Anthropic has spent $40 million to shape the fight over AI regulation in Washington, giving the lion’s share to a super PAC that pushes its favored candidates. The company’s cofounder, Dario Amodei, is described as having a public posture focused on AI safety, but the spending suggests he is also building a political machine to protect his company’s interests.
The $40 million came through two checks to the super PAC Public First Action. A $20 million check arrived in late July, and the PAC is now working to place friendly lawmakers across the country ahead of November’s elections. The move puts Anthropic at the center of a battle that could reshape the industry for years to come.
The $40 Million Check
Public First Action received $20 million from Anthropic in late July. The PAC then handed $3 million to a PAC backing state Assemblyman Alex Bores (D-Manhattan), part of a $10 million effort by Anthropic-affiliated groups. Bores lost to fellow Dem Assemblyman Micah Lasher.
The timing matters. Anthropic is positioning itself before November’s elections, when lawmakers will decide which guardrails apply to AI companies. The company wants rules that favor its position, and it is putting money behind candidates who agree.
The PAC’s spending shows where Anthropic’s influence is landing. Public First Action spent roughly $100,000 on an ad promoting Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), who wrote in a 2026 candidate survey that “government oversight is essential to address the real harms AI can cause.” That is a message Anthropic supports, even as it spends to put its own allies in power.
Amodei’s Record and His Critics
Amodei is described as having a public posture focused on AI safety. That characterization fits with his role as a founder concerned about the technology’s risks.
But the spending tells a different story. A former US diplomat and researcher with the Center for European Policy Analysis, James Andrew Lewis, said of Amodei: “He might actually believe some of this stuff, but I’d say self-interest really explains it more.”
Lewis also predicted gridlock. “It looks like there’s a split, so you’re going to have half the rich companies lobbying for, and half the rich companies lobbying against, and that means it’s gridlocked,” he said.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) offered a sharper warning. “When all of a sudden there’s a massive new federal regulatory overlay, established market incumbents have an advantage against would-be competitors,” he said.
Lee’s point is that regulation tends to favor the firms that already exist. Anthropic, as a major player, stands to benefit from rules that slow everyone else down.
The Fight Over Guardrails
Anthropic’s lobbying disclosures show the scale of its push. Its July report showed $2 million in three months, $400,000 more than its April report and $1 million more than Q4 2025 spending.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wants to impose a 50% tax on AI to create a $7 billion sovereign wealth fund and a permanent ban on super intelligent AI development. That proposal is far from Anthropic’s stated position.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) took a different view. He told The Post: “I think they’re trying to capture the regulatory agency before there is one…. The best way we can avoid the problems that AIs have is to have competition — a bunch of them as opposed to one or two government-sanctioned ones.”
Johnson’s argument is that competition is better than regulation. Let multiple companies build AI, he said, and let the market sort out the failures. That approach would weaken the case for guardrails, which Anthropic has pushed for publicly.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) blamed the “unnecessary hysteria” on being 48 days from the election. President Trump called AI fears a “hoax.” Both responses suggest a broader split among Republicans, with some rejecting the urgency of the issue entirely.
The Money Behind the PAC
Anthropic’s board includes Reed Hastings, the Netflix founder, who with his wife Patty Quillen gave more than $20 million to Democrats in recent years. The company’s PAC has given $350,000 to Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including $15,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm.
The spending crosses party lines, which makes sense for a company that wants to protect its interests regardless of which party holds power. The PAC’s efforts target state and federal races, with Bores’ loss in Manhattan serving as a reminder that not every investment pays off.
| Group | Role | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| Public First Action | Super PAC receiving Anthropic funds | $10 million effort, including $3 million to Bores PAC |
| Anthropic PAC | Supporting Republican and Democratic lawmakers | $350,000 total, including $15,000 to NRCC |
| Anthropic | Donor to Public First Action | $40 million in two checks |
What This Means for Smaller Companies
The spending raises a question about the future of AI regulation. If Anthropic succeeds in shaping the rules, smaller companies will face a harder path.
Anthropic has spent $40 million to shape the fight over AI regulation in Washington, giving the lion’s share to a super PAC that pushes its favored candidates. The company’s cofounder, Dario Amodei, is described as having a public posture focused on AI safety, but the spending suggests he is also building a political machine to protect his company’s interests.
The $40 million came through two checks to the super PAC Public First Action. A $20 million check arrived in late July, and the PAC is now working to place friendly lawmakers across the country ahead of November’s elections. The move puts Anthropic at the center of a battle that could reshape the industry for years to come.
Here is how the key players line up:
- Anthropic: $40 million to Public First Action, $2 million in lobbying in three months, PAC gives $350,000 to lawmakers
- Public First Action: $10 million effort, $3 million to Bores PAC, $100,000 ad for Budzinski
- Amodei: described as having a public posture focused on AI safety, questioned by Lewis as acting in self-interest
- Hastings/Quillen: Netflix founders, gave more than $20 million to Democrats in recent years
- Bores: backed by Anthropic-affiliated PAC, lost to Lasher
- Lee: warns established firms gain advantage under new rules
- Sanders: wants 50% AI tax and ban on super intelligence
- Johnson: pushes competition over government-sanctioned monopolies
- Daines: calls AI fears “unnecessary hysteria”
- Trump: calls AI fears a “hoax”
The pattern is clear. Anthropic is spending to ensure its interests are represented in Washington, and it is doing so at a scale that is significant for the industry. The question is whether the guardrails it seeks will truly protect safety, or whether they will simply protect the firm that wrote them.
The answer depends on who wins the election. If Anthropic’s allies take office, the guardrails will likely favor the company’s position. If its opponents prevail, the rules may look very different.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs narrow rules aimed only at direct harm, such as forced disclosure of hidden safety failures, and is against any arrangement that lets a company spend millions shaping the fight over AI regulation for its own protection. Anthropic’s $40 million push to shape Washington’s guardrails is a bid to freeze today’s leaders in place and lock out whoever would challenge them.
The spending shows Anthropic building a machine to protect its own position, not just talking about AI safety. The PAC’s $10 million effort, the $350,000 given to Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike, and the timing ahead of November’s elections all point to a company using money to shape the rules that govern its industry. Sen. Mike Lee’s warning about established firms gaining an advantage under new rules captures the danger: regulation favors the biggest players, and the biggest firms often help write it.
Readers should watch for guardrails shaped by the company that spends the most, not the one that talks the loudest about safety. The election will settle which guardrails survive, and the firms that spent to place their allies in power will likely win.
Source material: “Anthropic splashes out $40M in fight over AI regulations in Congress — as lawmakers allege tech giant is freezing out rivals,” the New York Post.
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