Palantir Technologies, Axon Enterprise and Parsons Corporation – three firms that received millions in ICE contracts in 2025 – boosted their combined lobbying spending by 194% from 2020 to 2025. www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/04...

Please check out the first interview in my new series exploring campaign financial transparency at the state level. More to come!

Our K Street #MarchMadness 🏀🗑️ is live and UCLA wins the bracket. See which colleges lobby the most and why it matters for public policy. Read the full bracket and analysis in the link below. www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/03...

"With record-setting midterm spending expected, consequential legal fights over money in politics winding through the courts, and undisclosed private funds flowing to elections and government projects, the public needs faster, clearer access to who is shaping our elections and our laws."

Welcome to the team, Joedy!

CHART OF THE WEEK: 24 states have asked Congress to propose a constitutional amendment restoring authority to limit election spending. SCOTUS decisions including Citizens United enabled unlimited outside spending. Oklahoma is the latest, per American Promise.

See how your political contributions compare to Elon Musk's.

CHART OF THE WEEK At the #StateOfTheUnion, President Trump backed a bill to ban lawmakers and their families from buying stocks. Another bill would bar them from owning stocks at all. Some members reported tens of millions in trade value in 2025. Chart:

If you are going to the @principlesfirst.bsky.social conference in Maryland this weekend, stop by the exhibition hall to learn how you can use @opensecrets.org to follow the money and hold those in power accountable.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jon Voight outlived Paul Walker and James Van Der Beek.

OpenSecrets provides reporting and data critical to transparency and accountability. It's great to see our work used by the public.

“When you have control over sequencing and timing, you have a lot of power,” said Ray La Raja, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

On @ms.now, @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social co-host @michaelsteele.bsky.social cited our data while discussing criticism of the Trump administration from GOP megadonor Ken Griffin. “Is the public interest being served?” he said, calling for renewed focus on ethics in public service. Watch:

Democrats hold a fundraising edge in key Senate races, while Republicans lead in many competitive House contests. With narrow margins in both chambers, early money could shape who controls Congress after 2026. 🔗 Read more www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/02...

NBC just played Homecoming King by @guster.bsky.social heading into a commercial of the Patriots-Chargers game. Nice Boston reference.

Know a good reporter who understands campaign finance? Send them my way because I'm hiring at @opensecrets.org. www.opensecrets.org/about/career...

“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” is what a US Education Department spokesperson wrote to one of our reporters, @megomatz.bsky.social, after she repeatedly tried to get comment from the department and its officials. My column on the condemnation of good journalism.

As the midterms near, the cost of running for Congress continues to climb, even in safe seats. Our reporting details how billions in campaign and outside spending are narrowing the field of who can run and whose voices carry weight. Read more⬇️ www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/12...

Retiring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene built one of Congress’ most prolific small-dollar fundraising operations, fueling independence from party leadership and PACs. Our analysis looks at how that model shaped her clashes with party leaders. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/12...

"OpenSecrets has been at the forefront of the transparency movement for more than four decades ... helping tie together what those donation dollars often yield in terms of government contracts or legislation," writes @pkcapitol.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Hey folks 👋 I'm the reporter who revealed immigration agents detained 170+ citizens this year My fellowship w/ProPublica has been incredible, but it wraps January. I'm looking for my next gig. Please reach out to share leads & opportunities! [email protected] www.propublica.org/people/nicol...

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

SCOOP: Bipartisan group of nearly 100 former legislators call for a ban to individual stock trades by current members of Congress. Among them: Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, Olympia Snowe and Fred Upton. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/12...

At OpenSecrets, we believe nonprofit news is a vital public service, just like public libraries or schools, and it deserves community-wide support. Can we count on you to support nonprofit news on #GivingTuesday? Donate today: action.opensecrets.org/a/donate

What do people say "amen" instead of "awomen"? Because they read hymns, not hers.

Maybe the next project for the BadAss Grandmas for Democracy.

Powerful words on the FBI website on why U.S. officials and soldiers swear an Oath to the Constitution and not a leader or an entity:

Great reporting by the Post on the growing political influence of billionaires, based heavily on data surfaced by the research team at OpenSecrets.

Billionaire Tom Steyer has entered CA's race for governor. The longtime climate activist and former presidential candidate has poured hundreds of millions into Democratic politics and progressive causes. Take a look at the chart below to explore his giving over the years.

Lobbying firms with ties to President Trump are raking in staggering amounts of revenue, and K Street spending is growing at the fastest pace since the government began quarterly reporting in 2008. Q1-Q3 2025 saw a 13.1% increase in lobbying spending over 2024.🧵

We are excited to be featured on the Journalism Support Exchange, a new hub helping local media find reporting and support resources. JSX maps orgs offering everything from funding and audience engagement to tech and training. OpenSecrets is proud to support local media. jsx.news

On this Veterans Day, we honor those who have served our country and celebrate their role in the political process.🧵

Intuit has spent $3 million on lobbying this year, on pace to exceed its all-time high of $3.8 million spent last year. www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobb...

If you care about government transparency and accountability, please support OpenSecrets.

Third-quarter lobbying data is now available from OpenSecrets. Dig in to see the latest trends, including which industries are spending the most money to influence policy and which lobbyists are getting paid to exert that influence. www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobb...

The vast majority of Americans — no matter their partisan identification — say unlimited political spending weakens democracy and wealthy donors have too much power in elections, according to a new national poll by @issueonereform.bsky.social. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/10...

Timothy Mellon, who donated $130M to pay the military, was the second biggest donor in the 2024 election ($197M), according to data we analyzed at @opensecrets.org. www.opensecrets.org/elections-ov...

Fact: Super PACs spent $4.1 BILLION on ads in federal races during the 2024 election cycle. That's up more than 50% since 2020, when super PACs spent $2.7 BILLION. And up more than 500% since 2012, when super PACs spent $623 MILLION h/t @opensecrets.org @issueonereform.bsky.social

My assistant is hard at work.

10/15 is the filing deadline for Q3 campaign finance data, giving us a clearer picture of where influence lies heading into next year’s election cycle. Our work helps connect the dots between data, strategy and impact.

President Trump created two similarly named orgs connected to his presidential library. One has shut down without explanation. And because their are no disclosure requirements, the public does not know who is donating to them or how the money being used. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/10...

Want to know who’s funding the candidates shaping our democracy? With our Donor Lookup, you can: 🔎 Search campaign contributions by name, employer, or location. 💰 See who’s giving to which candidates, parties and PACs. www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup

Are you ready for some football ... mixed with politics

How is it possible that every decision Aaron Boone makes is the wrong one?

What say you, @drewmagary.bsky.social?

I wrote about the bills that would change some of the rules governing political fundraising and other aspects of money in politics. Few have even double-digit cosponsors and none have seen any action in either chamber. Thank you to @aaronscherb.bsky.social for providing the data.

UPDATE: Following publication of this article, the 2024 financial disclosure for Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) appeared in the U.S. House's disclosure database. HOWEVER: It did not include publishing and financial details for either of two books Nehls has written, which federal ethics law requires.

"Critics shouldn’t all be cranky white guys." Agreed. But I still read reviews by @sonnybunch.bsky.social.

1/6 Don't suffer from money-in-politics FOMO. Here's the data OpenSecrets users have been using the most over the past seven days.