Yarmuth to GM: Put U.S. First

Congressman John Yarmuth called on the current and incoming CEOs of General Motors to immediately reconsider opening new facilities in Mexico while that company remains indebted to American taxpayers.

“While the leadership of GM may believe such a decision makes economic sense and helps boost profit margins, it ignores the fact that your company would not exist today were it not for the support of American taxpayers,” wrote Congressman Yarmuth in a letter to GM. “Along with these dollars, GM should also have accepted a responsibility to put America’s economic recovery first, and not that of any other nation.”

Earlier this month, GM announced it would begin production of a new line of vehicles and engines at a plant in Coahuila, Mexico, generating 390 jobs south of the border.

In December of 2008, President George W. Bush announced GM was one of several American automakers that accepted federal aid, ultimately receiving nearly $50 billion in financial assistance.

“The automotive workforce is critical to the manufacturing base of the American economy,” wrote Congressman Yarmuth. “It is both an economic and moral imperative to the American people that these jobs are kept in the United States.”

Full text of the Congressman’s Letter to GM is HERE (PDF).