Sanders Campaign Paid Netflix $46.79 Monthly Despite His Tax Criticism

Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign committee paid Netflix $46.79 a month from January to March for a subscription, according to Federal Election Commission records. The Vermont independent has long criticized the streaming service for avoiding taxes and hiking prices on customers.

Sanders has accused Netflix over the years of not paying its fair share of taxes while its executives got richer. His campaign started the payments in January. "Corporate greed is Netflix doubling its profit last year to a record $5.3 billion, avoiding over $1 billion in taxes [and] blaming a 10.7% price increase on ‘inflation’ squeezing $1.35 billion from its 75 million subscribers while its CEO became $200 million richer in the pandemic," Sanders wrote in March 2022.

He has also slammed Netflix multiple times for paying zero federal taxes, using corporate tax credits to cut its liability. "Your $8.99 Netflix subscription is more than the company paid in federal income taxes last year (nothing)," the senator posted to social media in 2019. "We are going to make massive corporations finally pay their fair share."

Senate campaigns report finances only up to March, so Sanders' donor-funded Netflix subscription could still be active. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning.

Sanders has drawn past scrutiny for other campaign spending. In 2023, he sent $200,000 in donor money to the Sanders Institute, a nonprofit led by his wife and stepson. He has kept transferring funds to the group semi-regularly since then.

"The facts present in this case and the family ties involved certainly raise legitimate concern," Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, told Fox News Digital at the time. "If the nonprofit and its executive director are truly producing work and actually earning the money, it is not illegal, but it is frowned upon. On the other hand, if nothing or very little is being done to legitimately earn the money, then it is highly likely a serious campaign finance violation has taken place."

Donors also funded over $550,000 in private jet travel for Sanders' 2025 "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. "You don't expect a socialist to fly commercial do you?" said Matt Gorman, a conservative political communications consultant. "There's no bigger hypocrite than the liberal who chastises us for eating meat and using gas stoves, yet flies in private jets."

Bill Gates interviewed Sanders in 2024 for his Netflix series "What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates." Paying for a streaming service with campaign funds remains uncommon for senators.