One Happy Senator

Here's a statement from Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA):

Today's long-awaited decision by the Pentagon is the right one for our military, our taxpayers and our nation’s aerospace workers.

At a time when our economy is hurting and good-paying aerospace jobs are critical to our recovery, this decision is great news for the skilled workers of Everett and the thousands of suppliers across the country who will help build this critical tanker for our Air Force.

This decision is a major victory for the American workers, the American aerospace industry and America’s military. And it is consistent with the President's own call to 'out-innovate' and 'out-build' the rest of the world.

Even when competing against an illegally subsidized foreign competitor, Boeing's skilled workforce proved that they have the know-how and the product that can best serve our military.  And it is finally time to get this Boeing tanker into the hands of our men and women in uniform.

It has been a long and hard-fought competition, but I have been proud to stand side-by-side with our state's aerospace workers and I look forward to being there when the first new tanker rolls off the line.

Boeing's proposal calls for building its tanker in Washington and conducting air refueling modifications in Wichita, KS.