Patty Murray: “I think we would all agree, especially in a time of war, that nothing is more important than the safety of our men and…”

“I think we would all agree, especially in a time of war, that nothing is more important than the safety of our men and women in uniform. And nothing should be more important to our military commanders at the Pentagon. But I come to the floor this morning because safety was not the priority when the military awarded the contract to build the next generation of refueling tankers. If that decision stands, if the contract goes to the European company Airbus, instead of Boeing, our servicemembers will be flying in planes that they and the military know are less safe. That has me very concerned. During the tanker competition, the Pentagon considered numerous factors, including survivability; that is, the ability to protect war fighters when they are in harm's way. But even though they found the Boeing tanker was much safer, the Pentagon chose the Airbus tanker anyway. Awarding a contract for a plane that is less safe makes zero sense to me. Why on Earth would our military choose a tanker that rated lower in safety and in survivability. That is the question I have come to the floor this morning to ask.”