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 The bank's charter must be renewed by Sept. 30 for it to continue
operating but the allegations of fraud have added to long-running
criticism of handouts to big business and meddling by the government
in the private sector.
"We are going to continue to work with our members" on whether the
bank's role should be taken over by the private sector, House
Speaker John Boehner said, sidestepping a question about whether he
personally backed reauthorization.
Supporters of Ex-Im in the pro-business wing of the Republican Party
were already on the defensive after their No.2 in the House of
Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, spoke out unexpectedly against the
bank on Sunday.
Many Tea Party Republicans view the bank as an example of "crony
capitalism." One of Ex-Im's most vocal critics is Jeb Hensarling,
chairman of the House committee with oversight of the bank. But
until McCarthy's statement, the business community thought there was
a good chance of renewal because establishment Republicans,
including leadership figures such as Boehner, had been supportive in
the past.
Renewal of the bank's charter would require approval by both
Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-dominated House.
Exports at companies such as Boeing Co, General Electric Co and
Caterpillar Inc could take a big hit if Ex-Im's charter is not
renewed, and Boeing said such a decision could affect 1.5 million
jobs. Medium- and large-sized companies accounted for 81 percent of
$27.3 billion of loans and other authorizations last year.
Amid fierce lobbying by both sides, House Democrats said they plan
to introduce a bill which would extend Ex-Im's charter until 2021
and lift its lending cap to $175 billion. Senator Joe Manchin is
working on a reauthorization bill in the Senate too.
During a closed-door meeting of House Democrats on Tuesday,
Washington state Representative Denny Heck urged fellow Democrats to
sign up as co-sponsors of the bill, according to lawmakers at the
meeting.
Representative Anna Eshoo of California expects close to 100 percent
of Democrats will support renewing the bank's charter.
But the Democrats’ status as the minority in the House will make it
difficult, if not impossible, to advance the legislation to a floor
vote without the help of Republican leaders.
DEMOCRATS SEEK CAUSE WITH "PRO-BUSINESS" REPUBLICANS
Business groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National
Association of Manufacturers (NAM) are focusing their considerable
lobbying powers on convincing House leaders to allow a vote.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he intended for the chamber
to take a vote on the bank before its charter expires Sept. 30,
although he added that the onus for action was on House Republicans.
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A Senate Democratic leadership aide said the threat to the bank in
the House appeared “real and acute” and many senators were unlikely
to want to vote before knowing what would happen in the other
chamber.
Republicans with ties to big business have been reeling since former
House majority leader Eric Cantor lost a primary to Tea Party
insurgent Dave Brat on June 10.
Lobbying actions by the Chamber and NAM include 350 Hill meetings
and one-on-one visits to every senator.
They also stressed the importance of Ex-Im and noted Ex-Im
equivalents in countries such as Germany, Brazil and China provided
as much as seven times the level of support to their exporters than
Ex-Im provided to U.S. exporters.
The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing into the
bank on Wednesday where Hensarling is expected to question Ex-Im
Chairman Fred Hochberg over a report that four officials had been
suspended or removed as investigators look into charges of improper
gifts and kickbacks.
The White House said Ex-Im is working with its internal inspector
general on an investigation. Spokesman Josh Earnest said President
Barack Obama had "zero tolerance" for fraud, but supports
reauthorizing the bank because it contributes to the economy.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told lawmakers that the bank was needed
to provide U.S. companies with "a level playing field."
The Heritage Foundation said a review of Ex-Im reports to Congress
showed 74 cases since April 2009 involving the dismissal or
discipline of an employee, or an offer of finance being rescinded.
Dozens of fraud cases involving Ex-Im beneficiaries had also been
referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
Ex-Im Bank had no immediate comment on the accusations by Heritage.
(Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson, Andrea Shalal-Esa and
Mark Felsenthal; Writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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