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Lawmakers Send Big Three Back Home Empty-Handed
2008年11月21日
The Big Three are on their own for now.
Congressional efforts to rescue Detroit's auto makers collapsed Thursday, with lawmakers saying the industry lacked credible plans to return to profitability.
The decision came after two days in which leaders of three of America's largest corporations pleaded for a taxpayer-financed rescue from lawmakers in front of a national television audience. The spurning of their pleas leaves in question the future of companies that have been synonymous with American industry for decades and together employ 239,000 people in the U.S.
Democrats in Congress offered only a glimmer of hope, saying they would reconsider a rescue if General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC submit convincing turnaround plans by Dec. 2.
'Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money,' said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat.
One possibility is that Congress holds hearings after the auto makers submit their plans and then considers legislation the following week. Democratic leaders are likely to end up drafting an entirely new piece of legislation, rather than draw the requested $25 billion from either the $700 billion financial-rescue plan or already-approved loans intended to retool auto plants.
Another option might be to extend the industry a small amount of aid -- perhaps $5 billion to $10 billion -- to carry the Big Three through until March or April, according to a person familiar with discussions among congressional leaders. President-elect Barack Obama would then have a say in shaping long-term aid.
The president-elect's transition team has stayed largely on the sidelines as congressional action appeared increasingly unlikely, an Obama economic adviser said. The team is now discussing auto-industry legislation that can move after Mr. Obama is inaugurated Jan. 20.
News that Congress might reconsider a plan in December helped shares of GM and Ford rebound late on Thursday after deep drops earlier in the day. GM stock ended trading in New York at $2.88, up nine cents, or 3%. Ford finished at $1.39, up 13 cents, or 10%.
But the Big Three's failure to secure a rescue package ups the pressure in their boardrooms, especially at GM and Chrysler, which face deeper financial troubles than Ford.
GM's board of directors has expressed disappointment with the auto giant's failure in Washington, although it remains firmly behind Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and his management team, several people close to the company's board said Thursday. In his testimony in Washington, Mr. Wagoner said GM's cash supply may not hold out until January.
The board is scheduled to hold a conference call on Friday and has been meeting via teleconference several times a week, a spokesman confirmed. The board next meets on Dec. 2, coinciding with the deadline for submitting a recovery plan to Congress.
In a news conference in Detroit, Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers, said the Big Three CEOs should consider resigning if that would help win backing for a bailout.
Chrysler, which is in danger of running short of cash as soon as the end of the year, may not have many more restructuring steps. The company has slashed production and all but halted new-vehicle development to conserve cash.
Speaking before Congress on Wednesday, Chrysler Chief Executive Robert Nardelli said the company has 'looked at all aspects' of a potential bankruptcy filing and has 'gone through advisers to help us think this through.'
A person familiar with Chrysler's preparations said the possibility of a filing is well beyond the 'thinking stage,' adding that it has moved to 'a conceptualization plan.'
Chrysler spokeswoman Shawn Morgan said the company doesn't have an 'immediate plan' in place to file for bankruptcy. 'We are seeking financial assistance from Congress,' she said. 'Our main focus remains returning Chrysler to profitability.'
Ford is in better financial shape than GM and Chrysler. Some Ford executives believe company CEO Alan Mulally didn't make his case in Washington as well as he could. The company is now in wait-and-see mode, looking to see if Congress reaches a compromise to extend loans to the industry, according to insiders at the auto maker.
Following Speaker Pelosi's comments, Ford released an official statement Thursday, saying in part that the company 'welcomes the opportunity to provide our plan to Congress.'
Greg Hitt / John D. Stoll / Alex P. Kellogg
美国会否决救助 三巨头空手而归 美国汽车三巨头眼下要孤军奋战了。
让美国国会救助底特律汽车三巨头的努力周四破灭，议员们称汽车业缺乏令人信服的扭亏为盈的计划。
此前两天，美国三大汽车厂商的领导人在全国电视观众前请求国会用纳税人的钱来救助汽车业。这一请求被拒令三巨头的前景蒙上了阴影。底特律三巨头几十年来一直是美国工业的同义词，在美国共有员工23.9万人。
民主党议员只给出了一线希望，他们称，如果通用汽车、福特汽车和克莱斯勒在12月2日前提交令人信服的改善业务的计划，他们将重新考虑救助计划。
众议院议长佩洛西说，他们向我们展示他们的计划之前，我们是不会把钱拿给他们看的。
有一种可能是，在汽车厂商提交了他们的计划后，国会召开听证会，然后在随后的一周中考虑立法。民主党领袖很可能最后起草一份全新的立法提案，而不是从7,000亿美元的金融救助计划或是从已经获得批准的、意在重组汽车厂的贷款中拨出250亿美元满足他们的请求。
Richard Wagoner据了解国会领袖讨论内容的人士透露，另外一种可能是，向汽车业提供一小笔救助资金，或许是50亿-100亿美元，让三巨头撑到明年三、四月份。届时当选总统奥巴马在制定长期救助计划中就有话语权了。
奥巴马的一位经济顾问说，由于国会采取行动的可能性越来越小，奥巴马过渡小组基本上是持旁观态度。过渡小组正着手讨论1月20日奥巴马就职后能推动的汽车业立法。
通用和福特股票周四早些时候均大幅下挫，随后受国会可能在12月份重新考虑救助计划的消息的提振，两只股票又双双反弹。通用股票涨9美分，收于2.88美元，涨幅3%。福特股票涨13美分，收于1.39美元，涨幅10%。
不过，三巨头未能确保救助计划令来自董事会的压力增大，特别是在通用和克莱斯勒，二者面临的财务困难都比福特更严重。
据数名与通用董事会关系密切的人士周四称，该公司董事会表达了对公司未能获得政府救助的失望，尽管它仍坚定地支持董事长兼首席执行长瓦格纳和他的管理团队。瓦格纳在华盛顿发表证词时说，通用的现金供应量可能无法维持到明年1月份了。
通用发言人证实说，公司董事会计划周五召开电话会议，此前董事会每周都召开数次远程会议。下次董事会会议将于12月2日召开，正好与向国会提交复苏计划的截止日期重合。
Getty Images 全美汽车工人联合会总裁格蒂芬格全美汽车工人联合会总裁格蒂芬格在底特律的新闻发布会上说，三巨头的首席执行长们应该考虑辞职，如果这会帮助赢得对救助计划的支持的话。
克莱斯勒最早将于今年年底面临现金短缺的危险，它可能无法采取太多的重组措施。为节约现金，该公司已经减产，还差点暂停了新型汽车的开发。
克莱斯勒首席执行长纳德利周三在国会发表证词说，该公司已经全面审视了申请破产的可能，并且已经请顾问帮助我们考虑这个问题。
一位熟悉克莱斯勒准备工作的人士透露，申请破产的可能性远远超出了“考虑的阶段”，并且说已经进展到了“形成概念的计划”。
克莱斯勒发言人摩根说，该公司尚没有申请破产的即刻计划。她说，我们正在寻求从国会获得金融救助，我们的主要关注点仍是让克莱斯勒扭亏为盈。
福特的财务状况比通用和克莱斯勒都要好。部分福特高管认为，公司首席执行长穆拉利在华盛顿的说服工作本可以做得更好。据福特内部人员说，该公司目前持旁观态度，试图看看国会是否会达成让步，向汽车业提供贷款。
佩洛西发言后，福特周四公布了一份正式声明，称该公司从某种程度上欢迎向国会提交自己计划的机会。
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发表于 2016-8-12 16:32:07