Mich. lawmaker: GM bankruptcy means ‘buy American’

The bankruptcy of General Motors means consumers should “buy American” when purchasing a new car, a Michigan lawmaker said Monday.

“A role that every American can play in this process is to renew their support of our domestic auto industry by purchasing an American car if they are in the market for a new vehicle,” Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) reacted to GM’s filing Monday. “We are all in this together and we must pull together toward a brighter future.”

The notion of buying American has long been a tenet of popular sentiment in the Midwest, where a number of unions and supportive lawmakers have fought against some trade agreements that could threaten the weakened automakers.

“The federal government as the majority shareholder in the new GM needs to ensure that the American tax dollars which are being used to fund this bankruptcy are focused on protecting American jobs,” Miller continued. “The goal must be to ensure that this money is not used to continue the trend of outsourcing, but instead invest in American manufacturing and American workers.”

Miller, like other Michigan lawmakers on Monday, lamented GM’s bankruptcy filing, adding her “heart breaks for everyone impacted.”