Koch brothers spent $400mn on US politics last year

The Koch brothers’ political network says it spent some $400 million on US politics in 2015 and is planning to cash out $899 million to shape this year’s presidential election.

The so-called donor network, which is overseen by the conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch, held its annual winter donor retreat at a luxury resort near Palm Springs, California, on Saturday.

It was revealed in the previous gatherings that the huge budget would allow the organization to operate at the same financial scale as the Democratic and Republican Parties.

To put the Koch network’s spending into perspective, it is worth mentioning that in the last US presidential election, the Republican National Committee and the party’s two congressional campaign committees spent a total of $657 million.

The $889 million spending goal for 2016 means that Kochs are ready to spend nearly as much as the campaigns of each party’s final presidential nominee in the race to succeed President Barack Obama into the White House.

The Koch brothers have kept their political and ideological activities a secret and decided to “open up” their network only after President Obama and many other Democratic figures called it a sinister force in American politics.

This year’s meeting was the largest of its kind as it was attended by 500 wealthy conservatives, about 150 of them first-time attendees and the rest were paid-up members of the network, which requires a minimum annual membership fee of $100,000.

The donors are gathering over a three-day period to discuss their various policy initiatives such as slashing taxes, government spending and regulations, and other less common topics such as criminal justice reform.

Politics was the highlight of this year’s meeting as the rise of New York billionaire Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election has many Koch donors concerned, given his unpredictable stance on conservative issues.

Some of the biggest-spending conservative families in America, such as Michigan’s DeVoses and the Adelsons from Las Vegas, are members of the network. They spend tens of millions of dollars each year to promote their favored politicians and causes.

In his introductory speech, Charles Koch told the donors he was seeking to change the trajectory of the American government and society.

The Koch brothers wield significant financial and political influence on US politics, both directly and indirectly, via various advocacy and lobbying organizations.

In a 2010 ruling, the US Supreme Court allowed unlimited independent spending by corporations in elections.

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