White House Announces Ron Bloom to Step Down From His Position as Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy

WASHINGTON – Today, the White House announced Ron Bloom will be stepping down from his position as the Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy at the end of August.

“For the past two and a half years, Ron Bloom’s leadership and expertise has helped us put America’s automakers back on the road to recovery, launch new partnerships to make our manufacturers more competitive, and set aggressive fuel economy standards that will save consumers and businesses money at the pump,” said President Obama. “I’m grateful for his service, and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

“I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve under President Obama and alongside so many talented individuals who worked tirelessly to strengthen the economy and help  communities across the nation,” said  Bloom. “We’ve faced many tough choices and dealt with numerous challenges over the past two and a half years — from  restructuring the American auto industry to developing historic fuel efficiency standards.   I am confident in this Administration’s ability to build on these accomplishments and continue our efforts to revitalize the manufacturing sector.”

Since September of 2009, Ron Bloom has coordinated the Obama administration’s manufacturing policy.  Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Bloom served at the Department of the Treasury on the President’s Task Force on the Automotive Industry. In this capacity, Mr. Bloom helped lead the restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler LLC, and led the Treasury’s oversight of the companies since that time, including GM’s IPO.  Ron also played a key role in the recent agreement between the federal government and leading automakers to raise light-duty vehicle fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.  Over the life of the program, these standards will save consumers  $1.7 trillion and reduce oil consumption by an  estimated 12 billion barrels.

Prior to joining the Treasury Department Mr. Bloom served as a Special Assistant to the President of the United Steelworkers.  His responsibilities included the Union’s collective bargaining program in its core jurisdictions, with an emphasis on the particular issues facing the Steelworkers in its dealings with companies facing financial difficulties or undertaking corporate transactions.  He also coordinated the Union’s relationships with investors, in both public and private companies.

Mr. Bloom, 56, was born in New York City.  He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and graduated with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Bloom will be returning to his long-time residence of Pittsburgh, PA to take the opportunity to spend more time with his family.