FACT BRIEF

Have defense contractors spent $2.8 billion to influence policy makers over the past two decades?

Saturday, March 20, 2021

By Stevie Rosignol-Cortez

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YES

In the past 20 years, the defense industry has spent $2.5 billion on lobbying and contributed nearly $300 million to various political campaigns, according to financial disclosures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The defense industry maintains strong ties with the executive branch and Congress. According to the Project on Government Oversight, there were nearly 650 instances of the top 20 defense contractors hiring former senior government officials, military officers and legislators as lobbyists or executives just during 2016. Some then may return to government—such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the retired general who left the board of Raytheon to join the Biden administration.

Raytheon, a top defense contractor, says it participates in “the U.S. political process to ensure that the company’s interests ... are appropriately represented.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Open Secrets Defense contractors and arms sales

Project on Government Oversight The problem of the Pentagon revolving door

Project on Government Oversight In search of Pentagon officials not captured by industry

Raytheon Political contributions and lobbying expenditures

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