WASHINGTON— Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-Goddard) today issued the following statements following multiple reports of lobbying by European nations and France-based EADS request to extend the deadline for accepting bids for the KC-X aerial refueling tanker competition. This comes after Monday’s announcement that EADS’ partner, Northrop Grumman, will not be submitting a bid to the Air Force.

Brownback said, "Delay is unacceptable. Dragging out this competition hurts our warfighters and costs the taxpayer. Changing deadlines would undermine the Department of Defense’s effort to make this competition fair for all parties involved. We cannot have different sets of rules for foreign and domestic competitors. EADS can either choose to bid or not, but it should not expect the United States for help in entering the competition.

"It is particularly egregious that Europe needs help to bid a heavily subsidized plane in a U.S. competition. It is even more ironic that France expects special treatment from the United States in this matter, even as it rejects U.S.  and NATO protests of its pending sale of a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship to Russia, a move that will undermine the security of Georgia."

Roberts said, "Second verse, same as the first. I hope DOD will continue to run a clean competition and ignore attempts to change the rules in the middle of the game."

Tiahrt said, "Changing the rules in the middle of the competition is what got the Department of Defense in trouble last time. I call on the Department of Defense to be open and honest with the American people on what changes they are proposing to meet the narrow interests of a foreign company. To further delay this competition is completely unacceptable. The Department of Defense has set a timeline, and it should keep its word. If EADS cannot meet the deadlines and requirements set forth by the Air Force, it is time we award the contact to an American company whose workers stand ready to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers. Our warfighters desperately need a replacement for the Eisenhower-era fleet of refueling tankers."

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