United States Export Finance Agency Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would require that Ex-Im provide an annual report to the United States Congress on the agency's activity in economically disadvantaged areas and efforts that they are taking to support those areas.

Government must be about people first, so when we talk about economic opportunity, Mr. Chair, we must ensure that we are using every tool possible to uplift communities that are struggling like my district.

After the Great Recession of 2008, the country experienced an economic recovery from 2011 to 2015, but already vulnerable communities missed out on most of that growth and opportunity. There is no question that some communities suffer more and take longer to recover, and sometimes it takes decades longer, but it shouldn't be this way.

There is evidence that adequate reporting and proper investment may be able to speed that pace of recovery for these kinds of communities.

According to the Economic Innovation Group, 52.3 million people, or 17 percent of the American population, experienced an average 6 percent drop in the number of adults working and a 6.3 percent average drop in the number of business establishments.

Specifically, Mr. Chair, workers and their families living in especially hard-hit communities face challenges such as unemployment that often arises from mass layoffs associated with declines in specific industries and businesses.

For communities like mine, 13 districts strong, the impact on employment and income can be extremely persistent.

Currently, Detroit is one of the five cities with the greatest number of people in distressed ZIP codes and it ranks number ten as the most distressed city in the United States of the country's 100 largest cities. Wayne County, Michigan, which I represent, ranks second in the Nation for inequality with job creation.

Addressing the economic and social costs associated with persistent localized economic distresses requires adequate reporting, as it is essential to addressing the causes and the costs of long-term economic distress for workers, their families, and the communities.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to help ensure that we have the tools to uplift every community across the country like mine.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, I think it is really important, and I am glad the ranking member did mention the opportunity zones. One of the key controversies around opportunity zones right now is that out of the hundreds of opportunity zone census tracks that were chosen, five did not qualify under the poverty guidelines requirements for opportunity zones.

Reporting like this creates transparency and accountability, Mr. Chair, and that is why it is critically important that we don't make the mistake again to support these kinds of tax breaks and loans and opportunities through the Federal Government without any accountability and follow-through with the United States Congress annually. That is why it is critically important.

We are talking about five communities that should not have gotten the opportunity zone designation, including two in the city of Detroit that were promoted by billionaire Dan Gilbert. It should never have been designated. They didn't qualify, Mr. Chair.

That is why it is important that we have these kinds of amendments and requirements that the United States Congress can then proceed to create transparency.

I fully support, obviously, opportunities for development in communities that deserve it, especially representing the third poorest congressional district in the country. However, we cannot allow those political donors, like the billionaire Dan Gilbert, to pick and choose where those opportunity zones are designated.

However, we are talking about Ex-Im today, and let's do this right by supporting this kind of annual reporting to make sure that we are helping economically disadvantaged communities like ours to be able to, again, have accountability for the American people.

Again, I rise in support, as I hope my colleagues support me in rising in support of this amendment, again, to make sure that we do our due diligence as Members of Congress in making sure there are no other kind of scandalous controversies that we see now with the opportunity zones in our country.

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Chair, again, I completely agree that that is the process. However, it is our responsibility, since we are the ones who created the bipartisan support of opportunity zones. However, it doesn't make it exempt from corruption, Mr. Chair, and that is exactly what is happening.

So then-Governor Snyder may have given his friend an advantage by not complying with the opportunity zone requirement that it be a poverty- stricken census track, that it is within those guidelines. That did not happen.

So it is our due diligence, because we allowed the pathway for opportunity zones, to have accountability. And this amendment basically allows us to check in, Mr. Chair, and make sure that they are following those guidelines, and that is exactly what didn't happen with the opportunity zones. Just because they were bipartisan does not mean they were exempt from corruption, it is exempt from accountability.

Mr. Chair, I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join me in having transparency and accountability. It is our responsibility. They are our tax dollars. They are our programs that we have to, again, hold accountable for those that take advantage by using the system and tainting the process.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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