Air Force Transport Appropriations Bill

[Ebowed]

Air Force Transport Appropriations Bill

1. Atlasia shall purchase 42 C-17 aircraft from the Boeing Corp. with production ending in FY2010. The total cost of the program shall be $5.9 billion, $1.9 billion in FY2007, and an additional $1.0 billion in FY2008 through FY2011.


Sponsor: Sen. Wixted

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

There is a significant problem with this bill.  It allocates significantly less money per aircraft than the information I've been able to find quotes as the price tag for a C-17: $220 million at a production rate of 15 aircraft per year, which is the rate that Boeing has been producing the C-17.   That makes the price tag for 42 aircraft $9.24 billion not $5.9 billion.  Boeing has been able to get a few foreign orders, so planning on not getting all 15 of each year's production is fine, but I don't think we should expect Boeing to be willing to lose money just to sell planes.  After all, they're Boeing, not EADS.   Another thing is that we don't need to acquire 42 aircraft in order to keep the production lines operating until the supposedly improved C-17B becomes available in FY2010 (if all goes as Boeing plans).


The production line is already scheduled for FY 2007, so I propose the following amendment.

Replace the bill with the following:

Atlasia shall purchase 28 C-17 aircraft from the Boeing Corp at a per unit price of $220 million. ($6,160 million total) 14 aircraft shall be acquired in FY 2008 and 14 aircraft in FY 2009.

[Colin]

There is a significant problem with this bill.  It allocates significantly less money per aircraft than the information I've been able to find quotes as the price tag for a C-17: $220 million at a production rate of 15 aircraft per year, which is the rate that Boeing has been producing the C-17.   That makes the price tag for 42 aircraft $9.24 billion not $5.9 billion.  Boeing has been able to get a few foreign orders, so planning on not getting all 15 of each year's production is fine, but I don't think we should expect Boeing to be willing to lose money just to sell planes.  After all, they're Boeing, not EADS.   Another thing is that we don't need to acquire 42 aircraft in order to keep the production lines operating until the supposedly improved C-17B becomes available in FY2010 (if all goes as Boeing plans).


The production line is already scheduled for FY 2007, so I propose the following amendment.

Replace the bill with the following:

Atlasia shall purchase 28 C-17 aircraft from the Boeing Corp at a per unit price of $220 million. ($6,160 million total) 14 aircraft shall be acquired in FY 2008 and 14 aircraft in FY 2009.

As I said before this was just a copied and pasted section of a previous bill that I helped shoot down. I considered this to be a strategically significant part of that earlier bill so I put it up as an individual bill.

Yes that was a problem of the original bill and I think I stated that in the statements regarding my lack of support for the original. Thank you for correcting this.

[Ebowed]

Vote on replacing the bill with the following:
Atlasia shall purchase 28 C-17 aircraft from the Boeing Corp at a per unit price of $220 million. ($6,160 million total) 14 aircraft shall be acquired in FY 2008 and 14 aircraft in FY 2009.

[Colin]

Aye

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

aye

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Nay

[Јas]

Aye

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Aye

[Brandon H]

Aye

[Ebowed]

Abstain

---

The amendment has passed.

[Ebowed]

Air Force Transport Appropriations Bill

1. Atlasia shall purchase 28 C-17 aircraft from the Boeing Corp at a per unit price of $220 million. ($6,160 million total) 14 aircraft shall be acquired in FY 2008 and 14 aircraft in FY 2009.


Vote on final passage.


Nay

[Colin]

Aye

[Јas]

Aye

[Brandon H]

Aye

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Aye

[Everett]

Abstain.

[Ebowed]

The current tally is 4 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 abstain.  Please vote.

[DWPerry]

abstain

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Nay

[Ebowed]

Voting time has expired with 4 ayes, 2 nays, and 2 abstentions, so it passes.  It is presented to the President for his signature.

[Ebowed]

After 7 days of executive inaction, the bill has automatically become law.