Pelosi and Co. to Attend Detroit Auto Show, On Your Dime!

It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Speaker of the House, top Democrat Leaders and White House officials will be attending this years Detroit auto show.

Pelosi said she was going “to see firsthand the innovative technologies the industry is investing in to create the jobs of the future and to ensure our national competitiveness. We go to Detroit with our commitment to continue to preserve our manufacturing base, which is essential to our economic and national security.”

Although some lawmakers have attended this event in the past, this year with the government having taken control of General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC and have given major car lender GMAC millions in taxpayer-funded dollars over three different bailouts, event chairman Doug Fox says they received an unusually high amount of government requests this year.

“This year we were swamped with additional requests,” said Doug Fox, the auto show’s chairman. Fox said the auto show created a separate gray-colored credential because of the large demand from lawmakers and administration officials, distinguishing them from credentials issued to journalists, auto dealers and car company employees and executives.

subsequently the AP article reported:

With steep declines in auto sales and massive job losses, the Obama administration has awarded billions in funding for car companies to retool their auto plants to build more fuel-efficient cars, provided grants to spur the development of advanced batteries and pushed retraining programs for laid-off auto workers.

Pelosi, who was invited to the show by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., will meet with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and is expected to be joined by members of her House leadership team and members of Michigan and Ohio’s congressional delegation. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has visited the show in past years, will also visit the exhibits.

LaHood and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will represent the administration, which will include officials with the Transportation Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two agencies oversee regulations for the industry involving fuel efficiency, safety and tailpipe emissions.

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