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锘?!DOCTYPE html PUBliC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>US Auto Companies Appeal to Congress for Help - VOA Standard English In 2008</title><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta content="all" name="robots"/><meta content="VOA Standard English In 2008, US Auto Companies Appeal to Congress for Help" name="description" /><meta content="VOA Standard English In 2008" name="keywords" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/style.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-small.css" title="Small Text" /><link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-medium.css" title="Medium Text" /><link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-large.css" title="Large Text" /></head><body><div><img id="logo" src="/images/voa.gif" alt="VOA" /></div><div id="nav"><a title="VOA" href="http://www.51voa.com/"><b>缇庡浗涔嬮煶</b></a> > <a href="http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Standard_English/index.html">VOA Standard English</a> > <a href="http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Standard_1.html">VOA Standard English In 2008</a> <script type="text/javascript" src="/images/notice.js"></script></div><div id="leftMainContainer"><div id="leftNav"><div class="leftN_title">VOA Standard English</div><ul><li><a href="/VOA_Standard_1.html">VOA Standard English <img src=/images/new.gif border=0></a></li> <li><a href="/VOA_Standard_1_archiver.html">VOA Standard English Archives </a></li> </ul><div class="leftN_title">VOA Special English</div><ul><li><a href="/Development_Report_1.html">Development Report</a></li><li><a href="/This_is_America_1.html">This is America</a></li><li><a href="/Agriculture_Report_1.html">Agriculture Report</a></li><li><a href="/Science_in_the_News_1.html">Science in the News</a></li><li><a href="/Health_Report_1.html">Health Report</a></li><li><a href="/Explorations_1.html">Explorations</a></li><li><a href="/Education_Report_1.html">Education Report</a></li><li><a href="/The_Making_of_a_Nation_1.html">The Making of a Nation</a></li><li><a href="/Economics_Report_1.html">Economics Report</a></li><li><a href="/American_Mosaic_1.html">American Mosaic</a></li><li><a href="/In_the_News_1.html">In the News</a></li><li><a href="/American_Stories_1.html">American Stories</a></li><li><a href="/Words_And_Their_Stories_1.html">Words And Their Stories</a></li><li><a href="/People_in_America_1.html">People in America</a></li></ul><div class="leftN_title">VOA English Learning</div><ul><li><a href="/Word_Master_1.html">Wordmaster</a></li><li><a href="/Learn_A_Word_1.html">Learn A Word</a></li><li><a href="/Bilingual_News_1.html">Bilingual News</a></li><li><a href="/American_Cafe_1.html">American Cafe</a></li><li><a href="/Popular_American_1.html">Popular American</a></li><li><a href="/Business_Etiquette_1.html">Business Etiquette</a></li><li><a href="/Sports_English_1.html">Sports English</a></li><li><a href="/Words_And_Idioms_1.html">Words And Idioms</a></li><li><a href="/Intermediate_American_English_1.html">Intermediate American English</a></li></ul></div><div id="rightContainer"><span class="title">US Auto Companies Appeal to Congress for Help</span><div id="contentAds"><script type="text/javascript"><!--google_ad_client = "pub-3585518775245612";/* 51VOAContent */google_ad_slot = "4281465902";google_ad_width = 336;google_ad_height = 280;//--></script><script type="text/javascript"src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></div><span id="content"><EMBED src="/path.asp?url=/200812/LCR%20Tate%20Congress-Automakers%202351102%20%20120408-Mp3_0.mp3" width=280 height=40 type="audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin" autostart="false" Controls="ControlPanel" tppabs=""></EMBED><BR><a href="/path.asp?url=/200812/LCR%20Tate%20Congress-Automakers%202351102%20%20120408-Mp3_0.mp3" class="wwmp3">» Download Audio</a><BR><BR><span class="byline"> By Deborah Tate</span> <br> <span class="dateline">Capitol Hill</span><br> <span class="datetime"><em>04 December 2008</em></span><br><p>The top executives of the three major U.S. automobile manufacturers are vowing to streamline their companies in return for billions of dollars in federal aid to shore up the beleaguered industry. The officials appeared before Congress on Thursday for the second time in two weeks.<br><br><table class="APIMAGE" style="direction: ltr;" align="right" width="210"><tbody><tr><td style=""><img id="||CPIMAGE:585620|" title="Auto executives testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec. 2008" alt="Auto executives testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec. 2008" src="/images/200812/AP_Auto_executives_Auto_executives_04dec08.jpg" border="0" height="136" hspace="2" vspace="2" width="210"></td></tr><tr><td style="" class="imagecaption">Auto executives testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec. 2008</td></tr></tbody></table>Ford, Chrysler and General Motors executives are seeking a total of $34 billion in emergency loans to deal with the current economic downturn that has seen a steep drop in automobile sales worldwide.<br><br>Two weeks after members of Congress criticized the automakers for not doing enough to make their companies more competitive and economically viable, the executives returned with plans to streamline their operations, as lawmakers had requested.<br><br>In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally, sounded a note of humility.<br><br>"You were clear that the business model has to change. I couldn't agree more," he said.<br><br>Each executive detailed how he planned to make his company more efficient and profitable.<br><br>"Key highlights include a renewed and expanded commitment to new technologies, especially advanced propulsion and green jobs, increased production of fuel-efficient vehicles, a reduction in the number of brands, models and retail outlets so we can focus our resources," said Richard Wagoner, Chairman and CEO of General Motors.<br><br>As the executives appealed for federal aid in return for streamlining their companies, other witnesses warned of dire consequences if Congress does not approve the funding.<br><br><table class="APIMAGE" style="direction: ltr;" align="left" width="190"><tbody><tr><td style=""><img id="||CPIMAGE:585806|" title="UAW President Ron Gettelfinger testifies on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec 2008" alt="UAW President Ron Gettelfinger testifies on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec 2008" src="/images/200812/AP_USAUTO_UAWGottelfinger_0.jpg" border="0" height="196" hspace="2" vspace="2" width="190"></td></tr><tr><td style="" class="imagecaption">UAW President Ron Gettelfinger testifies on Capitol Hill, 04 Dec 2008</td></tr></tbody></table>Ron Gettelfinger, President of the United Auto Workers union, said the carmakers, particularly General Motors, would fail without an immediate loan.<br><br>"I believe we could lose General Motors by the end of this month," said Gettelfinger.<br><br>Mark Zandi, Chief Economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com, warned of dire consequences if that happened. <br><br>"Bankruptcy at this point in time would be cataclysmic for the economy at this time," he said.<br><br>Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, expressed his own concern as he made the case for approving the federal aid.<br><br>"Inaction is no solution. Inaction would only add more uncertainty and instability to our economy," he said.<br><br>But Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the committee, expressed skepticism that a federal rescue package would promote the necessary change in how the auto companies are run.<br><br>"Every time government endeavors to alter any of these dynamics, it undermines and distorts the forces at work in all of them. I believe this can impose a cost that is too high to pay," he said.<br><br>Congress could vote on aid to automakers when it returns for a brief post-election session next week.<br><br>In the meantime, the three auto executives are to return to Capitol Hill on Friday to testify before a House committee. <br><br>The executives drove the 840 kilometers from Detroit, Michigan to Washington in hybrid cars, after they were sharply criticized by lawmakers for making their last trip in corporate jets. <br></p> </span><div id="list"><ol><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26804.html" target=_blank>Major European Interest Rate Cuts Fail to Rally World Markets</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26803.html" target=_blank>US 'Very Concerned' About Zimbabwe Cholera Emergency</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26802.html" target=_blank>Resurgent Russia Poses Challenge for Obama Administration</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26801.html" target=_blank>UN Security Council Has 'Cautious Optimism' for Afghanistan's Future</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26800.html" target=_blank>Measles Deaths Worldwide Fall by 74 Percent</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26799.html" target=_blank>Rice Says Pakistan Committed to Mumbai Investigation</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26798.html" target=_blank>NASA Delays 2009 Mars Mission Due to Technical Problems</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26797.html" target=_blank>In a Ghanaian 'Witch's' Village, Women Live as Exiles</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26796.html" target=_blank>Indian Airports Alerted to Threat of Armed Assault, Hijackings</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26795.html" target=_blank>More Suspected Asylum Seekers Found Off Australia</A></LI></ol></div><div class="clearing"></div></div><div class="clearing"></div><div id="footer">© 2001-2008 Powered by <a href="http://www.51voa.com">51VOA.Com</a> <div id="topAds"><script language=javascript src="/topAds.js"></script></div> <div id="count"><script language=javascript src="/count.js"></script></div></div></body></html>⌨️ 快捷键说明
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