HII among firms halting PAC$

WASHINGTON - Three major defense contractors joined a growing list of corporate giants, plus Huntington Ingalls Industries shipbuilding, in halting political contributions, in the wake of last week’s riot at the Capitol, seeking to distance themselves from the controversy. Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Leidos are temporarily pausing all donations to members of Congress across the board. Leidos Chairman/CEO Roger Krone said in a statement Jan. 12. “We are shocked and appalled by the behavior that took place … Democracy thrives on passionate debate, but dies in anarchy and violence.” Leidos’ PAC has decided to temporarily pause all political donations. A Northrop Grumman spokesperson said: “(W)e are pausing political action committee giving and evaluating the way forward.” The country’s largest shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls, has also stopped PAC contributions, but it is not clear when that action took effect. “HII’s employee PAC is currently paused while they review the budget and any governance changes to possibly implement in the new cycle,” spokesperson Beci Benton said in a Jan. 12 e-mail to Breaking Defense, adding it happened “recently.”  HII operations are primarily located in Pascagoula, Miss., and Norfolk, Va. A Raytheon spokesperson said the company has “paused all political action committee contributions to reflect on the current environment.” (Source: Breaking Defense 01/13/21) Defense Firms Join Wall Street, Tech Giants & Shut Hill Money Spigot « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary