Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today released the following excerpts from a statement submitted for the House Armed Services Committee mark-up of H.R. 5658, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009:

“According to the May 2 Congressional Quarterly, some members of the House Armed Services Committee are considering challenging the Air Force’s $35 billion contract award to Northrop Grumman for its new generation of refueling tankers to force a reopening of bids.  Currently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is undertaking a review of the contract award process in response to Boeing’s protest.  The GAO has until June 19 to issue its decision.  On behalf of the more than 1.2 million members and supporters of [CCAGW], the committee should oppose any efforts to scuttle the Air Force’s tanker contract while the GAO is undertaking its review. …

“The Air Force undertook a competitive bid process in 2006 and two companies, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, submitted proposals.  Just before the announcement of the contract winner in 2008, both sides stated that the competition had been fair and transparent.  But on February 29, 2008, the Air Force awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman and suddenly the political environment changed in Washington, D.C.  Now supporters of Boeing have accused the Air Force of using unreliable foreign suppliers to build the tanker, have expressed angst that jobs would go overseas, and argued that national security would be compromised.  They continue to ignore the fact that Boeing’s planes contain foreign parts, including some manufactured in China and Japan.  The Northrop Grumman plane, in partnership with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, will be built in Alabama and security issues will be handled by the Defense Department inside Northrop Grumman facilities. …

“The House Armed Services Committee should … oppose any efforts to reverse or stop the tanker contract before the GAO issues its report.  Furthermore, if the GAO delivers a clean bill of health for the process, members of Congress should abandon further efforts to overturn the Air Force’s contract award.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government