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Each quarter we track movements in US federal lobbying, channel by channel. This edition covers Freight & Transport for Q1 of 2026, ranking the organizations, government entities, issues, and lobbyists whose disclosed spend moved most.

Central Themes in this Quarter’s Lobby Data

Defense Law Spurs Aircraft Manufacturer Lobbying Surge

There are signs that the enactment of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act may have prompted a substantial upswing in lobbying around advanced aircraft and vertical lift platforms, including Ultra Short Take Off and Landing programs, led by the Air Transport Association of America, INC. (D/b/a Airlines for America) in its engagement with the Dept of Defense. Disclosures cite defense manufacturing budgets, appropriations, and policy priorities aligned with newly approved NDAA procurement authorities as key areas of focus for aerospace clients during Q1, including targeted efforts toward the House of Representatives. This activity coincided with legislative sections emphasizing innovative transport technologies.

📎 GovTrack.us NDAA 2026 Summary · Atlantic Council Guide to NDAA · House Armed Services Press

Lobbying Intensifies Around NASA Reauthorization and Advanced Flight Initiatives

A spike in advocacy activity was observed as Congress advanced the NASA Reauthorization Act, enabling funding for hypersonics research, hydrogen aviation, and expanded unmanned aircraft programs. Filings referencing these bills and appropriations suggest companies in space vehicles and aeronautics, including Air Transport Association of America, INC. (D/b/a Airlines for America), aligned their efforts with Section 505’s support for emerging mobility entrants, in part by engaging the Federal Aviation Administration and the House of Representatives, reflecting a broader push for new procurement and partnerships.

📎 House Science Committee summary · GovTrack bill history · Rep. Fong press statement

Airport Projects and Airline Lobbying Respond to Federal Funding Changes

Industry stakeholders, including the Air Transport Association of America, INC. (D/b/a Airlines for America), appear to have ramped up lobbying as implementation of FAA Reauthorization and airport funding reforms progressed, with targeted engagement of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Legislative updates focused on infrastructure modernization, regulatory review, and safety requirements, triggering filings related to appropriations for airport improvements, TSA operations, and project pipelines. The timing suggests ongoing advocacy for maximizing eligibility under new federal criteria.

📎 FAA Reauthorization summary · House T&I Committee updates · 119th Congress Airport Legislation Tracker

Freight Rail and Intermodal Reauthorization Debates Fuel Policy Engagement

With the expiration of foundational surface transportation laws approaching, rail and freight groups—joined by the Air Transport Association of America, INC. (D/b/a Airlines for America)—have reportedly broadened their lobbying focus. Congressional proposals and committee actions are driving campaigns for funding, safety reforms, and grant program continuation, with Airlines for America specifically engaging the House of Representatives and the Dept of Commerce. Major rail carriers and trade associations increased their presence as new federal standards and support mechanisms entered policy discussions, echoed by Airlines for America’s outreach to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Executive Office of the President.

📎 Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Passenger and Freight Rail Issues · Rail Reauthorization: Congress Faces 2026 Deadline | Legis1 · Surface Transportation Reauthorization | Transportation and ...

Surface Transportation Board Oversight Prompts Rail Sector Advocacy

As debate over Surface Transportation Board reauthorization intensified, there appears to have been increased lobbying around shipper protections, transparency rules, and merger review procedures, with the Air Transport Association of America, INC. (D/b/a Airlines for America) actively engaging the House of Representatives and the Executive Office of the President (EOP). Filings often referenced STB oversight and regulatory reform, aligning with Congressional committee attention and regulatory proceedings aimed at improving market access and streamlining rail project approvals.

📎 Surface Transportation Board · The Surface Transportation Board (STB): Background and Current Issues · U.S. Surface Transportation Board Cuts Rail Project Delays by 2026

Section A: Lobbying Spend by Industry

How much each industry in this channel spent on federal lobbying in Q1 of 2026, compared with its average over the prior six quarters.

In Q1 of 2026, there was $88.4M worth of disclosed lobbying activity on Freight & Transport, 26% higher than the recent quarterly average of $70.3M. This activity can be broken down by industry as follows:

↳ There was $14.3M worth of Aircraft manufacturers lobbying, 72% higher than the recent quarterly average of $8.3M.

↳ There was $10.5M worth of Airlines lobbying, roughly in line with the recent quarterly average of $10.2M.

↳ There was $9.7M worth of Space vehicles & components lobbying, 33% higher than the recent quarterly average of $7.3M.

↳ There was $9.0M worth of Railroads lobbying, 26% higher than the recent quarterly average of $7.1M.

↳ There was $7.1M worth of Sea transport lobbying, 158% higher than the recent quarterly average of $2.7M.

↳ There was $7.0M worth of Freight & delivery services lobbying, 506% higher than the recent quarterly average of $1.2M.

Section B: Lobbying Spend Trend

This channel's total disclosed lobbying spend across recent quarters, aggregated over all of its industries.

In Q1 of 2026, there was $88.4M worth of disclosed lobbying activity on Freight & Transport. Across the 9 quarters shown, the channel's total disclosed spend has risen over this period.

Organizations' Lobby Spend

The image below shows the organizations whose lobbying spend moved most from their six-quarter average.

The organizations whose spending moved most from their own recent quarterly average were as follows:

↳ FedEx Corp accounted for $160k in disclosed lobbying, 96% lower than the recent quarterly average of $4.3M.

↳ Boeing Co accounted for $0 in disclosed lobbying, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $2.6M.

↳ Delta Air Lines accounted for $0 in disclosed lobbying, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $2.1M.

↳ United Airlines accounted for $0 in disclosed lobbying, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $1.7M.

↳ Association of American Railroads accounted for $1.6M in disclosed lobbying, 96080% higher than the recent quarterly average of $2k.

↳ United Parcel Service accounted for $0 in disclosed lobbying, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $1.6M.

Section D: Government Entities Lobbied

This section documents this quarter's most lobbied federal government departments.

By industry

The industry–entity pairings that moved most this quarter were as follows:

↳ Aircraft manufacturers directed $4.4M of lobbying toward House of Representatives, 115% higher than the recent quarterly average of $2.1M.

↳ Aircraft manufacturers directed $4.3M of lobbying toward Senate, 110% higher than the recent quarterly average of $2.1M.

↳ Sea transport directed $1.8M of lobbying toward Senate, 161% higher than the recent quarterly average of $686k.

By organization

The organization–entity pairings that moved most this quarter were as follows:

↳ United Airlines directed $0 of lobbying toward Senate, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $836k.

↳ FedEx Corp directed $67k of lobbying toward Senate, 93% lower than the recent quarterly average of $892k.

↳ FedEx Corp directed $67k of lobbying toward House of Representatives, 93% lower than the recent quarterly average of $892k.

Section E: Lobbying Issues

This section documents this quarter's most lobbied-on issues.

By industry

The industry–issue pairings that moved most this quarter were as follows:

↳ Aircraft manufacturers put $3.9M toward lobbying on Defense, 123% higher than the recent quarterly average of $1.7M.

↳ Transportation put $2.5M toward lobbying on Transportation, 213% higher than the recent quarterly average of $800k.

↳ Sea transport put $2.6M toward lobbying on Marine, Boats & Fisheries, 147% higher than the recent quarterly average of $1.0M.

By organization

The organization–issue pairings that moved most this quarter were as follows:

↳ Airlines for America put $0 toward lobbying on Aviation, Airlines & Airports, 100% lower than the recent quarterly average of $1.2M.

↳ Impulse Space, INC. put $820k toward lobbying on Aerospace, 1994% higher than the recent quarterly average of $39k.

↳ American Airlines put $100k toward lobbying on Aviation, Airlines & Airports, 87% lower than the recent quarterly average of $788k.

Section F: Most-Active Lobbyists

The figure below lists the lobbyists who managed the most imputed lobbying value this quarter, alongside their firm or organization. Because a filing's value is split evenly across the lobbyists it names, these dollar figures are imputed rather than directly disclosed.

The lobbyists who managed the most imputed lobbying value this quarter were as follows:

↳ Britton Clarke (Bc Consulting, Llc) was credited with an imputed $180k in lobbying activity.

↳ Jerr Rosenbaum (Penn Avenue Partners) was credited with an imputed $119k in lobbying activity.

↳ Timothy Hannegan (Penn Avenue Partners) was credited with an imputed $119k in lobbying activity.

↳ Lauren Reamy (Penn Avenue Partners) was credited with an imputed $112k in lobbying activity.

↳ Edward Michael O'Malley (Direct Chassislink, INC) was credited with an imputed $109k in lobbying activity.

Section G: Organization Network

The header image for this edition maps how this channel's organizations (neutral nodes) connect to the federal entities they lobbied (colored nodes) this quarter. A link's weight is the filing value directed to that entity, and node size reflects total value; the House and Senate are excluded (nearly every organization lobbies them) so the specialized targets stand out.

The most widely lobbied entity this quarter was Dept of Transportation (DOT), which was lobbied by 15 organizations.

Methodology

Every figure in this report starts from one number: the disclosed value of each lobbying filing, which we take as the income a registrant reported plus any in-house expenses (income + expenses) on its quarterly US Senate and House LDA disclosure. Before totalling anything we clean the filings — applying each amendment over the original it replaces, removing duplicates, and setting aside non-standard records such as registrations and terminations — and map every filing to a lobbying channel and industry using the organization's CRP industry code.

How the money is divided. A filing's full value counts once toward the organization that paid it and that organization's industry, so the industry and organization rankings (Sections A–C) reflect whole dollars. But a single filing usually names several government entities, several issue areas, and several lobbyists at once, and the disclosure never says how the fee was split among them. Rather than credit the full amount to each — which would count the same dollars over and over — we divide a filing's value evenly across the distinct items it names. So a $200,000 filing that lists four agencies contributes $50,000 to each in Section D, and the same even split is applied across issues in Section E and across lobbyists in Section F. That way every section's totals trace back to the same underlying money without double-counting.

Reading the movements. A “deviation” compares the quarter's value to the average of the prior six quarters, so a rise or fall is measured against an entity's own recent norm rather than against the rest of the field. Section B takes the wider view: it sums every industry into one channel total and plots it quarter by quarter, with a fitted line showing the overall direction of travel. Source: US Senate and House LDA disclosures.