Sen. Jeff Sessions on Friday slowed an effort in the Senate to make the Air Force award a $35 billion tanker contract to Boeing.
 
Republican Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts of Kansas, a state where Boeing has facilities, offered legislation Thursday to block funds from being spent on the new tanker unless the Air Force awards the contract to Boeing.

In response, Sessions, R-Mobile, placed a hold on the bill to support Northrop Grumman Corp., which plans to manufacture parts of the tanker in Mobile.

"I don't think we politicians should start awarding $35 billion defense contracts from the floor of the U.S. Senate," Sessions said in a statement. "We must stay committed to the integrity of the competition and keep politics out of this process."

Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS, or the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., were awarded the Air Force contract in February.

But last week, the Government Accountability Office upheld a contract protest by Boeing and found a number of flaws in the Air Force's bid process, including errors that when corrected showed that Boeing's planes cost less over their full life cycles.

The Air Force, which has 60 days to respond, said it is reviewing the GAO report.

The GAO decision leaves in limbo Northrop Grumman's plan to build a production facility in Mobile that could employ up to 1,500 workers.