Watchdog: U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives millions to fund far-right lawsuits

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pretends to be nonpartisan. So why has it given $7.5 million to a far-right Republican group, and almost nothing to Democrat groups, since 2018?

“The U.S. Chamber pretends to be a nonpartisan advocate for businesses. Yet the group funnels millions of dollars to extreme right-wing attorneys general that clog courtrooms with frivolous lawsuits aiming to rip away consumer protections and abortion access from everyday Americans,” said Caroline Ciccone, president of Accountable.US, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

Accountable.US obtained 2023 tax filings for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that show the chamber donated $375,000 directly and $375,620 indirectly to the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2023 through its U.S. Chamber Institute For Legal Reform.

How far out of the mainstream is this Republican Attorneys General Association?

Just last month, it filed an amended lawsuit against the FDA seeking to block access to the widely-used abortion pill mifepristone – an effort that threatens abortion access not only in states where it is currently restricted, but across the nation.

“What’s pro-business about denying women reproductive care?” Ciccone said.

The funding for RAGA is in line with other radical moves from the Chamber, which has a history of filing lawsuits in industry-friendly courts to block federal regulations designed to rein in corporate greed and abuse that hurts everyday American workers.

The Chamber led an industry-wide amicus brief in 2023 in support of the predatory lender trade group CFSA’s challenge against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure, as 16 Republican attorneys general filed their own amicus in support.

The Supreme Court denied a petition from RAGA seeking to argue in support of the predatory lenders’ lawsuit against the Bureau.