Obama Seeks to Delay Tanker, Cancel Bomber, but Lawmakers Insist They Are a PriorityMarch 10, 2009
The White House has provided "guidance" to the Pentagon to delay a competition to build a refueling tanker while outright canceling a next-generation long-range Air Force bomber, according to an article in the Congressional Quarterly. The response from Congress has been fast and furious – especially from leaders in states where these systems would be built. "The Air Force has consistently said the tanker replacement program is its number one priority," said Republican Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama. "It strains credibility to think a new administration would delay this program five years, denying our military its top equipment need.” The Northrop tankers, based on an Airbus plane, would be assembled and modified in Mobile, Ala., part of the district Bonner represents, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. If Boeing wins the competition, the refueling tanker would be built at its Everett, Wash., plant. Boeing is partnered with Lockheed Martin to develop the long-range bomber for the Air Force. The CQ article noted that no final decision has been made and the recommendations are part of on-going negotiations between the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Defense Department. But the accuracy of the CQ article itself has been called into question. The OMB said this week that the CQ article is flat out wrong, according the Seattle Post-Intelligencer article. "OMB has not directed the Defense Department either to delay production of the new tanker or cancel the new bomber," an OMB spokesman told Reuters. Others noted that such back-and-forth negotiations are a typical part of the behind-the-scenes budget process. |
|
