All posts tagged: Lockheed Martin Corp

OpenAI, Anthropic boost lobbying as legacy tech, defense spending slips

OpenAI, Anthropic boost lobbying as legacy tech, defense spending slips

Published by Sam Flores

A visitor watches an AI sign on an animated screen at the Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry’s biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona. Josep Lago | Afp | Getty Images OpenAI and Anthropic increased their federal lobbying spending to record levels in the second quarter of 2026 as the artificial intelligence industry poured millions into influencing Washington ahead of the midterm elections and ahead of their highly anticipated IPOs. Together, the two leading AI developers spent $3.17 million during the quarter, up 23% from the first three months of the year, according to federal lobbying disclosures. Anthropic spent $1.97 million from April through June, up 26% from the first quarter. OpenAI spent $1.2 million, an increase of nearly 18%. The companies reported lobbying on issues including cybersecurity, copyright, cloud computing and defense procurement. Monitoring lobbying spending, which companies must report quarterly to Congress, is a way to gauge which companies and industries are most active in influencing the federal government. Companies with interests in shaping legislation or regulation often ramp up their spending. Established technology …

Trump Freedom 250 sponsors include companies with federal business

Trump Freedom 250 sponsors include companies with federal business

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON — On the National Mall this week, Freedom 250 signs pointed visitors toward temporary state pavilions, a Ferris wheel and mobile, transitory history exhibits. Sponsor names appeared beside Trump-aligned programming. Some states were represented by official delegations. Others had opted out, leaving replacement displays or stripped-down booths in their place. As the country prepares to mark its semiquincentennial, or 250th birthday, the splashiest celebrations in Washington are being shaped by corporate money. A CNBC analysis found 14 companies backing both America250, the nonprofit supporting the congressionally created U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, and Freedom 250, the Trump-backed public-private partnership behind some of the administration’s most visible anniversary events. The companies listed online as backing both are: Boeing, Deloitte, Exiger, John Deere, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Oracle, Palantir, Phorm Energy, RTX SAP, Scotts Miracle-Gro, UFC and United Airlines. Of those companies, only John Deere responded to a CNBC request for comment, but it did not address specific questions about its sponsorship of both organizations. John Deere said it was eager to celebrate the people whose work helped …

Lobbying push to nix Pentagon defense contractor share buyback ban

Lobbying push to nix Pentagon defense contractor share buyback ban

Published by Sam Flores

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas facility on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” industry tour. Amanda McCoy | Fort Worth Star-telegram | Tribune News Service | Getty Images Lobbying efforts to kill a proposed ban on some defense contractors buying back their own stock in a must-pass annual defense bill are heating up, as the House of Representatives begins to move the legislation this week. The prohibition, a version of which was included in the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2027, is proposed as an amendment for the House Rules Committee to consider as it discusses the legislation Monday night. If it makes it into the final bill, it could upend how the Pentagon does business with its tens of thousands of contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and John Garamendi, D-Calif., are proposing the amendment in the House, which is likely to vote on the NDAA later this week. Prior to …

Trump to press Boeing, Lockheed, Honeywell on weapons production

Trump to press Boeing, Lockheed, Honeywell on weapons production

Published by Sam Flores

The CEOs of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell arrived at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with President Donald Trump, as the administration presses major defense contractors to ramp up weapons production amid concerns about U.S. missile and munitions stockpiles. The meeting comes after U.S. military operations in Iran and amid ongoing peace talks with Tehran, giving the White House added urgency to replenish key weapons systems and reassure allies that the U.S. defense industrial base can keep pace with demand. The production push is already translating. On Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a $35.3 billion sole-source contract to produce THAAD interceptors through June 2032, with $842.9 million obligated at award. The same notice also included a $398.7 million Raytheon award for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles including sales to U.S. allies. Also, the White House on Wednesday asked Congress for $87.6 billion in supplemental spending, primarily to pay for the Iran war. On Tuesday, the Senate adopted an Iran war powers resolution directing Trump to end U.S. hostilities with …

Defense contractors would be barred from buying back their stock in bill approved by Senate panel

Defense contractors would be barred from buying back their stock in bill approved by Senate panel

Published by Sam Flores

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and ranking member of Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, left, and Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, speak during a confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. Eric Lee | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a must-pass bill with a provision that could bar some defense contractors from executing stock buybacks or paying dividends unless they have Defense Department approval. The measure, an annual bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, was approved 18-9 in a closed-door committee meeting last week. The stock buyback provision’s inclusion in the committee’s bill greatly increases its chances of becoming law and sets up a potential sea change in how the Pentagon interacts with some of the country’s largest businesses. Its bipartisan nature also underscores how Republicans under President Donald Trump have abandoned some of their free-market orthodoxy to join with more interventionist Democrats. The mandate is expected to face fierce blowback from the companies to which it …

Maine might boot Susan Collins. It could hurt state’s wallet for years

Maine might boot Susan Collins. It could hurt state’s wallet for years

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, holds a blanket as she walks off the Senate floor after the Senate stayed in session throughout the night at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, July 1, 2025. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images Maine might send Sen. Susan Collins packing after this year’s midterm elections. That decision could come back to bite the Pine Tree state’s balance sheet for years to come. Collins, New England’s lone federally elected Republican, is in the fight of her political life against the Democratic progressive upstart candidate Graham Platner. Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, has seized on anger directed at President Donald Trump and anti-establishment animus to rocket to the Democratic nomination — forcing Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to abandon her own Senate campaign within a matter of months. His yard signs dot the state’s backroads and neighborhoods, and he leads in almost every head-to-head poll against Collins.  The race, like most midterm contests, is shaping up to be a referendum on the president, who is underwater nationally …

Trump puts Taiwan arms sales, Jimmy Lai on agenda with Xi meeting

Trump puts Taiwan arms sales, Jimmy Lai on agenda with Xi meeting

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks during a maternal healthcare event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, May 11, 2026. Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Monday that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the imprisonment of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai would be on his agenda for the Beijing summit later this week. Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan have been a flashpoint between the two countries, drawing a sharp response from Beijing that has accused the U.S. of violating the “one-China principle,” and warned that attempts to “contain China” via Taipei were set to fail. When asked about Washington’s longstanding support for Taiwan’s defense, Trump said Monday that, “I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.” “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about.” That comes after Beijing reportedly pressed the Trump administration to scale back its security commitments for the island. Trump is expected to …

Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says

Israel and Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire, Trump says

Published by Sam Flores

The leaders of Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after officials from the two countries met in Washington, President Donald Trump said Thursday. The temporary truce will start at 5 p.m. ET, Trump said in a Truth Social post. In a follow-up, Trump added that he will be inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon to the White House “for the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983, a very long time ago.” “Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” Trump wrote. The U.S. State Department said in a statement later Thursday that the two countries “will work to create conditions conducive to lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border, while preserving Israel’s inherent right to self-defense.” “Both countries recognize the significant challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups, which undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and threaten regional stability,” read the statement, which …

Trump threatens tariffs of 50% on nations supplying weapons to Iran

Trump threatens tariffs of 50% on nations supplying weapons to Iran

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. will impose tariffs of 50% on “any and all” goods imported to the country from any nation “supplying military weapons to Iran”, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. Trump said in a Truth Social post that any country found to be supplying Iran with weapons would be subject to the levy “immediately”, with no “exclusions or exemptions”. The president wrote: “A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” It came as Trump said the U.S. would “work closely” with Iranian authorities, following the ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday and what Trump called “very productive regime change”. Trump said in a separate Truth Social post that “there will …

NASA Artemis II captures solar eclipse during moon flyby

NASA Artemis II captures solar eclipse during moon flyby

Published by Sam Flores

The crew of Artemis II captured what NASA’s chief called an “absolutely stunning” photo of the moon eclipsing the sun, as the spacecraft broke Apollo 13’s 56-year-old record for the longest distance traveled by humans from Earth. “This is not AI,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “This is why we do what we do,” said Isaacman, as Artemis II continued heading back home to Earth. The White House posted the photo taken Monday by Artemis II, and NASA released other photos from the Orion capsule, which conducted a six-hour flyby of the moon with four astronauts on board. Artemis II view of the moon eclipsing the sun. NASA Isaacman said, “I just looked at the pictures about five minutes before getting on … this interview, and I would just say they looked absolutely stunning.” Artemis’ crew “mentioned this last night during the webcast that they don’t know if human eyes are ready to see what they’ve captured,” he said. A view of the Moon as the …