Toyota has said it’ll halt donations to members of the Congress who voted against certification of President Biden’s election victory.
The Japanese company faced criticism over the contributions after the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Toyota donated quite $50,000 to Republicans who tried to dam approval of the US President’s win in some states, it emerged last month.
The company had previously defended the payments.
“Toyota is committed to supporting and promoting actions that further our democracy,” Toyota said.
The statement went on to say: “We are actively taking note of our stakeholders and, at this point , we’ve decided to prevent contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states within the 2020 election.”
The company also noted that its political action committee equally supported Democrats and Republicans, adding, “in 2021, the overwhelming majority of the contributions visited Democrats and Republicans who supported the certification of the 2020 election.”
CREW also said it had been the foremost money anybody company contributed to lawmakers who opposed certification.
Japan’s biggest car maker faced criticism within the wake of the disclosure and subsequent coverage within the media.
The Lincoln Project, a gaggle largely made from Republicans critical of former US President Donald Trump, posted a billboard calling on Toyota to prevent making donations to lawmakers who voted against President Biden’s election certification.
A CREW spokesperson welcomed Toyota’s decision but said, “it shouldn’t take a public pressure campaign to urge them to try to do the proper thing, but we’re glad it worked.”
Since the attack on the Capitol, dozens of companies have changed their policies on contributions to politicians.
In February, Microsoft said its political action committee would suspend all donations until the end of 2022 to the 147 lawmakers who voted against President Biden’s certification.
For an equivalent period it also halted contributions to state officials and organisations who involved the election result to be overturned.
Google and General Electric’s political action committees also suspended donations until the end of 2022.
More than 535 people are arrested and charged for joining the 6 January attack on the US Capitol in an unsuccessful plan to stop Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory over President Trump.