WASHINGTON – In March, after listening to the concerns of the Kansas aviation industry regarding the entry of several foreign government backed aircraft manufacturers into the business jet market, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS) sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), requesting that he ask U.S. International Trade Commission (U.S. ITC) to conduct an investigation of the global competitiveness of the U.S. business jet industry.   

Today, Chairman Camp honored this request by sending a letter to the U.S. ITC requesting that they conduct the investigation of the U.S. business jet industry and compile a report of their findings to Congress in no more than 11 months.

The following statements were released in response to Chairman Camp’s letter to the U.S. ITC:

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02): “The aviation industry is important to both the Kansas and the American economy and we must ensure their competitive edge is not being unfairly diminished.  I am pleased that Chairman Camp saw fit to proceed with this investigation.  It is important that we know whether these foreign companies are receiving illegal governmental subsidies to alter the playing field, and I look forward to the findings of the International Trade Commission’s investigation.”

Congressman Mike Pompeo (KS-04): “I applaud Chairman Camp for aggressively moving forward to address this serious issue facing American general aviation manufacturers.  Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, and Bombardier-LearJet, along with every American manufacturer, deserve a fair and level playing field devoid of market-distorting foreign government subsidies.  With half of all US-built general aviation aircraft heading overseas, and the export market continuing to grow, it is more important than ever to ensure that no nation is illegally subsidizing their own general aviation industry.  When placed on a level playing field, I believe Wichita companies and workers can successfully compete against anyone.  I will not stop until we have attained the level playing field our American workers deserve.”

Governor Sam Brownback: “I would like to thank Chairman Camp for his leadership on this issue and his willingness to push forward with this study, which is so important to one of our state’s and nation’s key industries. Additionally, I would like to thank Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins and Congressman Mike Pompeo for their efforts to move this forward in the new Congress.  While in the Senate, I pushed for this International Trade Commission study and this year, I worked with Congresswoman Jenkins, Congressman Pompeo, and House Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp to get the study underway.  This investigation will provide insight on current market conditions confronting the aircraft industry and analysis of changes in the structure of the business jet industry in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Europe, and China. I look forward to the final report and moving aggressively on the policy recommendations that will come out of it to keep this industry soaring.”    

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