How the Defense Industry Dodges Budget Cuts

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http://www.nationofchange.org/how-defense-industry-dodges-budget-cuts-1375456855



The Center for Public Integrity launched its Gift Economy project to shine a light on how the flow of money from defense contractors to key lawmakers has tainted—and in some cases corrupted—decision-making on key national security and defense budgeting issues.

We’ve been examining Federal Election Commission campaign finance data and congressional lobbying data from the Senate Office of Public Records. We have focused on all contributions and lobbying by the top 100 defense contractors since 2003, and on current and former members of the six committees that must approve all military spending (Armed Services, Appropriations and Energy, in both the House and Senate). We have seen how these defense companies are intervening in critical congressional deliberations.

Our first analysis from these data produced an investigation into how one contractor, General Dynamics, lobbied Congress and doled out contributions to key members while they considered the fate of the M1 Abrams tank. The Pentagon says it has enough Abrams tanks – and has even mothballed some in the California desert. The Pentagon wants to halt the program to save $3 billion.

But armed with the data, we showed how General Dynamics’ lobbying and campaign contributions spiked at the moment of key hearings and votes (the company’s contributions went up from average of $7,000 a week to nearly $50,000 at strategic junctures). As a result, General Dynamics and the congressional delegation from Ohio, where the tanks are assembled, prevented a freeze on M1 refurbishment from 2014 to 2017, even at a time when public opinion is galvanized against wasteful federal spending.

[marmar]

1. .....

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2. !

[99Forever]

4. A Congressional Family Portrait!

Nice.

[marmar]

5. LOL.

[Jefferson23]

3. Public funded elections..are we ever going to get there? sigh. n/t

K&R