[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ILLEGAL LAUNCH AID SUBSIDY

  (Mr. DICKS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I'm concerned about the Air Force's approach 
to acquiring the next generation of air refueling tankers because the 
draft RFP the Air Force has published has ignored an important element 
in the competition. The U.S. Government in 2004 filed a complaint with 
the WTO that European governments had illegally subsidized EADS/Airbus 
in the development of commercial aircraft, allowing Airbus to steal 
market share and U.S. aerospace jobs. Now the WTO panel reviewing the 
matter has rendered an interim decision that these subsidies were 
improper and caused adverse effects to the interests of the United 
States.
  Now the Airbus/Northrop Grumman team wants to use the A-330 platform, 
which received $5.7 billion in direct launch aid subsidy, as the 
airframe for the Air Force's refueling tanker. In soliciting bidders 
for the tanker, we simply must insist that the Department of Defense/
Air Force take into account the illegal launch subsidy, without which 
the A-330 might never have been built.

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