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Kay Bailey Hutchison is celebrating Independence Day a little early this year by visiting with Army troops and members of the Texas National Guard currently serving in Iraq.
Listen to what she had to say about her trip to KTSA's Trey Ware by clicking here.
Yesterday, Kay spoke with KTSA's Kevin Wall about why Nancy Pelosi's Cap and Trade bill is bad for Texas and why she intends to help defeat it in the Senate. Listen here.
News from Senate office: Kay Bailey Hutchison strongly opposed to House's passage of Cap-and-Trade bill.
Kay Bailey Hutchison: "In just a few short months, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and the Congressional Democrats have passed a stimulus bill that has only stimulated the federal deficit, and followed that with the largest budget proposal in our history. Our national debt is ballooning out of control, yet the President is now fighting for a trillion dollar government takeover of health care and a cap-and-trade energy tax that could cost the American businesses and consumers trillions more. I am deeply disappointed by the House of Representatives’ passage of the Obama-Pelosi cap-and-trade bill and will fight hard to defeat it in the Senate. If allowed to become law, this wrong-headed legislation will deal a devastating blow to the American economy, drive energy prices off the charts, put American businesses in a competitive disadvantage and drive our unemployment rates even higher. President Obama’s cap-and-trade legislation disproportionately attacks energy-producing states like Texas, devastating Texas’ energy industry and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend on it.”
Kiplinger Magazine's Richard Sammon has a new column out about the future of what he dubs the "GOP Leadership Vaccum" in which he has high praise for Kay Bailey Hutchison.
"Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas, an expert on defense and national security issues, appears nearly committed to running for governor next year and is expected to do well against incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in a GOP primary. She'd be a fresh executive face for the GOP in a huge state if she wins."
The following opinion column by Senator Hutchison ran this morning in the San Antonio Express-News.
Helping Auto Dealerships
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Guest Commentary
San Antonio Express-News
June 25, 2009
On May 13, Russell Aubrey Whatley received a letter that would change his life.
In the perfunctory letter, Chrysler informed Whatley that he would have less than a month to close down the dealership his family has profitably operated for three generations.
His business has contributed to the livelihood of Mineral Wells, Texas, through commerce and community involvement for the last 90 years.
The Russell Whatley Motor Company – one of the oldest car dealerships in Texas – was not the only business to find itself dragged into the worsening predicament of the U.S. auto industry, most recently punctuated by the bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors.
Across Texas, 50 Chrysler dealers have been slated for closure. Nationwide, 789 dealers are being forced to close their doors.
They did not make the business decisions that have placed the domestic auto industry in this position.
In fact, when ailing Chrysler in February urged its dealers to purchase additional inventory in a final, futile attempt to stave off bankruptcy, most of the dealers complied.
And many of those who were subsequently terminated were flush with inventory Chrysler executives pushed them to buy, potentially burdening them with significant losses.
Upon learning of Whatley and other Texas dealers' plight, I was shocked that Chrysler could dismiss these loyal dealers, with whom the company had partnered for so many years.
It seemed they had little concern for the well-being of the employees, customers and communities they serve.
I disagree that these profitable dealers should close at all. On May 21, I introduced an amendment to deny Chrysler additional federal funding. Chrysler has been receiving federal funding to help maintain solvency, unless it gave dealers slated for closing adequate time to do so.
In a matter of hours, my colleagues signed on to the legislation until we had 39 Senators from both sides of the aisle calling for equitable treatment of the terminated dealers.
Our calls were heeded when the Chrysler chief executive Jim Press personally assured me that Chrysler was taking steps to help automotive dealers across the country.
This was a welcome development. As Senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, I worked with Chairman Jay Rockefeller to verify that Chrysler would provide each impacted dealer ready access to necessary resources to close down its operations.
On June 3, we held a committee hearing in which Press and General Motors chief executive Fritz Henderson testified alongside the very dealers they were dismissing, including Whatley.
Whatley made it clear in his testimony that Chrysler's decision to discontinue its relationship with him was not just the failure of a business venture.
For him and his family, it was the end of three generations of personal investment and enterprising spirit.
“My grandfather opened this dealership in 1919, and it kept open during the Depression, World War II, and countless economic setbacks,” Whatley said.
“In the 90 years that we have been in Mineral Wells, 36 other new car dealerships have come and gone in our town. We have stayed open because we are committed to customer service. To be arbitrarily closed with no compensation is wasteful and devastating.”
During the hearing, I probed Chrysler's actions on two critical points.
First, would Chrysler repurchase or help redistribute the cars left on closed dealers' lots and remaining parts inventory?
And second, would closed dealers receive first consideration for buying into a new dealership if Chrysler reentered their markets? Press pledged at the hearing that dealers could count on Chrysler's help as they closed.
There are right ways to do things, and there are wrong ways. In October, General Motors will close 1,300 of its dealers. I hope that the challenges we have faced with Chrysler will guide the actions of General Motor's executives as well.