Meet Josh Gottheimer, the Billionaires’ Democratic Bag Man
Democratic representative Josh Gottheimer is the House’s top recipient of private equity cash — and lo and behold, he’s helping Wall Street undermine the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
239 Articles by: Andrew Perez
Andrew Perez is senior editor and a reporter at the Lever covering money and influence.
Big Pharma Is Showering Conservative House Democrats With Gushing Ads
A front group for Big Pharma is running ads backing the House Democrats who are trying to gut the party’s plan to cut drug prices.
Kyrsten Sinema Comes Through Yet Again for Big Pharma
Joe Biden allies ran ads thanking Kyrsten Sinema for fighting for lower drug prices — just before she did the exact opposite by opposing Democrats’ drug pricing plan.
Big Pharma Has a Friend in Kyrsten Sinema
Kyrsten Sinema has received some of the most Big Pharma money of any Democrat in the Senate — and a pharma-backed dark money group started running ads for her just before she threatened to take down Democrats’ drug pricing plan.
The House Democrats Bought and Paid For by Big Pharma
Reps. Scott Peters, Kurt Schrader, and Kathleen Rice — Democrats all — give weak, incoherent responses to why they torpedoed a plan to let Medicare negotiate drug prices.
Big Pharma’s Favorite Democrats
Three House Democrats working to kill legislation to control prescription drug prices raked in roughly $1.6 million from pharma donors — and the top aide for one of them is now a Big Pharma lobbyist.
Lauren Boebert’s Anti-Climate Legislation Is a Self-Enrichment Scheme
The Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert is spearheading amendments that could gut Democrats’ climate bill — while also benefiting her husband’s fossil fuel business.
Congressional Dems Are Failing to Secure Abortion Rights
Democrats promised legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and preempt the Texas anti-abortion law, but they’ve chosen to leave it sitting with a congressional panel. The inaction of Democrats is unacceptable.
Even After the IPCC Report, Senate Dems Are Voting for Fracking
Seven Democratic senators voted with the GOP to block restrictions on fracking this week. Those seven Democrats also raked in $1.7 million in donations from oil and gas donors.
Big Corporate Money Is Funding the GOP Election Deniers
Plenty of corporations and billionaires weren’t scared off from donating to members of Congress who voted to overturn the election. On the contrary: the super PAC behind House Republicans who opposed the election results took in more money than before the January 6 capitol riot.
Democrats Took Big Real Estate Money, Then Let the Eviction Ban Expire
Just before failing in their “relentless campaign” to extend a desperately needed eviction moratorium, House Democrats’ super PAC received a million dollars from a real estate mogul. It was surely just a coincidence.
Nina Turner’s Primary Opponent Is Facing a Corruption Scandal
Nina Turner’s Democratic primary opponent, Shontel Brown, is under scrutiny by Ohio authorities for helping to award millions in contracts to her partner and donors.
How a Billionaire Republican Governor Decides to Cut Off Unemployment Benefits
Internal documents from Doug Burgum’s office show the crass political calculus behind the North Dakota billionaire Republican governor’s decision to cut off COVID jobless aid.
Workers Are Being Crushed by Governors’ Unemployment Benefit Shutoffs
Republicans are cutting off unemployment benefits at a time when huge numbers of workers still desperately need them — and the Democrats aren’t putting up a fight over it.
Biden Boosted a Pipeline; Now His Aide Susan Rice Could Get Richer
Joe Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, owns a big stake in a company whose pipeline was just backed by the White House. It’s just an ordinary day in a world where the superrich control both the economy and the government.
Corporate Lobbyists Declare War on Nina Turner
Corporate Democrats and lobbyists for Big Oil, Big Pharma, Fox News, and Wall Street are fundraising for Nina Turner’s primary opponent Shontel Brown in the Ohio congressional race.
Health Insurers Shouldn’t Be Incentivized to Deny Patients’ Emergency Room Visits
The health insurer UnitedHealthcare recently sparked outrage by saying it may retroactively deny patients’ emergency room claims. But documents suggest the company has been denying such claims for years.
These Are the Business Lobby’s Favorite Politicians
The US Chamber of Commerce presented “bipartisanship” awards to Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin who blocked a $15 minimum wage. They’re not even pretending to be on your side anymore.
Education Is a Right — Not a Reward
States are giving away a handful of college scholarships in a lottery for students who get vaccinated. It’s like something out of dystopian sci-fi: only a lucky few get to avoid crushing student debt, the rest suffer. It doesn’t have to be this way.
The Filibuster Is the Ultimate Excuse for Democrats
The filibuster saga isn’t simply about Joe Manchin. It’s about the Democratic Party overall, and their continued interest in allowing process to prevent them from governing.