Military-Industrial Congress? Speaker Johnson Pushes Israel Defense Bill While Receiving Campaign Donations from Weapons Manufacturers
The House Speaker is funded by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and BAE Systems.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposed bill, the ‘Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act,’ intended to allocate $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel amid its ongoing military operation in Gaza.
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The bill (H.R.7217) was spearheaded by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was attempting to keep funding for Israel while removing it from the border bill.
Johnson’s preoccupation with sending U.S. taxpayer dollars overseas raises questions about his motives, especially when Americans are fighting their own wars at the U.S.-Mexico border and with Joe Biden’s economy.
The bill would have sent billions of U.S. tax dollars-worth of weaponry to Israel.
For example, the legislation specifically allocated $5,341,516,000 “for the Secretary of Defense to provide to the Government of Israel for the procurement of the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Iron Beam defense systems.”
The Iron Dome, an Israeli mobile all-weather air defense system designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells, is produced by weapons manufacturer Raytheon (RTX Corporation).
David’s Sling—nicknamed the “Magic Wand”—is an Israeli air defense missile system also produced by Raytheon.
But Speaker Johnson receives campaign donations from Raytheon, according to OpenSecrets.org, a campaign finance watchdog, representing a conflict of interest.
The watchdog site also confirms Johnson receives campaign funding from other weapons manufacturers: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and BAE Systems.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), is also funded by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems, as well as General Atomics, another American aerospace and defense company.
The members of Congress who voted ‘yes’ for Calvert’s bill also have ties to these companies.
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In October, Bloomberg reported Boeing was “speeding delivery to Israel of as many as 1,800 kits that convert unguided bombs into precision munitions.”
“The expedited deliveries of Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, kits from Boeing to the Israeli government stem from a 2021 Direct Commercial Sale valued at about $735 million. The sale provided for deliveries over several years, but that timetable has been accelerated since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The kits are for bombs of 500 pounds (227 kilograms) and heavier.”
Last June, Reuters reported Israel had “approved the purchase of a third squadron of F-35 stealth fighter jets in a deal worth $3 billion.”
“The additional 25 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) will bring the number of F-35s in Israel’s air force to 75, the ministry said, adding that the deal will be financed through the defense aid package Israel receives from the United States,” the report added.
Northrop Grumman, the world’s fourth-largest military company, supplies weapons and missile systems to Israel.
General Dynamics also provides weapons to Israel, as do BAE Systems and General Atomics.
The war between Israel and Palestine is good for business for weapons manufacturers, as reports indicated U.S. defense stocks spiked following the Hamas attack on October 7:
“Shares of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX and General Dynamics all rose as investors speculate how the U.S. [may] aid its ally which could include ordering more weapons,” Fox News reported at the time.
The war is apparently also good for Speaker Johnson and Rep. Calvert.
Congress’ numerous financial ties to the military-industrial complex raise questions about the intentions behind its push to allocate billions of American taxpayer dollars to overseas defense bills.
Especially when those bills benefit the very weapons manufacturers the members of Congress are linked to.
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