Andy Barr Defends Toyota Workers

Lexington Herald-Leader, February 25, 2010

By Halimah Abdullah - habdullah@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON — Members of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation and candidates seeking election this year strongly defended Toyota Wednesday – the second day of hearings focused on the company’s handling of safety issues.

Some of the Kentucky candidates were highly critical of the U.S. House hearings in the wake of Toyota’s massive recall and increased federal scrutiny following widespread consumer complaints about acceleration problems.

Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, whose 6th Congressional District includes Toyota’s largest assembly plant in North America, defended workers at the Georgetown plant, which employs 7,000.

“Just last week I spent the afternoon at the Georgetown plant meeting with a large group of Toyota employees, the people making the actual repairs, and the managers to hear their thoughts and concerns about the recall,” Chandler said.

“The people who work there are my friends and neighbors, and I am proud of the work they do. I’ll do what I can to advocate for Georgetown’s Toyota employees, and I look forward to Toyota’s strong presence in Central Kentucky far into the future.”

But Republican Andy Barr, who is seeking Chandler’s seat, was highly critical of Chandler and other Democrats in Congress.

“While Chandler sits idly by, thousands of jobs in our district are being threatened by the Democrats’ attacks,” said Barr, a Lexington attorney.

“Should Toyota take every step to fix their problems? Absolutely. Should the federal government, that owns General Motors, attack Toyota until they drive out every job? Absolutely not.”