Vox Sentences - Corporations are cutting off the GOP

Corporations pull funding for Republicans who voted against certifying the election; new State Department policy could be disastrous for Yemen.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

• Companies from Amazon to Intel to Mastercard say they will suspend donations to the 147 congressional Republicans who voted against the certification of the presidential election, on the premise that those objections helped incite Wednesday’s insurrection at the US Capitol. [New York Times / Kate Kelly, Emily Flitter, and Shane Goldmacher]
• The list of corporations who say their PACs will cut off those specific lawmakers also includes Airbnb, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Marriott International; Kansas City-based Hallmark went so far as to call out Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) by name. [Bloomberg / Kevin Miller]
• Other big corporate players, including BP, Facebook and JP Morgan, have decided to temporarily pause all political contributions, stymieing Democrats and Republicans alike. [Bloomberg]
• But corporate PACs are just one part of the complex system that is money in politics, meaning their contribution embargo may prove more symbolic rather than consequential. They made up just 5 percent of donations in the 2020 presidential election, and the greater power lies with those companies’ executives and board members. [Recode / Theodore Schleifer]
• Experts say the momentum behind corporations’ decisions is unprecedented. However, there is little to no change coming from individuals, who can give unlimited amounts of difficult-to-track dark money. [Washington Post / Tory Newmeyer]
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was alarmed enough to reach out to these corporations. But most businesses assured McCarthy they were not abandoning the party writ large. [Politico / Alex Isenstadt, Elena Schneider, Theodoric Meyer and Zachary Warmbrodt]
• Republicans in Congress are not the only ones who may lose money for their unfounded claims of election fraud. Deutsche Bank, the president’s biggest lender, decided to cut him off. Signature Bank, where Trump has $5.3 million deposited, has also announced the closure of his accounts. [The Guardian / Luke Harding and Kalyeena Makortoff]