GOP backers of defense budget hike got millions in donations

(AP) – House Republicans urging a steep increase in the Defense Department’s budget have received $10 million in campaign contributions from defense contractors that would benefit from higher levels of military spending.

The donations were made over the course of the lawmakers’ careers.
    
The 34 Republicans, all members of the House Armed Services Committee, are pressing for an $18 billion increase in the 2017 budget year, which begins Oct. 1. They say the U.S. military has atrophied during President Barack Obama’s two terms.
    
The bid also reflects the message GOP presidential candidates have hammered relentlessly on the campaign trail. They’ve cast Obama as a feckless commander in chief.
    
Politicians are allowed to receive campaign contributions but the sources and amounts are governed by federal campaign finance law.