Facebook, Google, Microsoft and others pause political contributions after U.S. Capitol riot
Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, October 23, 2019.
Erin Scott | Reuters
Tech companies including Facebook, Google and Microsoft announced Monday they are pausing contributions from their political action committees in the wake of the invasion of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday by insurgents incited by President Donald Trump.
“Following last week’s awful violence in D.C., we are pausing all of our PAC contributions for at least the current quarter, while we review our policies,” a Facebook spokesman said in a statement. Axios first reported Facebook’s plans to halt political donations.
Google also said it would halt contributions from its PAC in light of the recent events.
“We have frozen all NetPAC political contributions while we review and reassess its policies following last week’s deeply troubling events,” a Google spokesperson said.
Microsoft said it had decided last Friday to assess “the implications of last week’s events” before making additional contributions from its PAC.
“The PAC regularly pauses its donations in the first quarter of a new Congress, but it will take additional steps this year to consider these recent events and consult with employees,” Microsoft said in a statement.
T-Mobile took a similar stance, saying it would “reevaluate” its PAC contributions.
While Microsoft, Google and Facebook are taking a broad approach to halting contributions, others have been more targeted. Airbnb said on Monday its PAC will “withhold support from those who voted against the certification of the presidential election results.”
Companies from other industries have taken a similar stand.
Tech PACs tend to donate to both Republican and Democratic candidates. Federal Election Commission data shows Microsoft’s PAC donated in 2018 to the senate campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, one of the lawmakers who sought to object to President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral votes, and the 2016 Missouri attorney general campaign for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who joined Cruz in the effort.
Google’s PAC also donated to Cruz’s Senate campaign in 2017 and 2018. T-Mobile’s PAC gave to both Cruz and Hawley’s Senate campaigns as recently as last year.
Facebook and Airbnb did not appear to donate to either candidate in the past few election cycles.
