Satya Nadella speaking at the 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
Microsoft said on Monday that it suspended political contributions after the takeover of the Capitol in Washington last week, while Congress was in the process of confirming the results of the Electoral College for the 2020 presidential election.
The move to one of the world’s most valuable public companies comes after some employees have opposed contributions to people whose values do not always match those the company stands for. Facebook also announced on Monday a plan to cease political contributions for the time being, and over the weekend JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs announced six-month suspensions.
Employees can allocate part of their revenue to the Microsoft Political Action Committee, which is then disbursed based on information from a steering committee, according to the Microsoft website.
“Microsoft’s political action committee decided last Friday that it will not make any political donations before assessing the implications of last week’s events,” the company said in a statement. “PAC regularly stops donating in the first quarter of a new Congress, but will take additional steps this year to consider these recent events and to consult with employees.”
Microsoft also temporarily halted contributions from its MSPAC in 2019 after protests from employees.
Data from the Federal Election Commission shows that MSPAC contributed money to Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri when he ran for that state’s attorney general in 2016 and to Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in 2018. Cruz and Hawley opposed confirmation electoral college votes, which puts Joe Biden ahead of incumbent Donald Trump.
Last week, before the siege, officials spoke out against certain contributions from MSPAC, including one to Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina. Graham introduced legislation designed to increase law enforcement access to encrypted data, and Microsoft is in favor of increasing customer privacy.
– CNBC’s Lauren Feiner contributed to this report.
Correction: Federal Electoral Commission data shows that MSPAC contributed money to Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri when he ran for state attorney general in 2016. An earlier version mischaracterized the contribution.
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