sean spicer was quick to point out. >> this is jobs news under the president. >> reporter: but the automaker says the billion-dollar investment is about plant modernization. and new production jobs come to agent 130. the new investment was actually agreed to during the 2015 labor negotiations, when barack obama was president. so, is this announcement by ford big news? >> they're big investment. but they're big dollars that we have known about by and large. >> reporter: she is for the automotive research. >> we've seen finalizing announcements that have been previously made. >> reporter: after seven years of solid growth, production jobs in the u.s. auto industry have reached a peak. news of any growth is liable to get a warm welcome. >> clearly, we know there's a microscope around auto investments and manufacturing jobs. and we're proud of the fact we make more vehicles in the u.s.