Lobbying
$846.5M in California lobbying was reported in the 2025–2026 session.
- employers reported spending in California
- 4,225
- in federal lobbying reported for 2025, up 16%
- $6.1B
Who pays the most
The federal clients who paid the most in 2025.
| Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. | 1 lobbying firm | $70.3M |
| National Association of Realtors | 6 lobbying firms | $55.3M |
| Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America | 22 lobbying firms | $42.2M |
| Business Roundtable Inc | 1 lobbying firm | $33.5M |
| American Hospital Association | 8 lobbying firms | $27.2M |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. and Various Subsidiaries | 2 lobbying firms | $26.5M |
| American Medical Association | 5 lobbying firms | $24.1M |
| Ctia: the Wireless Association | 19 lobbying firms | $22.2M |
California’s figures are what each lobbying employer reported spending; the rest of this page is federal.
California lobbying by employer: the 10 that reported the most
Who does the talking: firms by clients
Firms by how many clients hired them in 2025.
| Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP | 416 |
| Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc. | 390 |
| Holland & Knight LLP | 382 |
| Ballard Partners | 352 |
| Bgr Government Affairs | 349 |
| Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld | 344 |
| Thorn Run Partners | 265 |
| Invariant LLC | 229 |
Where the work is aimed: institutions
Organizations that named each one in a report.
| House of Representatives | 31.7K |
| Senate | 31.5K |
| White House Office | 5.2K |
| Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS) | 3.7K |
| Treasury, Dept of | 3.4K |
| Commerce, Dept of (DOC) | 3.3K |
| Transportation, Dept of (DOT) | 2.9K |
| Agriculture, Dept of (USDA) | 2.6K |
Where the work is aimed: issues
Organizations that named each one in a report.
| Budget/Appropriations | 10.4K |
| Health Issues | 6.7K |
| Defense | 5.6K |
| Taxation/Internal Revenue Code | 5.3K |
| Transportation | 3.9K |
| Trade (domestic/foreign) | 3.8K |
| Energy/Nuclear | 3.5K |
| Medicare/Medicaid | 2.7K |
Lobbyists’ contribution reports
Contributions federal lobbyists report twice a year. Amendments show separately, amounts are not added across filings, and a contribution does not show influence over a vote.