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program based in his home state of Mississippi

five C-130s, but Congress has purchased 256.

and a $50 million down payment on a $1.5 bil-

That 50-to-1 ratio of aircraft purchased to

lion helicopter carrier that will be built at a

aircraft requested may well be a record in the

shipyard in his hometown of Pascagoula,

annals of pork-barrel politics. Congress has

Mississippi. Former speaker of the House Newt

been buying C-130s at such a rapid pace since

Gingrich was instrumental in adding seven

1991 that the Air Force has been forced to

C-130 aircraft to the budget, at a cost of nearly

retire 13 perfectly capable C-130Es, each of

$400 million. Senator Lott is a C-130 booster

which has more than a dozen years of useful

as well; of the more than two dozen C-130s

life remaining. In addition, according to the

that Congress has added to the military budget

GAO, because Congress never budgeted the

in recent years, more than half will be based

funds needed to operate the extra C-130s, the

at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.64

Pentagon will have to come up with an addi-

Congressional Democrats haven't exactly been

tional $1 billion to operate and maintain

sitting on their hands in the race for military

those aircraft over the next six years.66

pork. At a cost to taxpayers of $258 million,

Unrequested fighter aircraft, helicopters,

Senate Armed Services Committee member

combat ships, submarines, and even ballistic

Daniel Inouye last year inserted in the

missiles can eat up tens of billions of dollars

Pentagon budget 31 separate projects for his

in procurement and operations funding each

home state of Hawaii. And Rep. John Murtha

year.

(D-Pa.) has joined with his home-state

Pork-barrel politics is not limited to the rel-

Republican counterparts Rep. Joseph McDade

atively small portion of the Pentagon budget

and Rep. Curt Weldon to secure extra funding

that is added by members of Congress. Some

for Pennsylvania-based projects, including $25

critics have argued that entire programs--such

million for the Q-70 radar system and $78 mil-

as the three new fighter projects in the

lion for the V-22 "tiltrotor" aircraft for the

Pentagon's budget--are sustained by parochial

Marines.65

politics. Although a defense project can be

both necessary and lucrative, another impor-

Military pork increases the revenues of

tant question must be asked: how many fight-

major contractors by extending the production

er aircraft, bombers, attack submarines, com-

runs of weapons systems that the Pentagon

bat ships, and other items are being supported

had hoped to terminate. Corporate profits are

at artificially high procurement rates merely to

particularly high when a "mature" production

keep the contracts flowing to key companies

line (production costs have been reduced over

and communities? A full discussion of what

time) can be kept open. The payback for legis-

U.S. taxpayers

might be called "redundancy pork"--weapons

lators is twofold: not only do they get hundreds

spending that exceeds what is needed for

of thousands of dollars in campaign contribu-

are doling out

national defense--goes beyond the scope of

tions from the contractors, but they get to

billions of dollars

this paper, but the concept is worth keeping in

claim credit for bringing to their states and dis-

mind as Congress and the public scrutinize

tricts high-profile contracts that produce jobs.

in corporate wel-

the nation's current military buildup.67

But this self-serving process has serious costs.

fare to the

First, defense pork wastes billions of dollars

A comprehensive review of changes in

defense industry

that could be put to more productive uses,

Pentagon contracting from the peak of the

such as returning some of the funds to the

Reagan buildup in 1986 through the spend-

under the veneer

public through a tax cut. Second, pork under-

ing "trough" in 1996 suggests that steering

of national

mines security by distorting the spending pat-

projects to the states and districts of key

terns within the Pentagon budget.

members of Congress has become a driving

security.

The C-130 transport aircraft illustrates

force in defense procurement. Over that time

how a seemingly innocuous add-on can

period, the total value of Pentagon contract-

become an example of egregious waste. Since

ing declined by 36 percent, but nine states

1978 the Air Force has requested a total of

managed to increase the value of their total

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