July 9, 2012– On Friday, Politico's Morning Defense blog reported on a letter from a group of U.S. senators to a number of defense contractors requesting their insight on the effects of impending budget cuts referred to as "sequestration."
According to Politico, the senators were motivated to reach out to the companies because "the White House has refused to 'conduct any meaningful analysis' on how the automatic budget cuts would affect the industrial base." The letter was sent to 15 companies; however, the report highlights seven: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, and United Technologies Corporation.
MapLight has conducted an analysis of campaign contributions from these companies and their employees to all current members of Congress as well as to the lawmakers mentioned in the report: Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Jim Inhofe, Saxby Chambliss, Kelly Ayotte, Lindsey Graham, and John Cornyn.
Click here to download a spreadsheet of campaign contributions.
Contributions from the Above Defense Contractors to Current Members of Congress: Jan. 1, 2001 - Jun. 30, 2011
| Organization | Total Contributions |
|---|---|
| Boeing | $5,445,586 |
| General Dynamics | $3,913,882 |
| L-3 Communications | $1,357,808 |
| Lockheed Martin | $6,362,507 |
| Northrop Grumman | $4,259,340 |
| Raytheon | $4,250,275 |
| United Technologies | $2,823,491 |
| Total | $28,412,889 |
Contributions from the Mentioned Defense Contractors to the Seven Senators: Jan. 1, 2001 - Jun. 30, 2011
| Organization | Total Contributions |
|---|---|
| Boeing | $158,199 |
| General Dynamics | $143,960 |
| L-3 Communications | $54,225 |
| Lockheed Martin | $300,925 |
| Northrop Grumman | $213,753 |
| Raytheon | $121,857 |
| United Technologies | $284,450 |
| Total | $1,277,369 |
METHODOLOGY: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, and United Technologies Corporation and their respective employees to all current members of the U.S. House and Senate and to Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Jim Inhofe, Saxby Chambliss, Kelly Ayotte, Lindsey Graham, and John Cornyn from Jan. 1, 2001-June 30, 2011. Contributions data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org).
