Congressman John D. Dingell

November 7, 2008

Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following comments today after the Department of Labor reported that the American economy lost 240,000 jobs in October, bringing the total number of jobs lost in 2008 to 1.2 million. He also spoke about the need for Congress to provide important investment to the U.S. auto industry after General Motors and Ford announced larger than expected losses in the third quarter.

“What would happen if someone told the cities of New Orleans, Norfolk, Virginia or Scottsdale, Arizona that everyone there lost their jobs? If we told the people of Birmingham, Alabama or Madison, Wisconsin or Durham, North Carolina ‘don’t bother to come to work because there isn’t any work left’ how would they react? I am sure that the leaders of these cities, the governors, all elected officials would come asking for help – as they should – and we would give it to them.

“All the above cities have populations around 240,000 people – and that’s the number of jobs we lost in just the last month. It is clear we have an emergency situation on our hands here. By January 20, 2009 many of the working families affected in recent weeks and months will see their unemployment running out; we can’t afford to wait. Congress must come back into session to get another economic recovery package passed. Clearly, we can do more with President Obama in the White House, but we must also work with President Bush first to deal with the immediate impact of this mess.

“Ten consecutive months of job declines is more than we can stand. A second economic recovery package, including an extension of unemployment benefits, would be a good place to start. Help for our devastated manufacturers, who lost 90,000 jobs last month, would be particularly useful. That includes our automakers, as the three U.S. car companies are on the verge in turning out new lines that will set the standard for environmentally-friendly, safe vehicles. Right now, one out of every 10 U.S. jobs is auto-related.  GM, Ford and Chrysler account for roughly 70 percent of U.S. auto production and are estimated to support around five million jobs across all 50 states. If we don’t save our auto and manufacturing jobs now, at this time of great peril, it could be decades before we can make up for those losses. A healthy American auto industry will be a leader in creating good, green jobs. Besides the opportunity help our economy, helping the auto industry will do wonders for our environment and will create a better energy plan for America’s future.

“I am pleased that President-elect Obama, after conferring this morning with his economic transition team, has identified the American automobile industry as the backbone of American manufacturing.  His pledge to help the domestic automobile manufacturers get quick access to the tools they need to weather this financial crisis and create the next generation of fuel efficient vehicles is exactly what the millions of Americans whose jobs depend on the automobile industry needed to hear.  By making assistance for the auto industry a central part of his economic agenda, President-elect Obama has shown the kind of faith in American workers that won him the support of so many Americans throughout this country last Tuesday.  I look forward to working with the Obama Administration to craft legislation that will help him accomplish his goal of a strong and vibrant manufacturing economy.  Now, more than ever, is the time to make investments that will pay off in the short term and over the long haul.”