Don Nickles: “The Senator's rationale for agreeing to this compromise, whereby the total number of tankers to be leased was reduced by…”

“The Senator's rationale for agreeing to this compromise, whereby the total number of tankers to be leased was reduced by 80 percent, relied on the Congressional Budget Office's conclusion that the fewer planes that the Air Force leased, the greater the savings to taxpayers. The intent was to maximize savings to taxpayers. If the Defense Department, in the words of Senator Warner, puts this program in the traditional budget, procurement, and authorization process, the taxpayer will see significant savings.”