Is Led by a General Dynamics-Funded Rep
Chairman Joe Courtney has received $237,000 from General Dynamics' PAC and employees over his House career.
Congress Won’t Stop Trading Stocks
Researchers studying congressional stock ownership have found that the practice has effects on lobbying activity and potentially on market movements.
The DCCC’s Top Bundler Is an Oil Lobbyist
Saving the planet from a climate change tipping point that will trigger social collapse and widespread human death from fires, floods, and starvation requires urgent global action. Oil companies are not going to voluntarily stop extracting and burning fossil fuels for profit, so it’s up to politicians and regulators to step in and stop them. […]
Corporate Giants Mum on Chamber’s Lobbying Against Voting Rights Bill
As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spends big on lobbying against the For the People Act, some member companies earned low grades on a new voting rights scorecard.
Altria’s PAC Reports First Donation to an Election Results Objector
Several companies that said they were indefinitely pausing their PAC donations after January 6 are confronting the reality of wanting to help re-elect pro-business allies to Congress and are back to supporting Republicans who objected to certifying 2020 presidential election results. Of the six senators who voted in favor of sustaining Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) […]
Pharma Companies Spend Billions More on Stock Buybacks Than Developing Drugs, House Report Finds
The largest drugmakers spent $56 billion more on stock buybacks and dividends than on research and development from 2016 to 2020, according to a new House committee report.
Infrastructure Month in Congress, For Real, This Time, Maybe
Democrats have given themselves just a few weeks to pass a preliminary budget resolution for one of two infrastructure bills moving in tandem.
Paul Pelosi Invests in Alphabet as Congress Weighs Breaking Up Big Tech
Days before the House of Representatives took its first votes on legislation to break up big technology companies, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi exercised a call option and bought 4,000 shares of stock in Google parent Alphabet, worth nearly $5 million. The Alphabet investment was disclosed this morning in a periodic transaction report […]
Feigning Shock Over Lobbyist Comments, ExxonMobil Continues Funding Climate Denial Groups
ExxonMobil CEO and chairman Darren Woods said yesterday he was “shocked” that one of the company’s lobbyists was caught in a Greenpeace sting video saying that the company is being disingenuous when it publicly claims to support policies like a carbon tax to address climate change.
Big Tech-Funded Groups Lobby Against Antitrust Bills
Last week, a House committee approved a sweeping package of antitrust bills, one overcoming opposition from Democrats hailing from tech industry-heavy California.
Koch Industries Is the Top Corporate PAC Donor to the ‘Sedition Caucus’ Since Jan. 6
Despite Charles Koch's rebrand as a bridge builder, his company's PAC keeps supporting 2020 presidential election result objectors.
