WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department, trying to stabilize the battered auto industry, will provide up to $5 billion in financing to troubled auto parts suppliers who are linked to Detroit's carmakers, officials said Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

The funding would be made available from the government's Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, said two congressional aides briefed on the plan.

The administration will create a financial entity to provide money for auto parts that large suppliers have shipped to the Big Three automakers but have not yet been paid for. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the "Supplier Support Program" would "help stabilize a critical component of the American auto industry during the difficult period of restructuring that lies ahead."

"The program will provide supply companies with much needed access to liquidity to assist them in meeting payrolls and covering their expenses, while giving the domestic auto companies reliable access to the parts they need," Geithner said.

Auto suppliers have sought up to $25 billion to stabilize the beleaguered U.S. auto industry and have met with members of Obama's auto industry task force, which is reviewing $17.4 billion in loans to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC and requests for billions more.