ChatGPT has become the clear early leader in paid AI use across Congress, according to House disbursement records reviewed by CNBC. The records show that House offices, committees and institutional accounts spent far more on OpenAI’s tool than on any other AI product identified in the reporting.
OpenAI Dominates Tracked AI Purchases
CNBC found that OpenAI received roughly 90% of all spending on AI tools by House offices, committees and institutional accounts during the year ending in March 31. In dollar terms, Congress spent around $100,580 across 798 transactions on ChatGPT.
That spending came out of at least $113,740 in total AI spending identified in the records. The next named tool was Anthropic’s Claude, which trailed in second place with $13,160 across 37 transactions.
The gap is striking because it suggests ChatGPT is not just one tool among many in the current congressional AI market. Based on the spending CNBC identified, it is the default paid option for many offices that are choosing to purchase AI tools directly.
What The Spending Does And Does Not Show
The numbers provide a useful window into AI adoption in Congress, but they are not a complete measure of every way staffers may be using artificial intelligence. CNBC noted that the insights exclude any Congressional AI adoption from free accounts or AI bundled into broader software contracts.
That limitation matters. A free account would not necessarily appear as a paid AI purchase, and an AI feature included inside another software product may be difficult to separate from the larger contract. As a result, the spending records show direct, identifiable purchases, not the full universe of AI exposure or usage.
Still, the records are important because spending decisions reveal what tools offices are willing to pay for. The data points to ChatGPT as the paid AI product with the strongest early traction across the House accounts CNBC reviewed.
How Congressional Staffers Are Using AI
The source reporting describes a wide range of staff work where ChatGPT and other AI tools are being used. These are not limited to one narrow workflow. Instead, they touch research, communications and legislative preparation.
According to the article, congressional staffers are using ChatGPT and other tools to write memos, summarize and analyze legislation, respond to constituents, prepare hearing materials, sort through policy research, and draft social media posts.
Those use cases explain why AI tools may appeal to busy offices. Much of congressional staff work involves handling dense information, turning complex material into usable summaries, and producing written drafts for different audiences. The reported uses all sit close to that kind of work.
The same list also shows why AI adoption in Congress is likely to be watched closely. When tools are used for legislation, constituent communication and hearing preparation, the stakes are higher than ordinary office productivity. The source does not describe the review processes around those uses, but the use cases themselves show that AI is already touching consequential workflows.
Democratic Offices Spent More Than Republican Offices
CNBC also broke out AI purchases by party offices. Democratic offices accounted for $54,165 in AI purchases, which the source says was three times the $15,782 spent by Republican offices.
That split does not explain why one side spent more than the other. The source only reports the spending totals. It does, however, show that paid AI adoption is not evenly distributed across the offices described in the records.
There are several reasons direct spending can vary without revealing the full story of actual use. Some offices may use free accounts. Others may access AI through broader software contracts. Some may not be using paid AI tools at all. The available records capture only the transactions CNBC identified as AI spending.
Why This Early Snapshot Matters
The report offers an early look at how Congress is incorporating AI tools into everyday work. It does not present a complete adoption map, but it does show where identifiable AI dollars are flowing.
For now, that money is flowing heavily toward ChatGPT. OpenAI’s roughly 90% share of tracked House AI spending, combined with 798 transactions, puts ChatGPT well ahead of Claude in the records described by CNBC.
The bigger point is that AI tools are no longer only a topic Congress discusses from the outside. Based on the reported staff uses, they are also becoming part of the internal workflow for memos, legislation analysis, constituent responses, hearing materials, policy research and social media drafts.
That makes the spending records more than a procurement detail. They are a sign of how quickly generative AI has moved into the daily operations of political institutions, even as the available numbers capture only paid purchases that can be identified in House disbursement records.