CINCINNATI — Ohio’s Democratic U.S. senator says President Donald Trump should stop “pointing fingers” and take action to head off auto plant closings.
Sen. Sherrod Brown spoke with Trump Wednesday night as he, Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Ohio’s Republican leaders seeking ways to save General Motors’ Lordstown assembly plant near Youngstown.
Brown says Trump spoke favorably about legislation he introduced in August would give customers a $3,500 discount on cars made in America and stop tax breaks on overseas profits from auto makers that move jobs overseas.
“I’m glad the President said the right things tonight, but now he needs to follow it up with action,” Brown said Thursday morning. “I’ve been calling on him to help save these jobs for months, and it’s long past time we stop subsidizing corporations that send jobs overseas and start supporting American workers.”
Brown says his American Cars, American Jobs Act would put U.S.-made cars on equal footing with foreign-made vehicles and update the tax code to remove incentives for auto companies to offshore jobs.
Portman expressed frustration at GM’s decision to cease production of the Chevy Cruz at the Lordstown plant.
“Ohio’s been good to General Motors and General Motors ought to stay in Ohio,” he said during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box Wednesday morning.
Trump has threatened to slash General Motors subsidies and has criticized Brown since GM announced Monday that production of the Cruze would stop in March at the assembly plant that has some 1,500 workers left after losing 3,000 jobs within two years.
“President Trump, I’ll compare my record standing up for Ohio & American workers to yours any day,” Brown fired back.
The plant is a focal point because Trump pledged to supporters at a rally near Lordstown last year that manufacturing jobs would be coming back to the area.