New research details Arnold Ventures’ financial support for left-leaning organizations opposing Trump’s tax cuts, energy policies, border security, and more
The Institute for Health Policy Accountability (IHPA), an independent authority on key drivers of decision-making in the healthcare space, today released a new report in a series exposing how billionaire John Arnold and his organization, Arnold Ventures, are spending tens of millions of dollars to undermine President Trump’s policy agenda, directly contradicting the group’s claim of having a goal to advance bipartisan causes.
Arnold Ventures has been particularly active in the health care arena in recent years, but its hidden agenda on a number of key issues has received little scrutiny.
The new research details how, across major policy areas, Arnold Ventures has bankrolled left-leaning think tanks and advocacy groups who actively work to stop President Trump’s America First agenda, from cutting taxes for working families to securing the border.
Key findings from the IHPA research include:
Opposing President Trump’s Tax Cuts
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill delivered the largest nominal tax cut in American history, providing the average household with a $2,100 tax cut in 2026. John Arnold has called the bill “catastrophic” and funded its chief critics:
- The Brookings Institution, which has received more than $5.7 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation since 2020, warned Americans not to “expect much growth” from the bill and attacked the White House’s own economic analysis.
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), which has received over $1.5 million from Arnold since 2020, branded the bill the “harmful Republican Megabill” and claimed it takes “food from needy families to pay the wealthy.”
Opposing President Trump’s Energy Agenda
President Trump’s pro-energy executive orders and the EPA’s rescission of the 2009 carbon endangerment finding are projected to save U.S. consumers over $1 trillion in automobile costs. Arnold-backed organizations fought every step of the way:
- CBPP openly opposed Trump’s energy executive order and urged Democrats to “protect against any such cuts or unlawful impoundment of funds.”
- The Center for American Progress (CAP), which received over $1.5 million from Arnold since 2020, actively recruited states to defy the Trump administration and preserve Biden-era climate policies.
Opposing Border Security and Immigration Enforcement
President Trump’s border agenda has achieved a full year with zero illegal entrants released, reversing the record 68,000 illegal alien releases in a single month under President Biden. Arnold’s network has funded efforts to stop deportations:
- The Vera Institute of Justice, which received $13.97 million from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation since 2020, published a roadmap on “how to fight Trump’s mass deportation agenda” and launched a public defender network for illegal immigrants facing deportation.
- The Urban Institute, which received more than $34.1 million from Arnold since 2020, produced research designed to portray immigration enforcement as harmful to children.
Opposing President Trump’s Action to Stop a Nuclear Iran
Following Operation Epic Fury, which aimed to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons capability, Arnold personally cast doubt on the President’s military leadership and funded organizations declaring the operation unconstitutional:
- CAP called President Trump’s confrontation of Iran “unconstitutional on multiple fronts” and claimed it would be remembered as “a reckless war of choice.”
- Brookings scholar Robert Kagan penned a piece in The Atlantic declaring that President Trump had lost the war.
Opposing President Trump’s Trade Agenda
Through tariffs and trade negotiations, President Trump has leveraged $10.6 trillion in foreign investment. Arnold-backed groups have worked to reverse these gains:
- The Urban Institute called Trump’s tariffs “economically destructive” and suggested they could cause democracy to suffer.
- CBPP claimed Trump’s tariffs and OBBB combined “would leave the bottom 70% of households worse off.”
Read the full report here.
Arnold Ventures was founded by billionaires Laura and John Arnold, who have cultivated an image of bipartisanship, particularly in healthcare policy. The Laura and John Arnold Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of Arnold Ventures and commands $4.77 billion in assets with approximately $200 million in annual spending. Despite publicly emphasizing across-the-aisle collaboration, Arnold Ventures has directed substantial funding to organizations that have made opposing President Trump a central focus of their advocacy and research.
The Institute for Health Policy Accountability is an independent authority on key drivers of decision making in the health care space. IHPA provides fact-based research and analysis across the public policy landscape, adding a central and currently missing voice to the conversation.
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