Hutchison Statement on GAO's Decision on Uphold BAE Systems' Protest of Army Truck Contract

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) released the following statement regarding the Government Accountability Office's decision to uphold BAE Systems' protest of the Army's contract for the production of Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles:

"The GAO's decision is welcome news for the town of Sealy and the employees of BAE, as well as for American taxpayers. I'm pleased to hear that the GAO has agreed with my assertion that the Army's contracting process was flawed. As we did in 2001 when these jobs were last threatened, the Texas delegation and the greater Sealy community came together to respond. I've fought throughout my career to ensure that the Sealy facility remains a center for jobs outside of Houston, and am proud to have helped lead this fight. The Pentagon must now conduct a full and thorough inquiry and rebid this contract in which the Army truly obtains the best value for taxpayers and our soldiers. Sealy's BAE plant has a proven track record of producing high quality vehicles for our Armed Services in a cost effective manner for our taxpayers."

In September, Senator Hutchison criticized the Army's decision and called for an investigation into the Army's truck program acquisition process. As the Senator said then, "I question the evaluations that led to this decision, and it seems unlikely that the Army will achieve real savings by shifting the production of these vehicles from the proven operation in Sealy and establishing an entirely new production capability at a company with no demonstrated experience in building this truck. I am also concerned that this production change will unnecessarily place the Army's Tactical Wheeled Vehicle program at risk. For this reason, I have asked the GAO to investigate this decision and to review the acquisition policies for the Army's entire truck program." Senator Hutchison's letter to the GAO is available below. "

On December 4, Senators Hutchison and John Cornyn urged Secretary of Army John McHugh to reconsider the decision made by the Army regarding the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and the manufacturing center in Sealy, TX. Linked below is the Senators' letter to Secretary McHugh.

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