Interactive network visualization tracking $3.7 billion in lobbying spending. See the connections from corporations to lobbyists to lawmakers to legislation. Who's buying influence, and what are they getting for it?
← Back to All ProjectsEvery year, corporations and special interests spend billions lobbying Congress. But the money flow isn't random—it's a network. The same lobbyists work for multiple corporations. The same lawmakers receive money from connected interests. And the same bills benefit the same industries.
Lobbying Disclosure: Senate Office of Public Records (LDA database - quarterly lobbying reports)
Campaign Finance: OpenSecrets.org (Center for Responsive Politics - PAC contributions, individual donations)
Legislation Tracking: Congress.gov API (bill text, sponsors, voting records)
Revolving Door: OpenSecrets lobbying tracker (former government officials now lobbying)
Corporate Data: SEC EDGAR (parent companies, subsidiaries, lobbying registrations)
• Which corporations spend the most on lobbying? What are they lobbying for?
• Who are the most connected lobbyists? (Working for multiple competing interests)
• Which lawmakers receive the most lobbying money/attention?
• Does lobbying spending predict voting patterns on key legislation?
• What's the "revolving door" effect? (Former lawmakers/staffers now lobbying)
• return on investment: How much lobbying spend per favorable vote/amendment?
• Are there lobbying "cartels"? (Industries coordinating through shared lobbyists)
Similar to Dow Jones Project: D3.js force-directed network with clustering
Node Types:
• Corporations (size by lobbying spend)
• Lobbying firms (color by top industry)
• Individual lobbyists (highlight former government officials)
• Lawmakers (color by party, size by total receipts)
• Legislation (linked when lobbied)
Clustering Modes:
• By Industry (Healthcare, Finance, Tech, Energy, etc.)
• By Party (Democratic lawmakers, Republican lawmakers)
• By Issue (Climate bills, Tax bills, Defense bills, etc.)
• Revolving Door (highlight gov-to-lobbying pipeline)
⏳ Data Collection: Senate LDA database scraping
⏳ Data Collection: OpenSecrets API integration
📋 Planned: D3 force-directed network (adapt from Dow Jones)
📋 Planned: Clustering algorithms by industry/party/issue
📋 Planned: Search/filter interface for specific lawmakers
📋 Planned: Money flow sankey diagrams