A cozy relationship we’re hoping to break up

 

Read Now: Representatives are Too Invested in Defense Contractors We’re in the middle of NDAA season (i.e., National Defense Authorization Act season) — the time of year when POGO fights tooth and nail for a less wasteful Pentagon budget and works with members of Congress to make smarter, more efficient, and more ethical spending decisions. Coinciding with NDAA season is Congress’s consideration of historic reforms that may bring an end to congressional stock ownership, a change that you’ve vocalized support for many times over the past year. Now is as good a time as any then to take a long, hard look at the intersection of these two issues — the military-industrial-congressional complex. Policymakers in Congress authorize the production of weapons that are built by specific defense contractors. Historically, these contracts account for more than half of the Pentagon’s total budget. With that amounting to over $400 billion this year (and with nothing preventing members of Congress from owning stocks in defense contractors), there should be regulations in place to ensure that members of Congress aren’t profiting off the budget decisions they make. But there aren’t — and so, policymakers have a free pass to increase spending overall or on certain weapons, benefiting contractors and themselves in the process. With nearly a trillion dollars of taxpayer money at stake, the public’s trust and safety should be the top priority — not the policymaker’s own financial interests. Read our full analysis of this issue on our website. Thanks, Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette Government Affairs Manager Project On Government Oversight Contribute

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