There’s a big difference between receiving money as a loan to do something the government wants (in this case, build electric vehicles) and begging the government for money because you’re broke. During the recession Ford was notable for being the only major American car company that didn’t ask for a bailout. Their American employee headcount fluctuates year to year but it’s up over the last decade btw.
It isn’t stated that they knew it was closed when they arrived. They might have figured it out after the fact.