Letter To The Honorable John McHugh, Secretary Of The Army

Letter

Hutchison and Cornyn Urge Army to Reconsider Abandoning Sealy FMTV Plant

U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) urged Secretary of Army John McHugh to reconsider the decision made by the Army regarding the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and the manufacturing center in Sealy, TX. They also discussed the pending nomination of a new Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics and Technology.

The text of their letter to the Secretary is below.

December 4, 2009

The Honorable John McHugh
Secretary of the Army
1600 Army Pentagon -- Room 3E560
Washington, DC 20310

Dear Secretary McHugh:
We recently learned that President Barack Obama has named a candidate and announced an intention to nominate him for the position of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. We hope to be able to support this nomination when it comes before the Senate for confirmation.

However, as you may know, we are extremely disappointed with your Department's recent Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) contract award and the misguided decision to abandon its longtime provider of FMTVs. As you may know, Sealy, Texas, has been the manufacturing home of the FMTV truck for the past seventeen years. For almost two decades, thousands of proud Texans have produced world-class tactical vehicles for the American warfighter.

The Army, in its equipment acquisition efforts, has an unmistakable duty to serve as a responsible steward of the American taxpayers' hard-earned dollars, seeking not merely the lowest possible price for the equipment it procures, but the very best value. We do not believe the Army met that obligation in its recent award of the FMTV contract.

It is clear that the Army's source selection process was fundamentally flawed. This decision by the army must be reconsidered, in light of the clear irregularities. We have numerous questions regarding this contract, as well as the army's overall tactical vehicle program, which will need to be answered. We will provide you with those questions in short order. The Army's prompt and thorough responses will be both appreciated and also in the best interests of all concerned.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
United States Senator

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

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