Cryptocurrencies grabbed the national spotlight this weekend as celebrities hawked the digital money to millions of viewers in big budget Super Bowl ads. The spots boosted the ongoing campaign to portray crypto as a way to reduce income and wealth inequality around the world.

And yet, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin now have their own top 1 percent who reap most of the gains, and the extreme volatility of crypto means most people who trade in digital currencies use them as speculative investments. What’s more, creating cryptocurrencies is so energy-intensive that the process of doing so now has a larger carbon footprint than entire countries.

As lawmakers consider reining in crypto through increased regulations, transaction taxes, and a public option for digital currency, the industry is working to forge close ties with allies in Washington. According to a Daily Poster review of OpenSecrets campaign finance data, crypto-aligned interests have funneled more than $200,000 to Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN), a top-ranking member of the House GOP. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), meanwhile, has been reaping rewards from investments in crypto and related businesses.