Treasury Dept. Sells Off More GM Stock
When the Obama administration extended tens of billions of dollars in loans to General Motors and Chrysler to get them through a managed bankruptcy in exchange for stock in the newly reorganized company, conservatives screamed “COMMUNISM! Obama is taking over the auto industry!” It was nonsense from the start; the arrangement was for the government to slowly sell off those stock holdings to pay back the loans as the company recovered. And guess what? That’s exactly what they’re doing:
The U.S. Treasury Department has slashed its stake in General Motors to 7.3%, putting the government within months of ending its direct ownership of the automaker.
The government revealed in an investment transaction report Tuesday that it had reduced its stake in GM more than previously expected. The report comes more than four years after U.S. taxpayers rescued GM and Chrysler, providing emergency financing to guide the automakers through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The latest move is part of the government’s broader plan — revealed last December — to gradually sell off all of its GM shares by early 2014.
The U.S. owned 13.8% of GM stock as recently as June 12, according to the transaction report.
In the end, taxpayers will recover all but about $10 billion. That’s a bargain. A huge bargain.
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