Gaetz Introduces Resolution Holding DOD, Lockheed Martin Accountable for F-35 Failures

A bipartisan resolution introduced by Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) targets defense contractor Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense (D0D) for breaching the "full system performance" contract on both ends.

Specifically, Lockheed Martin has failed to reliably sustain the development of the F-35 aircraft, which has gone on for a decade longer than expected and $183 billion over budget, which the Department of Defense has continually thrown money at, to the point of reallocating funds meant for military families' childcare to the continued purchase of F-35s.

The DOD has given Lockheed Martin "full system performance" contracts on the F-35, meaning they can internally fix the aircraft's problems. This, in turn, stifles innovation and, as Rep. Gaetz put it, rewards failure.

"The federal government should not give 'full-system performance' contracts to companies responsible for their own failures. Today, I introduced a resolution to hold contractors accountable for breaching their F-35 obligations while the Department of Defense has failed to enforce accountability. It's unacceptable to leave the American taxpayer on the hook for a broken system and allow appropriators in Congress to divest funds from service members' child care to invest in broken F-35s. We must stop rewarding failure and prioritize our military families," said Rep. Gaetz in his press release.

Similarly, Rep. Moulton said, "For two decades, across multiple administrations and Congresses, Lockheed Martin has failed to deliver on the F-35. Every step in the program's journey has been late, wildly over budget, and has produced a plane that does not perform as required. It's time to hold Lockheed Martin publicly accountable for failing the American taxpayer."

Gaetz has been heavily critical of government spending, not just in the Department of Defense.

Earlier this month, he demanded answers to why the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spent hundreds of millions of dollars resettling illegal aliens into the United States, right as Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced there was no money for recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and other states.

"We have confirmed FEMA employees deployed, on the clock, awaiting orders in hotels. FEMA pre-disaster aid was withheld, exacerbating the emergency. It is also public that NGOs have purchased airline tickets for migrants through the use of FEMA funds," Gaetz said harshly in a letter to Mayorkas.