Is lobbying legal in the United States?

Yes. Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment right to petition the government. The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (amended in 2007) does not restrict lobbying but requires transparency — lobbyists must register and regularly report their activities, clients, issues, and spending. This disclosure data is what PlainInfluence uses to track lobbying activity.

How much does the lobbying industry spend annually?

Total reported lobbying expenditures in the United States typically exceed $4 billion per year. This figure only includes spending that meets the legal threshold for disclosure — actual influence spending, including grassroots campaigns and strategic consulting that falls below reporting requirements, is likely much higher.

What is the revolving door between government and lobbying?

The "revolving door" refers to the movement of individuals between government positions and lobbying firms. Former members of Congress, congressional staffers, and executive branch officials often become lobbyists, leveraging their relationships and expertise. Current law imposes cooling-off periods (1-2 years depending on position) before former officials can lobby their former colleagues, but critics argue these restrictions are insufficient.

What are the 79 lobbying issue areas on PlainInfluence?

The Senate requires lobbyists to categorize their activities by issue area — standardized categories like healthcare, defense, taxation, trade, energy, and technology. PlainInfluence tracks all 79 issue codes, showing which organizations lobby on which topics and how much they spend. Browse all issues on the issues directory to explore by category.

Lobbying in America: Who Spends Billions and Why

What Is Lobbying?

At its core, lobbying is the act of attempting to influence government decisions. When a corporation hires a firm to advocate for favorable tax policy, when a nonprofit urges Congress to fund a particular program, or when an industry trade group pushes for regulatory changes — that is lobbying.

The practice is as old as American democracy itself. The First Amendment protects the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances," and lobbying is the organized, professional form of that right. What makes modern lobbying distinctive is its scale, its professionalization, and the transparency requirements that surround it. Data from the FEC and Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) filings, covering federal campaign finance and lobbying across all 50 states; see our methodology.

How does the disclosure system work?

The Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995, significantly strengthened by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, creates the transparency framework that makes data like PlainInfluence possible. Here is what the law requires:

Registration — Lobbyists must register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House within 45 days of making contact on behalf of a client.
Quarterly reports (LD-2) — Registered lobbyists file reports disclosing their clients, the issues they lobbied on, the agencies and chambers they contacted, and the income received (or expenses incurred) for lobbying activities.
Semiannual reports (LD-203) — Lobbyists and lobbying firms disclose political contributions made to federal candidates, PACs, and party committees.
Issue codes — Each lobbying activity is tagged with one or more of 79 standardized issue categories, from "Agriculture" to "Welfare."

These filings are made with the Senate Office of Public Records and are available to the public. PlainInfluence processes this data and links it to the same organizations' campaign contributions and federal contracts.

Who Spends the Most on Lobbying?

Lobbying spending is dominated by a few sectors that have the most at stake in federal policy:

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals — Consistently the top-spending sector, driven by Medicare/Medicaid policy, drug pricing legislation, and FDA regulation.
Technology — Major tech companies have dramatically increased their lobbying presence as Congress considers antitrust, privacy, AI regulation, and content moderation laws.
Defense and aerospace — Military contractors lobby on defense authorization, appropriations, and weapons programs.
Finance and insurance — Banks, insurers, and investment firms lobby on financial regulation, tax policy, and consumer protection rules.
Energy — Oil, gas, renewable energy, and utility companies lobby on environmental regulation, subsidies, and permitting.

Explore spending by industry and issue on the issues directory, or browse the organizations directory to see individual lobbying profiles.

The 79 Lobbying Issue Areas

The Senate requires lobbyists to classify their activities using standardized issue codes. PlainInfluence tracks all 79 of these categories, providing a comprehensive view of what corporate America is trying to influence. The most active issues typically include:

Health Issues (HCR) — drug pricing, Medicare, public health
Defense (DEF) — military spending, weapons systems, base closures
Taxation (TAX) — corporate tax rates, deductions, international tax
Trade (TRD) — tariffs, trade agreements, export controls
Energy/Nuclear (ENG) — energy policy, pipeline regulation, renewables
Transportation (TRA) — infrastructure, aviation, shipping

Each issue page on PlainInfluence shows which organizations are lobbying on that topic and how much they are spending. Visit the full issues list to explore.

Lobbying and the Broader Influence Ecosystem

Lobbying does not exist in isolation. On PlainInfluence, you can see how lobbying intersects with two other forms of political influence:

Campaign contributions — Many lobbying organizations also operate PACs that donate to politicians. These donations can complement lobbying by building relationships with key lawmakers.
Federal contracts — Organizations that lobby for favorable procurement policies may also compete for government contracts. The overlap between lobbying spenders and contract recipients is a common focus of accountability journalism.

PlainInfluence's entity resolution links these records, so you can see the full scope of an organization's political engagement in one place. Browse rankings to see the top lobbying spenders and contract recipients side by side.