Will Ties to Pentagon Contractors Push 'Supercommittee' Democrats to Cut Entitlements?

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Nick Turse

Will Ties to Pentagon Contractors Push 'Supercommittee' Democrats to Cut Entitlements?
AlterNet teams up with Salon and Brave New Foundation to document how Dems on the Congressional "supercommittee" get far more military campaign money and contracts than the GOP.

September 21, 2011 |


Arizona’s Republican Senator Jon Kyl wasted little time. A member of the bipartisan Congressional “supercommittee” charged with finding $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions, he did his best to forestall even discussion of cuts to the Pentagon’s budget. “When we had our first meeting the chairman asked, ‘Well what do we think about defense spending?’ and I said, ‘I’m off of the committee if we’re gonna talk about further defense spending,’” he told the audience at a recent forum sponsored by several conservative think tanks.

The Senate Minority Whip may be the most outspoken member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction when it comes to the military budget, but the Democrats currently considering whether to cut the deficit via reductions in defense spending or programs like Medicare and Medicaid have received far more money from Pentagon contractors than Kyl or any of their Republican colleagues on the panel, according to an investigation by AlterNet, with assistance from the Brave New Foundation and Salon.com.

Since 2007, Democrats on the supercommittee have received more than $1 million in defense industry donations, while contributions to the Republicans added up to only $321,000. Panel co-chair Senator Patty Murray, for example, has received more defense industry dollars over that period than the combined total of the top four Republican recipients on the super committee. Even so, her haul from the Pentagon’s weapons-makers isn’t the largest by a panel Democrat, a distinction held by her colleague from South Carolina, John Clyburn.

An analysis of official government data paints a disturbing picture of big money, cozy relationships and potential influence that, alongside a concerted lobbying effort by the Pentagon and its powerful defense contractors, makes substantial reductions to the Department of Defense’s budget improbable and steeper cuts to entitlement programs, like Medicare and Medicaid, more likely. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/world/152466/will_ties_to_pentagon_contractors_push_%27supercommittee%27_democrats_to_cut_entitlements/

[Indydem]

1. Simple answer:

YES.

Every congresscritter in both parties is beholden to the MIC for jobs, donations, and support.

We were toast the second the SUPERCOMMITTEE was agreed to.

[bananas]

2. I was just listening to an interview with Bruce Gagnon

He mentioned an article some years ago where the military saw SS/Medicare as the future source of funding.

http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=4911

August 26th, 2011
Bruce Gagnon with much more on U.S. plans for space supremacy, Star Wars and cyber-warfare to protect global corporate interests at all costs

<snip>

http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=4873

August 12th, 2011
Bruce Gagnon on America’s ruthless military strategies for dominating the globe and weaponizing space

<snip>

[marmar]

3. Thanks for the links......

Seems like none of this is a coincidence.

[Jefferson23]

4. marmar, you may be interested in this info too, from OpenSecrets:

The Money Behind the Mediators:
Profiles of the Debt Supercommittee

In August 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act, which raised the debt ceiling of the United States and called for the creation of a new congressional committee tasked with producing legislation to reduce the national deficit by $1.5 trillion. This new group is officially known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Unofficially, it's been dubbed the "super Congress" or "Supercommittee." Whatever you call it, it's going to be the target of a lobbying bonanza, as special interest groups work to keep their pet projects off the chopping block. Below, OpenSecrets.org helps you explore the money-in-politics connections that each of the 12 members of this Supercommittee bring to the table. And go here to learn more about the call for transparency in the supercommittee's work.

Top contributors to supercommittee members (excluding presidential funds), 1989-2011
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/reports/supercommittees.php

[chill_wind]

6. Very useful. One for the bookmarks.

Yep, it's going to be one huge lobbyists' SHARK FEST.

[Jefferson23]

7. You're welcome, and the shark fest will be significant..I think we all know that.

We so desperately need public funded elections.

[blkmusclmachine]

5. You betcha.

n/t