politics
Defense Industry Donates Nearly $5 Million to Congress This Year
A new report shows the defense sector contributed almost $5 million to members of Congress through political action committees and individual donations. The donations, which include contributions to both Republicans and Democrats on key defense committees, represent a small share of total congressional campaign funds.
May 12, 4:37 PM·2m read1 source
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The defense sector has donated nearly $5 million to members of Congress via political action committees and individual donations so far this year, according to a new report by NOTUS. The contributions came from both traditional firms like Lockheed Martin, RTX and Northrop Grumman as well as newer companies like Anduril.
OpenSecrets reported that these defense industry donations make up only a small percentage of the total cash going to Congress. Republicans and Democrats received the funds. Much of the money went to congressional decision makers who influence legislation on defense acquisition, including the National Defense Authorization Act.
California Rep. Ken Calvert raised roughly $200,000 in campaign funds from PACs and individuals affiliated with companies like RTX, BAE Systems and Leidos. Calvert, a Republican, heads the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and will face a battle to keep his seat during the midterms this year.
Anduril co-founder Brian Schimpf donated $7,000 to Washington Rep. Adam Smith last quarter. Smith, the Democratic leader on the House Armed Services Committee, received nearly $130,000 in donations from defense industry PACs and individual executives last quarter.
The House Armed Services Committee has jurisdiction over acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls. Rep. , who chairs the committee, received $68,000 in defense industry donations in the first quarter of 2026, including $7,000 from Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey.
Smith and Rogers co-sponsored the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery (SPEED) Act. Defense firms have expressed frustration with the current acquisition process, which they describe as tedious and overly bureaucratic. A spokesperson for the Center for Defense Information at the Project On Government Oversight said a major focus over the last year has been to deregulate the defense acquisition process to allow faster procurement and expanded ability to bypass oversight mechanisms.
