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DAVID: WELL, GENERAL MOTORS'
MARY BARRA IS FACING A BARRAGE
OF CRITICISM THIS AFTERNOON.
SHE MET WITH OHIO
REPRESENTATIVES ON CAPITOL HILL
TO EXPLAIN WHY THE AUTOMAKER
PLANS TO CLOSE FOUR U.S. PLANTS
AND LAY OFF NEARLY 14,000
EMPLOYEES.
JOINING US NOW IS OHIO
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN BILL
JOHNSON WHO JUST FINISHED
MEETING WITH BARRA.
CONGRESSMAN, WHAT CAN YOU TELL
US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
ROOM?
>> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THAT,
FIRST OF ALL, DAVID, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME.
DAVID: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
IT WAS A PRETTY SOMBER MEETING.
THERE WAS -- IT WAS A BIPARTISAN
MEETING.
OF COURSE, I REPRESENT A
DISTRICT THAT BORDERS THE
DISTRICT WITH REPRESENTATIVE TIM
RYAN.
MANY OF MY CONSTITUENTS WORK AT
THAT LORDSTOWN FACILITY THAT HAS
BEEN IDENTIFIED BY GM AS
UNALLOCATED STARTING IN 2019.
AND, YOU KNOW, MARY BARRA, THE
CEO, WAS VERY FORTHCOMING IN
EXPLAINING WHAT SHE BELIEVED TO
BE THE RATIONALE THAT SHE AND
THE GM AUTHORITIES WENT THROUGH
TO MAKE THIS DECISION.
I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU THAT
IT SATISFIED US.
I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE OTHER
MEMBERS, BUT THERE'S STILL SOME
THINGS, YOU KNOW, THAT I
QUESTION ABOUT HOW THIS DECISION
WAS MADE.
HER MAIN POINT WAS THAT THEY
HAVE AN OVERCAPACITY AND THAT
THEY'VE GOT CAPACITY THAT
THEY'VE GOT TO SHRINK IN ORDER
TO MAINTAIN THEIR PROFITABILITY
AND PREPARE FOR PRODUCTS OF THE
FUTURE.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T GET
OVER CAPACITY OVERNIGHT.
HOW THIS HAPPENED OVER A PERIOD
OF YEARS WITHOUT SOME CORRECTIVE
ACTION BEING TAKEN IS BEYOND ME.
I WAS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
BEFORE I CAME TO CONGRESS.
AND AS A SUPPLIER TO ALL OF THE
BIG THREE AUTOMOBILE MAKERS AND
OTHER TRANSPORTATION
MANUFACTURERS THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY.
AND SO I KNOW WHAT THOSE
OPERATING REVIEWS ARE LIKE, AND
I KNOW HOW MUCH PLANNING AND
MARKET ANALYSIS GOES INTO
BUSINESS DECISIONS.
>> CONGRESSMAN --
>> SO HOW THEY WOUND UP AT THAT
POINT --
>> EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY TO
INTERRUPT YOU.
>> THAT'S OKAY.
>> BUT WHAT IS THE POSSIBILITY
THAT WE FIND A WAY FORWARD HERE
THAT SATISFIES GM'S ISSUES, AND
WHY DON'T THEY JUST BRING THESE
CARS THAT THEY WANT TO BUILD,
THE SELF-DRIVING CARS AND
STUFF -- I'M SURE YOU WENT OVER
THAT WITH HER -- IS THERE ANY
CHANCE THAT THESE CONVERSATIONS
TAKING PLACE IS GOING TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THEIR PLANS?
>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SHE COULDN'T COMMIT TO THAT
BECAUSE THEY HAVE UNION CONTRACT
NEGOTIATIONS THAT SHE HAS TO BE
SENSITIVE TO.
SO I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU
THAT SHE GAVE A LOT OF HOPE.
IN FACT, SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T
WANT TO GIVE FALSE HOPE.
SHE DID MENTION THE FUTURE OF
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, ELECTRIC
VEHICLES.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT IN THE CASE
OF LORDSTOWN WHAT IS FRUSTRATING
TO ME IS THAT THE BIG REASON WHY
I'M BEING TOLD THAT THEY CAN'T
JUST DROP ANOTHER PRODUCT LINE
INTO THAT VERY, VERY CAPABLE
FACILITY WITH A VERY, VERY
CAPABLE WORK FORCE IS BECAUSE OF
THE SIZE OF THE PAINT BOOTH.
AND IT APPEARS THAT WHEN THEY
DECIDED TO MAKE THE CRUZE SOME
8-10 YEARS AGO AND PUT A NEW
PAINT BOOTH IN THERE, THEY
INVESTED MILLIONS INTO A PAINT
BOOTH THAT'LL ONLY WORK WITH ONE
AUTOMOBILE.
DAVID: BUT, CONGRESSMAN, LET ME
JUST ASK YOU A SIMPLE QUESTION
HERE.
>> YEAH.
DAVID: DO YOU REALLY THINK
POLITICIANS INSIDE THE BELTWAY
KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW TO RUN THE
BUSINESS THAN SHE DOES?
>> NO, NO, NO, NO.
AND I WOULDN'T SUPPOSE THAT.
NOW, YOU TO -- IN ALL FAIRNESS,
AND I GET THAT.
I THINK THAT'S A VERY FAIR
QUESTION.
I DON'T THINK THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO BE RUNNING
GM OR ANY OTHER COMPANY.
BUT YOU DO KNOW THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, AT THE TAXPAYERS'
EXPENSE, BAILED GM OUT.
AND THIS IS SORT OF A SLAP IN
THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE IN OHIO
THAT WERE SOME OF THOSE
TAXPAYERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN
THAT BALLOUT.
DAVID: YEAH.
>> SO YOU'VE GOT --
>> YEAH.
BUT, CONGRESSMAN --
>> YES.
>> -- THE MONEY HAS BEEN PAID
BACK.
THE GOVERNMENT INVESTED IN GM
AND SOLD THOSE SHARES, I GUESS
AT A LOSS.
I THINK THAT'S THE MONEY THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS TO GET
BACK.
BUT TO DAVID'S QUESTION, I
UNDERSTAND AS A RESIDENT AND
YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE LOSING
JOBS.
I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT BEYOND THAT, THE FACT THAT
GM IS FREE NOW, WHY IS IT THE
GOVERNMENT'S BUSINESS WHAT GM
DOES?
I UNDERSTAND THEIR INTEREST IN
WHAT GM DOES, BUT WHY SHOULD YOU
BE CALLING BARRA OR ANY OTHER
EXECUTIVE OF AN OHIO INDUSTRY IN
FOR HEARINGS?
>> I DIDN'T CALL HER IN FOR A
HEARING, SHE VOLUNTEERED TO COME
IN FOR A HEARING.
>> OKAY.
BUT YOU UNDERSTAND -- SHE
VOLUNTEERED FOR A REASON,
OBVIOUSLY.
>> LISTEN, WAIT A MINUTE, WAIT A
MINUTE.
YOU JUST GOT THROUGH SAYING THAT
THE SHARES WERE SOLD AT A LOSS.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND THAT IS TRUE.
THAT'S A MATTER OF RECORD.
THAT'S -- THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS
BAILED OUT GM, AND NOW GM -- YOU
DON'T SEE ANY OTHER AUTOMOTIVE
COMPANY DOING WHAT GM'S DOING.
WHY ISN'T FORD DOING THIS?
WHY ISN'T CHRYSLER DOING THIS?
[INAUDIBLE CONVERSATIONS]
DAVID: CONGRESSMAN, WE'VE GOT TO
LEAVE IT AT THAT.
I WISH WITH WE HAD MORE TIME,