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Congressman (Hunter) weighs options to undo refueling tanker contract
GovExec ^ | 3/3/08 | Megan Scully

Posted on 03/05/2008 1:15:16 PM PST by pissant

House Armed Services ranking member Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., may attempt to use the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill to overturn Friday's Air Force decision to award a contract worth up to $40 billion to Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS, the European consortium behind Airbus, for a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers. Hunter, a fierce "Buy America" advocate who has sharply criticized the contract, is weighing his legislative options, a spokesman for committee Republicans said Monday. Options may include attaching language to the authorization bill to strengthen laws governing the amount of foreign content in U.S. defense hardware, or a provision prohibiting the Pentagon from awarding contracts to overseas-based companies that receive subsidies from foreign governments, as the Airbus maker does from several European countries, the spokesman said.

Hunter, whose protectionist efforts are typically met with strong opposition in the Senate, included a provision on foreign-subsidized firms in the House's version of the fiscal 2006 authorization bill, but it was dropped during conference negotiations. Hunter is trying to determine "what makes the most logical sense and what we can get others to coalesce around," his spokesman said.

The contract award to Northrop Grumman/EADS dealt a stunning blow to Boeing Co., the domestic aerospace giant that has had a lock on building Air Force tankers for over 50 years. Given Boeing's clout on Capitol Hill, Hunter could win support from several Armed Services Committee members, including Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., whose district includes the headquarters of Boeing's defense business. An Akin spokesman did not know whether his boss had discussed the issue with Hunter, but said the two lawmakers are "of a similar mind on this." At least two committee Democrats -- Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Adam Smith of Washington, and Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas -- have criticized the award, but it is not clear if they would support Hunter's efforts. Boeing planned to build the tanker at its plant in Everett, Wash., near Smith's district. The firm would have used its plant in Wichita, Kan., west of Boyda's district, for final assembly.

But Hunter would likely encounter stiff resistance from many lawmakers -- including some traditional allies, such as Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee ranking member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. Airbus plans to build the tankers at a plant in Mobile, Ala. The company says will employ 5,000 people across the state. Hunter's committee colleague, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., has praised the contract, saying the Mobile plant is expected to employ people from his northwest Florida district about 60 miles away.

Hunter plans to coordinate his efforts with appropriators, his spokesman added. His strongest allies on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee may be Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., whose district includes Boeing's Everett plant, and Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., whose district includes Wichita. Dicks said Friday that he believes the Air Force contract decision would be met with "real skepticism among the defense related committees in Congress." Meanwhile, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who sits on the Senate Defense Appropriations panel, has said she looks forward to "asking tough questions."

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who also sits on the defense subcommittee, would be expected to fight any effort to use the Defense spending bill to kill the Northrop Grumman/EADS contract.


TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 110th; aerospace; boeing; defensecontractors; duncanhunter; eads; refuelingtanker; usaf
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To: ravingnutter

You arn’t big on truth so have to get down to your level


61 posted on 03/06/2008 3:24:59 PM PST by SoCalPol (Don't Blame Me - I Supported Duncan Hunter)
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To: SoCalPol
Right...then maybe you can explain why Hunter is full of crap on this issue. Maybe because Boeing is one of his biggest contributors? Sorry, but everything I posted was sourced and well documented, you provided nothing but name-calling, insults and rhetoric.
62 posted on 03/07/2008 12:06:47 PM PST by ravingnutter
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To: egginanest
Hunter needs to back the hell off. He's WAY wrong on this issue. Sheese......give 'em a national road trip and they just can't help themselves. I can't believe I'm saying this but for once.....McCain was right and Hunter is wrong. On this issue.

THANK YOU!!! Hunter is way wrong on this. We are a Northrop family and there was nothing wrong with this deal!

63 posted on 03/07/2008 12:10:09 PM PST by CAluvdubya (A good man has come home to San Diego! Thank you Congressman Hunter)
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To: TheBattman
What made the Air Force pick the contract they did? Was it bid pricing? Was it superior product? Was it better service? Or was there something nefarious?

It wasn't anything nefarious. There was no "messing" with the specs,as one poster claimed on another thread. This info is all out in the open. Boeing did not have the right combination of airframe, cost and lots of other factors...Northrop did. Read the analysis when it comes out. This was checked extensively. USAF knew this would be contentious and locked it down.

64 posted on 03/07/2008 12:19:02 PM PST by CAluvdubya (A good man has come home to San Diego! Thank you Congressman Hunter)
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To: ravingnutter
That being said...I am not surprised in the least that Hunter is doing this, as Boeing is one of his major contributors

This warrants a call to his local office here in San Diego. There are 4 Northrop plants in this area and if he gets this contract taken away from Northrop there will be a lot of his constituents out of work!

I'm so disappointed in Hunter over this.

65 posted on 03/07/2008 12:22:08 PM PST by CAluvdubya (A good man has come home to San Diego! Thank you Congressman Hunter)
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To: ravingnutter

Our jobs have been outsourced to the tune of China now being our banker.
Might be nice for a change to see Americans back at work with contracts going to American Corps. rather than Europe, China, India, etc.

We have had it the other way and look how the economy is now.


66 posted on 03/07/2008 12:31:41 PM PST by SoCalPol (Don't Blame Me - I Supported Duncan Hunter)
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To: SoCalPol

The point is...Hunter is still trying to undo this contract and give it back to Boeing, who is a major contributor of his, based on false premises (outsourcing). Once again, he sticks his nose in where it doesn’t belong to benefit himself. That is the reason I don’t like him, his actions reek of quid pro quo on military contracts on a consistent basis. His association with the criminals Cunningham, Wilkes and Lewis and other sleazy characters further damages his credibility. I believe I have now proven my case on that.


67 posted on 03/07/2008 1:35:49 PM PST by ravingnutter
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To: CAluvdubya
THANK YOU!!! Hunter is way wrong on this. We are a Northrop family and there was nothing wrong with this deal!

You're welcome.....for your family & thousands of other American families! It was a good decision for all, especially the Air Force.

68 posted on 03/07/2008 4:47:22 PM PST by egginanest ( "Never interrupt me when I'm trying to interrupt you." -Winston Churchill-)
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