By Rebekah Johansen
We know the F-35 is an embarrassingly flawed and absurdly expensive program.
And we also know that members of Congress keep voting over and over to keep the program on taxpayer-funded life support.
And now, from The National Law Review, comes perhaps a little insight into why this keeps happening.
Some highlights from the report [emphasis added]:
- Current members of Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) have received $8.1 million from Lockheed Martin from January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2013.
- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has received $74,200 from Lockheed Martin from January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2013, 4.8 times as much as the average for a U.S. Senator ($15,382). His committee originates the annual Senate legislation that funds the F-35 procurement program.
- Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), Chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has received $66,500 from Lockheed Martin from January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2013, 4.4 times as much as the average for a U.S. Representative ($15,072). His committee originates the annual House legislation that funds the F-35 procurement program.
It’s hard to think of a clearer example of why there is such a dire need for a group to counterbalance such strong big-spending incentives.
Read the rest of the report here.
via Follow the money: The Campaign Contributions Behind the F-35 | Coalition to Reduce Spending.