With House Vote Today, Rep. Peters Successfully Saves Program that Created or Protected over 41,000 Auto Manufacturing Jobs
Statement
Today the House finally passed a bill to fund emergency disaster relief without cutting $1.5 billion in proven job creating loans. This funding for the Advanced Vehicle Technology Manufacturing (ATVM) loans has created or protected over 41,000 auto manufacturing jobs and has been credited by independent experts with moving production of the Ford Focus from Mexico to Michigan. At one point, this drastic cut to job creating auto manufacturing loans was all but assured, but Rep. Peters worked very hard to inform and unite the Democratic caucus against this job killing proposal and ultimately, Speaker Boehner's bill was defeated on the floor. Today the bill to fund the government and emergency disaster funding without cutting auto manufacturing loans passed the House by a vote of 352-66 and will now be sent to the White House to be signed into law.
"My number one priority is jobs in the Greater Detroit area and that's why I stood up and fought for this program which has created or protected 41,000 auto manufacturing jobs and brought the production of the Ford Focus from Mexico to Michigan," said Rep. Gary Peters. "I worked very hard to forge a coalition to stop these job killing cuts from becoming law and we have won this fight. This is a victory for the folks that work hard every day at our auto manufacturing facilities and while I hope that the Republicans end their war on jobs, if they decide to attack American workers again, I'll keep fighting them."
"It's a victory that the House GOP leadership reversed course," said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo who cowrote the original letter to Speaker Boehner with Rep. Peters. "Today's CR does not harm the ATVM program, which has created or saved 41,000 jobs from California to Michigan to Ohio. The program is on-track to create at least another 35,000 jobs by year's end. Eliminating the ATVM program would have cost our country desperately-needed jobs. American ingenuity, American manufacturing, and American fuel efficient cars were all on the chopping block."
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