Senator Murray’s Statement on Reports that Tanker Deadline May be Extended for Airbus

“I am very disappointed that the Department of Defense is even considering giving in to Airbus and extending the hard deadline for tanker bids. I believe in a fair and open competition but this is no time to put American service members and workers on hold while a foreign company waffles. The Air Force laid out clear requirements and timelines and Boeing and America’s workers are ready to work to meet them. Holding the door open to an illegally-subsidized foreign company is the wrong move for our men and women in uniform, workers, and economy.



“Unfortunately, this is typical of Airbus who has continually worked to extend deadlines and change the rules in the middle of the game.  The Pentagon has gone through a fair and open process in putting out the RFP and requesting bids.  They shouldn’t cave to more games from a foreign competitor.

 

“All competitors will have to compete against the clear requirements the Pentagon has set out. Boeing is committed to delivering on those requirements at a price that’s fair to taxpayers. Airbus has continually threatened to pull out if the requirements aren’t changed in their favor. It’s time to stop bending over backwards to meet Airbus’s demands and to move forward with providing America’s military with an American-made tanker.”