Tea Party to protest at Detroit auto show

DETROIT, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Congressional lawmakers' planned visit to Detroit Monday led Tea Party activists also to travel to Motor City during the auto show, activists say.

Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, the congressional delegation was to travel to Detroit Monday for the opening day of closed-door previews of the North American International Auto Show, The Hill reported.

Also heading to Detroit were activists of the conservative Tea Party movement, who said they plan to use the show as a backdrop for a rally against against government financial assistance to automakers.

Traveling to Detroit with Pelosi were House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers with interests in the auto industry, The Hill said. The group was invited by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., longtime auto industry advocate.

"We want to see firsthand the innovative technologies the industry is investing in to create the jobs of the future and to ensure our national competitiveness," Pelosi said in a statement. "We go to Detroit with our commitment to continue to preserve our manufacturing base, which is essential to our economic and national security."

The Tea Party activists, however, said they planned to rally against the visit and the federal government's support of the industry, where tens of billions have been invested to bail out Chrysler and General Motors Co.

"What Michigan needs is a responsible auto industry that can become profitable, self-sustainable and efficient in ways that provide more private jobs and economic success," organizers said in a Facebook invitation to their rally.

The yearly auto show featuring the newest models and concepts from foreign and domestic automakers, opens to the public Saturday.