The 119th Congress comes with a price tag.
The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a Yale Climate Connections review of campaign donations. The industry gave an additional $2 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign, bringing the total spending on the winning candidates to over $26 million, 88% of which went to Republicans.
The fossil fuel industry exerts substantial financial power within the U.S. political system, and these contributions are only the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
Outside spending: An order of magnitude more than candidate contributions
The 2024 presidential election saw over $4 billion in various contributions to the candidates’ campaign committees and outside groups supporting them. Most of the money in politics isn’t given to specific candidates. Rather, it goes to political action committees, known as PACs, and political party committees. This is called outside spending.
In the 2024 election cycle, the oil and gas industry funneled over $151 million to into the election via this additional spending, according to Open Secrets. The industry gave $67 million to candidates (including those who didn’t win), bringing the total to a staggering $219,079,058 spent by the oil and gas industry to influence the 2024 election. The vast majority of this money went to Republicans, including nearly $23 million of oil and gas money donated to Donald Trump’s campaign and PACs supporting him.
Outside spending: An order of magnitude more than candidate contributions
The 2024 presidential election saw over $4 billion in various contributions to the candidates’ campaign committees and outside groups supporting them. Most of the money in politics isn’t given to specific candidates. Rather, it goes to political action committees, known as PACs, and political party committees. This is called outside spending.
In the 2024 election cycle, the oil and gas industry funneled over $151 million to into the election via this additional spending, according to Open Secrets. The industry gave $67 million to candidates (including those who didn’t win), bringing the total to a staggering $219,079,058 spent by the oil and gas industry to influence the 2024 election. The vast majority of this money went to Republicans, including nearly $23 million of oil and gas money donated to Donald Trump’s campaign and PACs supporting him.
Outside spending: An order of magnitude more than candidate contributions
The 2024 presidential election saw over $4 billion in various contributions to the candidates’ campaign committees and outside groups supporting them. Most of the money in politics isn’t given to specific candidates. Rather, it goes to political action committees, known as PACs, and political party committees. This is called outside spending.
In the 2024 election cycle, the oil and gas industry funneled over $151 million to into the election via this additional spending, according to Open Secrets. The industry gave $67 million to candidates (including those who didn’t win), bringing the total to a staggering $219,079,058 spent by the oil and gas industry to influence the 2024 election. The vast majority of this money went to Republicans, including nearly $23 million of oil and gas money donated to Donald Trump’s campaign and PACs supporting him.
