Hoyer: Majority of the House is for Reopening the Export-Import Bank, Saving American Jobs, Making Sure America is Competitive in the International Market

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke on the House Floor today in opposition to House Republicans' failure to reopen the Export-Import Bank before adjourning for the August District Work Period:

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“I thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Mr. Polis from Colorado. I rise in opposition to this rule. This is our last day in session before we leave for five weeks or six weeks. We then will have thirteen days before the end of the fiscal year. We have a number of things that the American public expects us to do, that enjoy almost universal support on this Floor, and one of which enjoys a significant majority of support on this Floor. Mr. Speaker, let me quote the Speaker of this House, John Boehner. Quote, ‘Above all else,’ he said as he assumed the speakership, ‘We will welcome the battle of ideas, encourage it, engage in it, openly, honestly, and respectfully. As the chamber,’ he went on to say, ‘closest to the people, the House works best when it is allowed to work its will.’ And he then asked all of us, ‘I ask all Members of this body to join me in recognizing this common truth.’

“Al Gore, the former Vice President of the United States, would observe, however, that seems to be an inconvenient truth. It is an inconvenient truth because the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, representing the minority of this House, is opposed to the Export-Import Bank. He’s been opposed to it since we adopted it 2012 with an overwhelming majority of votes from both sides of the aisle. As a matter of fact, a unanimous vote from the Democratic side and over 140 Members from the Republican side of the aisle just three years ago. This rule makes in order, as the gentleman noticed, two bills. One of which I vigorously oppose but won't spend a lot of time on. And while the gentleman is probably correct, it is not immediate firing, it is a substantial undermining of the Civil Service Act adopted so that we would not have a patronage, politically ridden system, but a civil service system based on merit.

“And then this bill makes in order an extension of the highway bill, which certainly we ought to do. It’s somewhat ironic that we say it’s a three month. We passed the five month. I voted for the five month. Everybody ought to know that we funded for five months, of course. We call it three month. I hope that will satisfy Senator McConnell that he could then pass it.

“And then we provide $3.4 billion or $3.3 billion so that we will make sure our veterans' hospitals and medical care stays in operation. Both of those could have been passed on this House Floor by unanimous consent. But we now leave for another month the Export-Import Bank, which is responsible for the creation and retaining of jobs in America. We all talk about jobs in America, but the Speaker has said again, as I quote him, the failure to pass this bill is losing jobs right now. And yet my Republican friends, in tipping their hat to the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, says we are not going to consider that, as they did last month, in July.

“I know we haven't gotten out of July yet, but we'll go through August and then we’ll go through September. Now, [Republican Congressman Stephen] Fincher tells me he thinks that bill will be brought to the Floor in some form or another in September, but it will have cost us jobs and competitiveness overseas with 60 countries that have an Export-Import Bank, that are making sure that their purchasers of their goods made in their countries are cheaper than the goods sold in our country. That costs American jobs. We ought to reject this rule, and we ought to do what the Speaker of the House said we ought to do: treat one another with respect and let the House work its will.

“There are 240-plus, maybe 250, maybe 260, maybe 270 votes. You only need 218 to pass the Export-Import Bank on this Floor. And I will yield to anybody who says, no, Mr. Hoyer, you're wrong, it doesn't have the majority of votes.  I will yield to anybody on this Floor who will say, Mr. Hoyer, you're wrong.  Apparently, there is nobody on the Floor who is going to suggest that the will of this House as represented by a majority that would vote on this bill, would not be for extending the Export-Import Bank, saving American jobs, making sure that America is competitive in the international market. My colleagues, reject this rule. Exercise our responsibility to the American people and to American workers, and let's pass the Export-Import Bank today before we go home.”