Ex-Im Votes Empower Manufacturers to More Aggressively Compete Against China, Others
By Michael Shapiro, from www.nam.org, The National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Export-Import Bank nominees Kimberly Reed, Judith DelZoppo Pryor and Spencer Bachus, a move that will significantly enhance manufacturers’ competitiveness against foreign nations, including China:
Now that the Export-Import Bank is on track to be fully functional again, after a four-year hiatus, manufacturers in America can once more reach their full potential and more aggressively compete against China and others. While the agency was sidelined, billions of dollars’ worth of deals were lost to foreign competitors, resulting in tens of thousands of unrealized manufacturing jobs. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, Leader McConnell and senators on both sides of the aisle, this self-inflicted damage is now over.
This bipartisan victory will be short-lived, however, if Congress does not act swiftly to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank before the September deadline. For manufacturers, this is a serious threat looming on the horizon. If Congress fails to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, lawmakers will be responsible for slowing manufacturing’s growth and handing countries like China a competitive edge. Now is not the time to squander the historic progress we’ve made in recent years.
The NAM has been a leading proponent of restoring the Ex-Im Bank, which has supported 1.7 million American jobs over the past 10 years, to full functionality. In January, Timmons sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to approve swiftly the full slate of stalled, qualified nominees to the Ex-Im Bank’s board of directors following their bipartisan approval by the Senate Banking Committee.
Quick facts about the Ex-Im Bank:
- The agency has supported 1.7 million jobs over the past 10 years.
- On average, more than 90 percent of the Ex-Im Bank’s transactions directly support small businesses.
- The agency has generated $9.6 billion for taxpayers since 1992.
- Foreign competitors are stealing America’s competitive advantage by devoting hundreds of billions of dollars to official export credit agency financing for domestic manufacturers.
- The agency’s default rate is better than many commercial lenders and far below the 2 percent maximum rate set by Congress.
Click here to learn more about how the Ex-Im board vacancies impacted manufacturers and here for more information about its role as a critical tool in checking China’s ambitions.
