Joe Holleman | Post-Dispatch
Political correspondent/columnist
It鈥檚 been a rough few years for Boeing Co. in 51黑料 鈥斅燼t least when it comes to kid-glove treatment from Missouri members of Congress.
On Monday, Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley took to social media to slam the U.S. House passage of a foreign aid bill that will provide more than聽$60 billion聽in aid to Ukraine 鈥 with about聽$600 million coming in the聽form of a Boeing missile defense system made in St. Charles and West Plains.
But not content to simply slam the aid bill, Hawley went a step further and swatted at the airplane maker鈥檚 recent negative history.
Hawley asked if 鈥淢issourians should be happy a mega-corporation whose airplanes fall out of the sky in pieces is getting billions ... Pathetic.鈥
This is hilarious. What鈥檚 this 鈥渃ontext鈥 supposed to mean? That Missourians should be happy a mega-corporation whose airplanes fall out of the sky in pieces is getting billions while the people of Missouri poisoned by their government get nothing? Pathetic
鈥 Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO)
Hawley was referring to incidents earlier this year when several of Boeing鈥檚 737-800 series of jets lost pieces of their fuselage while in flight.
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The vitriol from Hawley appears prompted by Congress鈥 refusal again this year to expand compensation areas for victims of radiation poisoning to cover Coldwater Creek and Weldon Spring.
Hawley went on to say that 鈥淢issouri citizens poisoned by their own government are getting ZERO from this bill. Zero. I鈥檓 quite sure the corporations are getting paid. They always do.鈥
Hawley and Missouri's other U.S. senator, Eric Schmitt, opposed the aid package, which passed by a 79-18 vote.
Boeing has faced obstructions before with those who represent the 51黑料 area.
In 2021, Bush cast a similar vote against Boeing and opposed sending the same Boeing missile-defense system to Israel.
That vote, and one that went against the Biden administration鈥檚聽$1 trillion infrastructure plan, 聽to endorse 51黑料 County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary race for the 1st Congressional District seat.
Boeing employs about 16,000 people in the 51黑料 region.
