Defense Contractors

As a leader on the Appropriations Committee from 1997 to 2005, Senator Stevens wielded great influence over military spending. [National Journal Almanac of American Politics, 2008]

An analysis of the 2005 appropriations cycle by Business Week, Stevens’ last year as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, demonstrated that 10 of the top 20 earmark recipients were clients of Robison, a lobbying firm that was also assisting Stevens with campaign assistance. [Lobby Firm Raises Funds For Stevens, Roll Call, 9/8/2008]

The president of Robison at the time, and former Stevens’ staffer was Richard Ladd. Ladd also served as treasurer of Stevens’ Northern Lights PAC until 2006. [Lobby Firm Raises Funds For Stevens, Roll Call, 9/8/2008]

All 10 of those firms, including Alliant Techsystems Inc., Oshkosh Corp, and Boeing Co., contributed to Stevens’ PAC in 2005. [Lobby Firm Raises Funds For Stevens, Roll Call, 9/8/2008]

An additional example of influence of defense contractor special interest was in 1999 when the House Republicans cut the F-22 Jets’ funding to reign in costs. Liberal and conservative think tanks alike deemed the jets to be antiquated. Despite the consensus that the jets were unnecessary, Stevens used his position as chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to reinstate the funding for the F-22 Jets. [Stevens leads Bid To Preserve Fighter Jet Project, Anchorage Daily News 9/21/1999]

In the past thirty years, the employees and political action committees of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, makers of the F-22 aircraft, have contributed at least $198,950 to Senator Stevens. [Sen. Ted Stevens, CQ Money Line; Federal Election Commission, Report of Committee Who Gave To This Candidate]

The defense industry special interest political action committees have contributed at least $356,350 to Stevens. [Campaign Finance: Ted Stevens, Center for Responsive Politics, Retrieved 9/12/2008]