Patty Murray's Washington View

PATTY MURRAY'S WASHINGTON VIEW

U.S. Senator Patty Murray's Weekly Report to the People of Washington - May 7, 2004

Defending U.S. Aerospace Workers

On Wednesday, I delivered a major speech on the Senate floor calling for our government to wake up to Europe's unlimited assault on America's aerospace workers.

I titled my speech, "Will the last aerospace worker leaving America turn out the lights?" to show that the job losses Seattle has experienced - captured in a 1971 billboard - are now sweeping the country.

I've been troubled by Europe's market-distorting actions in commercial aerospace for many years, and I've been raising my concerns with other Senators, foreign leaders, and Administrations of both parties.

In Wednesday's speech, I detailed my concerns before the full Senate because EADS (European Aeronautics Defense and Space Company) and Airbus have launched a deceptive PR and lobbying campaign to convince the U.S. government that it is essentially an American company. The Airbus campaign of half-truths is on full display as the company works overtime in Washington, D.C. to re-create a competition they already lost to build the next generation refueling tanker for the Air Force. I also warned in my speech that unless we wake up to this threat, we will lose an industry that Americans created and that has brought innovation to every corner of our economy. We Americans led the first century of flight, but we might not even have a role in the second century if we keep sleepwalking down this dangerous road.

I also outlined three steps we must take. First, we should hold Europe accountable for its market-distorting actions. Second, we should not reward EADS and Airbus for their deceptive, jobkilling behavior. Finally, we should implement the recommendations from the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. I will take the first step by introducing legislation to create a Joint Committee on aerospace.

Speech Text & Chart: