Americans for Prosperity – Bias and Credibility

History

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), established in 2004 by the Koch brothers, is a conservative advocacy group that promotes tax cuts and deregulation and backs conservative candidates. Its affiliate, Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), directly supports electoral candidates who align with AFP’s principles.

Notably, as reported by OpenSecrets, AFP Action was a leading recipient of “dark money” in the 2024 election cycle. Emily Seidel is the organization’s President and CEO.

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

AFP is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, which means it is not required to disclose its donors, and its funding sources are largely confidential. However, it is known to be primarily funded by the Koch brothers and other like-minded conservative donors. As a nonprofit, it focuses on issue advocacy and is legally prohibited from coordinating directly with political campaigns. AFP Action, as a political action committee (PAC), raises funds separately to support political candidates through campaign contributions directly.

Analysis / Bias

Americans for Prosperity advocates for free-market policies, limited government, and deregulation. For example, its study titled; “New Study Reveals How Overregulation Drags Down Economy and Puts Affordable Energy Out of Reach” emphasizes a conservative viewpoint by criticizing overregulation’s economic impact. It argues that excessive governmental controls impede energy project development, leading to job losses and high energy costs. These are core concerns of conservative policies advocating deregulation, free-market principles, and limited government intervention.

Through their financial influence, the Koch brothers have historically opposed government regulation on climate change. In “The Kochs’ Dream of Smashing Climate Action May Be About to Come True,” the Koch brothers’ financial power opposes climate regulations, influencing a Supreme Court case that may curb the EPA’s authority, reflecting their preference for less government oversight in environmental and economic areas.

Similarly, according to the article “Supreme Court Hears Koch-Backed Cases Designed to Unleash Deregulatory Bonanza,” the Koch network, notably through Americans for Prosperity (AFP), supports legal actions aiming to limit federal regulatory authority, particularly against the Chevron doctrine. This aligns with their broader agenda of reducing government oversight in environmental and other regulatory areas.

Finally, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) announced support for Donald Trump’s rivals in the 2024 GOP primary, aiming to start a new chapter for the nation away from Trump’s leadership. In the 2024 election, AFP endorsed  Nikki Haley, seeing her as a leader capable of effectively overcoming the existing political environment and addressing national issues.  

In summary, Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Action represent influential forces in American conservative politics, promoting libertarian and free-market policies.

Failed Fact Checks

• As Tennessee governor, Phil Bredesen “supported higher taxes on us. Higher gas taxes. Higher sales taxes.” – False
• “Wisconsin utilities have charged ratepayers more than $1.9 billion of increases since 2019.” – False
• “The Inflation Reduction Act led to higher taxes.” – Mostly False

Overall, we rate Americans for Prosperity as right-center biased due to its advocacy for free-market principles, limited government, and deregulation, as well as its financial support and endorsement of conservative political candidates. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to many failed campaign ad fact checks. (7/18/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 03/26/2024)

Source: https://americansforprosperity.org/