ChatGPT accounts for 88% of US House AI spending

The U.S. House of Representatives allocated the vast majority of its identified spending on AI tools to OpenAI's ChatGPT over the past year. According to a CNBC analysis of House disbursement records from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, ChatGPT accounted for $100,580 of the $113,740 spent on named vendors, representing 88% of the total.

The analysis focused on paid usage, excluding free accounts and AI bundled within larger software contracts. Democrats in the House spent three times more on AI tools than Republicans. Anthropic's AI chatbot, Claude, was a distant second, with $13,160 spent across 37 transactions.

This significant reliance on ChatGPT by members of Congress and their staff could influence the ongoing debate over AI regulation and future government contracts. However, the reported figures likely represent only a fraction of actual AI spending, as the data did not include Senate usage or reimbursements to staff for individual subscriptions.

OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman are also notable political players. The company has increased its lobbying expenditures, and Altman has personally contributed to numerous congressional campaigns, primarily to Democrats. OpenAI executives are expected to attend White House discussions on Tuesday regarding new frameworks for AI models, highlighting the sector's growing influence and the push for government oversight.