After bulling through March with strong spending despite the sequester, Pentagon contract awards fell off a cliff in early April. And what little money there was to spread around was often showered upon non-traditional recipients such as Madison Avenue advertising firm Interpublic Group (IPG 0.19%).

So what's really going on over there in Washington today? Is defense spending stalled, or will it rise again? And what does this mean for ultra-low-P/E-bearing stocks like Boeing (BA -0.93%), Lockheed Martin (LMT 0.03%), Northrop Grumman (NOC 1.08%), and General Dynamics (GD 0.63%).

Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith let's you know the score...