Fat Pentagon budget brings jobs to struggling Ohio tank factory — and a political payoff for Trump

LIMA, Ohio - They come in as "rusties" - corroded steel tank hulls mothballed and left for dead years ago.

But after an overhaul by newly hired welders and machinists at a Pentagon-owned factory here in northwestern Ohio, they roll off the assembly line as new 80-ton Abrams M1A2 tanks for the U.S. Army.

The Lima tank plant, a sprawling complex that began building tanks in the early days of World War II, and nearly closed five years ago, is booming these days thanks to more than $2 billion authorized for the armored vehicles in a record Pentagon budget.

The factory turns out 11 upgraded Abrams tanks a month now, up from just one per month a year ago - perhaps the clearest example of how sharp military spending