Records
The raw evidence behind the stories: lobbying, PAC money, defense contracts and annual company figures, straight from the official filings.
Federal lobbying spending
What this counts. Quarterly reports filed with the Senate: what each company spent lobbying in-house, plus what it paid outside firms. Amendments replace the reports they correct. Lobbying by trade associations is not counted, so these are a floor.
| Company | 2026 so far | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alphabet (Google) | $13,260,000 | $17,870,000 | $16,270,000 |
| Amazon | $16,675,000 | $22,645,000 | $22,970,000 |
| Apple | none on file | none on file | none on file |
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | none on file | none on file | none on file |
| Microsoft | none on file | none on file | none on file |
| Palantir | none on file | none on file | none on file |
Company PACs
| Date | Type | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2026 | PAC report | Microsoft Corporation Stakeholders Voluntary PAC (C00227546) reported $1,422,787 in receipts and $1,476,849 in disbursements for the 2026 cycle, through 2026-10-14. Cash on hand at the end of the period: $238,863. source |
| Oct 14, 2026 | PAC report | Meta Platforms, Inc. PAC (C00502906) reported $471,841 in receipts and $354,552 in disbursements for the 2026 cycle, through 2026-10-14. Cash on hand at the end of the period: $197,432. source |
| Oct 14, 2026 | PAC report | Amazon PAC (C00360354) reported $1,429,537 in receipts and $1,613,145 in disbursements for the 2026 cycle, through 2026-10-14. Cash on hand at the end of the period: $477,567. source |
| Oct 14, 2026 | PAC report | Google LLC NetPAC (C00428623) reported $1,605,705 in receipts and $1,805,834 in disbursements for the 2026 cycle, through 2026-10-14. Cash on hand at the end of the period: $2,026,701. source |
Largest defense contract awards
Read before quoting. Individual awards from USAspending, not annual spending; an award can cover several years. Classified awards do not appear.
Awards appear after the first pull from USAspending.
Annual figures from 10-K reports
What these are. Cash, stock buybacks and capital spending, each as the company tagged it in its annual report. Lines are not added together.
| Date | Type | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-09-28: Cash paid for property and equipment $9,447,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-09-27: Cash paid for property and equipment $12,715,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-09-26: Cash paid for property and equipment $9,041,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-09-28: Cash paid to repurchase stock $94,949,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-09-27: Cash paid to repurchase stock $90,711,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-09-26: Cash paid to repurchase stock $86,390,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-09-27: Cash and cash equivalents $35,934,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Nov 3, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Apple Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-09-26: Cash and cash equivalents $36,305,000,000 (filed 2026-11-03). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-06-30: Cash paid for property and equipment $44,477,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-06-30: Cash paid for property and equipment $64,551,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-06-30: Cash paid for property and equipment $115,948,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-06-30: Cash paid to repurchase stock $17,254,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-06-30: Cash paid to repurchase stock $18,420,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-06-30: Cash paid to repurchase stock $22,271,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-06-30: Cash and cash equivalents $30,242,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Jul 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Microsoft Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2026-06-30: Cash and cash equivalents $20,935,000,000 (filed 2026-07-29). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $15,114,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $12,634,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $33,882,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $0 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $64,196,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $74,985,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $831,047,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $2,098,524,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Palantir Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $1,423,796,000 (filed 2026-02-17). source |
| Feb 6, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Amazon Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $78,779,000,000 (filed 2026-02-06). source |
| Feb 6, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Amazon Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $86,810,000,000 (filed 2026-02-06). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $32,251,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $52,535,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $91,447,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $61,504,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $62,222,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $45,709,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $23,466,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Feb 5, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Alphabet (Google) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash and cash equivalents $30,708,000,000 (filed 2026-02-05). source |
| Jan 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $27,045,000,000 (filed 2026-01-29). source |
| Jan 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $37,256,000,000 (filed 2026-01-29). source |
| Jan 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2025-12-31: Cash paid for property and equipment $69,691,000,000 (filed 2026-01-29). source |
| Jan 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2023-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $19,774,000,000 (filed 2026-01-29). source |
| Jan 29, 2026 | SEC annual figure | Meta (Facebook, Instagram) Form 10-K, fiscal year ending 2024-12-31: Cash paid to repurchase stock $30,125,000,000 (filed 2026-01-29). source |