美国总统每周电台发言(2008-12-20)
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For years, America’s automakers have faced serious challenges — burdensome costs, a shrinking share of the market, and declining profits. In recent months, the global financial crisis has made these challenges even more severe. Now some U.S. auto executives say that their companies are nearing collapse — and that the only way they can buy time to restructure is with help from the Federal government.
This is a difficult situation that involves fundamental questions about government’s proper role. On the one hand, government has a responsibility not to undermine the private enterprise system. On the other hand, government has a responsibility to safeguard the broader health and stability of our economy.
Addressing the challenges in the auto industry requires us to balance these two responsibilities. If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers. Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay — and I would not favor intervening to prevent automakers from going out of business.
But these are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action. The question is how we can best give it a chance to succeed. Some argue the wisest path is to allow the auto companies to reorganize through Chapter 11 provisions of our bankruptcy laws — and provide a Federal loan to keep them operating while they try to restructure. But given the current state of the auto industry, my economic advisors believe that bankruptcy could now lead to its disorderly collapse — sending our economy into a deeper and longer recession.
A more responsible option is to give auto companies an incentive to restructure outside of bankruptcy — and a brief window in which to do it. My Administration proposed legislation to achieve this, but Congress was unable to get a bill to my desk before adjourning for the year. This means the only way to stave off a collapse of the auto industry is for the executive branch to step in. So yesterday, I announced that the Federal government will grant loans to auto companies, which will provide help to them in two ways.
First, the loans will give automakers three months to put in place plans to restructure into viable companies — which we believe they are capable of doing. Second, if restructuring cannot be accomplished outside of bankruptcy, the loans will provide time for companies to make the legal and financial preparations necessary for an orderly Chapter 11 process that offers a better prospect of long-term success.
The terms of the loans will require the auto companies to demonstrate how they would become viable. They must pay back all their loans to the government, and show that their firms can earn a profit and achieve a positive net worth. This restructuring will require meaningful concessions from all involved in the auto industry — management, labor unions, creditors, bondholders, dealers, and suppliers. If a company fails to come up with a viable plan by March 31st, it will be required to repay its Federal loans. Taken together, these conditions send a clear message to everyone involved in American automakers: The time to make the hard decisions to become viable is now — or the only option will be bankruptcy.
The actions I’m taking represent a step that we all wish were not necessary. But given the situation, it is the most effective and responsible way to address this challenge facing our Nation. By giving the auto companies a chance to restructure, we will shield the American people from a harsh economic blow at a vulnerable time. And we will give American workers an opportunity to show the world once again that they can meet challenges with ingenuity and determination, and emerge stronger than before.
Thank you for listening.
布什总统：早上好。几年来，美国的汽车制造商一直面临着严峻的挑战——成本升高，市场份额减少，收益降低。最近几个月，全球金融危机使这些挑战更加严重。现在，一些汽车制造商的主管说，他们的公司即将破产——他们赢得时间进行重组的唯一办法就是联邦政府的帮助。
这是一个艰难的形势，其中一个最基本的问题就是政府扮演的角色。一方面，政府有责任保护企业的利益。另一方面，政府有责任保卫经济的健康和稳定。
解决汽车行业面临的挑战要求我们平衡这两项责任。如果现在我们允许自由市场大行其道，我们几乎可以肯定，一定会导致汽车行业无序，破产，停止营业。在普通的经济形势下，我们不会干预汽车行业走向破产的道路。但是现在不是平常时期。在金融危机和经济衰退的情况下，让汽车行业崩溃是不负责任的行为。问题是，我们怎样给他们一个最好的成功的机会。有人说，最明智的办法是让汽车行业根据破产法的第11章来办理——在他们试图重组的过程中联邦政府给他们提供贷款以继续运营。但是，考虑到汽车行业目前的形势，我的经济顾问确信，破产会导致整个行业破产——会导致整个经济陷入更深，更持久的衰退中。
一个更负责人的办法是，给汽车行业一些激励措施，使他们在不要破产的情况下进行重组——给他们打开一个简便的窗口。政府建议通过立法来做到这一点，但是国会在年底之前无法提交方案。这意味着使汽车行业免于破产的唯一办法是主管分支的介入。所以，昨天，我宣布联邦政府给汽车行业提供贷款，这会在两方面给他们提供帮助。
第一，这项贷款可以给他们三个月的时间使重组计划到位，让公司能够自食其力——我们相信他们能够做到。第二，如果不破产不能进行重组，贷款可以给他们充足的时间为破产法11章所要求的内容做出司法和财政上的准备，这为长期的成功提供了更好的前景。
贷款的条件是，汽车公司必须就之后怎样复兴提出详细方案。他们必须向政府归还所有贷款，而且必须表示他们的公司可以盈利。重组过程要求所有涉及到汽车行业的部门作出让步——管理部门，工会，债权人，债券持有者，经销商，供应商。如果公司在3月31日之前还不能起死回生，必须归还所有联邦贷款。所有的一切向美国汽车制造商传达了一个明确的信息：现在必须为起死回生做出艰难的决定——否则唯一的选择就是破产。
我们谁都希望不要走到这一步。但是考虑到目前的形势，这是解决国家面临的挑战最有效，也是最负责的方式。通过给汽车行业一个重组的机会，我们也保护美国人民在这个脆弱的时期减少经济冲击的机会。我们给美国人民一个机会再次向世界证明，美国人民凭着智慧和决心，一定会解决所有挑战，并且比以前更加强大。
感谢收听。
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