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Rep. McDermott Issues a Statement Regarding Tanker Decision 
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
July 9, 2008

The decision announced today by the Secretary of Defense to rebid the tanker contract is the right decision for the right reason and I am very pleased by the outcome. 

When Boeing or any potential contractor submits a proposal to the government, they and the American people deserve and must have absolute fairness applied as the standard upon which the competition is judged.  We know from an independent review by the GAO that this was not the case in the tanker decision, and by all indications the Defense Secretary will establish a process to ensure a new competition is a fair competition.  I applaud the candor expressed by the Secretary over the shortcomings in the original process, because that is the first step toward restoring integrity in a new competition.

This contract is crucial to the future readiness of our Air Force and I agree with the fast track process put forth by the Defense Secretary to have the process completed and a decision announced by the end of the year.