OpenAI and Anthropic lift lobbying spend to records in second quarter

OpenAI and Anthropic raised federal lobbying spending to a combined $3.17 million in the second quarter of 2026, a 23% increase from the first quarter, according to federal lobbying disclosures cited by CNBC. The rise marks record quarterly outlays for both artificial intelligence developers and shows how AI policy has become a larger focus in Washington.

Anthropic reported $1.97 million in lobbying expenses for April through June, up 26% from the prior quarter. OpenAI spent $1.2 million, nearly 18% more than in the first three months of the year. Their filings listed issues including cybersecurity, copyright, cloud computing and defense procurement.

Federal lobbying disclosures, filed quarterly with Congress, give investors and policymakers a view of where companies are spending to influence legislation, regulation and government purchasing. The totals do not show policy outcomes, but they indicate which sectors are devoting more resources to federal engagement.

AI firms narrow the gap with larger technology groups

Large technology companies still reported higher absolute lobbying budgets, but the latest filings show OpenAI and Anthropic moving closer to some long-established corporate spenders. CNBC reported that Anthropic spent more than Nvidia in the quarter and nearly equalled Oracle’s $2 million total. OpenAI was $50,000 below Nvidia, which reported $1.25 million.

Both AI companies also increased sharply from the same quarter last year. CNBC reported that Anthropic’s federal lobbying spending more than doubled from the second quarter of 2025, while OpenAI’s nearly doubled.

Among the technology companies commonly grouped as the “Magnificent Seven,” CNBC’s review found combined second-quarter lobbying spending of $21.25 million, almost unchanged from $21.27 million in the first quarter. The group included Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia and Tesla.

Meta remained the largest spender among that set at $5.99 million, despite a 15% decline from the first quarter. Amazon was little changed at $4.36 million. Google increased spending by 25% from the previous quarter to $3.57 million, while Microsoft raised its total by nearly 13% to $2.69 million.

CNBC reported that the group’s combined spending was 7.7% higher than in the second quarter of 2025. The companies reported lobbying on issues including trade, China, taxes and export controls, areas that have become central to technology business models and cross-border supply chains.

Defense contractors cut combined spending

Major U.S. defense contractors moved in the opposite direction during the quarter. CNBC reviewed the eight largest U.S.-based publicly traded defense contractors, ranked by fiscal 2024 Defense Department contract obligations in the General Services Administration’s SAM.gov Top 100 Contractors report, and found combined lobbying spending of $19.68 million. That was down 3.3% from $20.36 million in the first quarter.

Lockheed Martin led the defense group with $4.18 million in second-quarter lobbying expenditures, followed by RTX at $3.86 million and General Dynamics at $3.42 million.

RTX recorded the largest dollar decline among the defense companies reviewed, reducing spending by $600,000 from the first quarter. L3Harris had the steepest percentage drop, cutting spending by nearly 45% to $530,000. Huntington Ingalls, Northrop Grumman and Leidos also reported double-digit declines, according to CNBC.

Boeing was the largest gainer within the defense group, increasing its lobbying spending by 13% to $2.77 million.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.