HPE spent $32 million from 2015 - 2023 on federal lobbying. This does not include state lobbying, where HPE also lobbies but disclosure is uneven or absent. For example, HPE spent over $913,000 on lobbying in California from 2015 - 2023. HPE also lobbies abroad, spending
between €100,000 - 99,999 on lobbying in Europe for 2023.Companies can give unlimited amounts to third party groups that spend millions on lobbying and undisclosed grassroots activity, and
these groups may be spending "at least double what's publicly reported." Unlike many of its peers, HPE does not disclose its payments to trade associations and social welfare groups, or the amounts used for lobbying, and only discloses four trade association memberships, including the Business Roundtable, which has spent over $400 million on federal lobbying since 1998. The disclosure leaves out trade associations that lobby like the Alliance for Telecom Industry Solutions Standards, Cloud Security Alliance and Silicon Valley Tax Directors Group, and all social welfare groups, like the Public Affairs Council. HPE's lack of disclosure presents reputational risk when its lobbying contradicts company public positions. For example, HPE publicly supports addressing climate change, yet the Business Roundtable filed an amicus brief opposing the Securities and Exchange Commission climate risk disclosure rules and previously opposed the Inflation Reduction Act. And while HPE has attracted scrutiny for moving from California to Texas in part over state taxes, the Business Roundtable has lobbied against a new minimum corporate tax. Thus it will be a best practice for HPE to expand its lobbying disclosure.