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 Kicking the Can - White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino 12/11/08 — Thursday, December 11, 2008 —  Q Dana, one of the concerns of some Republicans is this doesn't solve the automakers' problem. Bob Corker says you're just kicking the can down the road. With $14 billion you really only get them into the Obama administration. Is that the solution to -- is this only a matter of holding off for a few months the ultimate collapse of one or more of the auto companies? MS. PERINO: Well, I don't think that the companies think that they have a few months. That's why we are trying to act now. I will let them speak for themselves, but I think they've been very open about the difficulties that they're having right now. And that is why they've come and asked for help. It's not an easy thing or a thing to do to come and ask the federal government for help. You have to put away your pride and say, we want these -- we want our companies to be able to be successful; here's what we're going to be willing to do. Now, the auto czar that we would put in place would have the opportunity to make them -- force them to make really tough concessions. But the other thing is, is that if we don't act and these companies go away, we could wake up and not have any domestic auto industry, which is certainly not the outcome that this President wants and I would think that most members on Capitol Hill don't want it either. But here's the thing, Wendell -- for those members who think that, I would ask them just to look at this legislation because there's really only one of two outcomes: either fundamental restructuring that will make them viable in the long term, or an orderly bankruptcy filing. And we're just asking for a little bit of help from money already appropriated to help the automakers in order for them to be able to either make their companies profitable or to go into an orderly bankruptcy. Those are the two outcomes that we're seeking. Q And the idea that you're kicking the can down the road? MS. PERINO: I don't see how that -- we're trying to pass legislation today. I don't understand how that's kicking the can down the road. Plus, we have also been working with the Obama administration, as you heard -- I'm sorry, Obama team, not quite administration yet -- but we've been working with them, making sure that they understood the actions that we are wanting to take. And I think that they've been at least generally supportive -- I won't speak for them -- but generally supportive of the measures we're taking, because they recognize the ramifications of not acting. Automobile Industry | Congress | Dana Perino | Legislation | Press Briefing | White House Press Corps Labels: Automobile Industry, Congress, Dana Perino, Legislation, Press Briefing, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 10:52:00 PM
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