I guess I haven't been paying enought attention, what do we (the US) have to do with the aid for Airbus?
They're unfair subsidies that let Airbus sell at a lower cost than Boeing. Right now, Airbus gets below-market interest loans for 1/3 of development, and only has to pay it back if they make enough of a profit. It looks like even France is worried about pushing the subsidies too far.