Defense Contracts and Defense-Industry Giving
The largest Pentagon contractors and their PACs' giving to Congress
The Department of Defense awards the largest contracts in the federal government; the 230 DoD awards tracked here total $624.4B. Follow the contract dollars to Lockheed Martin, RTX and Boeing, and the giving by their PACs to the members of Congress who authorise and appropriate defense spending.
Dollar figures are reconciled to the records held in this database. Each one says what it measures. The trail shows who gave, who spent for or against whom, and what was enacted, with dates. It does not establish that one caused another.
The Department of Defense: $624.4B across 230 tracked awards
DoD contract awards tracked here, 230 awards, obligated value (USAspending)
The Pentagon is the federal government's largest buyer of goods and services. The 230 DoD awards tracked here total $624.4B in obligated value (USAspending; a slice of all DoD awards, not the total). Movement of senior officials between the Department and its contractors is documented by the GAO and the DoD Inspector General.
Federal agency DOD
Lockheed Martin: $295.8B across 24 tracked awards
contract awards tracked here, 24 awards, obligated value (USAspending)
Lockheed Martin is the largest defense contractor by federal obligations. The 24 awards tracked here total $295.8B. Its employee PAC's giving is the next stop.
Organization identified through public comments on regulations.gov
Lockheed Martin Employees PAC: $3.5M in tracked direct giving
tracked direct giving, 1,614 contributions, 2019-02-26 to 2026-07-30
The Lockheed Martin Employees' PAC made 1,614 tracked contributions totalling $3.5M between February 2019 and July 2026, to members of both parties. Its profile lists the recipients, including members of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees.
Political action committee of Lockheed Martin employees. Consistently the largest defense contractor PAC, contributing millions per cycle to members of the Armed Services and Appropriations committees...
RTX (Raytheon): $90.3B across 46 tracked awards
contract awards tracked here, 46 awards, obligated value (USAspending)
RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon Technologies, is among the five largest defense contractors. The 46 awards tracked here total $90.3B.
Second-largest defense contractor ($68.9 billion revenue in 2023). Formed from the 2020 merger of Raytheon and United Technologies. Maker of Patriot and THAAD missile systems, Pratt & Whitney engines.
Boeing Company PAC: $4.4M in tracked direct giving
tracked direct giving, 1,470 contributions, 2018-09-14 to 2026-06-30
Boeing holds large defense contracts and its PAC gives to the lawmakers who oversee them: 1,470 tracked contributions totalling $4.4M between September 2018 and June 2026. Contract dollars flow from the Treasury to the company; PAC dollars, raised from employees, flow to Congress. The record shows both flows; it does not show that one bought the other.
Boeing employee political action committee. Major defense and aerospace contractor PAC contributing to congressional defense hawks.