Former ‘auto czar’ to leave his position as White House adviser

Ron Bloom, the White House adviser who helped craft new vehicle mileage standards and the restructuring of the U.S. auto industry, is leaving the Obama administration at the end of August.

In a statement announcing Bloom’s departure, President Obama said he was “grateful” for Bloom’s service.

“For the past two and a half years, Ron Bloom’s leadership and expertise has helped us put America’s automakers back on the road to recovery, launch new partnerships to make our manufacturers more competitive, and set aggressive fuel economy standards that will save consumers and businesses money at the pump,” Obama said.

Bloom — the assistant to the president for manufacturing policy — formerly served as the administration’s “auto czar,” overseeing the restructuring that followed the bailouts of GM and Chrysler. He appeared last month alongside other White House officials to tout new car and light-truck auto-efficiency rules that will cover model years 2017-2025.

{mosads}“There’s no question that the automakers were challenged by these standards, and we don’t apologize for challenging them,” Bloom said July 29.

“Saving the American consumer $1.7 trillion is a worthwhile endeavor. We are confident that the automobile manufacturers will be able to absorb the additional costs and still sell cars for a profit,” he said.

In September of 2009, Obama charged Bloom with coordinating manufacturing policy across multiple federal agencies.

Bloom also played a major role in the $80 billion bailout of the auto industry, and he became Obama’s auto czar after Steve Rattner stepped down in the summer of 2009. 

“We’ve faced many tough choices and dealt with numerous challenges over the past two and a half years — from restructuring the American auto industry to developing historic fuel efficiency standards,” Bloom said in a statement Tuesday. “I am confident in this Administration’s ability to build on these accomplishments and continue our efforts to revitalize the manufacturing sector.”  

Bloom was charged with overseeing the restructuring of GM and Chrysler during the tumultuous period after the companies declared bankruptcy. He served in the position until the beginning of this year.

Before working at the White House, Bloom worked as a special assistant to the president of the United Steelworkers.

The Hill and other news outlets reported that Bloom would step down earlier Tuesday.

This story was last updated at 4:00 p.m.