Corporations Resume Political Contributions After Jan. 6 Pause

(Bloomberg) -- More than 75% of corporate PACs that paused political donations in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last year resumed giving during 2021, according to a survey conducted by The Conference Board and the National Association of Business Political Action Committees.

The survey didn't specify whether those groups resumed donations to the 147 Republican congressional lawmakers who voted against certifying President Joe Biden's November 2020 win over former President Donald Trump that day, but more than half who responded said they'd changed their policies in response to the Jan. 6 riots. 

Dozens of high-profile companies announced within days of the riot that they would alter their political donating. Some ceased giving entirely, while others announced they would withhold donations from the 10 senators and 137 representatives who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

When donations resumed, some companies faced social media backlashes after giving to Republicans who objected to the election results, including Toyota. After a barrage of criticism in May, the company's PAC reversed its policy. Boeing Co. also faced criticism after its PAC after it resumed making donations to some election objectors in May, but it kept up the practice.

The survey asked respondents to gauge the difficulty in navigating the current political climate with hot-button issues like voting rights and climate change adding scrutiny to who companies support ahead of the 2022 midterms. 

Executives responsible for stewarding corporate PAC money expect a challenging environment for giving and lobbying ahead, with 87% saying that 2022 will be at least as difficult as 2021. 

“The scrutiny from the media and employees is not letting up,” said Paul Washington, executive director of The Conference Board ESG Center. “People are continuing to operate under a microscope.”

Corporations continue to face pressure to take positions on social and political issues, according to 77% of the survey's respondents, most of whom worked for Fortune 500 companies, according to The Conference Board. 

Companies also have to increasingly navigate concerns from their employees about their firm's political influence, the survey found. 

Washington said that 30% of PACs surveyed changed their policies to address social and environmental issues and not because of the Jan. 6 riots. 

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