Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

More details of a possible Obama administration-led auto industry bailout emerged yesterday when Politico reported that the president-elect wants a "high-profile point person to oversee reforms" attached to any financial aid.

Specifics about the proposal remain unclear. But the transition teamsays Obama suggested to President Bush on Monday that aid to the autoindustry could be coupled with the appointment of "someone in charge ofthe auto issue who would have the authority" to push for reforms. Thedetails came from a more extended readout of the White House meetingprovided Tuesday.

It will be interesting to see how this proposal plays in Detroit, where resistance to change, even in the marketplace it serves, may be the biggest contributor to its current predicament. In the meantime, how might the next president balance his union sympathies and urban policy cred in the name of auto industry "reform"?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Guess Which Argument Can Get a NIMBY To Change Their Mind About New Housing

Put your instincts to the test with this fascinating experiment about the power of messaging to win support for urbanism.

March 20, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Took the Road Less Traveled By

And that has made all the difference, when it comes to preventing traffic deaths.

March 20, 2026

Study: How Ambiguous Definition of ‘Major Transit Stop’ Creates Wiggle Room for Municipalities

This is a story of how well-intentioned efforts by the state to tie new development to transit hinge on how local governments (with their own incentives) interpret broad state law.

March 19, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: Growing St. Louis’s Arts and Culture District

This week on Talking Headways, step inside St. Louis's Grand Center Arts District with the people who make it happen.

March 19, 2026

Advocates Get D.C. Mayor To Release Buried Report On The Potential Benefits Of Congestion Pricing

How many other conversations about congestion pricing across the country are being suppressed — and how many have never even gotten started?

March 19, 2026
See all posts