Lee Metcalf: “Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the European Commission is scheduled to vote on the merger of the Boeing Co. and McDonnell…”

“Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the European Commission is scheduled to vote on the merger of the Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas. It is anticipated that they will vote to disapprove the merger. Mr. Speaker, any disapproval by the European Commission would constitute an unwarranted and unprecedented interference in a U.S. business transaction. The review by the European Commission has been dominated by Airbus Industries from the outset. It is unfortunate that the European Union would allow their process to be dominated by a government owned and subsidized company. Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that my colleagues understand that this is a merger between two wholly owned U.S. defense contractors, consistent with DOD directives issued to downsize our military-industrial complex in the post-cold war era, and it was ratified by the Federal Trade Commission. Any attempt to block this is nothing short of a foreign government trying to dictate America's vital national security policy. As such, it is an assault on our national sovereignty.”