GM lays off 1,200 employees at Detroit EV plant

(States Newsroom) General Motors is set to lay off 3,400 workers at facilities building electric vehicles, including more than a thousand employees at a plant in Detroit, according to a report from the Detroit News on Wednesday.

While GM, one of the Detroit Three automakers, did not respond to a request for comment, the News reported that 1,200 workers at the Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center would be left without a job, with cuts based on seniority.

Jesse Lee, senior advisor for Climate Power, a strategic communications organization focused on promoting progress on climate issues, laid the blame at President Donald Trump’s feet, with his administration working to eliminate federal support for electric vehicles.

“Trump’s full-scale assault on clean energy manufacturing is serving Americans with pink slips and skyrocketing energy bills, while giving China a competitive edge in the automotive industry,” Lee said, arguing that Republicans will answer for their support of Trump’s anti-electric vehicle policies in the 2026 midterm election.

Earlier this month, GM canceled plans for a $55 million hydrogen fuel cell factory in Detroit, which was set to create 140 new jobs. Crain’s Detroit Business reported that the decision was based on a lack of hydrogen infrastructure and longer-than-expected transition to electric vehicles, alongside the Department of Energy’s plans to eliminate funding awards supporting 223 unspecified projects.