TECH LOBBYING SURGE — Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook spent a total of more than $55 million on lobbying the federal government in 2021, according to newly filed lobbying disclosures, breaking their own records and outstripping other top-spending industries in Washington, such as defense and pharmaceuticals, for another year in a row. In comparison, the “Big Four” tech companies spent about $34 million on lobbying in 2020.

— Behind the increase: Google’s spending jumped roughly 27 percent, from $7.5 million in 2020 to $9.5 million in 2021, as the company has sought to fend off antitrust legislation and has dealt with concerns about YouTube’s contribution to right-wing radicalization.

Facebook and Amazon broke their own spending records, with Amazon shelling out $19.3 million and Facebook spending more than $20 million. Facebook’s spending spree came as the company dealt with fallout from whistleblower Frances Haugen’s revelations; Amazon has faced antitrust heat as well as significant labor complaints.

Apple, which has had a more muted presence in Washington, spent $6.5 million in 2021 — a small number compared to its “Big Four” peers but still vastly more than smaller tech companies such as Spotify, which spent $820,000 in 2021.

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“Relying on large monopoly corporations to act in the best interest of national security is futile and goes against their very legal and operational foundations,” advocacy groups, including the American Economic Liberties Project, wrote in a letter sent to House leadership last year.