U.S. Export-Import Bank

90th Anniversary of Export-Import Bank Brings Survey for Future

To take the survey, visit this link. This survey will remain open through Friday, March 1, 2024

Update

As of January 1, 2020 the Ex-Im Bank was finally able to return to business as usual as the quorum and charter for the bank was restored for the next seven years, beginning January 1, 2020.

Report to the U.S. Congress on Global Export Credit Competition
Export-Import Bank of the U.S., June 2020

Per Morning Trade 3/5/2020 – The U.S. Export-Import Bank lost $20 billion in export sales opportunities during the four years it wasn’t fully operational, Ex-Im President Kimberly Reed said Wednesday. The Ex-Im Bank is now working through applications tied to about $40 billion of potential business, Reed told the House Appropriations State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee. Ex-Im could not approve transactions worth more than $10 million for nearly four years because it lacked a quorum on its board. Congressional infighting over the future of the agency prevented nominees from moving forward. That ended May 2019, when the Senate confirmed Reed and two other board members after President Trump made a push to revive the bank. Congress also cleared a seven-year reauthorization of the bank in December 2019.

The charter of the Ex-Im Bank expired on September 30, 2019, but was temporarily renewed through a stopgap spending bill which extended the charter into November 2019. The House passed a reauthorization bill in mid-November, but it was dead on arrival in the Senate due to a lack of Republican priorities, such as provisions to ban the bank from dealing with state-owned enterprises in China and Russia, being included in the bill. The authorization for the Export-Import Bank was then expected to be carried by short-term government funding bills. However, in mid-December the charter of the Ex-Im Bank was extended for seven years as part of a spending package, which included more restrictions on the bank’s lending regarding China.

The spending package that renewed the charter of the Ex-Im Bank for seven years included tougher restrictions on the bank’s lending regarding China. The bill created a goal of reserving 20% of the bank’s exposure authority to support exports of high-tech products and other U.S. exports that compete directly with Chinese exports. The bill also includes updated reporting requirements to assess transactions of $25 million or greater that involve entities controlled by the Chinese government.

A Reversal by Trump Revives Agency That Aids Exporters
The Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2020

CalChamber Urges CA Congressional Delegation to Reauthorize Export-Import Bank

CalChamber Fax to California’s Congressional Delegation, September 2019

The California Chamber of Commerce is urging members to ask California’s Congressional Delegation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. As Congress returns to Washington, DC after their August recess, the Ex-Im Bank charter is set to expire on September 30.

In May 2019, a quorum was finally restored to the Ex-Im Bank after operating at limited capacity since July 2015, which limited the bank to approving transactions of $10 million or less, meaning numerous lost opportunities for U.S. businesses and their workers.

The CalChamber is asking members to follow its lead in sending letters to the California Congressional Delegation in support of reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank.

CalChamber Urges U.S. Senators to Unleash Full Potential of Bipartisan-Supported Ex-Im Bank

CalChamber Fax to California’s Senators, May 2019

CalChamber Fax to California’s Senators, September 2018

The California Chamber of Commerce is urging members to ask California’s two U.S. senators to support restoring a quorum to the Export-Import Bank.

Since July 2015, the Ex-Im Bank has not had a quorum and so is limited to approving transactions of $10 million or less, meaning numerous lost opportunities for U.S. businesses and their workers.

The CalChamber is asking members to follow its lead in sending letters to U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris supporting the nomination of Kimberly Reed to serve as President/Chair of the Ex-Im Bank and to continue the process to bring the Ex-Im Bank Board to a full quorum as promptly as possible.

An overwhelming majority in Congress voted to fully reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank in December 2015. Nevertheless, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee stymied the bank’s full restoration by blocking action on nominees required to achieve a quorum for the Ex-Im Bank Board in 2016.

The bank’s inability to approve transactions exceeding $10 million extends the profound impact of the quorum lapse to larger exporters, the thousands of smaller companies that supply them, and the hundreds of thousands of workers whose jobs depend on exports.

Senate Prepares to Vote on Ex-Im Board Nominees
Space News, May 5, 2019

Broad Impact

The hundreds of workers at large businesses are not the only ones affected by lost U.S. export transactions; there are strong ripple effects on the many small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the larger companies’ supply chains. The United States is home to some of the largest supply chains in the world. Sales and employees in these supply chains depend on exports of larger clients, financed by Ex-Im. Uncertainty for large clients means diminished purchasing, which means fewer sales and has a direct impact on jobs in cities and towns across the country.

Effects on U.S. businesses and workers from a lack of domestic political support for Ex-Im are exacerbated by the extraordinary steps other countries are taking to support their own exporters and national interests. Export credit agencies (ECAs) abroad are expanding product offerings allowing exporters to compete more aggressively, and more countries are opening new ECAs of their own.

With economic growth and job creation the top priorities for the United States, Ex-Im has an important role to play.

Trade offers the opportunity to expand the role of California’s exports. As one of the top economies in the world with a gross state product of more than $2.7 trillion., California exported $171.9 billion to approximately 229 foreign markets in 2017.

In its September 25 letter to California’s two U.S. senators, the CalChamber explains the importance of confirming nominees to the Ex-Im Board to return it to a quorum. Failure to restore the full authority of the bank will seriously disadvantage U.S. companies—small and large—in foreign markets, potentially resulting in the loss of thousands of U.S. jobs.

On August 20, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the nomination of Reed to head the ExIm Bank for a term ending on January 20, 2021. The committee vote was a unanimous 25-0. The full U.S. Senate is expected to act on confirming the nomination this fall.

Record of Success

Ex-Im has a proven record of success, and turns a profit for the U.S. taxpayer. Since 2009, Ex-Im has refunded $4.8 billion to the U.S. Treasury above all costs and loss reserves.

Small businesses accounted for approximately 91% of Ex-Im’s transactions in the 2017 fiscal year; further, these small business transaction figures are in addition to the tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that supply goods and services to large exporters. In the 2017 fiscal year, Ex-Im provided almost $2.2 billion in financing and insurance for U.S. small businesses.

In 2017 alone, Ex-Im Bank assisted nearly 200 California exporters, helping to support almost $900 million in exports. Over the last five years, the bank authorized $6 billion in financing to support $1.3 billion of California exports. Over this period, Ex-Im supported nearly 670 California exporters, 500 of which were small businesses, including approximately 200 minority-owned and women-owned enterprises.

On Friday, December 4, 2015, President Obama signed legislation to re-authorize the Export-Import Bank. This action will extend the bank’s charter by five years until 2019.

According to The Hill, the renewal of the 81-year-old institution’s charter was included in a five-year, $305 billion federal transportation measure that passed the Senate late Thursday on an 83-16 vote, only one day ahead of the expiration of the latest short-term funding patch. The House passed the bill earlier in the day on a 359-65 vote.

Click HERE to see how your Senators voted, and HERE to see how your Member of Congress voted.

CalChamber Urges Senate to Support Congressional Reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank

A California Chamber of Commerce-supported resolution urging Congress to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is awaiting a vote by the entire Senate. CalChamber, June 18, 2015

AJR 37 (Muratsuchi-D)
Export-Import Bank 6/24/2014-Chaptered by Secretary of State

Urged Congressional reauthorization of the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank, thereby enabling U.S. companies — large and small — to turn export opportunities into real sales that help to maintain and create U.S. jobs and contribute to a stronger national economy.Bill Version: 06/24/2014 Chaptered

Background

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is the official export credit agency of the United States. Ex-Im Bank’s mission is to assist in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets.

Ex-Im Bank enables U.S. companies — large and small — to turn export opportunities into real sales that help to maintain and create U.S. jobs and contribute to a stronger national economy.

Ex-Im Bank does not compete with private sector lenders but provides export financing products that fill gaps in trade financing. The Bank assumes credit and country risks that the private sector is unable or unwilling to accept. The Bank also helps to level the playing field for U.S. exporters by matching the financing that other governments provide to their exporters.

Ex-Im Bank provides working capital guarantees (pre-export financing); export credit insurance; and loan guarantees and direct loans (buyer financing). No transaction is too large or too small. In FY 2016, nearly 90 percent of Ex-I’m Bank’s transactions were for American small businesses.

With 80 years of experience, Ex-Im Bank has supported more than $567 billion of U.S. exports, primarily to developing markets worldwide.

Impact

The Export-Import Bank has the mission of supporting U.S. jobs through exports. 60 other nations have similar export financing mechanisms.

In addition to supporting U.S. jobs, the Ex-Im Bank is a self-sustaining agency that operates at no net cost to the taxpayers. Ex-Im Bank pays for itself by charging fees or interest to its customers for loans, credit insurance and loan guarantees that they receive.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank has a proven record of success, and the myths questioning its need and effectiveness have no basis in fact. Far from being a burden on the taxpayer, Ex-Im turns a profit for the American taxpayer.

Nor does Ex-Im help only big business. In fact, small businesses account for the majority of Ex- Im’s transactions; further, these small business transaction figures are in addition to the tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that supply goods and services to large exporters.

CalChamber Position

The California Chamber of Commerce, in keeping with long-standing policy, enthusiastically supports free trade worldwide, expansion of international trade and investment, fair and equitable market access for California products abroad and elimination of disincentives that impede the international competitiveness of California business.