That’s how much in income tax breaks U.S. corporations received in 2011, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The total refers to so-called tax expenditures — revenue that the federal government foregoes because of exemptions, deductions, credits, deferral or...
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Photograph by Scott Eells/Bloomberg
Bloomberg by the Numbers: $181 Billion
FedEx, Coca-Cola Pitch in for Obama
Add FedEx Corp. and the Coca-Cola Corp. to the list of donors to President Barack Obama’s inaugural committee. The two companies appear on the latest list of contributors. Obama is also getting financial help from labor unions, including the firefighters,...
Read more »ALEC Thought of Non-Profit — Then Thought Not
It’s been a rough year for ALEC. The American Legislative Exchange Council, a public-policy group that saw an exodus of corporate members after championing self-defense and voter-identification laws, looked at setting up a non-profit arm following allegations of violating its...
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Photograph by Mark Wilson/Pool via Bloomberg
President Barack Obama and his wife at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball in Washington on Jan. 20, 2009.
Obama’s Inauguration: Corporations are People Too, Unlimited Welcome
Written with Joe Sobczyk President Barack Obama’s inaugural committee will accept unlimited donations from corporations and individuals, reversing his stance of four years ago. After a presidential campaign that cost more than $2 billion in spending by candidates, political parties...
Read more »Democratic Convention Debt Will Cost Obama Campaign or Party Cash
The Democratic National Convention is in debt. And that could cost President Barack Obama or his party some needed campaign cash. Democrats ended their convention in Charlotte $5 million short of their budget even after being forced to draw down...
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Photograph by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
A rally at the Supreme Court to mark the second anniversary of the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court.
Super-PACs: Little From Corporations
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission may have overturned a century-old ban on corporations spending money on federal elections. Yet that 2010 ruling, which also spawned the creation of independent expenditure-only committees known as super-PACs...
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Photograph by Shawn Thew/EPA
Protesters planned to 'occupy' the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as courthouses across the country, in a show of protest against the two-year anniversary of the controversial Citizens United ruling.
Corporations: Hands-Off Candidates
While the Supreme Court has opened a floodgate of contributions to committees promoting or opposing candidates, a federal appeals court says the prohibition against corporations contributing directly to candidates remains: As Bloomberg’s Tom Schoenberg reports, a three-judge appeals panel in Richmond,...
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Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Donations to the Orange County Liberty Counsel in Florida.
Supreme Court Doubles the Money
If there was any doubt about the Supreme Court’s stance on Citizens United — the ruling that opened a floodgate of big donations to political campaigns — that was removed today. Without even holding any arguments on the case, the...
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Photograph by Bryan Oller/AP Photo
The stairway leading from Air Force One is readied for the arrival of President Barack Obama at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., on May 23, 2012.
Romney’s Corporation People, Obama’s Air Force One
The Iowa state fairgrounds are hallowed ground on the presidential campaign trail, a place where candidates courting caucus-goers traditionally take a turn on the local newspaper’s soap box. This is where Mitt Romney, campaigning for president last summer, famously asserted...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
