Q1 2026 Lobbying: Record Spending as Iran War, AI, and Tariffs Collide

2025 Set the Stage: $5.08 Billion

Before diving into Q1 2026, the backstory matters. According to OpenSecrets, lobbying spending reached $5.08 billion in 2025 — the highest annual total ever recorded. That's an 11% increase from 2024, after adjusting for inflation. Both the adjusted and non-adjusted increases represent the largest year-over-year jumps in recent memory.

What drove that record? A combination of Trump's second-term policy agenda — tariffs, deregulation, defense spending, AI policy — created enormous uncertainty across every industry. And uncertainty is lobbying's best friend.

Q1 2026: The AI Lobbying Arms Race

The biggest story in Q1 2026 lobbying filings is the AI spending race. As Axios reported today (April 21, 2026), both Anthropic and OpenAI posted their biggest-ever lobbying quarters:

What's driving this? Every major AI company is now fighting on multiple fronts: federal AI regulation, state-level AI bills (with over 400 introduced across the U.S.), data center energy policy, copyright law, and kids' online safety legislation. As one lobbyist told Axios: “Finance, health care, transportation, defense, education — everyone suddenly has to take a position on AI.”

For a deeper dive, see our full investigation: Big Tech's AI Lobbying Blitz: Who's Spending What in 2026.

The Iran War Lobbying Boom

Five weeks into the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, the defense lobbying machine is in overdrive. The Pentagon's $200 billion supplemental request is the largest wartime funding ask since Iraq and Afghanistan, and defense contractors are positioning to capture every contract.

The stock market tells the story: Lockheed Martin jumped 3.4% when strikes began. RTX (Raytheon) surged 4.7%. Northrop Grumman posted a 6% increase. These aren't just market reactions — they reflect Wall Street's confidence that these companies' lobbying operations will convert wartime spending into contracts.

The Washington Examiner called it a “lobbying gold rush,” with traditional blue-chip firms — DLA Piper, Holland & Knight, McGuireWoods, Squire Patton Boggs — all racing to sign defense and energy clients who want a piece of the wartime economy.

Full investigation: Defense Lobby Surges as Pentagon Seeks $200B for Iran War.

Tariffs: $166 Billion in Refunds and the Lobbying to Get Them

The tariff lobbying front got even more intense this week. On April 20, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration is taking steps to refund $166 billion in tariffs — the result of the pause-and-pivot strategy on “reciprocal tariffs.” The refund process has sparked a new wave of lobbying as companies fight to ensure they're included.

Meanwhile, new entrants keep arriving. A coalition of copper fabricators formed in April 2026 specifically to lobby on Section 232 copper tariffs. The automotive industry is fighting for USMCA exemptions. Agriculture groups are mobilizing against retaliatory tariffs from China and the EU. Industries that never had a Washington presence are hiring lobbyists for the first time.

Full investigation: Tariff Lobbying 2026: Who's Fighting Trump's Trade War.

Healthcare Lobbying: The Quiet Giant

While defense, AI, and tariffs grab headlines, healthcare remains the single largest lobbying sector by total spending. Pharmaceutical and health insurance companies have spent billions over the past decade fighting drug pricing reforms, Medicare changes, and regulatory oversight.

The healthcare lobbying machine doesn't just affect policy — it affects your wallet. To see how lobbying connects to the prices you actually pay, check out ClearPrices, which tracks hospital and insurance pricing transparency data. When pharmaceutical companies spend $4.4B+ lobbying Congress, the result is the prices you see at the pharmacy counter.

Related: Big Pharma's $452M Lobbying Machine · Healthcare's $3 Billion Bet · The Health Insurance Lobby

What to Watch in Q2 2026

• Iran supplemental vote: Congress will vote on the $200B+ supplemental request, triggering another wave of defense lobbying.
• AI legislation: Multiple federal AI bills are expected to advance, with the lobbying battle intensifying between safety-focused (Anthropic) and innovation-focused (Meta, OpenAI) camps.
• Tariff refund process: The $166B refund mechanism will create winners and losers — and a new round of lobbying to influence who gets what.
• Bloomberg Government Top Lobbying Firms report: Released in April 2026, highlighting Cornerstone Government Affairs, Bose Public Affairs Group, and Innovative Federal Strategies among the top performers.
• State-level AI bills: Over 400 AI-related bills have been introduced across state legislatures. Tech companies are fighting on 50 fronts simultaneously.