Google is the latest corporate giant to halt donations to Republican lawmakers who voted against Biden's certification as president, joining Amazon and Walmart
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- Google will halt political donations to lawmakers who opposed certifying Joe Biden's as president.
- It joins Walmart, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Dow, and AT&T in cutting funding to specific Republicans.
- Separately, JP Morgan, Microsoft, and Facebook said they will pause political donations to both Republicans and Democrats.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Google became the latest US corporate giant to pull political donations to Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory.
It won't make any contributions to them this cycle, a Google spokesperson told Insider. It had previously announced plans to pause all donations to both Republicans and Democrats for the quarter.
In the past its political action committee has donated to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who led the objection to the Electoral College certification.
This followed similar announcements from Marriott International, Amazon, Walmart, Morgan Stanley, Dow, Airbnb, and AT&T. Some companies, including JP Morgan and Facebook, said they will pause all political donations - including those to both Republicans and Democrats.
Popular Information first reported on the news of companies halting donations.
Congress met on January 6 to certify the result of the US presidential election. Fueled by months of conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of election fraud pushed by President Donald Trump and his backers, rioters stormed the Capitol. Five people died during the siege.
Congress ultimately voted to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win, but eight Republican senators and 139 representatives voted against this, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Several other GOP lawmakers who had said they would join dropped out following the riots.
In response, companies including Amazon, Marriott, Morgan Stanley, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Dow, AT&T, Boston Scientific, Disney, and Commerce Bank said they would stop political donations to those Republicans who backed Trump's election challenge.
"Just coming out with another public letter isn't going to do much," Thomas Glocer, former CEO of Thomson Reuters, said last Tuesday following a meeting of top CEOs where they discussed the impact of pulling political donations.
"Money is the key way," he added.
These views were echoed by Donald Hambrick, a professor of management at Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University, who told Insider senators who backed Trump's election challenge may rethink their stance on impeachment after losing corporate funding.
"These corporations could have a substantial effect on senators' votes," he said.
Retail, tech, and financial giants are pulling PACs
Employees are able to donate to political parties through Political Action Committees (PACs), which pool donations from members.
Marriott, the world's largest hotel chain, was one of the first large companies to pull funding following the siege.
"We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election," a spokeswoman told Insider.
Some financial giants have also made the move. Morgan Stanley would also halt donations to the GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying Biden's win, a spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg, and Commerce Bank is similarly halting PAC contributions to officials who "have impeded the peaceful transfer of power."
Chemical giant Dow told Insider that it would suspend funding to these Republicans for a period of one election cycle, including contributions to the candidates' reelection committee and their affiliated PACs. The company added that it is "committed to the principles of democracy and the peaceful transfer of power," and said its values guide its political contributions.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which provides healthcare coverage to around 100 million Americans, said it will suspend contributions "to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy."
Verizon, Boston Scientific, Disney, Walmart, Amazon, American Express, Mastercard, and Comcast are similarly halting payments to these Republicans.
"At this crucial time, our focus needs to be on working together for the good of the entire nation," Comcast hold Insider.
And financial giants including JP Morgan and Citibank alongside tech firms Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have said they will temporarily pause all political donations to both the Republicans and Democrats.
Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Ford, and Bank of America told Popular Information they would review donations on an individual basis.
How corporate America responded to the siege
"Cutting funding hits these politicians where it hurts," Penn State's Hambrick told Insider, describing it as the most "profound" action companies could take against lawmakers.
But pulling PACs isn't the only way corporate America has responded to the siege.
E-scooter startup Lime has vowed never to give money to businesses connected to Trump or Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and has scratched Trump's properties from its list of approved corporate travel hotels for its 600 employees. The Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) of America, meanwhile, pulled its 2022 Championship from Trump's New Jersey golf course, and Simon & Schuster canceled the scheduled publication of Hawley's upcoming book "The Tyranny of Big Tech."
Some of Trump's staunchest supporters also distanced themselves following the riots. Blackstone chairman, CEO, and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman - a longtime Trump ally who previously defended the president's election lawsuits during a call with top American CEOs - said he was "shocked and horrified."
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