Letter to Hon. Richard Shelby, Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations; Hon. Nita Lowey, Chairwoman of House Committee on Appropriations; Hon. Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriations; and Hon. Kay Granger, Ranking Member of House Committee on Appropriations - Reps. Ryan, Fudge and Sen. Brown Urge Appropriators to Reject Cuts to Auto Manufacturing Program Critical to Bringing Jobs Back to Lordstown

Letter

Dear Chairman Shelby, Vice Chairman Leahy, Chairwoman Lowey, and Ranking Member Granger:

As you work to finalize the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) Omnibus, we urge you to reject any efforts to eliminate or rescind funding for the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program (ATVM).

As you know, Congress created ATVM to encourage innovation and create jobs in the domestic auto manufacturing sector and assist manufacturers as they work to produce fuel-efficient and emissions-free vehicles. To date, the program has supported automotive companies as they retool American factories to add electric, hybrid, and fuel-efficient conventional vehicles to their fleet. Increasing the capacity for manufacturing these advanced technology vehicles now is crucial to maintaining the global competitiveness of the American auto industry as demand for low-and-zero emissions vehicles increases, and to protecting good-paying American jobs.

In 2019, General Motors (GM) shuttered its production facility in Lordstown, Ohio, leading to the loss of over 2,700 jobs in the community. Workers in Lordstown, and across America's industrial heartland, are ready to do the work building the vehicles that the world will drive in the 21st Century. As we have worked with the community to reverse the devastation left by GM's departure, potential investors have made clear that support from ATVM is a key part of the path to bringing advanced auto manufacturing into communities that are struggling to recover jobs lost to outsourcing. In fact, Lordstown Motors, a manufacturer of electric pickup trucks and other vehicles, is utilizing factory space at the former GM facility, and has submitted an application for ATVM loan funds. The loan program was created in 2007 to assist emerging companies like this as they build the vehicles of the future.

We have offered our support for this program in the past, and are alarmed to hear reports that this committee is considering defunding the program. For years, many of us have pushed back against previous efforts to undermine the program and we offer our strong support for ATVM. ATVM is an investment in America's manufacturing future that we must maintain it if we hope to preserve American leadership in automotive inovation.

We appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

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