Anthropic Outspent OpenAI on Lobbying in a Record Quarter

Anthropic spent $1.6 million lobbying Washington in the first quarter of 2026, its largest single-quarter spend on record and 60% more than OpenAI's $1 million over the same period, according to federal disclosures reported by Axios.

The trajectory matters as much as the number. Anthropic's quarterly lobbying budget has grown roughly 511% since the start of President Trump's second term, from around $180,000 in early 2024 to $1.1 million in Q4 2025, then to $1.6 million in Q1 2026. That is not gradual institution-building. It is a company that has decided policy fights are urgent enough to redirect significant resources.

What they were lobbying about

Federal disclosures show Anthropic focused Q1 efforts on AI procurement policy, Defense Department procurement, supply chain risk, and acceptable use standards. The last item reflects an ongoing dispute with the Pentagon over the terms under which Claude can be used for government work. The specifics of that disagreement have not been made public, but the concentration of lobbying activity on procurement and defense suggests Anthropic is working to shape the rules before they harden into contract requirements.

OpenAI's $1 million in Q1 is also its largest quarterly spend to date, so both companies are escalating simultaneously. The gap is notable because Anthropic has historically leaned more publicly into the policy conversation, and the spending data now backs that positioning with disclosed figures.

A $20 million political action committee

Beyond direct lobbying, Anthropic has committed $20 million to Public First Action, a new political action committee focused on electing pro-regulation candidates in the 2026 midterms. That puts Anthropic in an unusual position: a technology company openly funding electoral politics on the side of more regulatory oversight rather than against it.

The logic is not hard to follow. If Anthropic's view is that adequate AI safety rules benefit both the industry and the public, funding legislators who agree is a rational use of political capital. Whether that proves to be a durable reputational asset depends on how the midterms go and on whether the regulations that emerge actually reflect what Anthropic has been advocating for. Both of those questions will take time to answer.