Every week, 2,000 - 3,000 Second District residents write to me about the issues pending before Congress, and I work hard to respond to each person as promptly and thoughtfully as possible.  On this "Letter of the Week" blog, I highlight constituent letters that are of general interest.  If you'd like to share your own views, please feel free to e-mail me at any time!

Dear Nancy,

I am writing to express my concern over the contract for new tankers for the Air Force that has been awarded to a foreign company and government.

I resent that over 40 billion American dollars are going to be spent in foreign country when those dollars should be spent here at home, considering the economic situation in our country at the present time.

This not only means jobs and money remaining in this country, it is also important for our national security that this important part of our defense continue to be made in this country.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Tom from Lawrence, KS

Dear Tom,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Air Force tanker contract.  I appreciate hearing from you on this and I welcome the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

This past Friday, the Pentagon announced that Boeing would not be awarded a $40 billion Air Force contract to produce the next generation of tanker aircraft.  Instead, they chose to have the 179 tankers built by EADS, a European aerospace conglomerate, and Northrop Grumman.  This is simply outrageous.

This is just wrong in so many ways.  By sending the tanker contract to France, the Pentagon has effectively jeopardized 44,000 American jobs.  It’s a very real loss to the industrial base.  EADS-Northrop will use American workers only for assembly.  And let’s not forget that Boeing has experience building tankers – EADS has none.  This is about more than keeping jobs in Kansas.  It’s about relying on a company with the proven ability to do the job.

In addition to the economic blow, it is an issue of national security.  EADS is subsidized and partially owned by a number of European governments.  How can we guarantee that supplies from EADS will continue to flow to the United States if those countries do not agree with America’s foreign policy?

This is the third military incomprehensible decision in recent months that negatively impacts Kansas and our nation’s ability to provide for its own military. 

• The Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons lost the production of 60mm and 81mm mortars when the contract was awarded to a Canadian company. 
• The Goodyear plant in Topeka, which produces tires for Humvees, was put at a distinct disadvantage when the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) gave its responsibility to manage all military tire contracts to Michelin, a French company.  I have fought aggressively to keep management of military tire contracts with the DLA.

It just makes no sense for America to outsource our ability to defend a nation.  In World War II, our nation’s manufacturers turned on a dime to produce the planes and trucks we need to keep America safe.  With every contract we send overseas, we lose our capacity to build for our own military.

Please know that I will fight to help protect jobs in Kansas and our nation’s security when it comes to awarding military contracts.

Sincerely,

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress