Lockheed Martin Showered Susan Collins With Cash as F-35 Program Hit Turbulence

Key Points:

• The Pentagon’s F-35 fighter jet program, over a decade late and nearly $200 billion over budget, faced new scrutiny in 2023 after a Government Accountability Office report criticized cost management and contractor delays, coinciding with planned upgrades to the jet.
• Lockheed Martin, the program’s main contractor, launched a major lobbying campaign in Washington ahead of congressional budget debates, donating nearly $60,000 to Sen. Susan Collins, a key figure on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, who subsequently supported funding for 83 new F-35 jets.
• Collins, who has received significant campaign contributions from Lockheed and other defense contractors, has faced allegations of potential pay-to-play schemes and calls for investigations, though she denies wrongdoing and her support for the F-35 is described as bipartisan and longstanding.
• Lockheed Martin’s 2023 campaign donations were heavily concentrated on Collins, who received more individual contributions from Lockheed employees and executives than any other politician during a critical budget period, highlighting the close ties between defense firms and influential lawmakers.
• Collins also advocated for funding the robotic combat vehicle Ripsaw, developed by Maine-based Howe & Howe, despite Pentagon cancellations, with related defense firms contributing thousands to her campaign, illustrating the ongoing influence of defense contractors on congressional defense spending decisions.