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Lockheed Martin has reportedly intensified its lobbying efforts to secure a significant deal for its troubled F-35 fighter jet program before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. According to multiple sources within Congress and various defense agencies, Lockheed’s teams have been fervently pushing for a contract for Lots 18 and 19 – roughly 300 F-35 jets – before the end of the year.

The F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation fighter jet, has always been at the forefront of Lockheed Martin’s business plan. It has also been marred by numerous challenges, including cost overruns, technical issues, and delays. One senior staffer on the Senate Armed Services laughed when asked about the F-35 program, saying, “that thing has been the biggest pain in the [explicative] in the last decade.”

The urgency from Lockheed Martin stems from a clear understanding that the incoming Trump administration might not look favorably upon the continuation of the F-35 program. Trump, during his campaign and even after his initial term, has been vocal about his skepticism towards the F-35, often citing its “tremendous cost” and “cost overruns.” Last week, President Trump reportedly told Lockheed Martin that he planned to cancel the program when he takes office.

Lockheed’s urgency is likely driven by a series of political choices Lockheed Martin made in recent years to align with the political left and the Democrat Party. In 2020, Lockheed Martin sent its white employees to DEI training that included some of the most egregious examples of race essentialism of any corporation, including making Lockheed’s white employees “atone for their white male privilege.”  When Senator Tom Cotton (R., AR) sent a letter to Lockheed Martin asking about this training, Lockheed Martin doubled down and embraced race essentialism. Republican elected officials including Senator-elect Jim Banks (R. IN) had called for an end to the type of DEI enacted by Lockheed Martin, saying, “The American people spoke loud and clear when they elected President Trump and Republican majorities: they are sick of the Left’s obsession with DEI.”

Even today, Lockheed proudly states that DEI is “the foundation of our culture” and advertises an employee who “[found] “her” voice as a transgender employee.”  Lockheed’s site features a transgender individual who writes, ““I was wearing a beautiful dress — one that I still have to this day.” The dress serves as a reminder to [name removed] of the time when she began to find her voice and present her true, authentic self to the world.”

Lockheed’s decision to hire Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security and top Democratic surrogate Jeh Johnson to serve on Lockheed’s board also raised eyebrows among Republicans. On November 14, shortly after President Trump’s victory, Lockheed Martin claimed that Jeh Johnson resigned from the board, but as of mid-December, Johnson remains on Lockheed’s website, raising questions as to whether the “resignation” was simply for appearances.

A source involved in the Trump Transition Team said, “I understand why Lockheed is desperate now. They know that the new DOD decision makers are the same people Lockheed would have sent to the woke reeducation camps during the height of BLM hysteria. But any last minute sweetheart deals cooked up by the Biden team can—and will—be reversed on day.”

As the clock ticks down to Trump’s inauguration, Lockheed Martin’s aggressive lobbying reflects a high-stakes game of securing future contracts in a rapidly changing political landscape. Whether they succeed in securing this deal will not only affect the company’s bottom line but also set the tone for defense policy and corporate-government relations in the coming years.

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