Chuck Schumer: “I want to thank my dear friend, the Senator from North Dakota, for her leadership on this issue, as well as our two…”

“I want to thank my dear friend, the Senator from North Dakota, for her leadership on this issue, as well as our two great Senators from the State of Washington, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. I support my colleague from North Dakota and echo her comments. We should have a full complement of Board members at the Ex-Im Bank and, at the very least, they must have enough to reach a quorum and continue to conduct its business. I also want to thank my three colleagues who are here for their tireless efforts to get the Ex-Im Bank reauthorized last year. The legislation to reauthorize was carried by the Senator from North Dakota, as well as Senators Cantwell and Murray, after Republican obstruction caused it to lapse for the first time in its 80- year history. What a shame it was that it lapsed. The Ex-Im Bank is one of the key tools in our toolbox for supporting and growing manufacturing jobs across the country. We talk about increasing good-paying manufacturing jobs. Both sides of the aisle do that regularly. Then, when it comes to supporting the Ex-Im Bank, they obstruct one of the best tools we have. They vote no. Now they have found a clever way to stop it from working, because it won't have a quorum. The Ex-Im Bank provides necessary financing for domestic manufacturers to compete with foreign companies that are heavily subsidized or are owned entirely by their government and simply to have access to their own domestic import bank.…”