To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate

Tell Congress: the Air Force should disclose the secret price tag of the new B-21 stealth bomber

Taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for Pentagon programs without knowing the cost. We deserve to know the price tag of the Air Force's new B-21 stealth bomber.

Why is this important?

Congressional auditors found that the cost of Pentagon weapon systems grew $469 billion beyond initial estimates. Given the complexity and cost risks inherent to this program, the public deserves to know the baseline contract price of the B-21 program so the Pentagon and the contractors can be held accountable for any cost overruns.

The Air Force has promised to deliver an effective and affordable bomber. But price estimates released by the Air Force for the program have ranged from $33.1 billion to $58.4 billion—an increase of $25 billion, or 76 percent. Publicly releasing the actual contact price is key to oversight of this program and of the rest of our planned nuclear modernization, which is currently projected to cost taxpayers $1 trillion.

In a closed-door 19-7 vote, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee eliminated the Chairman’s requirement to publicly disclose the cost. All of the Democrats and half of the Republicans on the committee voted to protect the military-industrial complex and hide the truth from the public. Tell Congress that you believe the American people need to know the contract price to hold those in charge accountable.