With Freddie Mac in the news, some are asking what their PAC and others got for their money.

Together, the two mortgage buyers spent nearly $200 million on lobbying and campaign contributions over the last two decades, throwing their weight around more like corporations than the government-sponsored enterprises they were. And when Fannie and Freddie faced collapse, those in government were there to help, ironic considering that for so many years the companies’ political strategy was to avoid government involvement in their business.