Congressman Pat Harrigan(@RepPatHarrigan):For 20 years, a $6 knob that takes one hour to 3D print has been grounding Black Hawk helicopters four times a month, and the contractor responsible won't sell us the part or the IP rights to fix it ourselves. So instead, American taxpayers have been paying $40,000 every single time to replace the entire system, multiplied by four times a month, for two decades. That is NOT a procurement problem, that is a shakedown, and it is exactly why right to repair has to be in this year's NDAA.

2026.05.15 16:03

For 20 years, a $6 knob that takes one hour to 3D print has been grounding Black Hawk helicopters four times a month, and the contractor responsible won't sell us the part or the IP rights to fix it ourselves. So instead, American taxpayers have been paying $40,000 every single time to replace the entire system, multiplied by four times a month, for two decades. That is NOT a procurement problem, that is a shakedown, and it is exactly why right to repair has to be in this year's NDAA.