It has been the subject of countless debate between automotive enthusiasts, what congress is going to do about the failing American auto industry. By the time things had reached a fever-pitch more than one auto giant was claiming that help from congress would be the only hope for survival in a do-or-die situation. Though not exactly the most fair decision given the situation, the decision made was nonetheless inevitable.

On Tuesday of this week Congress released the news that they were, once again, going to bail out U.S. automakers. Votes were still being decided Wednesday night, but it was obvious that this was inevitable and the house would approve a $14 billion dollar bail-out loan. Even though they might act as if they thought long and hard before making this decision, the reality of it all was obvious. They had no choice really. Letting companies like General Motors and Chrysler LLC die would be the first toppled domino in the collapse of the American auto industry, and a big blow to the industrial sector of this country.

Still, the whole package needs to go to the Senate first. The Senate will need to approve the bail-out bill before any money can actually start flowing. That money wont come without lots of strings attached too. The most interesting restriction would be that implementation of a sort of “Car Czar”, a person appointed by the President to oversee all major automotive decisions. The “Car Czar” would also be able to veto any big decisions by automakers that could have a ripple affect on the entire industry.

“This legislation is about offering Detroit and America a chance to get back on track,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a floor speech before the vote. “It gets down to a question of tough love.” Tough love indeed, but rather, this is literally a case of us having to clean up after someone else’s mess. Whether or not the bail-out will be approved is no longer the question, but rather how will it really affect the situation. That remains to be seen.

Source: Automotive News