ChatGPT Dominates Congress: OpenAI Takes 88% of House AI Spending

OpenAI's ChatGPT isn't just reshaping the workplace — it's quietly becoming the default AI tool inside the U.S. Congress, capturing roughly 88% of all identifiable House spending on artificial intelligence tools, according to a CNBC analysis of House disbursement records released Monday.

The numbers are stark. CNBC identified $113,740 in spending on named AI vendors between April 2025 and March 2026. ChatGPT accounted for $100,580 across 798 transactions — nearly 96% of all AI-related transactions reviewed. Anthropic's Claude, the closest competitor, pulled in just $13,160 across 37 transactions, a distant second.

The reach is broad. ChatGPT purchases appeared in at least 71 House member offices — roughly one in six — spanning both parties. Democratic offices led the spending at $54,165, more than three times the $15,782 from Republican offices, an awkward political dynamic given that many Democrats have been the loudest voices warning about AI's risks to workers and privacy.

What Staff Are Actually Doing With It

Congressional staff are using ChatGPT for tasks that directly shape legislative output: summarizing complex bills, drafting memos, preparing hearing materials, and responding to constituents. Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.) said her office built a searchable legislative database with ChatGPT and uses it to generate briefing materials — "saving dozens and dozens of hours every week of staff time."

"We're doing it very cost effectively too," Fedorchak told CNBC. Her office's ChatGPT subscription costs roughly $20 per month.

But there's a catch. Marci Harris, CEO of POPVOX Foundation, notes that while AI helps staffers process the flood of information, it's also making the flood worse — lobbyists and constituents are using AI to send longer, more detailed material to congressional offices, creating what she describes as an AI arms race.

The Lobbying Arms Race

The spending data captures only part of the story. AI companies are pouring millions into Washington influence as lawmakers debate regulation. OpenAI spent $1 million on federal lobbying in Q1 2026, up 82.5% from the previous year. Anthropic nearly tripled its spend to $1.6 million in the same period, according to an Issue One analysis.

The competition is about more than selling subscriptions. As Congress decides how AI should be purchased, used, and regulated, being the tool lawmakers use every day confers an obvious advantage. OpenAI's early bet on getting ChatGPT into congressional hands — starting with a 2024 pilot through the House Digital Service that distributed 40 licenses — appears to be paying off.

The analysis excludes free accounts, AI bundled into broader software contracts like Microsoft Copilot, and Senate spending, which is not tracked the same way. The real congressional AI footprint is almost certainly much larger.

For AI builders, the message is clear: government adoption is happening from the bottom up, driven by staffers trying to keep up with their workloads rather than top-down procurement mandates. The tool that wins the default position inside Congress stands to shape how AI regulation itself is written.