Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday this House took a historic and bipartisan vote in support of reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. We showed that Democrats and Republicans can work together to overcome the obstruction caused by an ideologically driven minority that put its own uncompromising principles over the needs of the American people.

The 4-month shutdown of the Export-Import Bank engineered by the chairman of the Financial Services Committee has led to hopelessness, uncertainty, and fear for the many workers across this country whose livelihoods rely on the support of the Ex-Im Bank.

As reports continued to pile in on the loss of jobs caused by the Bank's shutdown, the chairman has remained deliberately indifferent to the harm inflicted on the lives of these Americans. The cost of this indifference is more than 100 transactions worth more than $9 billion that have been indefinitely put on hold pending the Bank's reauthorization. Unfortunately, many of these contracts have now been lost for good.

Today we are showing the small-business owners and their employees that this indifference does not extend to the whole House of Representatives. Supporters of the Bank care about them, about their jobs and their communities.

It is high time we reopened the Ex-Im Bank for business. Instead of shipping jobs abroad, let's start shipping American exports again. Let's put America back to work and pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), a member of the Financial Services Committee and the ranking member of the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank. I just want to take a moment to recognize her tireless work on behalf of the reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank.

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Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck), a tireless advocate for our exporters who has never missed an opportunity to fight for the Export-Import Bank and the American workers it supports.

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