Governors ask feds to aid automakers

LANSING, Mich. — The governors of six states have asked the treasury secretary and Federal Reserve chairman to take "immediate action" to help the troubled domestic automakers.

General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC are in talks to combine in order to survive, but financing is one of the biggest obstacles.

GM is lobbying the Bush administration and some members of Congress for $10 billion to $15 billion in aid to help keep the company going and possibly to make the Chrysler deal work. GM could use some of the money to shut down redundant Chrysler operations.

In their letter, the governors of Michigan, Delaware, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and South Dakota reminded Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that the domestic automakers are "particularly challenged" in the down economy and warn that, "as a result, the financial well-being of other major industries and millions of American citizens are at risk."

"The auto industry; their network of suppliers, vendors, dealers and other businesses; and the communities that rely on those businesses face unimaginable challenges — challenges we urge you to help address," the governors wrote. The letter, sent Wednesday, was released Thursday by Democratic Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's office.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Thursday that the secretaries of the Treasury, Commerce and Energy departments are talking with the automakers.

"We understand that they've been facing tough times for a while. They've made business decisions that unfortunately have put them in this position. But we also recognize how big the companies are, how many families rely on these companies, and what it would mean for the overall economy," Perino said.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said if he's elected, he wants to meet immediately with the heads of the domestic automakers and the United Auto Workers union to craft a strategy that will make the U.S. industry competitive in the world again. He made the remarks Thursday in an interview on NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams."

Some industry analysts have said a GM acquisition of Chrysler could cost up to 35,000 jobs nationally and up to 25,000 in Michigan.