BILL REQ. #:  H-5989.1 

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE HONORABLE CHRISTINE GREGOIRE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, and facing a major round of layoffs consequently, the Boeing company and the state's congressional delegation proposed that the United States Air Force lease 100 of the Boeing company's KC-767 advanced tankers; and
     WHEREAS, Efforts to halt the procurement of Boeing-made planes for the United States Air Force would prove successful and open up the contract to further bidding from foreign competitors; and
     WHEREAS, The United States Air Force recently announced its choice to supply the new tankers as the Toulouse, France-based Airbus company, rather than the Everett, Washington-based Boeing facility; and
     WHEREAS, The Boeing company has a long and storied history of building the world's greatest commercial and military aircraft, including nearly 2,000 tankers, in stark contrast to Airbus which has no experience building tankers; and
     WHEREAS, At a time of looming national recession, the $35 billion contract, which could ultimately be worth $100 billion over 30 years, for aerial refueling tankers has already led to a sharp decline in share price for the American company, and an increase in stock price for the foreign competitor; and
     WHEREAS, We, your Memorialists, firmly believe that in order to protect our national security and America's military strength in the world, it is right and justified to invest in our American engineers, our manufacturing industry, and our military, rather than rely on that of a foreign government that may or may not agree with our mission in the world and could undermine it by withholding needed supplies and machinery; and
     WHEREAS, In the past seven years the United States economy has lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs, 5 million Americans have lost their health insurance, and 4 million, including some of our nation's veterans, have entered into poverty, and it is estimated that millions of more professional jobs could be outsourced to other countries within the next decade; and
     WHEREAS, Much of the infrastructure and many of the skilled laborers and engineers that would be needed to build parts for the new tanker in Mobile, Alabama, do not yet exist, as opposed to the facility in Everett, Washington, which is ready, willing, and able to build the American-made tankers immediately; and
     WHEREAS, The awarding of this multibillion dollar contract, to be paid by American taxpayers to Airbus' parent company, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space company, could ultimately mean the loss of thousands of local jobs and thousands more statewide and nationwide at a time when such highly skilled and well-paying jobs are greatly needed to spur economic growth and thwart any recessionary trends;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress take immediate action in the 110th Congress to:
     (1) Halt the procurement of foreign-made tankers to be used by the United States Air Force;
     (2) Conduct a congressional inquiry and reconsider its decision; and
     (3) Reconsider the awarding of this contract in the name of national and economic security.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the Honorable Christine Gregoire, Governor of the State of Washington, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.