U.S. Army It announced last year that it already had enough of a specific model of armored vehicles and that any more deliveries would be “surplus”. But even so, Congress found a way to keep the vehicle funded, and executives at the companies that produced the vehicle found a way to make large campaign contributions to key members of Congress.
In the weeks after this year’s appropriations bill passed, employees at AM General or its parent company donated tens of thousands of dollars to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., both members of key House and Senate appropriations committees.
Collins also came under scrutiny over a ProPublica report that the FBI investigated an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a major donor, a former defense contractor. Collins’ office denied any kind of pay-to-play arrangement and said she was fully cooperating with the FBI. There is no indication that AM General’s donation was part of such a scheme, but the donation still shows that Collins’ campaign account was growing with the help of employees of defense contractors who do business with the government.
Before the Army put the future of the vehicle in jeopardy, Collins wasn’t a regular beneficiary of donations from the company’s workers. The last time she received campaign funds from employees of AM General or its parent company was more than a decade ago. But last year, employee and company PACs donated more than $58,000 to Collins-related committees after the Army announced it was “excessive.”
One political currency observer said appropriators receiving funds from government contractors is a long-standing problem.
“Today’s government contractors often seek to exploit the broken campaign finance system to their own benefit.”
“Members of the Congressional Appropriations Committee are extremely powerful. These lawmakers can channel huge sums of money to private companies. Today, government contractors often try to exploit the broken campaign finance system to their own benefit,” said Michael Beckel, director of political reform at First Money.
Restoring the Army order has support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. Collins’ office said that in the Senate, the decision on the program was made not by her but by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the defense subcommittee chairman, and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Ky., the vice chairman. McConnell has received no donations from employees of AM General or its parent company this election cycle. Coons received $2,500 from its employee PAC.
“Senator Collins was not involved in this decision. The final decision is made by the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate defense appropriations subcommittees,” Collins spokesperson Phoebe Keller said.
AM General Chief Executive John Chadbourne said in an email that the company does not comment on campaign contributions and “all are fully compliant with FEC rules and regulations.”
He added, “AM General’s focus is on the warfighter and providing the best light tactical vehicle capabilities to the joint force.”
Congress steps in
AM General is best known for its production of Humvees, the iconic military vehicles that drove the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq War. In 2023, the Army selected the company to produce 20,000 of its more heavily armored successor, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The company was expanding its production lines in Indiana when then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced in May 2025 that he would cancel the order, saying additional deliveries would create a “surplus.”
Driscoll’s announcement is part of a larger effort to “eliminate wasteful and outdated procedures.”
“Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars,” he said.
However, the military does not always have the final say on its contracts.
For decades, Congress has struggled to save expensive programs with political appeal. Soon after the Army moved to cancel the vehicle contract, Congress mobilized to save it.
AM General has the support of Indiana congressmen because of the jobs its production lines provide. It also has support from state lawmakers far from home.
The House acted first: In June 2025, the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee proposed spending hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase vehicles for the Army. By the time the final version of the defense spending bill passed in February, the Army had received $345 million to purchase vehicles it said it didn’t need.
Collins’ office said the joint House and Senate statement, produced by a defense subcommittee, cast doubt on the Army’s decision to cancel further orders. The Army provided “an inadequate support analysis,” the statement said. One concern is that without the efficiencies of a larger order that includes the Army, the unit cost of the vehicles the Marines still want will rise.
McCollum, a House Democrat who played a key role in the process, said in a statement that she was one of many members of Congress who questioned the Army’s decision.
“Appropriators believe the Army failed to conduct adequate due diligence to justify its hasty budget decision to cut the JLTV program and explain the full impact on the Army, particularly the Marine Corps, without consulting them,” she said.
By the time the final version of the defense spending bill passed in February, the Army had received $345 million to purchase vehicles it said it didn’t need.
Collins’ campaign committee received some money after the Army announced it was canceling the program.
In the weeks after Congress passed the appropriations bill on Feb. 3, both Collins and fellow House member Rep. Ken Calvert received significant donations from AM General employees and the company’s political action committee.
After the appropriations bill passed, AM General-related donors gave a total of $50,000 to Collins’ fundraising committee.
Donors include CEO Chadbourne and two managing partners of KPS Capital. (Private equity firm KPS Capital Partners acquired AM General in 2020.) All contributed funds to a committee that raised funds on Collins’ behalf in late February or early March.
California Representative Calvert, who holds a defense appropriations position, has benefited from similar donations. AM General employees and KPS Capital employees donated $14,285 directly to Congressional Calvert this election cycle.
The AM General employee PAC has donated a total of $20,000 to Congress and Eureka PAC (the PAC Calvert leads) Ken Calvert.
Most of AM General’s donations to Calvert came in the weeks after Congress passed appropriations bills. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
These contributions put Collins and Calvert in the same league as Hoosier politicians, who were natural supporters of AM General. A fundraising committee linked to Republican Sen. Todd Young received $36,000 from AM General or KPS Capital employees. The AM General employee PAC donated another $10,000 to his primary campaign committee. Young is a Marine Corps veteran and has been a strong supporter of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
The PAC led by his Republican colleague Sen. Jim Banks received a total of $14,375 from AM General’s employee PAC and executive Chadbourne. Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents northwest Indiana, received $33,050 from AM General or KPS Capital employees and another $10,000 from the AM General employee PAC, according to FEC filings.
Ban is not the case
Collins notes on her campaign website that she chairs the “powerful” Appropriations Committee.
“This committee determines how federal funds are spent each year, from defense and infrastructure to medical research, education and public safety. Susan’s position gives Maine a tremendous voice in key decisions, allowing her to deliver significant results for Maine,” her website reads.
Collins’ office said she had no role in the funding decision as far as the AM General vehicles were concerned. The spokesman said that the Senate’s decision-making power rests with Defense Subcommittee Chairman McConnell and his Vice Chairman, Del. Democratic Senator Chris Coons (Chris Coons).
McConnell announced his upcoming retirement in February 2025. FEC records show his campaign committee and leadership committee received no contributions from KPS Capital or AM General employees this election cycle. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Coons’ campaign committee received a $2,500 donation from the AM General employee PAC on March 5, according to FEC records. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McCollum’s leadership PAC received $5,000 from the company’s employee PAC last October, according to FEC records.
For decades, government contractors have been prohibited from donating directly to candidates. But in practice, the ban does not prevent corporate political action committees or individual employees from donating to campaigns — even if they are at the top of the company.
Donations related to AM General represent a fraction of the $15.8 million Collins has raised this election cycle through July, according to data compiled by the watchdog group OpenSecrets. Yet every dollar could help her mount a tough fight against Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, who was slightly ahead of her in recent polls in November.
The donations also show a trend among her campaign’s top contributors. According to OpenSecrets, many of these came from people affiliated with government contractors. Two defense contractors, General Dynamics and RTX, are also on her list of organizational contributors.
AM General owner KPS Capital Partners is the sixth-largest organizational donor to Collins’ campaign committee and leadership PAC, according to the organization’s data.
Despite AM General’s connections in Congress, members appear increasingly skeptical of the JLTV vehicle program. In June, House appropriators said they wanted to find a new contractor for the vehicle, citing production delays. The defense subcommittee said AM General was 2,000 vehicles behind on orders from the Marine Corps.
Chief Executive Chadbourne issued a statement in June defending its performance and blaming delays on former contractors.
“Healthy competition, transparency and accountability strengthen America’s defense industrial base,” he said. “AM General remains fully committed to continuing to earn the trust of the Army, Marine Corps, Congress and the American taxpayer through performance, quality and rigorous execution.”