“The CBO study told us again what every American already knows – that you pay more to have the use of an asset by leasing instead of buying. By agreeing to pay a little more to lease, taxpayers will not pay billions to maintain the existing corrosion-prone tanker fleet, fund development costs for a new aircraft, or risk a catastrophic failure of a KC-135 airframe, which could out our pilots, crews and tanker fleet in jeopardy.
What a strict cost analysis ignores, however, is the value of getting this critical asset to the U.S. Air Force immediately. The importance of replacing the outdated tanker fleet cannot be overstated, and that’s why most everyone – from the President to the Speaker of the House to majorities in the congress – supports this lease deal.
The widespread and unpredictable corrosion that pervades the current 43-year old fleet of tankers means that we must recapitalize this asset immediately.
I continue to be a proud advocate of the 100-plane 767 tanker lease. We need tankers now. The only way to speed tankers to our military and homeland security efforts is through the lease now before the Congress. Any other course of action will likely risk our efforts to project force and protect the homeland.”
English 
Spanish