奥巴马每日发言GM & Chrysler(2009-03-30)

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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Grand Foyer

11:07 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.

One of the challenges we've confronted from the beginning of this administration is what to do with the state of the struggling auto 1 industry.  In recent months, my Auto Task Force has been reviewing requests by General Motors and Chrysler for additional government assistance, as well as plans developed by each of these companies to restructure, to modernize 2, and to make themselves more competitive.  Our evaluation 3 is now complete.  But before I lay out what needs to be done going forward, I want to say a few words about where we are and what led us to this point.

It will come as no surprise that some Americans who have suffered most during this recession have been those in the auto industry and those working for companies that support it.  Over the past year, our auto industry has shed over 400,000 jobs, not only at plants that produce cars, but at the businesses that produce the parts that go into them and the dealers 4 that sell and repair them.  More than one in 10 Michigan residents is out of work -- the most of any state.  And towns and cities across the great Midwest have watched unemployment climb higher than it’s been in decades.

The pain being felt in places that rely on our auto industry is not the fault of our workers; they labor 5 tirelessly and desperately 6 want to see their companies succeed.  It's not the fault of all the families and communities that supported manufacturing plants throughout the generations.  Rather, it's a failure of leadership -- from Washington to Detroit -- that led our auto companies to this point.

Year after year, decade after decade, we've seen problems papered over and tough choices kicked down the road, even as foreign competitors outpaced us.  Well, we've reached the end of that road.  And we, as a nation, cannot afford to shirk responsibility any longer.  Now is the time to confront our problems head-on and do what’s necessary to solve them.

We cannot, and must not, and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish.  This industry is like no other -- it's an emblem 7 of the American spirit; a once and future symbol of America’s success.  It's what helped build the middle class and sustained it throughout the 20th century.  It's a source of deep pride for the generations of American workers whose hard work and imagination led to some of the finest cars the world has ever known.  It's a pillar of our economy that has held up the dreams of millions of our people.  And we cannot continue to excuse poor decisions.  We cannot make the survival of our auto industry dependent on an unending flow of taxpayer 8 dollars.  These companies -- and this industry -- must ultimately stand on their own, not as wards 9 of the state.

And that's why the federal government provided General Motors and Chrysler with emergency loans to prevent their sudden collapse 10 at the end of last year -- only on the condition that they would develop plans to restructure.  In keeping with that agreement, each company has submitted a plan to restructure.  But after careful analysis, we've determined 11 that neither goes far enough to warrant the substantial new investments that these companies are requesting.

And so today I'm announcing that my administration will offer GM and Chrysler a limited additional period of time to work with creditors 12, unions, and other stakeholders to fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify 13 an investment of additional taxpayer dollars.  During this period they must produce plans that would give the American people confidence in their long-term prospects 15 for success.

Now, what we're asking for is difficult.  It will require hard choices by companies.  It will require unions and workers who have already made extraordinarily 16 painful concessions 17 to do more.  It'll require creditors to recognize that they can't hold out for the prospect 14 of endless government bailouts.  It'll have to -- it will require efforts from a whole host of other stakeholders, including dealers and suppliers.  Only then can we ask American taxpayers 18 who have already put up so much of their hard-earned money to once more invest in a revitalized auto industry.

But I'm confident that if each are willing to do their part, if all of us are doing our part, then this restructuring, as painful as it will be in the short term, will mark not an end, but a new beginning for a great American industry -- an auto industry that is once more out-competing the world; a 21st century auto industry that is creating new jobs, unleashing 19 new prosperity, and manufacturing the fuel-efficient cars and trucks that will carry us towards an energy-independent future.  I am absolutely committed to working with Congress and the auto companies to meet one goal:  The United States of America will lead the world in building the next generation of clean cars.

And no one can deny that our auto industry has made meaningful progress in recent years -- and this doesn't get talked about often enough.  Some of the cars made by American workers right now are outperforming the best cars made abroad.  In 2008, the North American Car of the Year was a GM.  This year, Buick tied for first place as the most reliable car in the world.  Our companies are investing in breakthrough technologies that hold the promise of new vehicles that will help America end its addiction 20 to foreign oil.

But our auto industry is not moving in the right direction fast enough to succeed in a very tough environment.  So let me discuss what measures need to be taken by each of the auto companies requesting taxpayer assistance, and I'll start with General Motors.

GM has made a good faith effort to restructure over the past several months -- but the plan that they've put forward is, in its current form, not strong enough.  However, after broad consultation 21 with a range of industry experts and financial advisors 22, I'm absolutely confident that GM can rise again, providing that it undergoes a fundamental restructuring.  As an initial step, GM is announcing today that Rick Wagoner is stepping aside as Chairman and CEO.  This is not meant as a condemnation 23 of Mr. Wagoner, who's devoted 24 his life to this company and has had a distinguished 25 career; rather, it's a recognition that will take new vision and new direction to create the GM of the future.

In this context, my administration will offer General Motors adequate working capital over the next 60 days.  And during this time, my team will be working closely with GM to produce a better business plan.  They must ask themselves:  Have they consolidated 26 enough unprofitable brands?  Have they cleaned up their balance sheets, or are they still saddled with so much debt that they can’t make future investments?  Above all, have they created a credible 27 model for how not only to survive, but to succeed in this competitive global market?

Let me be clear:  The United States government has no interest in running GM.  We have no intention of running GM.  What we are interested in is giving GM an opportunity to finally make those much-needed changes that will let them emerge from this crisis a stronger and more competitive company.

The situation at Chrysler is more challenging.  It's with deep reluctance 28 but also a clear-eyed recognition of the facts that we've determined, after careful review, that Chrysler needs a partner to remain viable 29.  Recently, Chrysler reached out and found what could be a potential partner -- the international car company Fiat 30, where the current management team has executed an impressive turnaround.  Fiat is prepared to transfer its cutting-edge technology to Chrysler and, after working closely with my team, has committed to build -- building new fuel-efficient cars and engines right here in the United States.  We've also secured an agreement that will ensure that Chrysler repays taxpayers for any new investments that are made before Fiat is allowed to take a majority ownership stake in Chrysler.