Wichita Congressman Says Boeing Has Decided

(AP) – U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo says a senior Boeing official has told him the company’s refueling tanker modification work will be done in Washington state.

Pompeo and union leaders held a news conference Monday to say they now know Boeing intends to walk away from the promises of Kansas jobs they say the company made in order to win the contract to build the Air Force tanker. Pompeo declined to name the senior official.

Boeing did not immediately return calls for comment.

The congressman says Boeing also intends to move maintenance work on Air Force One out of Wichita.

Boeing said last month it was studying whether to close its Defense, Space & Security’s Maintenance, Modifications and Upgrades facility in Wichita to address Defense Department budget cuts.