WASHINGTON — It didn’t long for the new Congress to get involved in an old battle. Senators from Boeing states introduced the latest blast in the tanker war. U.S. senators Jerry Moran, R-Kansas; and Maria Cantwell, D-Washington; introduced a bill called the Defense Level Playing Field Act, that requires the U.S. Department of Defense to take into consideration the impact of illegal foreign subsidies when the Air Force picks a new aerial-refueling tanker. That is a shot at the European aircraft maker Airbus, which is offering a competing tanker design. Last year, a World Trade Organization panel accused European governments of providing billions in illegal subsidies to Airbus. The WTO has yet to make a ruling concerning American government subsidies to Boeing. Moran and Cantwell’s bill also sets up a clash with powerful congressional delegations from the south, where Airbus is building aircraft assembly plants.
Thursday, Jan. 27, 3 p.m.
