The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank that advocates for defunding social services including Social Security, public schooling, public transportation, and the United States Postal Service; eliminating regulations that keep communities safe; undermining campaign finance laws that support fair and free elections; opposing equitable healthcare access; weakening unions and child labor laws; and ending race-conscious policies that counteract discrimination.
Koch Network
Billionaire Charles Koch co-founded the Cato Institute in 1977; Cato’s original name was the “Charles Koch Foundation, Inc.” When Koch filed suit in 2012 to gain full control of Cato, co-founder Ed Crane accused Koch of trying to transform Cato into “a political entity that might better support his partisan agenda.” Ultimately the Kochs successfully forced Crane out. Koch Industries and Koch nonprofits have given Cato tens of millions of dollars over the past 45 years. Only some of its funding is disclosed through other group’s required disclosures, but in 2023 Cato acknowledged current Koch funding. The Cato Institute is also an associate member of the Koch-linked State Policy Network.
