WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Pat Roberts strongly criticized the White House’s recent budget cuts, which include a recommendation to delay the Air Force’s aerial refueling replacement tanker fleet. Senator Roberts made the following statement:

"We’ve been studying and worrying a lot lately about President Obama’s 3.7 trillion dollar budget, and what it means for our country. But in the midst of all this talk about spending, taxes, and debt for our children, we haven’t talked about a recent recommendation that would cripple our nation’s defense. I’m talking about the Obama White House budget office’s recent recommendation to the Department of Defense to cancel the Air Force’s refueling tanker. Yep, you heard it right!

"This is the plane our airmen and women use to refuel every other aircraft in our services. Without it, our troops can’t deploy overseas. It’s called national security access denial.

"Now, the Department of Defense says the decision isn’t final. But, this should never even be considered. I can’t think of anything more dangerous for our country. We’ve been going through this tanker business now for 7 years. For 7 years, we’ve failed to update the tanker for our troops.

"As a result, they are right now flying missions in planes that were first delivered in the 1950s. That’s right, the Air Force is flying tankers that were built before Budget Director Peter Orszag was even born. We would never, not one of us, ask our families to fly in a civilian aircraft that old. The average age of a commercial airliner is just over 11 years old.

"Now, I’ve been in many tankers. I’ve seen that while it’s a great aircraft that’s withstood 50 years of missions, the men and women at Boeing who built it are ready to do more. I’d like to personally invite Budget Director Orszag to come to Wichita in a tanker with me. I’d like him to see what it’s like for our Air Force, to sit in that jump seat for a few hours, and to see how it accomplishes its air refueling mission. Then once we land we’ll talk to the airmen and women at McConnell Air Force Base about their needs for a new tanker- and maybe even walk across the street to see the vast difference in the new tankers Boeing is making for our allies- not us, our allies. Maybe then he’ll see why the new tanker is such a vital need.

"Now, I’ll be the first to say there have been many problems with the tanker bid process. This last go around, I fought tooth and nail with my fellow Kansans Congressman Todd Tiahrt and Senator Sam Brownback to make sure our Air Force didn’t buy the wrong plane. We did this because they desperately need the best tanker possible. If the Administration pushes this off even further, and our airmen and women have to fly 75 year old tankers, we are putting our Air Force and our national defense in jeopardy.

"We need a tanker. We all know it. Getting a new one is still the Air Force’s number one priority. Apparently, it is not in President Obama’s budget office. The Administration should stop this terrible recommendation and fund the tanker. Without it, our troops can’t deploy overseas to protect our great nation. For a country struggling with the issues we are today, that would be an absolute travesty."

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