Rep. Miller Statement on Chrysler Announcement

Statement

Rep. Miller Statement on Chrysler Announcement

Congresswoman Candice Miller, MI-10, today released the following statement following Chrysler's announcement that it will cut 25 percent of its salaried workforce:

"My heart goes out to the workers at Chrysler. This economy has been difficult on families across America, but has been acutely hard for families here in Michigan that are so dependent on the auto industry. The federal government must immediately make available the $25 billion in loans for the auto industry that the Michigan Congressional Delegation worked in a bi-partisan fashion to pass. The Department of Energy's bureaucratic delays in implementing this program have been incredibly frustrating and stand in stark contrast to the immediate action taken by the administration in their efforts to bail out Wall Street. Goldman Sachs did nothing to create the American middle class, but got immediate help when they got into trouble. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors not only built the American middle class, but also helped to defend our nation in times of national crisis. Further bureaucratic delays are unacceptable and will be met with fierce Congressional opposition. It is time for the administration to get its act together and provide the help these companies need. Yesterday I also joined my Michigan colleagues in calling on Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanke to use authority granted by Congress to provide additional liquidity that would allow the auto market to continue functioning until normalcy is restored in the economy. This action must also be taken immediately. In the mean time we must do all we can to help those affected by these job reductions. We must further extend unemployment benefits and increase job retraining programs. We must also all come together and put aside partisanship to work toward solutions to our nation's economic challenges."

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