{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8ee15c3f-cbb2-4a87-a523-8cf02a6ea79d", "Portman Visits Chrysler's Toledo Assembly Complex", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) visited Chrysler\u2019s Toledo Assembly Complex.\u00a0 During his visit, Portman had the opportunity to meet with employees as he toured the assembly line and saw first-hand how the new Jeep Cherokee is manufactured.\r\n\u201cManufacturing has really been the backbone of Toledo for a very long time. It\u2019s our legacy here,\u201d said Portman.\u00a0 \u201cToledo was the glass capital of the world because of the innovation of this area and our solid industrial base, but it\u2019s been a challenging time for Toledo as workers and businesses continue to struggle through a weak economy. We\u2019ve been making Jeeps here in Toledo since 1941, and I believe that the same policies that can help Jeep to continue to succeed will also boost manufacturers and industry across our country.\u00a0 Finding some common ground in Washington to tackle the problems this country faces\u2014whether it\u2019s our soaring debts, unsustainable entitlements, antiquated and complex tax code, lack of training for Americans who are out of work, or a dysfunctional energy policy\u2014will go a long way to not only helping the auto workers, but the entire American economy.\u201d\r\n\u201cSenator Portman is one of the American automakers' strongest supporters on Capitol Hill.\u00a0 He is a key leader on international trade policy and fundamentally understands the importance of addressing issues like currency manipulation,\u201d said Governor Matt Blunt, President of the American Automotive Policy Council.\u00a0 \u201cHe has worked tirelessly to help create jobs and economic growth in communities throughout Ohio and the nation.\u201d\r\nPortman, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and former U.S. Trade Representative, joined a letter signed by 60 of his Senate colleagues to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and current U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman, led by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), advocating for currency manipulation protections in trade negotiations such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).\r\nIn June 2013, Portman raised concerns about persistent barriers that block U.S. auto exports to Japan in front of the Senate Finance Committee.\u00a0 In order to protect Ohio auto exporters, Portman asked Mr. Froman to ensure that eliminating these barriers is a priority during negotiations with Japan.\u00a0 \u201cThis is a big deal to the Big Three here in the United States, and they are looking for an even playing field,\u201d Portman stated in the hearing.\r\nThe United States\u2019 three largest automobile producers, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, who together employ more than 20,000 Ohioans, each have endorsed currency manipulation protections in the TPP negotiations, along with the United Steelworkers.\u00a0 These currency protections are also supported by domestic steel producers with Ohio operations including Nucor, ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel.\r\nPortman has a long record on this issue, including supporting Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)\u2019s Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act, bipartisan legislation which would use U.S. trade law to counter the economic harm to U.S. manufacturers caused by currency manipulation and would provide consequences for countries like China that fail to adopt appropriate policies to eliminate currency misalignment.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8ee15c3f-cbb2-4a87-a523-8cf02a6ea79d"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.303971279412508, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}