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 June 16, 2006 Lockheed Martin Uses Questionable Facts to Steer Spending Bill
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 For Immediate Release
Contact: Jennifer Gore jgore@pogo.org or (202) 347-1122
WASHINGTON—An email circulated on Capitol Hill Thursday shows that the military industrialized complex is definitely alive and well in the halls of Congress. The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) obtained a copy of an email that Lockheed Martin Vice President Jack Overstreet sent to senior Senate staffers requesting a “yes” vote on a proposed amendment that would call for multiyear funding to upgrade the F-22A, an aircraft with a troubled history. The current appropriation requires the program to be reconsidered for funding each fiscal year. The email indicates that Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is slated to introduce the amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill (S.2766) that is based on recommendations from Lockheed Martin, which operates a huge facility in Marietta Georgia. At a March 28 hearing before the Airland Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, military deputy to the Air Force acquisition executive, said a multiyear contract would save $400 million to $500 million. But this figure has changed several times and it is not clear the savings would be that significant. It is also unclear whether the amendment to be proposed is actually legal. Lockheed’s email also refers to a claim by the Institute for Defense Analysis that the F-22A has met the legal requirements to become a multiyear contract. Yet, Michael Sullivan, director of acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to MYP of the F-22A does not conform to the law. “This is a textbook example of the influence that major defense contractors have over members of Congress and emails like this are common,” stated Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project on Government Oversight. “Lockheed Martin has provided questionable information to lawmakers to benefit only themselves. We are appalled by this action.” Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is an independent nonprofit that investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more accountable federal government. # # # #
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