Money Talks: Corporate America Defunds Republicans in Wake of Capitol Siege



A growing number of high-profile companies are beginning to pause or completely halt political donations in the midst of high tensions surrounding the 2020 election results and the capitol building insurrection on January 6, 2021. JPMorgan Chase, Facebook, and Microsoft are among the companies that have announced they will be suspending all political donations while businesses such as Hallmark, AT&T, and Amazon took things to the next level.

AT&T and Amazon were two donors that decided to take a more targetted approach, suspending all donations to only the Republican lawmakers that voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win. Similar actions were taken by companies ranging from Verizon and Comcast to Dow Inc. Dow, a commodity chemical company, went as far as withholding donations for Republicans' entire terms in office.

Greeting card and Christmas movie specialist Hallmark put out the following statement on the matter:
“Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind. The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our company’s values. As a result, HALLPAC requested Sens. Hawley and Marshall to return all HALLPAC campaign contributions.”
Hallmark's contributions to the two senators total $3,000 to Hawley and $5,000 to Marshall. Other companies, such as AT&T, may have a larger impact on lawmakers' wallets, but it is difficult to predict exactly what effect this movement of corporate donation suspending will have. For now, though, corporate America seems to be sending a clear message to the politicians it supports — and an even clearer one to the ones they no longer do.



Basil E. Bacorn

Basil E. Bacorn is an author, artist, entrepreneur, and aspiring entertainer. He has written and published over ten books, including Geek Gods, The Book of Random Thoughts, The Circle's Problem, and the Dark's Descent Series, and has earned an associate's degree in Business and Entrepreneurial Studies.

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