Original data journalism from VoteLog. Each investigation combines the site's legislative, campaign-finance, and public-statement datasets into a focused piece of reporting.
The donors behind AIPAC's political money
The Integration Pipeline: AIPAC and the FUTURES Act
Michigan U.S. Senate 2026 Democratic primary: all the money
Minnesota U.S. Senate 2026 Democratic primary: all the money
Published July 14, 2026. From the investigation:
AIPAC disclosed lobbying Pentagon on U.S.-Israel technology provisions in defense bill, filings show
The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force (public domain).
The nine lobbyists named in the filing pushed action on dozens of pieces of legislation touching both Iran and Israel — from a slate of Iran sanctions bills, including the
One entry stands apart from the rest of the list: H.R. 425, the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act. The bill has no apparent connection to Israel — it would repeal the Corporate Transparency Act, the anti-money-laundering law that requires companies to disclose their true owners to the Treasury Department, and would order the government to delete the ownership data it has already collected. The group has not publicly explained its interest in the bill.
AIPAC's first-quarter filing, posted in April, reported $844,410 and listed the same bills, with contacts including the National Security Council, the State Department and four other agencies. The two filings put the group's disclosed lobbying income above $1.65 million for the first half of 2026.
Its central provision reappeared in May in the House Armed Services Committee chairman's mark of the defense bill as Section 224, later renumbered 219, and in the Senate Armed Services Committee's bill as Section 1217. The Senate committee's report titles the section the "United States-Israel Framework for Upgraded Technologies, Unified Research, and Enhanced Security (FUTURES) Act of 2026."
The provision directs the secretary of defense, "in consultation with the Minister of Defense of Israel," to establish a defense technology cooperation initiative covering research, development, testing and industrial cooperation, according to the report. Areas listed in the bill include artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber capabilities, missile defense and biotechnology.
The Senate bill contains additional Israel-related provisions, including modifications to existing joint programs, a $30 million increase for counter-drone cooperation and a provision on expediting the refueling of Israeli aircraft, the report shows.
The legislation follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement to The Economist in January that Israel intends to reduce reliance on U.S. military assistance. The current U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding, which provides about $3.8 billion annually in military assistance, expires in 2028.
FDD Action, the advocacy arm of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, reported $270,000 in first-quarter lobbying expenses on issues including the FUTURES Act, "all provisions," and listed the White House Office among entities contacted, according to its filing. Second-quarter filings are due July 20.
Original reporting and analysis drawing on the VoteLog congressional dataset, campaign finance records, and primary documents.
Minnesota U.S. Senate — 2026 Democratic primary: all the money
Every dollar in the Flanagan–Craig primary, traced to FEC filings: outside spending by committee and purpose, super PAC donors, campaign fundraising composition, and a final-stretch tracker refreshed on a schedule through the primary.
Michigan U.S. Senate — 2026 Democratic primary: all the money
Every dollar in the Stevens–El-Sayed primary, traced to FEC filings: outside spending by committee and purpose, super PAC donors, campaign fundraising composition, conduit earmarks, and a final-stretch tracker refreshed on a schedule through the primary.
Two ranked lists from FEC filings: the mega-donors funding United Democracy Project, AIPAC's $217.8 million super PAC (Singer, Saban, Marcus, Rowan) and the top 50 bundlers routing earmarked checks to candidates through AIPAC's PAC. Plus the $51.5 million AIPAC transferred to its own super PAC.
AIPAC lobbied Pentagon on U.S.-Israel tech provisions, filings show
AIPAC's Q2 2026 lobbying disclosure lists the Defense Department among agencies contacted on the FUTURES Act and the FY2027 NDAA. A review of Senate and House closed-session vote records reveals quiet opposition.