[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 101 (Wednesday, June 18, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H5490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TANKER CONTRACT DECISION BAD FOR AMERICAN ECONOMY

  (Mr. MOORE of Kansas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, the Air Force's recent decision to 
award a contract to Airbus to replace our current fleet of aerial 
refueling tankers is a reckless one. Americans are experiencing job 
cuts, a credit crisis, foreclosures on their homes, and rising foods 
and energy prices.
  Just weeks after this Congress passed a $168 billion economic 
stimulus package to address these issues, the Air Force assumes it will 
simply appropriate $40 billion for an Airbus fleet of tankers, creating 
high-paying jobs in Europe.
  American workers have built and provided our tanker fleet for more 
than 40 years. Their experience makes them second to none when it comes 
to meeting this need.
  It is beyond belief that the Air Force will reward American know-how 
and hard work by offshoring defense-related jobs and shrinking the U.S. 
industrial base even further. This decision is not in the interests of 
the United States.
  I urge my colleagues to see the larger picture here. Congress has a 
responsibility to look out for all of the issues pertaining to this 
contract and the threat it poses to American workers.

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