Remarks by the President on General Motors Restructuring
Grand Foyer
June 1, 2019
Just over two months ago, I spoke with you in this same spot about the challenges facing our auto industry, and I laid out what needed to be done to save two of America's most storied automakers ——General Motors and Chrysler. These companies were facing a crisis decades in the making, and having relied on loans from the previous administration, were asking for more。
From the beginning, I made it clear that I would not put any more tax dollars on the line if it meant perpetuating the bad business decisions that had led these companies to seek help in the first place. I refused to let these companies become permanent wards of the state, kept afloat on an endless supply of taxpayer money. In other words, I refused to kick the can down the road。
But I also recognized the importance of a viable auto industry to the well-being of families and communities across our industrial Midwest and across the United States. In the midst of a deep recession and financial crisis, the collapse of these companies would have been devastating for countless Americans, and done enormous damage to our economy —— beyond the auto industry. It was also clear that if GM and Chrysler remade and retooled themselves for the 21st century, it would be good for American workers, good for American manufacturing, and good for America's economy。
I decided, then, that if GM and Chrysler and their stakeholders were willing to sacrifice for their companies survival and success; if they were willing to take the difficult, but necessary steps to restructure, and make themselves stronger, leaner, and more competitive, then the United States government would stand behind them。
The original restructuring plans submitted by GM and Chrysler earlier this year did not call for the sweeping changes these companies needed to survive —— and I couldn't in good conscience proceed on that basis. So we gave them a chance to develop a stronger plan that would put them on a path toward long-term viability. The 60 days GM had to submit its revised plans have now elapsed, and I want to say a few words about where we are and what steps will be taken going forward. But before I do, I want to give you an update on where things stand with Chrysler。
When my administration took office and began going over Chrysler's books, the future of this great American car company was uncertain. In fact, it was not clear whether it had any future at all. But after consulting with my Auto Task Force, industry experts, and financial advisors, and after asking many tough questions, I became convinced that if Chrysler were willing to undergo a restructuring and if it were able to form a partnership with a viable global car company, then Chrysler could get a new lease on life。
Well, that more promising scenario has now come to pass. Today, after taking a number of painful steps, and moving through a quick, efficient, and fair bankruptcy process, a new, stronger Chrysler is poised to complete its alliance with Fiat. Just 31 days after Chrysler's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, a court has approved the Chrysler-Fiat alliance, paving the way for a new Chrysler to emerge from bankruptcy in the next few days。
What happens next is in the hands of their executives, managers, and workers ——as it is for any private company. But what the completion of this alliance means is that tens of thousands of jobs that would have been lost if Chrysler had liquidated will now be saved, and that consumers have no reason at all to worry about a restructuring—— even one as painful as what Chrysler underwent。
And keep in mind —— many experts said that a quick, surgical bankruptcy was impossible. They were wrong. Others predicted that Chrysler's decision to enter bankruptcy would lead to an immediate collapse in consumer confidence that would send car sales over a cliff. They were wrong, as well. In fact, Chrysler sold more cars in May than it did in April, in part because consumers were comforted by our extraordinary commitment to stand behind a quick bankruptcy process. All in all, it's a dramatic —— an outcome dramatically better than what appeared likely when this process began。
美國總統就通用汽車公司重組一事發表演講
大會堂前廳
2019年6月1日
就在兩個多月前，就在此處，我與諸位探討了美國汽車業所面臨的挑戰，我列出了拯救美國兩大著名汽車製造商——通用汽車公司和克萊斯勒公司所應採取的措施。這兩家公司面臨著過去幾十年中孕育已久的危機，他們依賴往屆政府的貸款，現在又要求政府提供更多幫助。
從一開始我就明確表示，我將不會投入更多的稅收，否則就意味著將失敗的經營決策繼續下去，而這種經營決策已經導致上述兩家公司首先提出援助要求。我不會任憑這些公司成為國家永久的負擔，靠納稅人的源源不斷提供血汗錢而生存。換言之，我不會再採用權宜之計了。
但我也承認，在以工業為主的中西部地區乃至全美，一個能獨立生存的汽車企業關乎家庭及社會的福祉。在經濟嚴重衰退和金融危機時期，這些公司的倒閉對無數美國人來說無疑是一種災難，會對全國經濟造成巨大影響——且遠不止是汽車工業。如果通用汽車公司和克萊斯勒公司能在21世紀自行重組再造，毫無疑問，這將有益於美國的工人、製造業以及美國的整體經濟。
因此，我決定，如果通用汽車公司和克萊斯勒公司及其利益相關者願意為公司的生存和成功作出犧牲，願意直面困難，通過採取必要的重組措施使公司變得更為強大、精悍、更富競爭力，那麼，美國政府就會支援它們。
今年年初，通用汽車公司和克萊斯勒公司最初提交的重組計劃中並未提出企業生存必需的全面改革計劃，因此我不能愧對良心在這種條件下給予支援，我給了它們一個機會——制定一項更強有力的計劃，並走上長期保持生存能力的道路。然而，通用汽車公司提交修改計劃的60天期限已經過去，我要對我們的現狀和未來採取的措施發表看法。但是在這之前，我想講一下克萊斯勒的最新進展。
本屆政府執政後就開始徹查克萊斯勒的賬目，發現這個美國汽車業的巨頭前途未卜。事實上，它是否還有前途都不得而知。但是經過諮詢白宮汽車行動小組、行業專家和財政顧問，並就諸多難題進行探討後，我開始相信如果克萊斯勒願意重組，能與一傢俱備生存能力的全球化汽車企業建立夥伴關係，那麼它將會重獲新生。
更多充滿希望的劇情正在上演。今天，在經歷了一系列痛苦的環節以及快速、高效和公平的破產程式後，一個全新且更具實力的克萊斯勒完成了與菲亞特的結盟。僅在克萊斯勒依據《破產法》第11章規定申請破產的31天后，法院批准了克萊斯勒-菲亞特的結盟，為克萊斯勒在未來幾年中重塑自我並從破產中崛起鋪平了道路。
接下來，公司的命運就掌控在公司的高層、經理和員工的手中了，這和任何其他私營企業並無二致。但結盟的完成意味著因克萊斯勒公司清償債務會失去的數萬個工作崗位，將得以保留，消費者也無須對重組有絲毫擔憂，即使這種重組和克萊斯勒所經歷的一切同樣令人痛苦。
值得關注的是，許多專家曾認為外科手術式的快速破產方式不可行，然而，他們錯了。另一些人預計克萊斯勒公司的破產決定將會導致消費者信心會頃刻瓦解，使汽車銷量一落千丈，他們也錯了。事實上，克萊斯勒公司5月的銷售業績要好於4月，部分原因是由於我們對快速破產程式做出了特別承諾，安撫了消費者。總而言之，與程式啟動時相比，效果極為明顯。
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