This kind of thing happens many times over, every single day. No one notices or cares. Reporters report on it. Nothing happens. It is written off as an abuse, when in fact the whole system is an abuse.
The Pentagon is spending $17,000 for helicopter drip pans. They normally cost $2,500. So why are they spending so much money on them?
It surely has nothing to do with the fact that the manufacturer happens to be a major GOP donor, and made substantial contributions to the political campaign of the congressman who inserted this provision into a recent spending bill. Kentucky congressman Harold Rogers says these drip pans are crucial to American security.
It’s important that Congress do what it can to provide our military with the best resources to ensure their safety and advance our missions abroad, while also saving taxpayer dollars wherever possible. These dripping pans help accomplish both of these goals.
Phoenix Products owner Tom Wilson explained that his pans were better made and stronger than other drip pans. According to the New York Times, which tried to figure out why these Kentucky drip pans were so expensive, Wilson replied that to say much about his custom-designed drip pans could (in the words of the Times) “aid America’s enemies.”