Published: Tuesday, February 22, 2011
On tanker, Boeing is the right choice
In the coming days, the U.S. Air Force is expected to announce its contract awarding decision on the next generation refueling tanker. The culmination of this long process represents a potential $35 billion of production for an aircraft that will serve our fighting men and women for decades to come. And if the Air Force conducts a fair review of the bids, then there will only be one way to go — to award the contract to Boeing.
The bid from Boeing was fair and transparent, and here at home it represents thousands and thousands of jobs for the most qualified aerospace workforce in the world. Boeing’s bid represents a cost-effective aircraft with less energy consumption, better flexibility in global deployment and more jobs for the American people than is offered by its competitor, Airbus. Airbus, meanwhile, will likely provide most of its material and employment on the tanker outside of the U.S., which would mean sending funding outside of our country at a time when unemployment is still high. When it comes down to it, picking the men and women who work at Boeing in a fair competition is the best — and the right — option.
At the same time, however, we’ve known that this has not been a fair competition. The WTO ruled that Airbus received millions in illegal subsidies from the European Union, for years giving them an unfair advantage. To prevent Airbus from sweeping those subsidies under the rug, I sponsored legislation last Congress that would require the Air Force to take the illegal EU support of Airbus into consideration during the tanker contract process. My legislation passed the House by over 320 votes, a clear, bipartisan voice for awarding the contract in a fair manner.
Make no mistake — if Airbus wins the contract, it will be a direct result of lower subsidies; there is no other way that Airbus could beat the efficiency and effectiveness of Boeing’s bid. Yet, we still have not heard from the Air Force that they are taking the illegal subsidies to Airbus into account. If Airbus wins, I will demand Air Force officials give an absolute, complete justification for their decision. It makes no sense to award a $35 billion contract to a company that proposes a less efficient, less flexible tanker, and that has no previous experience in the tanker business.
When the tanker announcement is made, I hope it will be a time for us to celebrate and for Boeing to continue its long tradition of providing quality, effective and efficient aircraft to the U.S. military. If instead we see Airbus awarded the contract, I will be demanding immediate justification and explanation from the top leadership of the U.S. Air Force, building on the years of support I and others have given to making this a fair and open process.
And regardless of the outcome, I will continue my fight against the negative effect of illegal subsidies on the vital manufacturing communities in Washington state. We cannot afford to continue moving forward without addressing this issue and without finding a way to make sure that all companies — from Boeing to others — are able to compete without worrying about foreign companies illegally and unfairly changing the playing field.
For now, I stand with my other Washingtonians and await an announcement from the Air Force — and word that the skilled workers at Boeing have won.
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the northern half of Snohomish County and all of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.
The bid from Boeing was fair and transparent, and here at home it represents thousands and thousands of jobs for the most qualified aerospace workforce in the world. Boeing’s bid represents a cost-effective aircraft with less energy consumption, better flexibility in global deployment and more jobs for the American people than is offered by its competitor, Airbus. Airbus, meanwhile, will likely provide most of its material and employment on the tanker outside of the U.S., which would mean sending funding outside of our country at a time when unemployment is still high. When it comes down to it, picking the men and women who work at Boeing in a fair competition is the best — and the right — option.
At the same time, however, we’ve known that this has not been a fair competition. The WTO ruled that Airbus received millions in illegal subsidies from the European Union, for years giving them an unfair advantage. To prevent Airbus from sweeping those subsidies under the rug, I sponsored legislation last Congress that would require the Air Force to take the illegal EU support of Airbus into consideration during the tanker contract process. My legislation passed the House by over 320 votes, a clear, bipartisan voice for awarding the contract in a fair manner.
Make no mistake — if Airbus wins the contract, it will be a direct result of lower subsidies; there is no other way that Airbus could beat the efficiency and effectiveness of Boeing’s bid. Yet, we still have not heard from the Air Force that they are taking the illegal subsidies to Airbus into account. If Airbus wins, I will demand Air Force officials give an absolute, complete justification for their decision. It makes no sense to award a $35 billion contract to a company that proposes a less efficient, less flexible tanker, and that has no previous experience in the tanker business.
When the tanker announcement is made, I hope it will be a time for us to celebrate and for Boeing to continue its long tradition of providing quality, effective and efficient aircraft to the U.S. military. If instead we see Airbus awarded the contract, I will be demanding immediate justification and explanation from the top leadership of the U.S. Air Force, building on the years of support I and others have given to making this a fair and open process.
And regardless of the outcome, I will continue my fight against the negative effect of illegal subsidies on the vital manufacturing communities in Washington state. We cannot afford to continue moving forward without addressing this issue and without finding a way to make sure that all companies — from Boeing to others — are able to compete without worrying about foreign companies illegally and unfairly changing the playing field.
For now, I stand with my other Washingtonians and await an announcement from the Air Force — and word that the skilled workers at Boeing have won.
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the northern half of Snohomish County and all of Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.
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