That’s an actual quote from a message sent by a Boeing employee to one of their co-workers in 2017, not joking.

They were talking about the 737 Max, joking about the obvious design flaws and the fact the FAA was letting them get away with it.

The next year the 737 Max was approved for service. Within months, 346 people were dead from two catastrophic crashes.

Now Boeing has had another cataclysmic, mid-air incident.

One month ago, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 was forced to make an emergency landing after a door plug on their Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out six minutes into their flight. The cabin instantly depressurized. Passengers' belongings (including one teenage boy’s shirt) were sucked out of the plane, and everyone scrambled to get their emergency oxygen masks on, barely holding on while the pilots got them down safely.

It’s astonishing that no one died this time, though several were injured.

But what’s more astonishing is that Boeing knew about all the problems with this plane and cut corners anyway – while their industry regulators in Congress turned a blind eye.

One of them is Rick Larsen. You can help me defeat him this year and elect a congressman who will always hold powerful corporations like Boeing accountable.

Three years ago, Boeing agreed to pay a $2.5 billion settlement in exchange for not pleading guilty to any charges related to the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. While it was hailed a historic victory for transportation safety, that fine comes to only 2% of their profits from the last decade plus.

And while Boeing’s former CEO Dennis Muilenburg was forced to resign over these cataclysmic failures, he still made off with a $60 million golden parachute.

The continued Boeing 737 Max disasters are a confluence of corporate corruption and failed government oversight.

The responsibility for that oversight ultimately lies with the House Aviation subcommittee – led by my opponent Rick Larsen, the former chair and now ranking member.

So, I have to ask:

• Where was the congressional oversight on the failings of the FAA?

• Who looked into the widespread reports of FAA inspectors fearing retaliation if they spoke out against Boeing’s unsafe design and work practices?

• Why does Congress continue to mandate and encourage the FAA to let manufacturers like Boeing police themselves?

How much has Rick Larsen been influenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars he’s taken from aviation manufacturers over the course of his career?

I’ve been on Larsen’s case about Boeing’s corruption for years. Two years ago, I published this op-ed detailing his deliberate moves to loosen regulations for Boeing ahead of these disasters. Rick’s response to the Alaska Airlines incident was just more of the same hands-off, deference to his corporate benefactors that we’ve come to expect.

Despite the negative media storm, despite the heavy fines, this latest incident proves that Boeing DID NOT learn their lesson. And why should they when their favorite congressman is still happily cashing their checks?

Honestly, I take this personally. Boeing’s headquarters are here in Washington State. Thousands of people in our district work in their factories, and hundreds of thousands more fly on Boeing planes regularly.

Boeing employees deserve to have a congressman who will back them up when their company is cutting corners, and the people of WA-02 deserve to feel safe when they board a plane built by one of the most powerful aviation companies in the world.

Unlike Rick, I can never be bought off by corrupt actors like Boeing because I don’t take their money. Can you pitch in $25 today to help me defeat Rick Larsen and elect a representative who will hold Boeing’s feet to the fire?

If we want real oversight that puts people before profits in Congress, we have to elect working people who don’t sell out to corporate donors.

I’ve never taken a dime from corporate PACs or lobbyists, and I never will.

In solidarity,

Jason Call