Although prepared to receive viability plans from General Motors and Chrysler today, the Obama administration will, as anticipated, release an additional $4 billion to keep the companies in business.

The commitment for the additional funds was made at the end of the Bush administration, but the company's plans for the future will be crucial to the decision to use any further government money for the automotive industry in the coming year.

GM executives were still in talks with the United Auto Workers union into the night on Monday, February 16, in an effort to win additional concessions to improve the long-term outlook for the company.

For its part, the Obama administration has been creating a task force rather than naming a so-called car "czar" to oversee the industry's restructuring. The task force will be headed by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitherner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers.

The assembled panel includes representatives from the departments of Treasury, Labor, Transportation, Commerce and Energy as well as from the National Economic Council, the White House Office of Energy and Environment, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Of the major American automakers, only the Ford Motor Co. continues to operate without federal loans. In December, Ford said it had cash on hand and could continue to operate without assistance unless the auto market weakens further in 2009.