U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, one of the early Republican supporters of the push to bailout Detroit’s auto companies, cheered Washington’s approval of more than $17 billion for the struggling industry.

“Today’s action is important news for the millions of hard-working American workers and families dependent on the auto industry who are worried about getting pink slips right before Christmas,” Bond said in statement. “Taxpayers can rest assured that as a condition for receiving these loans auto companies must fundamentally restructure their operations to become competitive and profitable again.”

Bond, along with Ohio Republican George Voinovich, tried unsuccessfully to push an earlier rescue plan in the Senate that would have tied emergency funding to certain cost controls.