Anthropic, the AI company backed by Amazon, has announced a groundbreaking deal: it will offer its Claude AI models to all three branches of the U.S. federal government — executive, legislative, and judicial — for the nominal price of $1 per agency for one year.
What’s Included in the Deal
- The offer includes both Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government, the latter being FedRAMP High certified for sensitive unclassified workloads.
- It is structured through a OneGov agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), streamlining federal procurement.
- Anthropic will also provide technical support to assist agencies in integrating Claude into their workflows.
Why It Matters
- Broad Government Access: Unlike rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT $1 plan (targeted to the executive branch), Anthropic extends access across all three government branches.
- AI Market Positioning: This aggressive pricing reflects a strategic push by Anthropic to establish early adoption within government, hoping for long-term contracts and integration into federal workflows.
- Security and Compliance: The inclusion of FedRAMP High readiness underscores Anthropic’s emphasis on security for sensitive agency work.
Strategic Context
Anthropic’s offer comes on the heels of its addition, alongside OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, to the GSA’s approved list of AI vendors, supporting a broader government push for AI adoption under the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan. Reuters
The $1-per-agency approach mirrors a well-known enterprise tactic: subsidize early adoption to build dependency, which lays the groundwork for later expansion into paid services.
Expert Insight
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, stated:
“America’s AI leadership requires that our government institutions have access to the most capable, secure AI tools available. By offering expanded Claude access across all three branches of government, we’re helping the federal workforce leverage frontier AI capabilities…”
GSA officials emphasized this deal as a forward-looking government procurement model:
- Acting Administrator Michael Rigas called it proof that “the United States is setting the standard for how governments adopt AI — boldly, responsibly, and at scale.”
- Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, highlighted how this move accelerates government modernization and mission transformation.
