Anthropic has hired the Trump-affiliated lobbying firm Ballard Partners after previous negotiations fell through over the Pentagon's demand for unrestricted use of AI.

According to 1M AI News monitoring, Anthropic has hired Washington's largest lobbying firm, Ballard Partners, known for its close ties to the Trump administration. Lobbying disclosure documents show the hiring took effect on March 9, just four days after the Pentagon formally notified Anthropic of a supply chain risk assessment. Ballard Partners disclosed that its lobbying issue is "regarding Defense Department procurement" (DOW referring to the Department of War, the Trump administration's term for the Department of Defense).

Bloomberg also revealed the core disagreement that led to the previous breakdown in negotiations: the Pentagon demanded unrestricted use of Anthropic's tools for any lawful purpose, while Anthropic insisted on assurances that its products would not be used for fully autonomous weapon deployment or large-scale surveillance of American citizens.

Ballard Partners is the sixth external lobbying firm hired by Anthropic since last November, having previously engaged Avenue Solutions and Navigators Global. Anthropic established its own think tank last month, appointing Sarah Heck as head of public policy and registering a federal Political Action Committee (PAC). Lobbying expenditure data shows that Anthropic's federal lobbying spending is set to increase by over 330% to $3.1 million in 2025, while OpenAI's spending will grow by nearly 70% to around $3 million. AI-related lobbying hit a historic high of $37.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, a 38% year-on-year increase.