Takes Flight
25 Apr 2008
Boeing Prepared To Spend $250 Million To Overturn Contract
National Journal is reporting today that Boeing is prepared to spend $250 million to overturn Northrop Grumman's contract to build America's next generation of aerial refueling tankers.
National Journal reports that Washington's lobbying community is "rife with talk that Boeing is ready to spend as much as $250 million on an advocacy and legal campaign to overturn the February 29 award."
The story notes that Boeing says that figure isn't correct — but won't provide one that is.
In documenting lobbying by both companies on the tanker contract, National Journal also reports that Boeing and it surrogates "have questioned the national security and economic implications of having a European company as part of the team building U.S. military airplanes."
In fact, Boeing's defenders routinely misstate the facts, alleging that the contract went to a European company and that jobs and national security secrets are being sent overseas.
The truth is, Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman won the contract and no jobs or national security interests are being exported. Instead, the contract will support 48,000 American jobs, split between Northrop Grumman and 230 suppliers in 49 states. No jobs are being exported, and no national security secrets go abroad, either.
National Journal also reports that "Boeing allies on Capitol Hill have vowed to block spending on the tanker contract if Boeing's appeal to the GAO (to overturn the contract) fails."
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