Democracy Dies in Darkness

Senate aid package quietly carves out billions intended for Boeing, officials say

Provision for company ‘critical’ to national security targets airplane maker, despite Max safety lapses

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March 25, 2020 at 2:02 p.m. EDT
Workers assemble single-aisle 737 MAX planes at Boeing’s Renton, Wash. facility on October 7, 2019. (Jovelle Tamayo for The Washington Post)

Lawmakers have inserted in the Senate’s $2 trillion stimulus package a little-noticed provision aimed at providing billions of dollars in emergency assistance to Boeing, the aerospace giant already under fire for deadly safety lapses in its commercial jets, three people with knowledge of the internal deliberations said.

The Senate package includes a $17 billion federal loan program for businesses deemed “critical to maintaining national security.” The provision does not mention Boeing by name but was crafted largely for the company’s benefit, two of the people said. Other firms could also receive a share of the money, one of the people said. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.