Trump promises to help Kansas with Boeing 737 Max crisis, Senator Jerry Moran says
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, said Monday that he spoke with President Trump over the weekend and got his assurances that he will try to help soften the blow on Kansas from the suspension of production of the troubled Boeing 737 Max jetliner.
“I asked to visit with the president on Friday; he called me on Sunday,” Moran said. “I wanted the president to know that not all is well in the aviation and aerospace world in Kansas.
“He indicated a love, of course, for Kansas, for Wichita. He indicated he had purchased an airplane from Wichita, in Wichita, knew the importance of aviation to the city and indicated that he would have conversations with his White House team . . . to see if there were ways that he and the administration could be of help.”
Moran emphasized that he does not want politics to play any role in when to return the 737 Max to service, because the safety of air passengers is paramount.
The popular midsize airliner was grounded worldwide in March following a pair of deadly crashes that killed a total of 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Boeing announced a week ago that it was suspending its production of the 737 Max starting in January.
On Friday, Spirit announced it’s suspending production of fuselages for the aircraft in Wichita.
Then, on Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg resigned and the company replaced him with its board chairman, David Calhoun.
Moran said he’s not sure what immediate effect the change at the top will have.
“It would be useful to have, at Boeing, someone who takes full responsibility and has a plan in place,” Moran said.
He said he doesn’t know how Muilenburg’s departure will affect the process of returning the Max to service.
“I assume Boeing is doing everything they can, regardless of who their CEO is, to get this (737 Max) issue resolved,” he said.
With 12,500 workers in Wichita, Spirit is Kansas’ largest private-sector employer.
The Max makes up the majority of its business, and while the company hasn’t announced immediate layoffs, that would be the conceivable outcome if the crisis continues to linger.
Moran said the problem extends well beyond Boeing and Spirit and he’s reached out to smaller subcontractors who make parts for the companies.
“The kind of typical response is, ‘We’ll get through this,’” Moran said. “But that’s not an easy thing for people who depend upon a paycheck to be in the bank every two weeks.”
Moran said he told Trump, “Mr. President, please know that at Christmastime, there are difficult decisions being made and consequences that will be felt throughout the Kansas economy for a long time.”
He said he’s hopeful the problems with the Max will be short-term and is optimistic that “the Max has a future in sales and orders that still bodes well for Spirit and suppliers in Kansas.”
Moran said he’s also contacted the Defense Department in an effort to get more military work for Wichita’s manufacturers, which could help diversify and stabilize the aircraft industry for the middle- to long term.
“Defense spending is going up,” he said. “Air Force, Navy and Army are all in the purchasing mode.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 6:33 PM.
