Obama Urges Administration and Congress to Keep Working on Auto Deal

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“I am disapponted that the Senate could not reach agreement on a short-term plan for the auto industry. I share the frustration of so many about the decades of mismanagement in this industry that has helped deliver the current crisis. Those bad practices cannot be rewarded or continued. But I also know that millions of American jobs rely directly or indirectly on a viable auto industry, and that the beginnings of reform are at hand. The revival of our economy as a whole should not be a partisan issue. So I commend those in Congress as well as the Administration who tried valiantly to forge a compromise. My hope is that the Administration and the Congress will still find a way to give the industry the temporary assistance it needs while demanding the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required.”

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The final day in the Senate captured these different currents as Dodd and the United Auto Workers made a last effort to reach a compromise that would bring over Republican support. But the talks broke down over conservative demands that the UAW accept wage cuts by a date certain in 2009, putting its members at parity with workers at auto plants owned by foreign competitors like Toyota and Honda—many in the Republican South.