Bernie Sanders’ campaign paid Netflix for a subscription this year despite the senator’s repeated criticism of the company’s tax practices.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign used campaign funds to pay for a Netflix subscription earlier this year, even as the Vermont independent has long criticized the streaming company over taxes and price increases, Federal Election Commission records cited by Fox News show.
The campaign paid Netflix $46.79 a month from January through March for an expense described as a “subscription,” according to the report. Senate campaigns have released financial information only through March, so the available records do not show whether the payments continued after that period.
The spending is drawing attention because Sanders has repeatedly singled out Netflix in broader criticism of large corporations and the tax code. In 2019, he wrote on social media that a consumer’s “$8.99 Netflix subscription” was more than the company paid in federal income taxes the previous year, adding that major corporations should pay “their fair share.”
Sanders also criticized the company in 2022, accusing Netflix of increasing profits, avoiding more than $1 billion in taxes and raising prices for subscribers while its chief executive grew wealthier during the pandemic.
Netflix has reduced its federal tax liability in some years through corporate tax credits, according to the source report. The article did not include a response from Netflix to Sanders’ past criticism.
Sanders’ campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital after being contacted Tuesday morning, the outlet reported.
The report also noted that payments to Netflix by political committees appear to be uncommon. Campaign finance records show that only five political committees, including Sanders’ committee, have reported Netflix payments described as some form of subscription over the past decade.
Sanders has previously faced scrutiny over campaign spending, including transfers to the Sanders Institute, a nonprofit connected to his family, and private jet expenses during his 2025 “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The latest filing disclosure is narrower: it documents a small recurring subscription expense, while leaving unanswered whether the campaign kept paying Netflix beyond March or how it used the subscription.
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