Lockheed-Backed Reps Lobby Against F-35 Spending Cuts
As the F-35 fighter comes under Pentagon review for potential cuts, bipartisan groups of lawmakers are calling to continue high levels of spending on the troubled $1.7 trillion program.
Defense
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Biden’s Likely Ambassador to China Is Entangled In Tech and Defense
Nicholas Burns’s senior position with the Cohen Group consultancy blurs public service and private-sector work.
Blue Dog Rep Jim Cooper Gets Progressive Primary Challenger
The Nashville Democrat, chair of the House subcommittee overseeing nuclear weapons programs, received max contributions last cycle from the PACs of several top defense contractors.
Military Equipment Transfers to Police Have Picked Back Up
After dipping in the back three quarters of 2020 amid a nationwide focus on policing, the transfer of military weapons and equipment to civilian police has picked back up in the first quarter of 2021.
House Progressives Ask Biden to Significantly Cut the Pentagon Budget
Over 50 members of Congress are calling on President Biden to "significantly" cut military spending in next year's budget and invest in pandemic recovery and priorities like health care.
The World’s Most Expensive Weapon Has Flopped
The F-35 program could soon be scaled back—and possibly phased out—after gobbling up hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Former PAC Rejector Elaine Luria Is Now Taking Checks From Raytheon and Rolls-Royce
Luria was recently elected vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee after taking contributions from the PACs of several defense contractors to pay off her reelection campaign's debt.
Rules Package Closes Witness Conflicts Loophole
For the first time, witnesses to Congress will have to disclose all entities they are affiliated with that have an interest in the topic of the hearing.
House Dem in Charge of Military Budget Opposes Cuts Favored by Progressives
House Armed Services Committee chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.), a top recipient of PAC money from weapons makers, has called some Democrats "extremists" for wanting to reduce the Defense Department's $740.5 billion budget.
Hawkish Dem Sherman is Next in Line to Replace Engel as Foreign Affairs Chairman
With the ouster of Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), progressives are calling for the position to be filled by someone not beholden to special interests. Next in line for the position by seniority, however, is Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) who is heavily funded by the defense indu