K Street scrambles to prepare for an administration it spent little time planning for.
Defense lobbyists are getting a flood of calls from longtime clients and new prospects eager to take advantage of a potential military buildup under President-elect Donald Trump — but also fearful he will spark a trade war and jeopardize their lucrative arms deals.
.. He said there is a sense that Trump’s history in business could help defense companies and their supporters on Capitol Hill to negotiate with his administration in a way that has been more difficult in the Obama years.
.. Defense industry executives fear that by making it more difficult for the U.S. military to acquire goods it needs from overseas manufacturers, foreign governments will retaliate by shutting out U.S. contractors.
.. “Do whatever you want to the rest, but we’ve got a $60 billion defense surplus here and exports are important.”
.. “I believe it’s the only trade surplus left that the U.S. still enjoys. In this, a lot of good paying U.S. jobs are created.”
.. Oshkosh is among a number of leading Pentagon contractors who are heavily reliant on international sales, reporting last week a 22.2 percent jump in quarterly earnings largely due to “higher international sales in the defense segment.”
In another sign of the growing importance of foreign arms sales, Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense company, reported last month that international sales are on track to account for 25 percent of annual revenue later this year and 30 percent in the next few years.