According to Senate documents, Apple spent a total of $1.56m on political lobbying in the US in the third quarter of 2020. The company spent this money in order to acquaint politicians and other officials with its views on taxes, the coronavirus pandemic and autonomous vehicles.
The documents (reported by AppleInsider) show that a team of seven lobbyists spoke on Apple’s behalf to representatives from both houses of Congress, the Treasury Department, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Department of Defense, the State Department and other authorities.
In addition to the topics mentioned above, the company showed considerable interest in environmental protections, the treatment of minorities and domestic chip production, an area where the company is looking for tax breaks.
Apple’s chief lobbyist is now Tim Powderly; Cynthia Hogan, who previously led Apple’s Washington team, has joined Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. It will be interesting to see, if Biden wins the election, if this helps the company build a strong relationship with the next president.
It’s worth noting that Apple’s spending hasn’t ensured an easy ride with US politicians this year: in July Tim Cook was forced to defend the App Store in front of an antitrust subcommittee.
This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by David Price.