Obama has called for helping the auto industry and said Friday he hoped Congress and the Bush administration would "still find a way to give the industry the temporary assistance it needs while demanding the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required."
Some Senate Republicans blamed the United Auto Workers for failing to agree to a key concession that they said would have drawn enough GOP support to pass the bailout bill. They also were angry with Bush for reversing his position on potentially using funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, set up for the financial industry.
"As the Bush administration changes course once again, it is becoming clear to me that Washington, D.C., might be completely out of control," said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a bailout opponent.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and auto industry supporters in Congress said the UAW was asked to make concessions that other stakeholders were not. After agreeing to significant rollbacks on payments from the auto companies to a fund for retiree healthcare, the UAW balked at a demand that it agree to a specific date for the wages of its Detroit workers to be on par with those of American employees of foreign automakers.
"The demand by the Senate GOP caucus would have no question treated workers differently from every other stakeholder, instead of leaving it to the auto czar to work out the timetable and mechanism for implementing sacrifices by all of the stakeholders," Gettelfinger said.
Democratic supporters of the bailout welcomed Bush's decision to consider using TARP money and urged him to act quickly. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said he hoped for action this weekend.
"I'm very confident . . . that the White House will not allow this industry to collapse or go into an unplanned bankruptcy," he said.
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Times staff writer Mark Medina contributed to this report.
jim.puzzanghera @latimes.com
ken.bensinger@latimes.com
