Fact-Checking 'Merci McCain'

Claim 1: Without John McCain, there would have been no Airbus contract.

According to the CRS, "Every defense appropriations bill from 1942-2004 has included some mention of a preference for U.S. articles, supplies, and materials. The Berry Amendment, one particular group of domestic source restrictions, was first enacted into law on April 5, 1941."

When asked, CAF cited an amendment to the 2004 defense appropriations as the law McCain wrote that enabled the Airbus contract.

In 2004, McCain and other Senators sought to give the Defense Secretary some flexibility in implementing the Berry Amendment. The McCain/Warner amendment was passed by the Senate. However, the House opposed any relaxation of the Berry Amendment.

The final bill signed by President Bush did not include the Senate (McCain) amendment.

Claim 2: The French gain jobs, America loses jobs.

The Northrop Grumman contract provides for the airplane parts to be manufactured by EADS/Airbus in Europe and for the plane to be assembled in the US. EADS/Airbus employs about 57,000 people at 16 sites in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Airbus already has an engineering office in Mobile, AL. This contract will result in a new assembly facility there. Northrop Grumman says the contract will add least 2,000 jobs in Alabama and support another 25,000 domestic jobs. In addition, the Northrop Grumman CEO said that "60 percent of the content of the new tanker would come from the U.S." This includes General Electric engines from North Carolina and Ohio.

Claim 3: Airbus is a French company.

This one is gray.

Airbus -- which was birthed in 1970 as a French-German consortium with the goal of challenging US aviation. Spain and Britain soon joined.

Today it remains headquartered in France, but since 2001 has been owned by EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), a Dutch firm.

Physically in France; owners, laws of incorporatiaon in Amsterdam.

Claim 4: It's a "good humored" video.

In the press release announcing the clip (pdf), CAF called the video "good-humored." Innuendo and falsehood -- whether or not accompanied by jocularity -- is not, in my opinion, "good natured" but is, instead, "mean-spirited."

In Closing

I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Berry Amendment and defense procurement. In my opinion, the entire procurement "book" should be tossed in the fire. Period.

I have to thank CAF for this illumination.

I still have not found the "exception" (if, indeed, there is one) that allows Northrop Grumman to partner with Airbus on this tanker project. When and if I do, I will update this fact-check.

Sources and Other Reading

Watch the YouTube clip.

For more detail on this story, see Fact-Checking "Merci McCain", posted 23 March 2008. For more about the Berry Amendment, see the CRS report The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement To Come From Domestic Sources (pdf)