On the recordJune 10, 2015
I seek to speak on my amendment on behalf of the Export-Import Bank. I would like to say the Export-Import Bank is set to expire this year on June 30. It allows thousands of American companies to advance their technology overseas. Without these loans, many American jobs would be ceded to China or Europe. Now, 200,000 American workers depend on Ex-Im, plus 46,000 in my home State of Illinois. They work for these companies that depend on Ex-Im's backing to make exports happen. Some people are interested in killing this agency because it may be a government handout agency. It is not. It actually makes the taxpayer $1 billion a year. In the last 3 years, it has earned the U.S. Treasury over $3 billion. I will be offering the Kirk-Heitkamp amendment to keep this Bank alive. I want to thank Senators Blunt, Cantwell, and Manchin for defending these American jobs. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
