Both Parties Deploy Dark Money and Procedural Tricks in 2026 Midterms

House Republicans on the Education and Workforce Committee opened formal inquiries this summer into at least six labor unions, citing research from two conservative organizations that allege improper use of member dues for political activity. The targets include the American Federation of Teachers, United Auto Workers, United Steelworkers, and three railroad unions affiliated with the Teamsters: the Smart Transportation Division, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division.

The committee’s actions follow reports issued by the American Accountability Foundation and the Freedom Foundation. The American Accountability Foundation describes itself as a nonprofit focused on government accountability and has received support from the Heritage Foundation, a key architect of Project 2025. The Freedom Foundation has long advocated for right-to-work laws and other measures that limit union financial and political power. Both groups contend that unions have channeled dues into Democratic-aligned causes in ways that skirt federal restrictions. Federal law already bars unions from using compulsory dues for direct candidate contributions or independent expenditures, though members may voluntarily contribute to union political action committees.

Committee documents reference specific union actions, such as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s support for a United Auto Workers lawsuit challenging Trump-era limits on collective bargaining and its public criticism of Project 2025 proposals that would narrow bargaining rights. Investigators have requested financial records, communications, and details on how dues are allocated between representational and political functions.

Labor unions maintain that the probes rest on selective readings of public filings and ignore legal distinctions between dues and voluntary contributions. They note that political spending by unions has remained within established boundaries for decades, subject to disclosure rules and oversight by the Department of Labor and the Federal Election Commission. Union officials also point out that the timing coincides with the approach of the 2026 midterms, when control of Congress will be decided in districts where organized labor retains significant membership and turnout operations.

The investigations arrive against a backdrop of sustained Republican efforts to constrain union influence. Project 2025 outlines several policy changes that would expand state right-to-work statutes, limit public-sector bargaining, and alter how unions collect and spend resources. Critics of the current probes argue that congressional oversight is being used to generate negative headlines and impose compliance costs on organizations that reliably support Democratic candidates and turnout efforts.

Data from the Federal Election Commission shows that union political action committees have directed the large majority of their contributions to Democratic candidates in recent cycles, a pattern that has held across multiple administrations. At the same time, total union membership as a share of the private-sector workforce has continued its long-term decline, dropping below 6 percent in the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. Public-sector unions remain larger but face their own legal and fiscal pressures in many states.

The committee has not yet announced public hearings or referrals to the Justice Department. Union representatives have indicated they will comply with document requests while disputing the premise that routine political advocacy constitutes misuse of funds. The episode illustrates how nonprofit research organizations can shape congressional agendas and how those agendas can intersect with electoral calendars, even when the underlying legal standards governing union spending have not changed.