Sessions puts ``hold'' on Kansas lawmakers' bill

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., 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 June 27 that the Air Force should be able to choose the aircraft it thinks best fit its needs.

The bill was introduced by Kansas lawmakers June 26. It would forbid the Pentagon from spending money to build new refueling tankers unless the agency awards a disputed $35 billion contract to Boeing 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. AP