Obama takes stimulus pulse at Peoria plant
EAST PEORIA, Ill. -- Job cuts at Caterpillar are an "urgent warning sign for America," President Obama said Thursday, and passage of his economic stimulus package would help put people back to work here and across the nation.
"It is time for Congress to act and I hope they act in a bipartisan fashion," Obama said on a factory floor with Caterpillar equipment as a backdrop. "When they finally pass our plan, I believe it will be a major step forward on our path to economic recovery."
Caterpillar, based here and employing more than 18,000 in the area and 112,000 worldwide, last month announced plans to cut 22,000 jobs. Obama said CEO Jim Owens had told him that "if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off."
Later, Owens seemed to contradict that statement, telling reporters, "We'll probably have to have more layoffs before we can start hiring again."
Speaking to a few hundred Caterpillar workers and local officials, Obama said, "Your machines plow the farms that feed our families, build the towers that shape our skylines, lay the roads that connect our communities, power the trucks that deliver our goods, and more."
Caterpillar "tells us a larger story about what's happening with our nation's economy," he said. Obama didn't take any questions, unlike previous rallies this week in Indiana and Florida.
Congress is preparing to vote on the $790 billion package of spending initiatives and tax cuts. Obama said it won't solve every economic problem, but added, "We have a once-in-a-generation chance to act boldly
It can't come soon enough for some people here. "There's a lot of uncertainty," said Ashley Bryan, 45, a machine operator who has worked for Caterpillar for four years. "I haven't gotten a (layoff) letter yet, but if there's another round I probably will," he said. Although he didn't vote for Obama, Bryan said he's "open-minded" about his economic policies. If they don't succeed, he said, "maybe we should have made a different choice" in November's election.
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