ATA’s political contributions for 2016 elections skip presidential candidates so far, focus on trucking-minded legislators

Editor’s note: CCJ will publish more on political spending by trucking lobbying groups throughout the election cycle.

The political action committee (PAC) of the American Trucking Associations gave nearly $400,000 in contributions last year to candidates seeking office in the 2016 election cycle, according to publicly available data from the Federal Elections Commission.

Data pulled for the 13-month period between Jan. 1, 2015, and Jan. 31, 2016, shows ATA’s Trucking Political Action Committee has given nothing to presidential candidates yet, with nearly all of the total $388,000 going to candidates running for spots in the U.S. House and Senate.

Many of those to whom ATA contributed have in recent years either brought up legislation in Congress dealing with trucking or carrier issues or have fought for stronger highway and infrastructure funding.

CCJ compiled this list of notable recipients from ATA’s PAC:

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.): Blumenauer has floated several initiatives in recent years to drum up funding for U.S. highways and infrastructure, including calls for raising the at-pump tax on diesel and gasoline (a measure strongly backed by ATA) and research into miles traveled taxes. ATA’s PAC has given Blumenauer $5,000 since last January.

Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.): Boozman has been a strong advocate of allowing carriers to use hair sample testing to satisfy driver drug testing requirements and has several times either introduced legislation to do so or sponsored such legislation in bicameral efforts. ATA’s PAC has given Boozman’s 2016 campaign $3,500.