Lockheed Martin spent $3.46 million lobbying gov’t on weapons programs in the first quarter

Lockheed Martin spent $3.46 million lobbying in 1Q

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. spent $3.46 million lobbying the government on a wide range of issues in the first quarter, from Pentagon spending to Wall Street reform proposals.

The nation’s largest contractor spent less than the $3.53 million it devoted to lobbying in Washington during the 2009 first quarter, but more than the $3.2 million in spent in the 2009 fourth quarter.

Lockheed lobbied Congress and the Defense Department on issues including the overall budget and weapons programs for helicopters, fighter jets and ships, according to its disclosure form filed with the House clerk’s office on April 20.

The company also does a large amount of information technology work for the government, and it lobbied on matters such as the 2010 Census, FBI biometric programs and modernization of the FAA’s radar systems.

Finally, Lockheed lobbied on financial reform legislation in Congress, including provisions dealing with derivatives that companies use to manage risk.