Trump’s “Golden Dome”: Costly, Complex, and Rife with Conflicts
NEWS & RESEARCH
The Department of Defense has allocated $151 billion for the "Golden Dome for America," a multi-domain missile defense project that could eventually cost trillions. Major contracts have been awarded to firms led by Trump allies, including Anduril Industries, Palantir, and Cerberus Capital Management—the latter founded by current Deputy Defense Secretary and project head Steve Feinberg.
SOURCES: ProPublica | Reuters | POGO
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Law professor Charles Tiefer wrote in Forbes that, “the evidence accumulates that Golden Dome is going to be an enormously costly and extremely wasteful system.” Former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, Richard Painter, told ProPublica that the DOD’s contracting decisions were “what President Eisenhower worried about” in warning about the military-industrial complex. Experts also doubt that the Golden Dome would work, and warned that it would be “complex, costly and ultimately vulnerable to counterattack.”
SOURCES: Forbes | ProPublica | NPR | Campaign Legal Center
HOW TO FIX IT
1. Budgetary Oversight: Congress should amend the $1.5 trillion defense budget to cap spending on the Golden Dome until the Pentagon provides:
A transparent deployment plan and realistic cost estimate.
Assurances against a new arms race with Russia and China.
Independent technical reviews and rigorous testing.
2. Ethical & Structural Reform:
Prevent Nepotism: Pass the ETHICS Act to prohibit DOD contracts from being awarded to firms owned or led by senior federal officials or their families.
Strengthen Conflicts Rules: Pass the ETHICAL Procurement Act, creating stronger conflict of interest rules for procurement officials and contractors.
Close the Revolving Door: Extend recusal periods for DOD officials to prevent conflicts of interest between contractors and the Pentagon.
End No-Bid Contracts: Narrow exemptions for noncompetitive, "sole-source" bidding to ensure fair market competition.
Strengthen Enforcement: Bolster conflict-of-interest laws and implement stricter penalties for violations.
Legislation:S.1171 - Ending Trading and Holdings In Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act | H.R.6689 - Ethical Procurement Act
