On the recordMay 8, 2012
Less than 1 percent of American businesses export to any other country. We've been engaged in a process to increase the level of exports, in part with the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. A number of these other activities are connected. But this is an activity that has borne fruit. I've met with businesses and the people who run these efforts around the country, and they're doing real work, helping real businesses all across our country, and it creates real jobs. I'm against the amendment. And I guess if you don't think that we should be focused on jobs and exports, you could oppose it. As for myself--and I would ask those who want to support American jobs--partly we have to do that through selling to the 90 percent of consumers who are somewhere else other than in our own country. So I support continued funding for this effort. I yield back the balance of my time.
