Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Export-Import Bank, the official export credit agency of the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, it is so frustrating to see this normally bipartisan effort to support the American economy get hijacked. I would bet, Mr. Speaker, that this bill could pass on suspension, that two-thirds of this House would be willing to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, if we were to put it to a vote on this floor--but no. Instead, we are forced, once again, to yield to a minority of the majority--the Tea Party--which demands the decapitation of an economic development and jobs creator giant--the United States of America's Export-Import Bank. Why is this? Is it because the Bank doesn't work? No. It is an example of how government effectively could partner with the private sector. The Bank puts U.S. exporters on equal footing when foreign competitors have foreign export aid, and it bridges the gaps in the private market. The reality is that, in the global marketplace, our competitors are aggressively using their export banks. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is my district, is still very much a manufacturing economy--the second in the Nation relying on this sector. Every day, workers in Milwaukee compete against foreign workers with extensive and aggressive foreign export credit agency backing. Today, the United States Export-Import Bank supports an estimated 205,000 export-related jobs in the United States.…”