PAC Contributors

Defense Contractors Dominate List of Top 10 PAC Contributors in 2015

by Sarang Shah

This week, the Senate is debating the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets the annual spending limit for the Department of Defense. The $612 billion bill, H.R. 1735, contains reforms of the acquisition process, affecting Pentagon defense contractors.

Honeywell's political action committee (PAC) tops the list of corporate PACs that have contributed the most money to members of Congress during the first quarter of 2015. Joining Honeywell ($553,999) on the list are defense contractors Northrop Grumman ($416,900), and Boeing ($304,500), which spent millions on lobbying earlier this year as they competed for the new stealth bomber contract in the NDAA. Fellow defense contractor Raytheon also contributed $238,500.

•The top spender, Honeywell, contributed $553,999 to the principal campaign committees of current members of Congress between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2015.

•The top ten corporate PAC contributors contributed $3,335,149 combined between January 1, 2015 and March 31, 2015.