Big Companies and Political Money: A Shady Game

Big companies with government contracts are pouring cash into political groups, potentially breaking the law.

Key Players

• United Healthcare
• Chevron
• Coinbase

These companies are funding groups like the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Lincoln Project.

The Problem

Experts, including Craig Holman from Public Citizen, argue that companies believe they can get away with it due to weak enforcement.

Examples

• Chevron
• Gave $100,000 to a political group.
• Had millions in government contracts.
• Argued different parts of the company acted independently.

• United Healthcare
• Gave $5 million to a pro-Trump group.
• Also had a government contract.
• Used the same argument as Chevron.

Weak Enforcement

• Fines are small.
• Enforcement is weak.
• Companies believe they can get away with it.

Company Responses

• r4 Technologies claimed they didn't mean to fund federal politics.
• Unclear if other companies made similar mistakes.

Conclusion

Companies with government contracts should not be able to influence politics, but right now, they are.