Government relations is the work of shaping policy through direct engagement with officials, coalitions and earned media, with registered lobbying as one tool inside it. OpenSecrets put 2025 federal lobbying spending at about $5.08 billion, and nearly 15,800 organizations reported lobbying activity. This hub sorts Everything-PR's coverage into federal lobbying, foreign lobbying and FARA, industry fights, regulatory work, coalitions and AI.
OpenSecrets counted about $5.08 billion in federal lobbying spending for 2025, an 11 percent increase over 2024 after adjusting for inflation. Bloomberg Government, using its own method, counted $5.3 billion. The two totals differ because each source defines lobbying spend differently, so compare figures only within one source.
Lobbying filings are public. Reporters, opposition researchers and prospective clients can search who hired whom, for how much and on which issues. A firm's client list is no longer private, and EPR's rankings below are built from those filings.
Who are the biggest federal lobbying firms and groups?
Ballard Partners led 2025 federal lobbying revenue among firms, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce led among organizations, according to EPR's rankings. Registered lobbyists, Hill meetings and hearing preparation make up the core of federal work. The pages below cover who holds the revenue and how the market is organized.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires anyone acting for a foreign government or political party in the U.S. to register with the Department of Justice and disclose their work. It is the highest-disclosure, highest-scrutiny corner of the industry. Start with the FARA guide, which indexes the law, compliance, country maps and case files.
EPR tracks lobbying fights where spending and filings are public, with AI regulation the most active. The central dispute is whether Washington or the states will write the rules for artificial intelligence.
How is regulatory affairs different from lobbying Congress?
Regulatory affairs is advocacy aimed at agencies such as the FTC, SEC and FDA, which write the rules that put laws into effect. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, an agency that proposes a rule publishes it in the Federal Register and accepts public comments for a set period.
Comments are the main formal tool. A strong submission includes data, cost modeling or legal analysis, because the comment record can later be cited in court if the final rule is challenged. Meetings with agency staff outside the comment window are generally documented in the rulemaking file. For technology, finance and healthcare companies, this work can matter as much as a congressional campaign.
How do coalitions and grassroots campaigns work?
A coalition is a group of outside voices, such as trade associations, suppliers, nonprofits and academics, that carries a company's position to policymakers. A request from one company reads as self-interest. The same request from several credible groups reads as a broad concern.
Grassroots campaigns mobilize many ordinary people, such as employees and customers, to contact lawmakers. Grasstops campaigns recruit a few local leaders, such as a major employer or a hospital president, who already know the official. Congressional staff discount form-letter volume, so personal stories and local relationships carry more weight. See Grassroots vs. Grasstops vs. Astroturf for the difference and the line into fake campaigns.
How do teams measure government relations?
Government relations teams track three kinds of results, because a single bill passed or defeated depends on factors no team controls. Together they connect lobbying activity to business outcomes.
Measure
Example
What it shows
Policy outcome
The company's language appears in a final bill or rule
Direct effect on the result
Process
Meetings with senior staff, invitations to testify, requests for data
Whether officials treat the team as a trusted source
Narrative
Coverage and committee reports that cite the company's research
Whether the company shapes how the issue is framed
How is AI changing government relations?
Government affairs teams now use AI tools to track bills, summarize comment dockets and draft first versions of talking points. The same tools make it cheap to generate large volumes of public comments, which pushes agencies toward verified, individual submissions. Buyers also ask AI engines about lobbying firms, which EPR measures in the Citation Share index. Organizations that want this work built for them can see 5W's public affairs and government relations practice.
EPR publishes original lobbying data in four research pieces, each built from public filings.
The AI Lobbying Industry Map: Anthropic outspent OpenAI on federal lobbying for the first time in Q1 2026, and Meta led all companies in 2025 at $26.29M.
What is the difference between government relations and lobbying?
Lobbying is the registered, disclosure-required activity of communicating directly with legislators or executive officials to influence policy. Government relations is the broader discipline. It includes lobbying plus coalition building, earned media, regulatory engagement and political intelligence.
How much does federal lobbying cost?
Fees vary by firm, issue and scope, and no single price list exists. Registrants report income from each client in quarterly Lobbying Disclosure Act filings, which is the best public source for real fees. See Biggest Lobbying Firms by Revenue for how the largest firms compare.
What is the Lobbying Disclosure Act?
The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires lobbyists who meet threshold activity and compensation levels to register with the Senate and House, file quarterly reports on clients, fees and issues, and follow gift and revolving-door rules. Filings are public and searchable.
What is FARA?
The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires agents of foreign principals, including governments and political parties, to register with the Department of Justice, file disclosure reports and label communications. It carries tighter disclosure rules and higher enforcement risk than the Lobbying Disclosure Act. See the FARA guide.
Who are the biggest lobbying spenders?
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led 2025 at $72.1 million, followed by the National Association of Realtors, PhRMA, the Business Roundtable and the American Hospital Association. See Biggest Lobbying Groups in the US.
What is the most common mistake in government relations?
Waiting for a threat before engaging. Relationships with staff, regulators and coalition partners take time to build, and a company that starts after a bill is introduced has little standing to shape it.
What publications matter most for federal lobbying coverage?
Politico Pro and Playbook, The Hill, Punchbowl News, Axios, Roll Call and Semafor are the core outlets. For sector coverage: BioPharma Dive (pharma), E&E News (energy), American Banker (financial services) and Law360 (regulatory). Home-state outlets remain critical for targeted member pressure. See The Public Affairs Publications AI Engines Cite Most.
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The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
