Providing for Consideration of Hr. United States Export Finance Agency Act of and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to ask my colleagues to reject the rule that would enable a vote later this week on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank.

Many of you will say: ``Why, Frank, of all people, would you come to the floor to ask for the rejection of the rule and the underlying bill?'' The reason they would ask that is because no one has worked harder than I have, in my career here, to make sure that this economic tool is available to American businesses. No one has struggled harder than I have to make sure that those individuals who make their living in the industries that use the Bank are able to continue to do that. No one has worked harder.

The last time this bill was reauthorized, I sat in the majority. My leadership at that time was opposed to the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. My colleague from Tennessee and I used a procedure from the beginning of the previous century to discharge a clean version of the bill, to bring it to the floor, to pass it, and, ultimately, for it to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President. So there is no one who appreciates more than I do the importance of this bill.

So, why am I here? I had a couple of amendments offered in the Rules Committee. I know some of my colleagues have said: ``Frank, why didn't you offer those amendments in the markup of the bill?'' Well, Mr. Speaker, I have been around here long enough, and I have been in this great life that we live long enough, to understand there are some fundamental rules.

My ranking member and my chairman on that committee engaged in one of the most splendid, intense, philosophical battles over reauthorizing this bill that you will ever see. They fought hard over every principle. They had proponents on both sides of the committee trying to drive the bill further to the left and, simultaneously, further to the right. That is a difficult set of issues to balance out.

You say: ``Well, Frank, why weren't you engaged?'' There is an old country logic that goes something like this: When your neighbor's bull jumps into your pasture, or when two of your bulls get in the same pasture together and engage in a fight and get mad and get hot and try to fight to the death, you don't get between them because they will kill you. They will kill you.

My perspective was, let the committee do its will, but on the floor of this United States House, let's offer alternatives.

You say: ``What were your amendments that were rejected that would have made a difference?''

Amendment No. 17 simply reflected what the White House had said: Send us a clean 10-year reauthorization.

Clean, 10 years. Straightforward, understandable, logical.

But being the practical fellow I am, I offered amendment No. 18. What did No. 18 say? Basically, it was the most popular bill in the United States Senate at this time to reauthorize the institution: a 10-year reauthorization, raise the capitalization level to $175 billion, and address the quorum requirement.

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Mr. LUCAS. Either amendment, I believe, would have passed the floor. One amendment would have assured us a signature immediately. The second amendment would have assured us, I believe, passage in the Senate. But the forces fought themselves to exhaustion.

I came, as I had before, to appeal to this body as a whole. I was denied that opportunity. So, yes, I am voting against the rule. I will vote against the bill because, you see, somebody that matters greatly on the other side of this campus said this bill will never be heard over there, will never be heard.

I am here to make things happen, working with you. I am here working on behalf of our constituents, working with you. That is what I tried.

Reject the rule. Force this back to the Rules Committee. Give me a second chance. Give me a second chance. But you have to vote ``no'' on the rule.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for the opportunity to express my concerns.

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