Yesterday, President Obama paid his seventh visit to the South Bend area (his third as president) in a speech in Wakarusa, Indiana in Elkhart County. Elkhart County, which is just east of South Bend, is nationally known for its incredibly high unemployment of nearly 17 percent. It actually peaked earlier this year and has come down some 2 percentage points.
Part of the president’s visit was to tout the success of the stimulus package his administration passed earlier this year. It’s clear with the GDP falling only 1 percent last quarter that the economy is on the rebound after diving 5.4 percent in the October-December quarter of 2008 and 6.4 percent between January and March 2009. The Bush recession is leading to an Obama stimulus-driven recovery.
Another part of his visit was to announce grants as part of his stimulus package that will both reduce dependency on foreign oil, as well as put people back to work. The president announced $405 million dollars in grants into research and production of electric vehicle batteries for Indiana. $39 million of that will be for Navistar, a company based in Wakarusa. The money will be used to make “400 advanced battery electric trucks with a range of 100 miles,” the president said.
Six other companies in Indiana were awarded grants making Indiana the second largest recipient of money from the federal government. Investments will also be made in Indiana University, Purdue University, Notre Dame and Ivy Tech to train workers. As a state that has historically played a large role in the development of automobiles, it is great to see a president that supports domestic vehicle production. Not just any vehicles, either. Clean, green and energy efficient vehicles taking advantage of American ingenuity. Built right here in America.
Below is President Obama’s speech announcing the grants to Indiana:
NBC’s Chuck Todd also got a chance for a short interview at the Navistar plant: