OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become the primary artificial intelligence tool for Congress based on financial records showing it received roughly 90% of spending by House offices and committees during the year ending March 31. A report from CNBC indicates that lawmakers spent approximately $100,580 across 798 transactions on the service, while total AI spending reached at least $113,740. The second most popular tool was Anthropic‘s Claude, which saw $13,160 spent across 37 transactions. Democratic offices accounted for $54,165 in purchases, a figure three times higher than the $15,782 spent by Republican offices. These figures exclude usage of free accounts or AI features bundled into larger software contracts.
The data highlights a clear preference for specific large language models in daily legislative work. Staffers apply these tools to write memos, summarise legislation, respond to constituents, and draft social media posts. The spending gap between parties suggests differing levels of investment in digital assistance within their respective offices. This concentration on a single provider raises questions about vendor diversity and cost efficiency for public institutions.
* Excludes free tier usage
* Democratic spending was three times higher than Republican spending
* Claude ranked second with 37 transactions
