President Obama is mulling an executive order to force big government contractors to disclose details of their political spending. Big businesses are already telling their political patrons in Congress to oppose it -- and the pressure is building.
The president should issue the executive order immediately. And he should go even further by banning all political activity by companies receiving more than half their revenues from the U.S. government.
Lockheed Martin, the nation's largest contractor, has already got more than $19 billion in federal contracts so far this year. But we know very little about Lockheed Martin's political spending other than its Political Action Committee contributions. We don't know how much money it gives to the Aerospace Industries Association to lobby for a bigger defense budget.
We don't even know how much Lockheed is giving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to lobby against Obama's proposed executive order requiring disclosure of its political activities.
Don't we have a right to know? After all, you and I and other taxpayers are Lockheed's biggest customer. As such, we're financing some of its lobbying and political activities.
Lockheed's lobbying and political activities are built into its cost structure. So when Lockheed contracts with the federal government for a piece of military equipment, you and I end up paying for a portion of its political costs.
It's one of the most insidious conflicts of interest in American politics.
Now, in the wake of the grotesque Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission, there's no limit on what Lockheed can spend on politics.
That's why the president should go the next step and ban Lockheed and all other government contractors that get more than half their revenues from government from engaging in any political activities at all.
Otherwise, you and I and other taxpayers indirectly pay for Lockheed and Northrop Grumman to lobby for a larger military budget and support politicians who will vote for it.
We indirectly pay for Blackwater to lobby for -- and support politicians who will demand -- more use of contract workers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We indirectly pay for Raytheon and General Dynamics to lobby for, and support politicians who will push for, more high-tech weapons systems.
And so on.
Disclosure is a start. But in this post-Citizens United world, it's only a beginning of what's needed.
Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.
Follow Robert Reich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RBReich
Such as the teachers union..
If you think companies like Lockheed shouldn't be allowed to use public sector money to back politicians then why should public sector unions be allowed to?
My suspicions tell me it's because you LIKE the party that the public sector unions back so it's all A-OK...
Interesting.....
Those unions are all composed of individual citizens who only have power in collective. The corporations do not have a right to vote and they are obligated by the rules of capitalism to rape the government for as much as they can get away with. So yes, they could use some more regulation or oversight
Public sector unions are unionized against us the tax payer and I don't think that is one bit fair...
Who speaks for us in all of their collective power?
No one......
Also, there was a great bill to withdraw Non Profit status for any group that donates to and/or promotes a political agenda, I hope that happens too.
Single Payer healthcare NOW, public funded campaigns NOW...now now now is my new favorite word.
The Unions get all their money from their members, who may or may not get their salaries from the government.
Corporations take the money from their shareholders to use it to lobby, many times against the wishes and desires of those shareholders.
Public sector unions get their money from their union members who get their money from us the tax payer....
Either from property tax, state taxes or income tax from the IRS.