releases: https://dankildee.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-dan-kildee-trump-s-economy-does-not-work-american-worker
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| https://dankildee.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-dan-kildee-trump-s-economy-does-not-work-american-worker | Congressman Dan Kildee: Trumps Economy Does Not Work for the American Worker | 2018-11-27 | 2018 | 2018-11 | Democrat | House | MI | Dan Kildee | K000380 | dankildee.house.gov | legacy | Kildee Discusses General Motors' Decision to Lay Off Thousands of Workers in Michigan, North America WASHINGTON Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) appeared on CNN today, Tuesday, November 27, 2018, to discuss the recent announcement by General Motors to close five manufacturing plants in North America, including in Michigan. On CNN, Congressman Kildee stated GM's decision was symbolic of the Trump economy working for only the wealthiest Americans, shareholders and corporations. To me, this is really symbolic of the Trump economy. The Trump economy does not work for the American worker. It works for stockholders and people at the top. And he promised, actually on October 31, 2016, he was in Warren, Michigan, and he promised that no plants would close. He essentially made a guarantee. He's been made a fool of once again, Congressman Kildee said. This is why the President needs to stop tweeting about this. He needs to stop bloviating about the promises that he is going to make, and he actually needs to roll up his sleeves and get to work on policy that actually helps American workers. So far, he has not done this. This Trump economy rewards people at the top and then leaves autoworkers looking for a job after 20 or 25 years, Congressman Kildee continued. The full video can be found here: A full transcript of the interview is below: BROOKE BALDWIN: The President tweeted he is disappointed in GM and its CEO and is now looking at cutting all GM subsidies. With me now, Congressman Dan Kildee, a Democratic Congressman from Michigan where two of these two GM plants, Warren and Detroit, are set to close. So, Congressman Kildee, thank you for being with me, first of all. Let's begin with the Presidents tweets. Have you looked, and how would you respond? REP. DAN KILDEE: Well I just saw them, and it doesn't make any sense. This is no coordinated policy on his part. What it looks like to me, is that the President has been made a fool of by his own words and now he is trying to hit back. He's trying to divert attention back to General Motors by, again, threatening them with something that would cause the loss of additional jobs. It just doesn't make sense. To me, this is really symbolic of the Trump economy. The Trump economy does not work for the American worker. It works for stockholders and people at the top. And he promised, actually on October 21, 2016, he was in Warren, Michigan, and he promised the no plants would close. He essentially made a guarantee. He's been made a fool of once again, and now he is just hitting back to try and divert attention from his own failures. BROOKE BALDWIN: Can you explain to people who don't work in the American auto industry, who are hearing cutting subsidies' and they're thinking, what does that mean?' I mean what's the real-life impact on for these hardworking Americans in your home state? REP. DAN KILDEE: Well it translates to jobs. The tax subsidies that are generally put in place to incentivize new product development ultimately can lead to new lines of cars being produced. That means jobs for Americans. So, the idea that the President would cut thoselook I get it, I understand it. I'm frustrated too. I'm not happy with General Motors. But President Trump can't have it both ways. He can't run for election on the absolute promise that he is bringing these jobs back, and the specific promise to the people of Warren, Michigan, that they would not lose their factory. And then, when they do lose their factory, when those Americans do lose their jobs after having made sacrifices to keep that company open, he tries to divert attention and take the attention away from his failure to keep his promise. It was a promise that nobody believed he could keep anyway. BROOKE BALDWIN: Do you think that will work with your constituents? Do you think that will work with your constituents, many of whom voted for him? I mean there hadn't been a Republican go that way since 1988 for a President. Will they believe what you're saying? REP. DAN KILDEE: I don't think they care about what we say. I think what they care about is what happens to them in their own lives. And this is why the President needs to stop tweeting about this. He needs to stop bloviating about the promises that he is going to make, and he actually needs to roll up his sleeves and get to work on policy that actually helps American workers. So far, he has not done this. This Trump economy rewards people at the top and then leaves autoworkers looking for a job after twenty or twenty-five years. After having sacrificed to keep that company opened to see their jobs taken away just proves that this President is not what he says he is. We saw that, hopefully this opens the eyes to the American people. But, beyond that they don't care about that. The people, the workers back home want to see you roll up our sleeves and get to work, and actually create an economy that works for everybody. BROOKE BALDWIN: Listen, I have been, I have reported from the assembly lines at one of those plants in Warren, Michigan. I've spoken with these good folks that you are referring to, and I hear you talking about, you know, the Presidents promises, and putting blame on the President who has been made to look a fool, but when you talk about the future of cars in America, you know one of the reasons GM felt this move was necessary, was they make a lot of sedans. And the fact is, you know, Americans increasingly prefer SUVs and not to mention the Trump tariffs are creating bigger costs for the automaker, and then GM is seeing the industry changing. Congressman, why aren't they allowed to adapt? REP. DAN KILDEE: They should be allowed to adapt. My message to GM is build those cars here. Build those trucks here. If the industry is changing, if the products that the Americans want to purchase, or the rest of the world want to purchase, if that product is changing build them in the country that rescued the American auto industry. Build them in the country that made sure that the industry and that company specifically stayed alive at its moment of greatest need. I don't remember the Mexican government or the Chinese government stepping up when the American auto industry was flat on its back. The American workers, specifically those auto workers, made sacrifices. They gave up wages. They gave up benefits. Many of them gave up retirements in order to preserve that company, and now we see when they want to change the distribution of the manufacturing, the choice being to move away from American manufacturing. I understand changing product lines. I'm from Flint, Michigan. We've been able to adapt over the years. We can do that. The American worker can build anything, just give them a chance. BROOKE BALDWIN: Quickly, Congressman Kildee. Did you reach out to the President about any of this before the announcement? REP. DAN KILDEE: No, because we, I was little irritated by that too, we heard about the announcement on CNN. So, we did not get a call from General Motors, we did not get any heads up from the White House. But believe me, we clearly are reaching out to the White House to talk about this. BROOKE BALDWIN: Did you reach out at all? I mean that's unfortunate that you heard about it from us, but have you reached out at all since? Or even Mary Barra? Any conversations? Because separately we heard from Larry Kudlow a bit ago, and he was saying that he had had a conversation with Mary yesterday, and that he said workers may be able to transfer to other plants. And he mentioned Michigan. REP. DAN KILDEE: Well, here is the problem. When you reduce the overall workforce, and workers have to travel to another state to keep their job other workers are still being displaced. So, you know, I think this is often the way explained in ways that nobody is going to lose their job, because they will have the opportunity to transfer to a place where they don't know anyone, or they have no family, or they have no roots. And there is still a net loss of manufacturing jobs that support so many other jobs in those communities. A single manufacturing job in my hometown of Flint, Michigan supports seven other jobs in the local economy. So, this is not just autoworkers that are impacted. This is again, another hit to places like Youngstown and Warren, and all those communities that build great products with great workers who ought to be given a chance to continue to do that. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |