Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale's $4.6M in disclosed federal lobbying puts it in the mid-tier of registered filers. Spending in the seven-figure range is common for established trade groups, mid-size corporations, and advocacy organizations that maintain a steady but not aggressive presence on Capitol Hill.

Across the 5-year window from 2020 to 2024, Costco Wholesale's annual disclosed lobbying spend has climbed meaningfully — from $780K in 2020 to $1.0M in 2024, a change of +33%. Step-changes of this size often coincide with major bills moving through Congress, regulatory rulemakings affecting the organization's industry, or a leadership change in the relevant committee.

Costco Wholesale's disclosed lobbying focuses on a narrow 4-issue footprint. A focused issue list usually means the organization concentrates its federal engagement on a small set of bills or rulemakings directly relevant to its core business.

1 of 3 lobbyists reported by Costco Wholesale (33%) disclose prior federal government service. That share is common at established government affairs operations that explicitly hire from agency and committee staff.

Among the named bench, lobbyists with disclosed prior federal service include Carol L. Stewart (Former Legislative Director, Senate HELP Committee). The covered-position field on LDA cover sheets captures executive-branch and senior congressional roles held within the prior two years.

Within the Retail & Consumer Products sector, Costco Wholesale ranks #15 of 40 tracked organizations by disclosed lobbying spend. The sector leader is Walmart Inc at $23.2M; the sector average is $4.9M. Costco Wholesale's $4.6M sits 8% below the sector average.

Costco Wholesale's LobbySpend Influence Score of 53/100 (grade C) is the most common grade in the index — it covers organizations with established but moderate federal advocacy programs. The score combines disclosed total spend (40%), issue breadth (30%), and revolving-door connections (30%). A C-grade is typical of mid-size corporations and trade associations with steady quarterly filings on a focused issue set.

Every figure above is sourced from Senate lobbying disclosure filings submitted under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Per-issue dollar splits and covered-position flags are filer-reported and may be amended after initial submission.