Cheat Sheet: Adam Smith Fleecing Taxpayers?

Seattle news blog Publicola.net has the story:

Here’s the deal: Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 fighter plane and Pratt & Whitney makes the engine. The House Armed Services Committee sent the defense authorization bill to the floor this week—funding a second company, GE, to also manufacture an F-35 engine. (The engine contracts could be worth $100 billion over their lifetime, according to the New York Times.) The DOD says it doesn’t need two companies making the engine and will ask President Obama to veto the proposal.

Our add-on: We found that GE had contributed $2,500 to Smith, who chairs the Armed Services Committee’s Air and Land Force Subcommittee, during the company’s recent lobbying campaign. (Lockheed Martin is one of Smith’s top 10 contributors at $6000, by the way.)

Today we found some more info about contributions to Smith. A firm that lobbies for GE is Smith’s top contributor this election cycle, ahead of Boeing.

Denny Miller Associates, which has  a $20,000 contract with GE Aviation Systems, contributed $15,800 between March and May during GE’s big lobbying push according to his current finance disclosure reports.

It’s not just a local story; ABC News featured Rep. Smith as the poster boy backing the second engine boondoggle:

Sound familiar?

Tags: Adam Smith, F-35, General Electric, Jet Engine, Joint Strike Fighter, Pentagon, Pork

Andrew

Andrew is a UW alum, Seattle native and dedicated hometown football fan.

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