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.

I'm heading to the @journalists.org #ONA25 conference in New Orleans next week. If you will there and want to learn more about how to use @opensecrets.org data in your reporting - or just want to catch up - drop me a line so we can make plans to connect.

🧵President Donald Trump may not be eligible to seek another term, but his political organizations spent the first half of 2025 refilling their coffers with the midterm elections looming, to the tune of nearly $240 million.

A group in Montana thinks the way to get corporate money out of elections is too redefine corporate privileges.

I love being part of this team.

Last year, Kansas City Chiefs star kicker Harrison Butker launched a political action committee to boost conservative candidates. It has raise very little money and none of it has been spent to support candidates. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/08...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's 2022 congressional campaign committee owes donors and vendors over $300,000 but didn't raise any money to pay down that debt last month. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ran for Congress in 2022. Her campaign committee owes more than $300K to donors and vendors, but did not raise any money last quarter to pay down that debt. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

The numbers for January-June political fundraising are in, and we've tallied them up to see which House and Senate candidates raised the most money, and who has the most in the bank. More data at: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Someone swiped a paper check from Speaker Mike Johnson's campaign committee and used it to steal $10,000. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

We are hiring at @opensecrets.org! If you are interested in working with and analyzing large datasets - and you care about government transparency and accountability - apply now to join our research team. www.opensecrets.org/about/jobs?1

"To work at Roll Call, to read Roll Call and to love Roll Call is to state plainly that Congress matters, that in-depth coverage of the community and impact of Capitol Hill matters, and that journalism’s persistence through one of the most trying times in our nation’s history matters." Well said.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, among the most powerful House Democrats, was 14 months late disclosing a stock transaction worth up to $15,000. This is the fourth time she has violated #STOCKAct requirements on personal trades. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

The Supreme Court is going to consider lifting the caps on coordinated spending by political parties, a move that might shift some money away from super PACs. @OpenSecrets offered a preliminary look at what could happen. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/07...

Sorry, but darts' first superstar was clearly this guy.

NEW: As President Trump considers changes to deportation policies, industries that rely on undocumented labor—agribusiness & hospitality—may see their political investments pay off. They donated millions to Republican campaigns in 2024. Dig in: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/06...

"There’s a common bond among those of us who’ve worked at Roll Call because in the face of what feels like constant change, Roll Call endures." Amen. rollcall.com/2025/06/18/r...

Boeing faces another potential corporate crisis after one of its 787 Dreamliner jets, operated by Air India, crashed and killed all but one passenger. Having spent millions on political influence, the company can turn to allies in government as it navigates the latest crisis. 🧵

I told you we’d be back

Tell me your pet's name with a GIF.

Shoutout to @gijn.org for showcasing the important role OpenSecrets plays in tracking lobbying, including foreign lobbying. Anyone can use our data to understand how corporations and even foreign governments can attempt to influence policy in the U.S. gijn.org/resource/gui...

Just before losing its quorum, the FEC voted unanimously to punish Rep. Maxine Waters' campaign committee for several campaign finance law violations. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/05...

Over the past few weeks, OpenSecrets has been studying the lobbying and campaign giving histories for companies and people benefiting from the Trump administration’s increased deportation activity. Today we are looking at tech, defense and support services companies. 🧵

LIST GROWS: Two more members of Congress made a flurry of stock trades timed around President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff binge. New from me in @notusreports.bsky.social: www.notus.org/congress/tru...

Chuck Schumer is the top Democrat in the Senate and one of the longest-serving members of Congress. Who has been funding his political career? 🧵

A memorable phone call with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). davelevinthal.substack.com/p/a-memorabl...

For the @FEC’s golden anniversary, it got a massive Bronx cheer from a congressional committee. From me in @opensecrets.org: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/05...

Speaking at #AmericanDemocracySummit, fired FEC Chair @ellenlweintraub.bsky.social says, "We need to look at who gets nominated because it matters. We need people who believe in the law to be serving in the government."

Here’s everything you should know about the Federal Election Commission's latest de facto shutdown. New from me in @opensecrets.org: www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/05...

As the Trump administration ramps up detentions and deportations, some air carriers stand to make a pretty penny from lucrative ICE contracts. Who are they? Let’s follow the money 👇🧵

According to reports, the 747 from Qatar is to be retrofitted by the military contractor L3Harris. Since 2024, L3Harris has employed Ballard Partners for much of its lobbying. That's the same firm that employed AG Pam Bondi when she represented Qatar. www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobb...

Lobbyists Brian Ballard and Jeff Miller have seen their client rosters swell since Inauguration Day. Ballard Partners pulled in more than $13.9 million in Q1 of 2025, ranking 4th among all lobbying firms, according to Senate disclosures analyzed by the OpenSecrets, far outpacing its 2024 revenue.

Mysterious Trump inaugural donor unmasked: Trump's inaugural committee originally listed a $1M donation from a tax advisory firm called Wipfli LLP A new doc shows this $$ actually came from someone named Alexander Karp — which is the name of the CEO of Palantir www.fec.gov/data/committ...

Important 🧵 on the nationalization of congressional elections.

The news that @schakowsky.house.gov is going to retire reminds me of the time we ran a bracket contest in @rollcall.com to predict which member of Congress was most likely to eventually serve as speaker of the House. Schakowsky was the runaway winner.

EXCLUSIVE by @davelevinthal.bsky.social: The Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign that alleges The Washington Post made “illegal corporate in-kind contributions” to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

come work with me on team tips! 👋

Road trip to CNU to watch Tufts Softball.

Working with the @opensecrets.org Insights team, I ran the NCAA brackets using 2024 lobbying spending. #1 seed Houston got knocked out in the first round, and a play-in team - the Texas Longhorns - won it all. Texas spent more than $1M on lobbying last year. www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/03...

Join OpenSecrets at the 2025 American Democracy Summit — a premier gathering of pro-democracy leaders and changemakers. This year’s focus is on coming together to build a stronger, more accountable government. Use the code OPENSECRETS to get 10% off registration. americandemocracysummit.org

"Hiring Ballard signaled Harvard's willingness to 'play by Trump's rules,' says Hilary Braseth, a Harvard alum who serves as executive director of OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks political influence. The lobbying firm, she adds, gives Harvard 'a direct line to the Oval Office.'"

Great job alert: ProPublica is hiring a computational journalist, "someone who will use technology and data to identify and unlock stories that would otherwise be out of reach." Salary: $120K-$140K Remote: ✅ Come join us!

1/6 With Sen. Mitch McConnell announcing he will not seek re-election in 2026, we took a look at his fundraising history. A thread:

Join us in following the money: Sign up for our free weekly newsletter at www.opensecrets.org/newsletter/s...

Like many others, I was devasted to hear of the passing of my friend and former boss Tim Curran. Thank you, @rollcall.com, for giving me the opportunity to share with others how Tim influenced my career and my relationships with others.