The Hill will be compiling additional reaction by lawmakers and key opinion leaders to the bailout for Detroit automakers throughout the afternoon. Read the updates below, after the jump.
Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) said:
My heart goes out to the thousands of hard-working Americans associated with GM and Chrysler who are worried about their jobs and providing for their families as well as retirees worried about their retirement benefits. Although I am extremely disappointed that the administration believes GM and Chrysler did not go far enough in their viability plans, I give them credit for insisting that American auto companies receiving taxpayer dollars can stand on their own two feet eventually. However, this is long overdue. The type of taxpayer protections and restructuring that the administration is insisting on today are what Sen. Levin and I proposed last fall in our bi-partisan compromise legislation. I am hopeful that, with new guidance, a restructured GM will become healthy and competitive and that Chrysler will come together with Fiat as supported by the administration. Additionally, I am hoping the administration will be unrelenting in pushing GM to make the hard decisions necessary to achieve viability in the private sector and that the administration is truly committed to having a restructured GM that can compete.
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) on the government’s backstopping of warranties:
While many of us in this region have had problems with some of the actions of the administration and the Auto Task Force, there may be a silver lining today.