The 3-Step Audit: Link Your Rep’s Votes to Defense Lobbyists

Money in politics is rarely a simple transaction. It is a relationship. In 2023 alone, the 'Big Five' defense firms—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, RTX, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics—spent a combined $70.1 million on lobbying. This spending is strategically concentrated on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees (HASC and SASC), the bodies that authorize the very contracts these firms bid on. This guide provides the methodology to trace that money yourself and hold your representative accountable for the conflicts of interest that result.

Step 1: Identify Committee Assignments and Leadership Roles Before looking at money, you must identify your representative's leverage. Influence in Washington is siloed by committee. The most valuable seats for defense firms are on the House Armed Services Committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the respective Defense Appropriations Subcommittees. Use [Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/members) to find your representative and look for their 'Committee Assignments.' If they are a 'Chairman' or 'Ranking Member,' such as Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03) or Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09), their 'market value' to defense contractors increases significantly.

Step 2: Use OpenSecrets to Map Industry Totals Start with [OpenSecrets.org](https://www.opensecrets.org), which aggregates Federal Election Commission (FEC) data. Search for your representative's name and navigate to the 'Industries' tab. Look specifically for 'Defense' or 'Aerospace.' OpenSecrets will show you the total amount received from the industry over their career and the current cycle.

Compare this to the median donation for a representative not on a defense committee. You will likely find a significant disparity. For instance, the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized a record $886.3 billion in spending; tracking your representative's donations during the months leading up to this vote is crucial for establishing a timeline of influence.

Step 3: Drill Down into PAC vs. Individual Bundling PAC contributions are limited to $5,000 per candidate per election. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The real money often comes from 'bundling'—where corporate executives and high-level employees give individual donations that are collected and delivered en masse.

To find these, go to the [FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/) 'Individual Contributions' search. Enter your representative's name and, in the 'Employer' field, type the names of the Big Five: 'Lockheed Martin,' 'Northrop Grumman,' etc. This allows you to see if C-suite executives are maxing out their personal limits to the same representative their company's PAC is supporting. This 'double-dipping' is a primary way contractors bypass PAC limits.

Step 4: Cross-Reference Donations with Legislative Timing Defense industry contributions often spike within weeks of critical floor votes on weapons systems or supplemental aid packages. Use the 'Schedule' or 'Votes' tab on your representative's profile at [Congress.gov](https://congress.gov) to find dates they voted on the NDAA or specific appropriations bills. Then, return to the FEC 'Browse Receipts' tool and filter by date. Look for clusters of defense-related checks arriving in the 30-day window surrounding those votes. This is not proof of a 'pay-for-play' crime, but it is evidence of a correlation that demands an explanation.

Step 5: Challenge the 'Jobs' Narrative with Facts A common defense used by members of Congress is that defense spending 'creates jobs' in their home district. However, research from the Watson Institute at Brown University shows that $1 billion invested in clean energy or healthcare creates significantly more jobs than $1 billion in military spending. When writing to your representative, cite their specific donation totals from Lockheed or Boeing and ask why that money isn't being prioritized for domestic infrastructure or education that provides a higher return on investment for the district's taxpayers.

Step 6: Use the Gen Us Take Action Toolkit Once you have your data, visit our [Take Action toolkit](/take-action). Our tool allows you to input your zip code and automatically generates a letter to your representative's district office. Unlike generic petitions, our tool auto-fills the letter with the specific dollar amounts you uncovered from the Big Five and lists the representative's specific committee votes.

Limitations and Dark Money Be aware of what you cannot see. While FEC filings show PAC and individual checks, they do not show 'dark money' contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations. These groups can run 'issue-based' ads in a representative's district to reward them for a vote without ever disclosing the original donor. Additionally, the 'revolving door'—where former staffers become lobbyists—is a form of influence that leaves no direct line on a ledger but is visible in the 'Lobbying' section of OpenSecrets.

Your First Move Today Go to the Gen Us [politician tracker](/tracker), type in your representative's name, and see their 'Defense Reliance' score. If they score above a 70, use the steps above to pull their most recent FEC individual contribution list for 'RTX' or 'General Dynamics.'