Murphy Statement on Pentagon Reopening Bidding Process for Air Force Tanker Contract

Press Release

Today, Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) released the following statement after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that the Pentagon will reopen the bidding process for the $35 billion award to replace the aging KC-135 air refueling tankers.

"We deserved a do-over and today we got one. The findings of the Government Accountability Office laid out the facts - the Air Force conducted a deeply flawed contracting process that left more questions than answers. Now, Connecticut's defense industry will have an opportunity to once again prove that they can deliver what the Air Force, and our country, needs to keep us safe. We must continue to keep the pressure on the DoD to ensure that they just don't rubber stamp what was already a failed process. This must truly be a new competition."

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