Northrop Grumman "Weighing In" On 2018 Elections
Northrop Grumman, military technology and weapons manufacturing company, has been "weighing in" heavily on the 2018 midterm elections, with The Center For Responsive Politics reporting that the organization's own PAC has contributed $4.8 million to candidates/PACs in the 2018 election cycle alone. This uniquely marks 2018 as the first time since 1998 that Northrop Grumman's PAC has spent more on campaigns than it took in donations.
The notorious arm of the military industrial complex is also actively swaying the opinions of congresspeople one dollar, and one vote at a time, as is also reported by The Center For Responsive Politics, Northrop Grumman has spent $8.9 million lobbying congress, in the 2018 election cycle alone. For the year of the 2016 election cycle, Northrop Grumman spent an astronomical $12 million lobbying the government for the military industrial complex. Bear in mind that Northrop Grumman is but the 4th largest defense contractor in the world.
The money spent by Northrop Grumman and its respective PAC is in no wise a cut in their bank account. Rather, the policies opted for by candidates purchased by Northrop Grumman will result in subsequent billions of dollars in weapons deals, making the few million they spent lobbying Congress and supporting war-friendly candidates render a massive "return on investment". In fact, Northrop Grumman announced a 10% increase in sales according to a recent press release.
The generosity, of course, is bipartisan. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee($202,203), The National Republican Congressional Committee ($192,038), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ($153,911) were the top 3 recipients of Northrop Grumman campaign cash. The largest single donation to a candidate was, unsurprisingly, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), in the amount of $45,000.
The generosity, of course, is bipartisan. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee($202,203), The National Republican Congressional Committee ($192,038), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ($153,911) were the top 3 recipients of Northrop Grumman campaign cash. The largest single donation to a candidate was, unsurprisingly, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), in the amount of $45,000.