House Lawmakers' Attempt to Bring a Vote on Export-Import Bank Encouraging News for Entrepreneurs
Statement by John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, on House lawmakers' decision to file a discharge petition to bring a vote on extending the Export-Import Bank's charter
We're pleased to see lawmakers in the House of Representatives attempting to revive debate about extending the life of the Export-Import Bank by using a legislative procedure called a discharge petition to force a vote on extending the bank's charter.
Without legislative action, the Export-Import Bank's charter will expire on June 30. The Export-Import Bank gives small businesses an edge by leveling the playing field between small firms and their larger counterparts. The bank fills in the gaps offered by traditional financing by partnering with private-sector lenders to provide loans and credit to aid foreign purchasers in buying American-made goods.
Many small businesses rely on the bank because commercial lenders typically don't support small businesses in this area. In fact, nearly 90 percent of the Export-Import Bank's transactions in 2013 were for American small businesses. Additionally, the bank financed more small business exports in the last five years than in the previous 11 years combined. Without it, small business owners say they wouldn't be able to compete internationally.
It's encouraging to see some House lawmakers attempting to move forward on this front. We hope lawmakers will bring this legislation to the floor soon and reauthorize this important small business resource.
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration. Learn more about us on our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.