WARREN, OHIO  – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Pres. Barack Obama today as he visited the Lordstown General Motors Plant. Pres. Obama and Sen. Brown met with workers and the President made remarks about the economy.

“President Obama’s visit confirms what many of us have been saying – the Lordstown GM plant represents the future of the auto industry and Ohio manufacturing,” Brown said. “Manufacturing helped build our nation’s middle class. Now, Ohio manufacturing will build the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles and components. We have the workforce and infrastructure, but we must provide support to manufacturers to retool for the clean energy economy. A thriving middle class means a strong nation. I will continue to work with President Obama on the creation of a national manufacturing policy that invests in workers, generates economic activity, and creates good-paying jobs.”

Brown is a longtime advocate for the auto industry and the Lordstown GM plant. He last visited the Lordstown facility in May, after he had several discussions with GM CEO Fritz Henderson about the future of the facility and the manufacture of the Chevy Cruze. 

“The Lordstown facility represents the future of General Motors,” Brown said at that visit. “We need to ensure that American workers manufacture the next generation vehicles that meet our nation’s demand for fuel efficiency.”

Brown, a leading voice in Congress for the creation of a national manufacturing policy, praised President Obama’s visit to Northeast Ohio. Brown is chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy and has held hearings examining best practices for building a national manufacturing policy. He has introduced critical pieces of legislation to help the manufacturers retool for the clean energy industry and to support workforce development for advanced manufacturing.

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