By Robert Levinson
(Bloomberg) — The impending cuts to defense spending — whether through sequestration or the multi-year spending caps in the Budget Control Act of 2011 — probably will hit districts represented by Democrats harder than those represented by Republicans.
Democrats won 47 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives in the 2012 election, but 58 percent of the military’s fiscal 2012 prime contract spending went to companies performing work in those districts.
The top 10 districts where prime defense contract dollars are put to work represented more than one fifth of all prime contract defense spending, and only two of these districts were represented by Republicans. Spending in Democratic districts averaged about $893 million for the year versus an average of $573 million for Republican districts.
Top 10 Districts for Defense Contract Spending
| Rank | District | 2012 Election Winner | Party | FY 2012 Defense Prime Contract Spending | Armed Services or Appropriations Committee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Missouri 1 | William Lacy Clay | D | $11,408.0 | None |
| 2 | Virginia 8 | James P. Moran | D | $11,136.0 | Appropriations |
| 3 | Texas 12 | Kay Granger | R | $9,839.9 | Appropriations |
| 4 | Virginia 11 | Gerald E. Connolly | D | $9,760.9 | None |
| 5 | California 52 | Scott Peters | D | $6,218.1 | Armed Services |
| 6 | Alabama 5 | Morris J. Brooks | R | $5,907.9 | Armed Services |
| 7 | Washington 9 | Adam Smith | D | $5,584.9 | Armed Services |
| 8 | Connecticut 3 | Rosa L. Delauro | D | $4,958.6 | Appropriations |
| 9 | California 17 | Michael M. Honda | D | $4,883.7 | Appropriations |
| 10 | Arizona 3 | Raul M. Grijalva | D | $4,860.5 | None |
Contract spending figures corrected Feb. 14 at 10:43 AM.
Bottom 10 Districts for Defense Contract Spending
| Rank | District | 2012 Election Winner | Party | FY 2012 Defense Prime Contract Spending | Armed Services or Appropriations Committee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 427 | New York 15 | Jose E. Serrano | D | $12.2 | Appropriations |
| 428 | Georgia 10 | Paul C. Broun | R | $12.1 | None |
| 429 | Illinois 4 | Luis V. Gutierrez | D | $11.5 | None |
| 430 | Arizona 4 | Paul Gosar | R | $10.9 | None |
| 431 | New York 13 | Charles B. Rangel | D | $10.2 | None |
| 432 | New York 8 | Hakeem Jeffries | D | $9.1 | None |
| 433 | California 22 | Devin G. Nunes | R | $7.0 | None |
| 434 | Florida 11 | Richard B. Nugent | R | $6.7 | Armed Services |
| 435 | New York 6 | Grace Meng | D | $6.2 | None |
| 436 | New York 9 | Yvette D. Clarke | D | $0.3 | None |
The top-ranking district for prime defense contracts in fiscal 2012 was Missouri’s 1st congressional district, which covers St. Louis and areas to the north and west, represented by Democrat Wm. Lacy Clay. Clay’s district may be somewhat immune to the impact of sequestration, however, because more than half of Boeing’s work in this district is for F-15 fighter jets for the Saudi Air Force, which will not be cut by sequestration. Clay doesn’t sit on any committees important to the defense industry, nor is he a prominent voice on defense and national security issues.
Perhaps the member whose district has the most dollars at risk to defense sequestration and budget cuts is Democrat James Moran, whose 8th congressional district in Virginia borders Washington D.C. Moran sits on the defense and military construction subcommittees on the House Appropriations Committee, which helped him steer more than $11 billion in defense work to his district in fiscal 2012. The Republican member with the most defense dollars flowing into her district is Kay Granger, of 12th congressional district in Texas.
At the other end of the spectrum, Democrat Yvette Clarke, who represents New York’s 9th congressional district in Brooklyn, probably has the least to worry about when it comes to defense cuts. Only $300,000 of Pentagon contract money was spent in her district in fiscal 2012, less than any other district that year.
One important caveat to these figures: According to Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 12, “60 to 70 cents of every dollar that we contract ends up in a subcontractor.” There are thousands of defense subcontractors who do not necessarily spend all or even a majority of the money they receive in the same districts as prime contractors.
(Robert Levinson is a senior defense analyst for Bloomberg Government.)
To contact the analyst: Robert Levinson in Washington at rlevinson5@bloomberg.net
To contact the director of research: Robert Litan at rlitan2@bloomberg.net
Robert Levinson is a defense analyst with Bloomberg Government. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force with more than 20 years of service. Levinson worked for Booz Allen Hamilton as a strategic communications consultant. He has a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s from the University of California, San Diego.