Is $16 million a lot of money? It depends on whom you ask (and maybe when you ask them). Sen. Amy Klobuchar, known for her tough positions on consumer issues, said in a statement last night that the $16.4 million fine levied on Toyota yesterday "sends an important message to Toyota that failure to disclose safety defects will cost you." After all, it is the largest penalty ever imposed by the federal government on a car manufacturer (and the weightiest possible under law). But several weeks ago at a committee hearing, Klobuchar was singing a slightly different tune regarding whether $16 million was an adequate penalty -- considering Toyota saved $100 million by limiting their recall. "One of the things that I've learned is you can assess fines for this kind of behavior, but those penalties could be as high as, like, $16 million for a related series of violations," Klobuchar told Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood. "It sounds like a lot of money, but when Toyota is bragging about saving $100 million by basically negotiating a resolution to a safety defect that isn't a recall, is that enough money? Should there be more of an ability to assess fines? And would this be a useful tool." Lahood responded that it would be a useful tool. Later, addressing Clarence Ditlow with the Center for Auto Safety, Klobuchar said that there "seems to be not a good balance" between the $16 million cap on fines and the $100 million saved by Toyota. Klobuchar said in an interview with Hot Dish that Monday's fine sent a message because it was both an immediate response and the largest financial penalty the government could levy on the company. She added that lawsuits will likely add to Toyota's financial burden. She also aknowledged, however, that Congress and her committee need to examine having higher maximum penalties because $16 million might be viewed by the company as merely "the cost of doing business" in America. "I don't think that overall that's how they view this because they are in huge trouble otherwise with the public and with litigation," Klobuchar said. "But that's why you want to have the ability to use larger fines." NOTE: This post has been updated to include Klobuchar's comments.