Is Boeing bribing Members of the United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation with millions of dollars? Unfortunately, under U.S. law such payoffs are not considered bribes, but legal contributions., but money apparently has been flowing for years.
The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues in the United States. Within this scope of responsibilities, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a modal administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). This jurisdiction covers all programs within the FAA as well as aviation programs of the USDOT with respect to the economic regulation of air carriers and passenger airline service. In addition, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over commercial space transportation, the National Mediation Board, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Boeing is the world’s top manufacturer of commercial airplanes, including well-known aircraft such as the 787 and the 747. The company is also a leading military supplier, making fighter-bombers, transport planes, and the Apache helicopter. Boeing is also the manufacturer of the Boeing 737 Max, a deadly plane for hundreds.
Currently, there are 5 active fraud investigations against Boeing in regards to two crashes killing hundreds on the Boeing 737 MAX
The Department of Justice’s Fraud Section has opened a criminal investigation into the development and certification of the Boeing 737 MAX by the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing. The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General and the FBI are participating in the investigation. Federal attorneys are gathering evidence through a federal grand jury seated in Washington, D.C. Grand jury proceedings are conducted in secret and the Justice Department has declined to comment on the investigation. The FAA and Boeing have also declined to comment.
The Transportation Department’s Inspector General is conducting a separate administrative audit into the certification of the MAX. At a Senate subcommittee hearing in March, Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III said such audits generally take about seven months, but could take longer given the complexity of the issue.
Did Boeing’s civilian planes become badly designed military planes? That was the speculation in a recent Harper’s article. The piece reports the airlines rolling out of Boeing’s Seattle plant used to be well-designed and safe. But that changed in 1997 when Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas.
The ‘military’ effect became apparent in the first major airliner under the merged companies, the 787 Dreamliner, which was built with a plastic airframe and all-electronic controls powered by a large and flammable battery.
FlyersRights reported on this situation in 2013 when several batteries caught fire resulting in a costly three-month grounding of the Dreamliner fleet while a fix was devised.
The cause of the fires was never established, yet a workaround solution of constructing a fireproof box to house the engine batteries was considered sufficient.
The 737 MAX is the second Boeing airliner to be grounded since 2013.
Maybe one has to follow the money and contribution Boeing has been giving to political leaders over the years.
In 2018 here are the lucky recipients:
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Republicans: Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) $9,700. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) $5,999. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) $6,000. Sam Graves (R-Missouri) $10,000. John Katko (R-New York) $15,400. Brian Mast (R-Florida) $7,681. Paul Mitchell (R-Michigan) $5,000. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) $3,000. David Rouzer (R-North Carolina) $2,000. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) $8,000. Rob Woodall (R-Georgia) $2,000. Don Young (R-Alaska) $1,000.
Boeing contributions to Republicans on the Aviation Subcommittee, $75,780.
Democrats: Anthony Brown (D-Maryland) $8,500. Salud Carbajal (D-California) $5,000. Andre Carson (D-Indiana) $10,000. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) $2,000. Angie Craig (D-Minnesota) $703. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) $5,000. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) $6,000. Henry Johnson (D-Georgia) $1,000. Rick Larsen (D-Washington) $7,048. Daniel Lipinski (D-Illinois) $6,000. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-New York) $3,500. Donald Payne (D-New Jersey) $1,000. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) $3,000. Total Amount Boeing contributions to Democrats on the Aviation Subcommittee in 2018 cycle: $58,969. Average for each of the 22 members. $2,680.
Boeing contributions to the 39 Democratic members of the Subcommittee, $134,749.
| Cycle | Total | Democrats | Republicans | % to Dems | % to Repubs | Individuals | PACs | Soft (Indivs) | Soft (Orgs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $393,348 | $179,680 | $213,368 | 46% | 54% | $60,048 | $333,000 | $300 | $0 |
| 2018 | $4,325,290 | $2,053,723 | $2,223,843 | 48% | 51% | $1,211,951 | $3,075,499 | $18,063 | $0 |
| 2016 | $3,952,600 | $1,898,362 | $1,985,391 | 48% | 50% | $1,167,783 | $2,724,635 | $19,219 | $1,000 |
| 2014 | $3,350,463 | $1,388,365 | $1,944,594 | 41% | 58% | $567,560 | $2,742,000 | $8,179 | $0 |
| 2012 | $3,533,558 | $1,610,583 | $1,904,507 | 46% | 54% | $1,031,970 | $2,484,500 | $5,283 | $0 |
| 2010 | $3,414,732 | $1,888,510 | $1,505,732 | 55% | 44% | $596,057 | $2,806,000 | $2,250 | $0 |
| 2008 | $2,662,934 | $1,510,520 | $1,146,487 | 57% | 43% | $761,705 | $1,878,250 | $0 | $20,500 |
| 2006 | $1,636,850 | $663,390 | $957,464 | 41% | 59% | $386,975 | $1,247,750 | $0 | $0 |
| 2004 | $1,863,798 | $800,869 | $972,796 | 43% | 52% | $578,648 | $1,187,830 | $0 | $12,500 |
| 2002 | $1,815,122 | $800,946 | $1,012,281 | 44% | 56% | $250,167 | $864,473 | $1,982 | $698,500 |
| 2000 | $1,960,783 | $856,934 | $1,098,370 | 44% | 56% | $375,859 | $756,426 | $1,923 | $826,575 |
| 1998 | $1,680,038 | $596,964 | $1,079,876 | 36% | 64% | $284,113 | $866,425 | $15,500 | $514,000 |
| 1996 | $889,279 | $264,985 | $621,444 | 30% | 70% | $85,224 | $343,105 | $0 | $460,950 |
| 1994 | $558,475 | $350,645 | $207,080 | 63% | 37% | $73,954 | $302,521 | $0 | $182,000 |
| 1992 | $464,786 | $250,759 | $212,327 | 54% | 46% | $79,986 | $347,100 | $0 | $37,700 |
| 1990 | $304,140 | $161,283 | $142,857 | 53% | 47% | $24,633 | $279,507 | N/A | N/A |
| TOTAL | $32,806,196 | $15,276,518 | $17,228,417 | 47% | 53% | $7,536,633 | $22,239,021 | $72,699 | $2,753,72 |
