파산 위기에 처한 미국의 3대 자동차 기업을 살리기 위한 1백40억 달러 규모의 긴급구제법안이 11일 밤 의회 상원에서 부결됐습니다. 이에 따라 미 백악관 관리들은 12일 다른 지원 방안을 모색하고 있다고 말했습니다.
이들 관리들은 금융기관들을 지원하기 위해 마련된 구제자금 7천억 달러 가운데 일부를 자동차 업체들에 지원할 수 있다고 밝혔습니다.
당초 의회 다수당인 민주당은 공화당 소속인 부시 행정부에
금융구제자금에서 3대 자동차 업체를 지원할 것을 요구했지만 부시 행정부는 이를 거부했었습니다.
해리 리드 민주당 상원 원내대표는 자동차 구제법안 통과가 좌절된데 대해 "국가적인 손해"라고 말했습니다.
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White House officials say they are seeking another way to aid the faltering U.S. auto industry, after a 14-billion-dollar rescue plan collapsed in the Senate Thursday night.
Officials say they might tap some of the 700 billion dollars set aside to aid the battered banking industry. The Republican Bush administration has previously resisted requests from Democratic congressional leaders to use that fund.
And officials at the U.S. Treasury say they "stand ready" to prevent the failure of the automakers until Congress reconvenes to address the issue.
General Motors and Chrysler have said they need about 14 billion dollars to keep operating. The Bush administration has said the failure of one of the major automakers could cost one million jobs at a time when the U.S. economy is already in recession.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the failure of the rescue plan "a great loss for the country." Republican lawmakers say talks broke down when the United Auto Workers Union refused to agree to a date to slash wages.
A new economic report today (Friday) shows the auto industry's problems are affecting the U.S. economy, as declining car sales pushed overall retail sales down by one-point-eight percent in November. Retail sales are crucial because they drive about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.