Obama May Tap Auto Chief Bloom to Craft Manufacturing Policy

Bloomberg (8/20, Schmidt) – The Obama administration may elevate Ron Bloom, head of the government’s auto task force, to a job that would set U.S. manufacturing policy more broadly, people familiar with the matter said…As the chief policy maker on manufacturing, Bloom would be charged with reviewing U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. His job would likely encompass trade, taxes and other economic issues…While the Bush administration created a position at the Commerce Department for a so-called manufacturing czar, Bloom’s job would be higher profile, the people said.

Wall Street Journal (8/20, Solomon) – The new position would be housed within the National Economic Council, with Mr. Bloom reporting to Lawrence Summers, the president's top economic adviser…Mr. Bloom would be responsible for reaching out to companies, unions and others to help the administration determine effective policy. He wouldn't engage in so-called industrial policy, such as dictating how much a factory should produce or the types of products it should make. Instead, the administration "wants someone who wakes up thinking about manufacturing policy," said a person familiar with the matter.