Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions has placed a legislative ``hold'' on a bill requiring the Air Force to award a contract to build tankers to Boeing or reopen the bidding process.
Sessions said in a statement Friday that the Air Force should be able to choose the aircraft it thinks best fit its needs.
The bill was introduced by Kansas lawmakers Thursday. It would forbid the Pentagon from spending money to build new refueling tankers unless the agency awards a disputed $35 billion contract to Boeing Co. or reopens the bidding process.
The bill puts added pressure on the Air Force to abide by a Government Accountability Office report that found major flaws in the decision to award the lucrative contract to a Boeing rival.
In February, the Air Force selected Northrop/EADS, which would build the tanker in Mobile, to replace 179 Eisenhower-era aerial refueling planes. Boeing filed its protest with the GAO in March.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)