Political activities of the Koch brothers

Charles G. (born 1935) and David H. Koch (1940–2019), commonly referred to as the Koch brothers, have become famous for their financial and political influence in United States politics. From around 2004 to 2019, with "foresight and perseverance" the brothers organized like-minded wealthy libertarian-oriented conservatives, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money not just to lobby for their own immediate business and financial interests or donate to political candidates they favor, but to build an "integrated" and  "stealth" network of think tanks, foundations, "grassroots" movements, academic programs, advocacy and legal groups to "destroy the prevalent statist paradigm" and reshape public opinion towards minimal government.

The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C. Koch (1900–1967), who founded Koch Industries, now the second-largest privately held company in the United States. As of 2012 they owned 84% of Koch Industries stock, and as of December 2022, Charles Koch was estimated to be the 14th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $66 billion. Fred C. actually had four sons, but the other two—Fredrick and William—are not involved in the family business (Charles and David bought them out in 1983), Koch family foundations, or in the Koch political or philanthropic network.

The brothers' ideology is libertarian.
David Koch has described himself as a social liberal, and in early years of their political activity ran for vice president as the Libertarian Party's candidate.
However, his "intense" focus is "on economic and fiscal issues" rather than other libertarian issues, and
as of 2014 the millions of dollars both brothers have donated to candidates has gone to Republicans, not Libertarians.

A network of like-minded donors organized by the Kochs pledged to spend $889 million from 2009–2016 and its infrastructure has been said by ''Politico'' to rival "that of the Republican National Committee." They actively fund and support organizations that contribute significantly to Republican candidates, promote climate change denial, and in particular that lobby against efforts to expand government's role in health care and climate change mitigation. Unlike less patient or shrewd operators, they spent time and money on less visible projects "like influencing policy at the state legislative level". By 2010, they had donated more than $100 million to dozens of free-market and advocacy organizations. Despite its secrecy, the vast reach, massive funding, and political success of the network has gradually raised the brothers' profile and made them a "bogeyman" among many liberals and Democrats.

In May 2019, the Kochs announced a change in direction, described as a "turn away from partisan politics to focus more on goals that cut across ideologies". The Koch network would henceforth operate under the umbrella of Stand Together, a nonprofit focused on supporting community groups. The network emphasized this was “not a branding exercise” and stated that its priorities would efforts aimed at such anodyne goals as increasing employment, addressing poverty and addiction, ensuring excellent education, building a stronger economy, and bridging divides and building respect.

Background and history

The "Koch brothers" were sons of Fred C. Koch, a founding member of the John Birch Society. He gave a speech in 1963 warning of “a takeover” of America in which Communists would “infiltrate the highest offices of government in the U.S. until the president is a Communist, unknown to the rest of us”.

Starting in the 1970s, Charles and David Koch founded and provided sustained funding for an array of free-market and libertarian think tanks and academic research entities, including the Cato Institute (by the end of 1974, Mr. Koch had helped found what would become the Cato Institute) and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

In public opinion pieces and other forums, Charles Koch proclaimed economic freedom as essential to society's well-being.

On at least two occasions, David Koch voiced support for positions at odds with conservative Republican orthodoxy, such Social liberalism, legal abortion, same-sex marriage, using defense spending cuts and tax increases to balance the budget, and a withdrawal by the U.S. military from the Middle East. At the same time he has also said his "intense" focus is "on economic and fiscal issues" not social issues or "how much military we need,” and that on foreign policy "I’m not an expert ... so my opinion probably doesn’t count for very much.”
;Libertarian candidate
David was the Libertarian Party's vice-presidential candidate in 1980,''Quixotic ’80 Campaign Gave Birth to Kochs’ Powerful Network''
May 17, 2014 NYT. running on a platform of abolishing Social Security, the FBI, the CIA, and public schools. (His brother Charles also supported his candidacy.)
By being a candidate, Koch took advantage of campaign finance laws exempting him from limits on donations and ultimately "contributed about $2.1 million, more than half the ibertariancampaign budget.” This gave the candidates enough cash to run advertisements and try to get on the ballot in all 50 states.
However, he and running mate Ed Clark won only 1.1% of the vote, and the experience of running for office led him to change course: "I had enough ... are not a nation that debates issues. We vote on candidates' personalities." By 1984, David had parted company with the Libertarian Party, because, he said, "they nominated a ticket I wasn't happy with" and "so many of the hard-core Libertarian ideas are unrealistic." Charles was also soured on direct electioneering after the effort, telling a reporter that conventional politics "tends to be a nasty, corrupting business ... I'm interested in advancing libertarian ideas". In a 1974 speech to libertarian thinkers and business leaders in Dallas, Charles argued that the most effective response to Americans alienation from free markets and minimal government was "not political action", but “the development of a well-financed cadre of sound proponents of the free enterprise philosophy".
By 2012 David told Politico that he considered "himself a Republican first and foremost — rather than a Libertarian or a nonpartisan supporter of free enterprise".
According to writer Eric Black, the brothers move to the Republican Party doesn't stem from "a change of heart, but one of tactics" since libertarianism "was costly and could be bad for the family business long term.

Charles Koch funds and supports libertarian organizations such as the Cato Institute, which he co-founded with Edward H. Crane and Murray Rothbard in 1977, and is a board member at the Mercatus Center, a market-oriented research think tank at George Mason University. In 1985, the Kochs and a new adviser, Richard Fink, formed "Citizens for a Sound Economy", a free enterprise-oriented group that evolved into Americans for Prosperity.

In addition to funding think tanks, the brothers support libertarian academics; since 1992, Charles has funded the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program through the Institute for Humane Studies, which mentors young, self-described libertarians.
;2003 beginning of the network
It was in 2003 when the Koch's became disillusioned with mainstream Republican promotion of "certain regulations and new social spending on a Medicare drug program" under President George W. Bush. According to Charles, “we said, ‘Gosh, we’ve got to get involved in politics’”. This began the twice-yearly gatherings of wealthy conservative donors known as seminars, the funding and directing of "a full array of political party-like activities, including organizations that could operate in the states and mobilize grassroots activists along with paid operatives."

Secrecy

In a paper analyzing the John Birch Society, Charles Koch “argued in favor” of at least imitating the society when it came to "not widely advertising" who ran the society. Their father is quoted as saying, “The whale that spouts is the one that gets harpooned.”

Not surprisingly, the Koch brothers' “ambitious enterprise” was “largely hidden” from public view. They avoided “all but the minimum legally required financial disclosures”. The guest list at their gatherings was “shrouded in secrecy”. Guests were admonished to destroy all paperwork, make no mention of the event online or to the media, and make all arrangements through Koch staff, not resort employees. Any audio or visual recording gear (smart phones, i-pads, cameras) were confiscated prior to sessions. At at least one gathering, white-noise-emitting-loud speakers were pointed outwards from the event by audio technicians to foil any media attempting to listen in. When one breach of secrecy occurred, "an intense week-long internal investigation" was launched "to identify and plug the leak". Interested in maintaining their discreet influence, Charles and David donate to non-profit groups who do not disclose their donors.

Since 2008

The secrecy was effective enough that prior to the digging of investigative reporters such as Jane Mayer, even many Washington insiders had not heard of them.
However, after Barak Obama was elected in 2008, the Koch's led what some called an "all-out offensive" against Obama and congressional Democrats, attracting many other wealthy conservatives to their seminars and "deploying huge sums of secret money" to block Obama initiatives like cap and trade on carbon emissions and health care reform.

Since 2010, the brother have become highly visible, with "journalists and bloggers" reporting on their latest "fundraising goals and election maneuvers", Democrats demonizing them (Democratic fundraising appeals that mentioned the Koch brothers reportedly have generated more donations than those that do not), media interviewing them and publishing their op-eds.

Political activity

Koch Industries describes itself as being committed to free societies and free market principles and as supporting those who champion these things.
;Obama presidency
After the 2008 United States presidential election, when Democrats won the presidency, both houses of Congress, and the collapse of the housing market and threat of a bank collapse made ''laissez-faire'' free market economics appear untenable, the Koch brothers led the resistance to the triumphal Obama administration, warning that Americans "faced the greatest loss of liberty and prosperity since the 1930s". Billionaires came forth to invest in the Koch network" (nicknamed the "Kochtopus"). During Obama's administration, the Republican Party with the help of the Koch-network "made inroads at all levels of governments". At the state level, they gained 900 seats in state legislatures.

Political contributions

In 2008, the three main Koch family foundations contributed to 34 political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they directed. As of 2011, Koch Industries' political action committee had donated more than $2.6 million to candidates. The Koch brothers support primarily Republican candidates and in 2010 they supported California Proposition 23, which would have suspended the state's ''Global Warming Solutions Act'' of 2006. The brothers pledged to donate $60 million in the 2012 election season to defeat President Barack Obama. According to OpenSecrets, of $274 million in anonymous 2012 contributions, at least $86 million is "attributed to donor groups in the Koch network".

Governor Scott Walker contributions

According to '' Mother Jones'', Koch Industries' Political Action Committee (PAC) contributed the second largest donation to Scott Walker's 2010 campaign for governor of Wisconsin. It donated $43,000, second in size only to PAC donations of $43,125 from both the Wisconsin realtors and the Wisconsin home builders. That contribution amounted to less than 0.5% of Walker's campaign total because of the limits placed on campaign contributions. Most support for Walker was in the form of expenditures estimated at $3 million from Americans for Prosperity (AFP). Due to Koch's contribution to Walker's campaign, David Koch became a symbolic target for the protests.

According to the ''Palm Beach Post'', David Koch has been active in Wisconsin politics. Americans for Prosperity reportedly spent $700,000 on ads supporting Governor Scott Walker's changes to collective bargaining.

Mitt Romney presidential candidacy

In July 2012, David H. Koch hosted a $50,000-a-person ($75,000 a couple) fundraising dinner for 2012 Republican Party Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, which was the subject of liberal and progressive protests. Koch Industries cited the protests an example of what they see as liberal hypocrisy regarding fundraising as these same groups don't protest big money donations for Democratic fundraisers. William Koch, the younger brother of Charles and David, gave $1 million to Restore Our Future, a super-PAC backing Romney. During the 2008 presidential race, David Koch donated $2,300 to Romney.

2016 elections and President Donald Trump

A group associated with the Kochs announced plans to raise $889 million leading up to the 2016 elections. After the Republican primary, they decided to not donate to Trump's campaign at all, instead focusing on the Congress and Senate races. Charles Koch criticized Trump's Muslim travel ban suggestions during the campaign and said "it's possible" that Hillary Clinton could be a better president, although strongly denied rumours that he would actually support Clinton. In June 2018, the Kochs backed a multimillion-dollar campaign organized by three pro-free trade political groups to oppose the Trump tariffs.

In 2014, Charles Koch wrote an op-ed for ''The Wall Street Journal'', describing his agenda. Koch wrote that "our critics would have you believe we're un-American" and trying to "rig the system," and described his pursuit of "the principles of a free society." He described his opponents as "Collectivists" who promise "heaven but deliver hell." Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) placed the article into the ''Congressional Record''.

Change in focus

In the spring of 2019, the Koch network (made up of a "constellation of groups" and funded by "around 700 like-minded conservatives and libertarians who contribute at least $100,000 annually") rebranded itself from "The Seminar Network" to “Stand Together”. In a letter to supporters, Charles Koch outlined the change in mission.

“We live in a period of unprecedented progress — economic, social, technological — but not everyone has shared in that progress. While many people have gotten ahead, too many people are falling behind. Our charge is clear: we must stand together to help every person rise In many ways, this new name already expresses who we are. … But this new name also marks a new chapter — and a new call to action.”

According to a description in the Washington Post, the Stand Together Foundation is the name of a nonprofit arm that the Koch apparatus created in 2016 "to support community groups addressing maladies like poverty, addiction, recidivism, gang violence and homelessness" and has (as of 2019) "provided grants to 140 organizations".

"Freedom Partners, an entity that was once used to air campaign commercials, will cease to exist. Americans for Prosperity will now oversee all political and policy efforts. Groups that cater to specific constituencies, like Libre for Latinos or Concerned Veterans for America, have moved under the AFP umbrella."

Explanations for the change include Koch's concern over the success of non-libertarian Donald Trump in the Republican Party and his divisiveness, and/or the success of the goals of the original network.

Organizations

The Koch Network

The Koch network is a "tightly interlocked set of organizations" that the brothers and "their closest advisors have developed over time into an integrated political machine", and not an impenetrable “maze of money” funding all matter of of right-wing groups. While organizations outside of the core group also have been funded, most of the grants bestowed by "Koch funding conduits like Freedom Partners ... are temporary" and relatively tiny. While the network has also been called a third political party because of its size and organization ("According to Kenneth Vogel at Politico, the Koch network has about three and a half times as many employees as the Republican National Committee plus GOP congressional campaign affiliates"), its "network’s operatives and resources" do not work independently of that party, but "are closely intertwined" with it. For example, of the first fifteen directors of the different state Americans for Prosperity organizations, almost 70% "had previously held staff posts in GOP campaigns or in the offices of Republican elected officials".

As of mid 2018, the chief "lieutenants" of Charles and David Koch have encouraged media to refer to the "Koch network" rather than the "Koch brothers" in their reporting. The network was founded by Charles and David Koch and is made up of "several hundred" (another estimate is about 500) donors who pay a minimum of $100,000 each year, and work to influence American life in a conservative direction. The network has been called "one of the nation's most influential political forces", "a shadow political party, complete with its own field offices and national voter database". In the two years up to 2018 it is estimated to have spent $400 million on "policy and politics", and "millions more on educational and philanthropic initiatives".
The network meets twice a year at invitation-only summits, where a seminar is held promoting the political views of the brothers.
Although the network is said to have "secretive ranks", it is suspected that members include the founders of many large firms — "everything from Citadel to Franzia wine".

David Koch left the network in June 2018 due to ill health, and when Charles Koch (83) steps down as head of the network, it is "widely expected" that his son, Chase Koch, will take over (with assistance by "several longtime Koch aides"), and that Chase may turn the focus of the network away from partisan politics.

Network seminars

Charles and David have run fundraising/seminars on conservative public policy and political
strategy twice a year since 2003. Only about 17 people participated in 2003, but that grew to around 500 in early 2016. The seminars grew from raising less than $100 million in 2008, under $300 million in 2014, and somewhere between $700 and $900 million for the 2016 election cycle.

The gatherings were characterized by great secrecy (participants were routinely urged to destroy all paperwork of the gatherings)), commitment to conservative free market ideology, and the wealth of the participants, known as "investors" (in 2015, for example, 18 billionaires were present at a seminar).
An example of a seminar at the network gatherings was one entitled "Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity", at the June 2010 event in Aspen, Colorado. The meeting invitation stated that " urprosperity is under attack by the current .e. the ObamaAdministration and many of our elected officials" and "we cannot rely on politicians to efend our free society so it is up to us to combat what is now the greatest assault on American freedom and prosperity in our lifetimes". The seminar program indicated that past meetings have featured speakers including Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas; Governors Bobby Jindal and Haley Barbour; commentators John Stossel, Charles Krauthammer, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh; Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn; and Representatives Paul Ryan, Mike Pence, and Tom Price.
Some presentations at the gatherings are restricted. Guests may be required to give up their cell phones, media presence limited to only "a handful" of organizations, and photos and videos "strictly prohibited".

Impact

One 1997 study by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy identified twelve American foundations which have had a key influence on U.S. public policy since the 1960s via their support for the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Cato Institute. Three of these are Koch Family Foundations (the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation).

In 2017, historian Nancy MacLean investigated the political activities of the Koch brothers in her book ''Democracy in Chains''. She found that several Koch Family Foundations had significantly nurtured the libertarian movement in the United states.

Family foundations

The Koch family foundations began in 1953 with the establishment of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. In 1980, Charles Koch established the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, with the stated purpose of advancing social progress and well-being through the development, application and dissemination of "the Science of Liberty". David Koch established the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation. The two brothers' foundations have provided an estimated $1.5 billion to a variety of causes and institutions including public television, medical research, higher education, environmental stewardship, criminal justice reform and the arts.

Charles Koch and his wife were trustees of the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, as directed by Claude R. Lambe. The foundation distributed more than $27 million of its assets between 1997 and 2009. The Claude. R. Lambe Charitable Foundation was formally dissolved in 2013.

Think tanks and political organizations

Charles and David Koch have been involved in, and have provided funding to, a number of other think tanks and public policy organizations: They provided the initial funding for the Cato Institute, they are key donors to the Federalist Society, and they also support, or are members of, the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Institute for Justice, the Institute for Energy Research, the Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the Reason Foundation, the George C. Marshall Institute, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Fraser Institute, and the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. As of 2015, David Koch sat on the board of directors of the Cato Institute, the Reason Foundation and the Aspen Institute. A 2013 study by OpenSecrets said that nonprofit groups backed by a donor network organized by Charles and David Koch raised more than $400 million in the 2011–2012 election cycle.

Americans for Prosperity

=Citizens for a Sound Economy

=

Citizens for a Sound Economy was co-founded by David Koch in 1985. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the Koch Brothers donated a total of $7.9 million between 1986 and 1993. In 1990, the brothers created the spinoff group Citizens for the Environment. In 2004, Citizens for a Sound Economy was renamed FreedomWorks, while its affiliated Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation became Americans for Prosperity (AFP). Since then the Koch brothers have given more than one million dollars to AFP.

=Americans for Prosperity

=
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation has been called the Koch brothers' "main political arm", "primary political advocacy group", "flagship political operation",
As of 2016, it had "paid staff in 34 states and contact lists for millions of conservative activists nationwide". David Koch was the top initial funder ("by far the single largest contributor") of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. At AFP's 2009 annual summit meeting, David Koch said "Five years ago, my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start the Americans for Prosperity, and it's beyond my wildest dreams how AFP has grown into this enormous organization." AFP is the political arm of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, for which David Koch serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Americans for Prosperity created Patients United Now, which advocated against a single-payer health care system during the 2009-2010 healthcare reform debate. Both FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity have provided support for the Tea Party movement. AFP spent $45 million in the 2010 election.

Cato Institute

The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded as the Charles Koch Foundation in 1974 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch. Following the 2011 death of William Niskanen, the chairman of the Cato Institute, Charles and David Koch reportedly made an effort to procure the shares of that institute held by Niskanen's widow, "arguing that they were not hers to hold". Their efforts were criticized by some at the institute, including the institute's president Ed Crane, who in an email to staff stated that the Kochs were "in the process of trying to take over the Cato Institute. The brothers issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and stated they "never asserted that Cato should be directly by, or at the whim of, any other organization, or that they should aspire to advocate the way AFP does. In June 2012, Cato and the brothers reached an agreement. Crane stepped down and was replaced by John A. Allison IV; the Kochs withdrew two lawsuits.

Freedom Partners

Freedom Partners gave grants worth a total of $236 million to conservative organizations, groups like the Tea Party Patriots and organizations which opposed the Affordable Care Act prior to the 2012 election. Freedom Partners financed the socially conservative group Concerned Women for America, a leading opponent of same-sex marriage in the United States A majority of Freedom Partners board of directors is made up of long-time employees of the Koch brothers.

Concerned Veterans for America

The Koch network funds the nonprofit group Concerned Veterans for America. The group favors privatizing the Veterans Administration, or as the organization describes it, converting the VA into an "independent, government-chartered nonprofit corporation." The goal is opposed by Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Other groups

The Kochs donated more than $17 million between 1997 and 2008 to various groups including the Competitive Enterprise Institute. It describes itself as offering information on issues including, among others, energy, environment, biotechnology, pharmaceutical regulation, chemical risk, telecommunications, etc.

The Kochs have donated millions of dollars via organizations they fund to the National Federation of Independent Business. In 2013 "NFIB and its affiliated groups received $2.5 million from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a conservative advocacy group with deep ties to the Koch empire. Of the five men that sit on the group's board, four are current or former employees of Koch companies and one is a friend of Charles Koch's."

Other groups the Kochs have supported include
*"Generation Opportunity", a right-wing youth mobilization effort;
*"Libre Initiative" to engage Hispanics to support low taxes and less business regulation, or “to empower Hispanics” and advance “liberty, freedom and prosperity.”;
* Themis/i360, which collects and analyzes voter data, maintaining "a database of over 250 million 18+ adults, including the 190 million who are registered to vote"; and
* Aegis Strategic, which recruits and trains conservative candidates such as now Senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst.

Educational grants

Between 2007 and 2012, Koch family foundations reportedly "contributed $30.5 million to 221 colleges and universities".
The Charles Koch Foundation (and in the case of Kansas schools, the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation) provides grants as of 2013, to nearly 270 U.S. colleges and universities for "projects that explore how the principles of free enterprise and classical liberalism promote a more peaceful and prosperous society".

In 2011, the Charles G. Koch foundation made a grant of $1.5 million to Florida State University (FSU) in exchange for allowing the foundation, via an advisory committee, to approve hiring decisions in the university's economics department for a program that promotes "political economy and free enterprise". The FSU student senate introduced a resolution protesting the Koch's "undue influence on academics as established by the current agreement between the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the FSU Economics department." In response, John Hardin, who is a program officer with the Charles Koch Foundation, stated that, "when we support a school's initiative, it is to expand opportunity and increase the diversity of ideas available on campus."

In 2014, the brothers made a $25 million grant to the United Negro College Fund. After the fund's president also appeared at a summit held by the brothers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a major labor union, providing $50,000 annually ended its support for the fund in protest.

Issues and policy

Climate change and use of fossil fuels

The Koch brothers have played an active role in opposing climate change legislation, particularly in preventing the passing of passing of legislation at the start of the Obama administration when there was widespread consensus on its need (in institutions such as U.S. Department of Defense, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a U.S. National Security Strategy report), and when control of Congress and the Presidency was in the hands of the party in favor of climate change legislation (the Democrats). However, for carbon emissions to stay "within the range" thought necessary to potentially prevent "irreversible global damage to life on earth", 80% of the reserves of the fossil fuel industry would have to "stay unused in the ground", a potentially "catastrophic" financial loss to the Koch brothers and the other coal, oil and gas reserve owners (Corbin Robertson Jr., Harold Hamm, Larry Nichols, Philip Anschutz, etc.) that formed the core of the Koch network (according to climate scientists and journalist Jane Mayer).

The Koch brothers and their network fought global warming legislation (such as carbon emissions cap and trade, carbon tax) both through direct political activity (lobbying congress, supporting political candidates who opposed climate action) and through work by its organizations to change public opinion by sewing doubt on the science of global warming.

Koch Industries massively increased their lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. during the presidency of Barack Obama in order to fight against the market-based regulation of carbon emissions known as " cap and trade", according to journalist Christopher Leonard In particular, "in 2011 and 2012, Koch Industries Public Sector LLC, (the lobbying arm of Koch Industries), advocated for the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would have rolled back the Supreme Court's ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could regulate greenhouse gases, according to the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University According to Kert Davies, the founder and director of Climate Investigations Center, “you’d have a carbon tax, or something better, today, if not for the Kochs. They stopped anything from happening back when there was still time.”

According to the environmentalist group Greenpeace, organizations that the Koch brothers help fund such as Americans for Prosperity, the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the Manhattan Institute have been active in questioning global warming. Through Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers influenced more than 400 members of Congress to sign a pledge to vote against climate change legislation that does not include equivalent tax cuts.

The Koch Foundation is a major funder of the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project, an effort started
by two scientists -- Richard and Elizabeth Muller -- who "found merit in some of the concerns of climate skeptics" and organized a group of scientists in early 2010 to "reanalyze the Earth’s surface temperature record".
UC Berkeley physicist Richard A. Muller had initially concluded that global warming climate data was flawed, but later reversed his views, issuing a statement in mid-2012 supporting scientific consensus.
In an article about the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature study (Chair Richard A. Muller), ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter Margot Roosevelt called the Koch Brothers "the nation's most prominent funders of efforts to prevent curbs on fossil-fuel burning".

The Charles G. Koch Foundation gave the Smithsonian Institution two grants totaling $175,000 in 2005/6 and again in 2010 to support research of climate change denier Willie Soon. Soon has stated that he has "never been motivated by financial reward in any of my scientific research". The foundation helped finance a 2007 analysis suggesting that climate change was not a threat to the survival of polar bears, which was questioned by other researchers.

In 2010, Koch Industries supported efforts to roll back emission regulations in California.

The Koch brothers' Lambe Foundation has donated to the American Energy Alliance, an offshoot of the Institute for Energy Research that promotes looser regulations on oil and gas energy exploration and production.

In January 2011, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine included the Koch brothers on its list of the top twelve people blocking progress on global warming.

In March 2015, the general counsel of Koch Industries, in a letter responding to a request from three Senate Democrats, wrote that "The activity efforts about which you inquire, and Koch's involvement, if any, in them, are at the core of the fundamental liberties protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution", and declined to cooperate with the senators' inquiry into the funding of researchers skeptical of climate change.

The Kochs have also funded efforts to stop the growth of solar power.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Koch brothers-funded groups including Americans for Prosperity, Pacific Research Institute, Center to Protect Patient Rights, and Generation Opportunity opposed the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) commonly called Obamacare, favoring a free-market approach.

Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity and Generation Opportunity ran more than $3 million worth of advertisements opposing the Affordable Care Act, including a series of ads in which Uncle Sam was depicted as a "creepy" doctor. The ads are directed at women and young adults, and are designed to "undermine confidence" and to dissuade younger people from enrolling in health care coverage through exchanges which opened October 1, 2013. In October 2013, the Americans for Prosperity group began a campaign to oppose " Obamacare" in the state of Virginia.

Gay rights

David Koch supported gay marriage; in 2015 signed an amicus curiae in the ''DeBoer v. Snyder'' case which supported same-sex couples constitutional right to marry. Some gay rights advocates have complained that despite the brothers' ideological libertarian stand against "government ‘intrusions,’ including ... laws that criminalized homosexuality", their devotion to conservative causes sometimes led them to support anti-gay rights politicians, (The network "contributed heavily to Vice President Mike Pence’s two campaigns for governor of Indiana”), and organizations (the American Legislative Exchange Council, which "at least in its early years, strongly opposed LGBTQ equality").

Abortion

David Koch was pro-choice. However, critics have noted that the Koch brothers network "helped to bankroll the anti-abortion groups" (such as a $500,000 donation to the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List) that successfully supported Supreme Court nominees (Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett) who helped overturn Roe v. Wade ruling. In 2010, the Koch brothers network group Center to Protect Patient Rights "provided Americans United for Life Action (AULA) with 39 percent of the group’s operating budget that year." In the same year it "granted more than $1 million to the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List", which amounted "about half of the $2 million the group spent that year on advertising for anti-choice candidates and against pro-choice candidates in state and federal races across the country."
A Koch network spokesman was quoted as saying “We do not and have never worked on the issue of abortion. The grant in 2017 o the Susan B. Anthony Listwas the last payment on a previous commitment by Freedom Partners, which was intended to support SBA’s grassroots efforts to get-out-the-vote among those concerned about government spending — not issue advocacy.” two major organizations linked to Charles and David Koch—the Center to Protect Patient Rights and Freedom Partners—and found that both were funding millions of dollars into the movement to ban abortion and restrict contraception access.

Criminal justice reform

The Koch brothers have advocated reform of the United States' criminal justice system. In 2011, Koch Industries received a "Defender of Justice award" from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in recognition of their financial support for providing low-income defendants with competent legal representation.

The Kochs stepped up their work on the issue in 2015, partnering with left-leaning groups to promote reforms to reduce incarceration in the United States. The Kochs aligned with President Barack Obama in heading criminal justice reform, citing poor conditions and an outdated system. In addition to the president, the Kochs have partnered with groups such as the ACLU, the Center for American Progress, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the Coalition for Public Safety, and the MacArthur Foundation. The Kochs, along with their partners, seek to aid those suffering from systemic overcriminalization and overincarceration, who are generally from low-income and minority communities. Another goal for the Kochs' criminal justice reforms is to reduce recidivism and diminish barriers faced by rehabilitated citizens seeking reintroduction into the work force and society. The Kochs and the ACLU are also invested in putting an end to Asset forfeiture by law enforcement, which deprives persons of often the bulk of their private property.

In July 2015, after the rare show of bipartisanship, President Obama praised the Kochs' work on the issue. Similarly, civil rights activist Anthony Van Jones lent a comparable praise towards the Kochs' actions. Although critics have called the announcement a public relations stunt on behalf of the Kochs in the midst of media attacks, several media outlets noted that Charles Koch had been making substantial donations for criminal justice reform for almost a decade before the news was made public.

Among the reforms are a push for further mens rea requirements, meaning criminal intent must be proven to establish fault. The Justice Department noted that some white-collar crimes, including food safety violations and corporate pollution, would become more difficult to prosecute. However, the Justice Department has been accused of over-criminalizing persons who have committed minor infractions without intent or even knowledge of the law. In essence, the reforms could potentially overturn ''Ignorantia juris non excusat'' statutes.

In early 2018, the Koch network continued its mission to "promote criminal justice reform and anti-recidivism programs" through discussions with the Department of Justice in Washington, and initiatives like the Safe Streets and Second changes program. While many see Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a potential roadblock to the Koch networks goal of broader criminal justice reform in the United States, Mark Holden, vice president and general counsel for Koch Industries, notes that they are making in roads with the Attorney General, starting with prison reform.

The Koch network, at their 2018 meeting the launch of Safe Streets and Second Chances, announced a $4 million pilot project designed to shift the American criminal justice system from punishment to prioritizing rehabilitation. The initiative, led by Koch Industries in conjunction with the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime, will launch in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Researchers will develop "individualized re-entry" plans for over 1,000 participants at 8 sites and then analyze the results.

COVID-19

The Koch-funded American Institute for Economic Research sponsored the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement that advocates an alternative, risk-based approach to the COVID-19 pandemic that involves "Focused Protection" of those most at risk and seeks to avoid or minimize the societal harm of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The Charles Koch Institute is a "major benefactor" of the Independent Women’s Forum, an American conservative non-profit organization focused on economic policy issues of concern to women, which opposed efforts to combat the coronavirus through mask mandates in schools. The group circulated a template letter to its members encouraging them to personalize and mail it to "your own school superintendents and administrators, principals, and teachers!" Among other things the proposed letter asserted that "young kids do not significantly spread COVID either" and claimed that "common sense" teaches that requiring masks in school may lead to anxiety, depression, decreases in socialization skills, and increases in tooth decay in children.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Koch network funded several research projects that expressed support for lockdowns and similar Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology) policies. In March 2020 the Koch-funded Mercatus Center at George Mason University awarded an Emergent Ventures grant to Neil M. Ferguson of Imperial College London for "good policy thinking" in support of his COVID-19 epidemiological model. Ferguson's model proved highly influential in inducing public health officials to adopt lockdown policies worldwide. A grant from the Charles Koch Foundation funded a National Bureau of Economic Research study finding that California's shelter-in-place style lockdown policy "led to as many as 1,661 fewer COVID-19 deaths" in the spring of 2020. A Koch Foundation grant supported a study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, attributing a Superspreader event to the lack of social distancing at the August 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The Koch Foundation similarly funded a set of studies by faculty at Bowling Green State University, arguing that political opposition to lockdowns and non-compliance with lockdown measures were explained by "libertarian and neoliberal elements within Christian nationalism" and "xenophobic" beliefs within these groups.

Critical race theory

Opposition to what was purported to be critical race theory was promoted by organizations funded by the Koch brothers in 2021. However, in September 2021, leaders of the Koch network came out in opposition to government bans of critical race theory.

Evolution

In 2009 David Koch gave the Smithsonian Institution $15 million for the purpose of building a hall covering 6 million years of human evolution. He has given the American Museum of Natural History $20 million and the Smithsonian $35 million to build dinosaur halls.

Immigration

In early 2018, the network announced its plans to encourage immigration reform, including legal paths to citizenship for DACA recipients and reforms to the existing visa lottery program.

Response to Harry Reid

In 2014, Koch Companies Public Sector CEO Philip Ellender responded to comments that Democrat Harry Reid made on the floor of the Senate, when he said that the Koch brothers were trying to "buy the country". In a statement, Philip Ellender, the president and chief operating officer at Koch Companies Public Sector said "Sen. Reid's divisive remarks were not only disrespectful and beneath the office he holds, they were indicative of what lengths he and his Democratic allies will go to eliminate and silence their political opposition."

Jane Mayer article in ''The New Yorker''

According to Mayer: "The Koch brothers are known for their strongly conservative politics and for their efforts to finance a network of advocacy groups whose goal is to move the country to the right."

Conor Friedersdorf wrote for ''The Atlantic''s " Daily Dish" that, while he respected Mayer, "as best I can tell, the Koch brothers are legitimately upset by ''some'' aspects of the piece, and anyone who reads it should also look at the rebuttals from libertarians who are persuasively pushing back against ''some'' of its conclusions."

A Koch Industries company spokesperson issued a statement saying "No funding has been provided by Koch companies, the Koch foundation, or Charles Koch or David Koch specifically to support the tea parties". Koch Industries posted a reply on its website. It acknowledged funding libertarian and conservative causes,Koch Industries webpage, "Koch Facts" section
Accessed 2014-11-27. but stated there were inaccuracies and distortions in Mayer's article, and that she failed to identify alleged conflicts of interest on the part of several persons whom she quoted.

See also

* Campaign finance in the United States
* ''Citizen Koch'', 2013 documentary film
* ''Koch Brothers Exposed'', a documentary film about the political activities of the Koch brothers
* KochPAC, the Koch Industries Inc Political Action Committee
* Political finance
* Climate change

References

External links

*

Inside the Koch Brothers' Toxic Empire
''Rolling Stone.'' September 24, 2014.

Response to Rolling Stone article
September 25, 2014.

Koch Industries Responds to Rolling Stone – And We Answer Back
''Rolling Stone.'' September 29, 2014.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch Brothers, Political Activities Of The

Politics of the United States
Libertarianism in the United States
Tea Party movement
Politics of Kansas