Coalition opposes the Export-Import bank discharge petition

Dear Representatives:

On behalf of our organizations and the millions of Americans we represent, we write to express our deep concern about efforts to resurrect the Export-Import Bank.

Ex-Im is a decades-old agency that dates back to the Great Depression, a creature of Washington that hands out risky loans to some of the world’s biggest corporations. Ex-Im distorts export markets and awards benefits to those with political connections. The long history of corruption at the bank has led to a guilty plea of one former Export-Import Bank official and the longest prison sentence ever handed down to a member of Congress. Worse, media reports indicate that dozens of investigations into misconduct at the bank remain underway.

On top of the policy and ethical concerns with the bank, we are increasingly concerned about the process. Congress should not use an esoteric parliamentary tactic to sidestep the regular legislative process in order to fast-track legislation reauthorizing this scandal-plagued bank. The House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee have both held hearings studying the issue over the course of the year, and neither has advanced reauthorization legislation.

We urge you to oppose efforts to resurrect the Export-Import Bank, particularly those that subvert the normal committee process.

Sincerely,

Brent Gardner, Vice President of Government Affairs, Americans for Prosperity

Matthew Kandrach, Vice President, 60 Plus Association

Susan A. Carleson, Chairman/CEO, American Civil Rights Union

Phil Kerpen, President, American Commitment

Sean Noble, President, American Encore

Thomas J. Pyle, President, American Energy Alliance

Coley Jackson, President, Americans for Competitive Enterprise

Peter J. Thomas, Chairman, Americans for Constitutional Liberty

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

Scot Mussi, President, Arizona Free Enterprise club

Norm Singleton, Senior Vice President, Campaign For Liberty

Kristin Fecteau, Co-Founder, Campaign to Free America

Tina Pisenti, Executive VP and COO, Cascade Policy Institute

Andrew F. Quinlan, President, Center for Freedom and Prosperity

Jeffrey Mazzella, President, Center for Individual Freedom

David McIntosh , President, Club for Growth

Tom Brinkman Jr., Chairman, Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST)

Greg Conko, Executive Director, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Pete Hegseth, CEO, Concerned Veterans for America

Thomas A. Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Marc Short, President, Freedom Partners

Adam Brandon, President and CEO, FreedomWorks

Andrew Clark, President, Generation Opportunity

Michael Scupin, Vice President, Georgia Grassroots Coalition

Michael A. Needham, Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Action for America

Carrie Lukas, Managing Director, Independent Women’s Forum

Heather Higgens, President and CEO, Independent Women’s Voice

Laura Carno, Founder, I Am Created Equal

Seton Motley, President, Less Government

Pete Sepp, President, National Taxpayers Union

Gov. Gary Johnson, Honorary Chairman, Our America Initiative

Andrew Moylan, Executive Director and Senior Fellow, R Street Institute

Paul Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation

William Whipple III, President, Secure America’s Future Economy

Stephen Ellis, Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense

David Williams, President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Judson Phillips, Founder, Tea Party Nation

Brett Healy, President, The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy

Daniel Garza, Executive Director, The LIBRE Initiative

Carl Bearden, Executive Director, United for Missouri