Against the advice of the Army's Chief of Staff, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, to halt tank productions until 2017, Congress included in the proposed budget for next year $181 million for 70 or so new tanks the Army doesn't need or want.
The United States has been producing tanks since WWII and on top of having more than enough tanks on the ground in Afghanistan, there are currently 2,000 M-1 Abrams tanks collecting dust at an Army depot just north of Reno, Nevada.
Yet 173 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging him to continue supporting their decision to produce more tanks earlier this year, arguing that there would be a negative effect on the industrial economy if tank productions were to come to a halt.
Here's where it starts to get interesting. General Dynamics, a defense manufacturing plant in Lima, Ohio is where these tanks are being produced, and according to research done by the Center for Public Integrity, well-timed campaign contributions were handed out to lawmakers by the company around the times hearings were being held on whether or not to build more tanks.
Needless to say, I think we all know who's most likely getting that $181 million government contract to build more tanks if the budget proposal is approved. Yes, you guessed it, General Dynamics.
Rep. Buck McKeon, a Republican from California and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said, "General Dynamics would probably get the contract for it anyway because they are kind of the ones that are out there leading the way on this."
This article is important to note because it goes to show how far some lawmakers will go to keep their jobs. When they should be doing what's best for the country, they are doing what's best for their future campaigns.
The article titled "Army to Congress: Thanks, but no tanks" can be found here.
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