Pete Sessions: “I associate myself with the wise comments of Senator Shelby on this question. I will share a few thoughts about where we…”

“I associate myself with the wise comments of Senator Shelby on this question. I will share a few thoughts about where we are in this process. It was a big, long, fair competition for this new KC-45 tanker aircraft. The Air Force announced it last Friday. They announced they had selected Northrop Grumman as the lead contractor for the new plane. Northrop plans to build it in my hometown of Mobile, AL. We could not be prouder. I, at one point, chaired the Air/Land Subcommittee as we discussed the need for this aircraft. Long before there was any indication that any of it would be built in Alabama, I became convinced that it was a needed plane. I will say this to my colleagues who seem to be arguing that it is not an American aircraft: The lead contractor is Northrop Grumman, which is a Los Angeles/American company. They partnered with EADS, a European company. Some have said openly that it is an aircraft that is going to be built in Europe. A lot of people probably have heard that. But the truth is, it is going to be built in the United States, in Mobile.”