BILL REQ. #: H-6033.1
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2008 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/07/08.
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, 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.