Trump's "Weirdest Nomination to Date"
It's not just Democrats who oppose Scott Garrett's nomination to lead the Export-Import Bank, the very agency that Garrett voted to shut down and sought to dismantle. Senate Republicans and the business community are also opposing the nomination. As Garrett makes the rounds to Senate offices as part of his confirmation process, it's clear he lacks support and the Administration should withdraw his nomination. From the Washington Post:
“….Garrett opened a meeting with a number of Senate Democrats on Tuesday by volunteering that he was surprised to have been nominated. Sources familiar with the meeting said it went downhill from there, with the New Jersey Republican declining to say whether if confirmed, he’d advocate for the bank’s reauthorization... By the end of the roughly 45-minute huddle, senators were directing their questions to Garrett’s administration minder, White House legislative affairs chief Marc Short, since he seemed better informed on issues facing the bank, sources briefed on it said. The meeting, Democratic participants said in a joint statement afterward, was 'bizarre.'"
“More consequentially for Garrett, Republican skeptics on the Senate Banking Committee aren't committing to approving him. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) met with Garrett on Wednesday and said via statement afterward only that it was a good meeting ‘and we are continuing to do our due diligence.’”
”Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — whose state hosts major facilities for Boeing, General Electric and other Ex-Im beneficiaries — likewise reserved judgment after meeting with Garrett.”
“Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R), has gone further, last month calling on the White House to pull Garrett’s nomination and replace him with somebody more supportive of the bank’s mission.”
"In recent weeks, business groups backing the bank have waged an unusually aggressive campaign to sink Garrett’s nomination in one instance of the divide between them and Trump. The Business Roundtable opposes Garrett: '[Business Roundtable] cannot support Scott Garrett or any #ExIm nominee who does not demonstrate strong support for the bank and (1/3)'"
“The Aerospace Industries Association has urged Trump to withdraw the nomination.”
“National Association of Manufacturers has been noisiest of all, launching a series of late-July ads against him in three states…”
These statements add to the chorus of business leaders speaking out against Garrett’s nomination:
“Tim Keating, Boeing’s senior vice president of government operations, said the company found it difficult to support anyone 'who has not supported the bank and made public statements to that effect.'" [Politico, 7/17/17]
“‘We don’t have any explanation as to why now he wants to lead the entity that he said he wanted to shut down,’ said Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in an interview Friday. ‘Nor do we have any sense that he’s committed to using the position as chairman to ensuring the bank does its work.’” [Politico, 7/17/17]