According to John Donnelly’s report in Congressional Quarterly (see above), these members of the House “Progressive Caucus,” all of whom voted to slash the defense budget, successfully lobbied for the following “earmarks” in the defense bill:
• Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, $1 million for a “high power, lightweight zinc-air battery” to Energizer Battery Manufacturing Inc., in Ohio.
• Rep. Maxine Waters of California, $1 million for unrequested Sidewinder launchers built by Marvin Engineering in Inglewood, Calif.
• Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington, $1 million for Army gloves—described as “Extended Cold Weather Hand Protection System”—from Outdoor Research in Seattle.
• Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, $2 million to the Sherwin-Williams paint company in Cleveland for a “paint shield” against “microbial threats.”
• Rep. Barbara Lee of California, $2 million for a “lithium ion metal battery” made by Polyplus Battery Co., in Berkeley, Calif.
• Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, $4 million for a blimp partly built by the Ohio Aerospace Institute near Cleveland. Ex Officio: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, not technically a Progressive Caucus member, got $2.5 million to refurbish a parade ground in San Francisco’s Presidio park.