HOLLAND – Deep in the heart of Republican West Michigan, President Barack Obama called for an end to partisan gridlock in Washington D.C. today as he toured the Johnson Controls-Saft advanced battery facility here.

U.S. President Barack Obama tours an advanced battery facility, Johnson Controls, Inc. in Holland, Michigan, August 11, 2011. Obama is visiting the manufacturer to highlight his Administration’s push for innovative technologies in achieving higher fuel economy standards in the U.S. REUTERS/Larry Downing

In a 25-minute speech that followed his tour of the high-tech manufacturing plant, Obama blamed the nation’s current financial unrest on congressional Republicans who were unwilling to work with his administration.

“We can’t ask the people in this room, the working middle class families, to bear the entire burden,” said Obama, drawing applause from an audience of about 200 as he addressed them with his white shirt-sleeves rolled up.

Prior to his speech, Obama toured the new factory, meeting with blue-smocked Johnson Controls employees as they showed off their high-tech battery-making machinery.

“Very cool,” he commented as Johnson Control employee John Park demonstrated an “automatic storage and retrieval frame” used to assemble the advanced batteries.

After Obama’s speech, audience members gathered around the podium to shake his hand.

Obama, who has announced fuel-efficiency standards of 54.5 miles-per-gallon by 2025, used the visit to highlight the support his administration will lend to automakers and auto parts suppliers.

The bright new facility Obama visited today was built with the help of a $299.2 million federal stimulus grant and $168 million in state grants.

The plant, which currently employs 75, is in the early stages of producing lithium ion batteries for use in hybrid and electric vehicles. It is expected to employ 320 at full production.

Thirteen months ago, Obama participated in a groundbreaking ceremony just down the road for an LG Chem advanced battery factory being built with a $151 million federal grant and tax breaks worth $150 million.

On Wednesday, the administration announced $175 million in new grants to help 40 companies in 25 states develop new technologies aimed at reducing the U.S. auto and truck fleet’s dependence on oil. Nine of the grants went to companies based in Southeast Michigan.

Earlier in the week, the administration met with industry officials to discuss raising fuel-efficiency standards for work trucks, buses, and other heavy duty vehicles.