Marriott Suspends Donations to Senators Who Questioned Biden's Win

Marriott International Inc. will suspend donations to Republican senators who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden, after considering the “destructive events” at the Capitol last week.

The hotel giant is among the first corporate donors to announce a decision to sever financial ties with the lawmakers following Wednesday’s riots on Capitol Hill by supporters of President Donald Trump. While much of corporate America swiftly condemned the violence, few companies have publicly vowed to cut off financial support to the elected officials that backed Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud.

“We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election,” a Marriott spokesperson told Popular Information, a political newsletter that surveyed 144 corporate donors about their future donation plans to the eight GOP senators who objected to election certification.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a network of insurers, and Commerce Bank owner Commerce Bancshares Inc. also told Popular Information that they are suspending all support to lawmakers who challenged the Electoral College results.

Stopping short of vowing to suspend donations, Bank of America Corp., Ford Motor Co. and AT&T Inc. said they will take recent events into consideration before any future donations. CVS Health Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp. and some other donors said they are reviewing their polices on political giving.