Pentagon Spent $5 Billion on Weapons on the Eve of the Shutdown

http://killerapps.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/01/on_the_eve_of_the_government_shutdown_the_pentagon_spent_billions_on_weapons

"The Pentagon pumped billions of dollars into contractors' bank accounts on the eve of the U.S. government's shutdown that saw 400,000 Defense Department employees furloughed.

All told, the Pentagon awarded 94 contracts yesterday evening on its annual end-of-the-fiscal-year spending spree, spending more than five billion dollars on everything from robot submarines to Finnish hand grenades and a radar base mounted on an offshore oil platform. To put things in perspective, the Pentagon gave out only 14 contracts on September 3, the first workday of the month.

Here are some of the more interesting purchases from Monday's dollar-dump.

First up: the Defense Logistics Agency, the Pentagon branch that provides the armed services with things like fuel and spare parts. DLA has the honor of dropping the most cash in one contract last night with the $2.5 billion award it gave to aircraft engine-maker Pratt & Whitney for "various weapons system spare parts" used by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Other highlights of DLA's last-minute spree included: $65 million for military helmets from BAE Systems, $24 million for "traveling wave tubes" to amplify radio signals from Thales, $17 million for liquid nitrogen, $15 million for helium and $19 million on cots. Yes, cots..."

(more at site)

Money will actually go to people and companies that do some good and keep the economy going...while Obama makes two AF crews fly him to Asia on AF one that are not getting paid..

PACEDOG#1 wrote:Money will actually go to people and companies that do some good and keep the economy going...while Obama makes two AF crews fly him to Asia on AF one that are not getting paid..

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-senate-sends-obama-military-pay-bill-97582.html

Obama to sign military pay bill



By AUSTIN WRIGHT | 9/30/13 5:35 PM EDT Updated: 10/1/13 1:13 AM EDT
President Barack Obama plans to sign a last-minute bill authorizing paychecks for troops and some Defense Department workers and contractors if the government shuts down, the White House said Monday.

The House-passed bill to ensure the military is paid was approved without dissent in the Senate on Monday — a rare bipartisan agreement as Congress stumbled toward midnight when the fiscal year ends and current appropriations expire.

The measure would also ensure continued pay for civilian employees of the Defense Department and Pentagon contractors whom Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel determines “are providing support to members of the Armed Forces.”

It was unclear Monday evening how Hagel might apply that authority — whether he would spare only a few civilians and contractors from furloughs, or large numbers of them. A Pentagon spokesman said he could not comment on “pending legislation.”



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-senate-sends-obama-military-pay-bill-97582.html#ixzz2gZtjlEqh

This is actually a Republican bill, which apparently materialized out of nowhere when the shutdown was imminent. Go figure.