Post by bot on Jul 2, 2015 20:13:05 GMT -5
Hoyer Remarks During Press Conference Call on Republicans' Decision to Shut Down the Export-Import Bank at Midnight
WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (CA-43), Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Gwen Moore (WI-04), and Representative Denny Heck (WA-10) on a press conference call to discuss Republican’s decision to shut down the Export-Import Bank. The Bank's charter expires at midnight. Below is a transcript of his opening remarks.
“I want to thank all of you who have joined Congresswoman Waters, Congresswoman Moore, and Congressman Heck today as we look at the failure of the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate to have put on the Floor and pass the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.
“As many of you have heard me say repeatedly, there is no doubt that the passage of the Export-Import Bank [reauthorization] would have been guaranteed in both the House and the Senate because the majority in both bodies believe that we should reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and continue to enable our exporters – whether it be small, medium, or large – to be competitive with the rest of the world. In some sixty countries, there are eighty-five such [export] credit agencies... To the extent that we have not reauthorized the authority of the Export-Import Bank to continue to give financing support, we are undermining thousands and thousands of jobs. Last year, $27 billion in exports were supported and 165,000 Americans’ jobs were supported. In point of fact, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has made the observation that there are thousands of jobs on the line that would disappear pretty quickly if the Export-Import Bank were to disappear, so that the Speaker of the House, supporting the Export-Import Bank and believing that if we don’t reauthorize it, we’ll lose jobs, nevertheless did not bring it to the Floor, so that today [at midnight] the Bank’s authority to support loans expires.
“I am very pleased to be demanding with my three colleagues that are on the phone with me that as soon as we get back [to session after the district work period], the Republican leadership in both the Senate and the House put this bill on the Floor, and I am confident it would pass both houses. I am joined in that confidence by Senator Roy Blunt, the former Majority Leader and Majority Whip and Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, who is now a Senator from Missouri, who said, and I quote, ‘There are enough votes in the House to pass Ex-Im if it gets voted on in the House,’ and he went on to say, ‘There are enough votes here to pass Ex-Im if it gets voted on in the Senate.’ So, not only do I believe that and my three colleagues who are on the phone believe that but Senator Roy Blunt, a leader now in the Senate but a former leader in the House, believes so as well. So, it is unfortunate that the Republican leadership has chosen fit to, frankly, give in to one of its most conservative Members who just believes the government ought not to help. Notwithstanding the fact that there are nations with whom we compete, businesses with whom we compete with around the world, that are getting such help.
“So, now I am pleased to yield to three Members that are on the phone with us. First of all, [Rep.] Maxine Waters, who is the Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee and has been such a leader in this effort for such a long period of time. Gwen Moore, Congresswoman Moore from Wisconsin, who is the Ranking Member on the subcommittee that oversees this matter and who has also been such a strong supporter. And then my colleague from Washington state, Congressman Denny Heck. Denny Heck has really been one of the leaders. He gathered the signatures, where we had, I think, 181 or 182 signatures [Note: Mr. Hoyer misspoke. There are 180 Democratic signatures.] on a discharge petition, which means essentially every Democrat united on this effort. We believe there are a majority of Democrats and there are sixty-one Republicans who – all Democrats, but a majority of Republicans, are for this. Sixty-one [Note: Mr. Hoyer misspoke. There are 60 Republican co-sponsors.] of who co-sponsored a bill to reauthorize and extend the life of the Export-Import Bank. So, now let me yield to Congresswoman Waters.”
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“Denny and Maxine and Gwen, thank you very much for your comments. In some, and as Denny mentioned, first of all, this is unilateral disarmament in the competition for jobs and sales in the world. Jobs are being placed at risk, as Speaker Boehner so cogently observed, and our competiveness in the world markets is being undermined, while our competitors, as Denny Heck pointed out with respect to China, are being advantaged. So, we again urge our Republican colleagues, particularly Speaker Boehner and the Majority Leader McConnell in the Senate, to make sure that the week we get back, we move this bill to both Floors. We are confident it will pass. We are confident it will place America back in a competitive mode with the world markets, and we’ll save jobs and create jobs in our country. And as Gwen Moore pointed out, and I think Maxine also said this, this is a money-maker for the federal government. It sends money to the treasury on an annual basis. So, this is not a question that has cost us money – what it’s going to cost us is jobs if we don’t do it. So, I want to thank all of you for being on the phone call with us.”
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