Stop the Export-Import Bank

Floor Speech

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I thank the gentleman for this Special Order on an important subject, the Export-Import Bank. I was just going to start with retelling a story I told at an event not too long ago that I think is important.

The scenario that is going to play out, I think, all across the country later this afternoon, there is going to be a guy who works second shift at the local manufacturing facility. He is going to go out, get in his truck to drive to work.

Now, remember, he is working second shift, which means he has got to miss some of his kids' Little League games, miss some of his children's afterschool activities.

He goes out to get in his truck to go to work, and he looks a couple of houses down, and he sees a guy sitting on the front porch, drinking a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper. He knows the guy can work, but won't work, and is getting his tax dollars.

He gets in his truck to drive to work, and he happens to turn the radio on. It happens to be the news hour. A reporter comes on and talks about the Federal Government's got an $18 trillion national debt.

They have got this program that gives money to favored and connected corporations. One of these companies went bankrupt and cost the taxpayers a ton of money.

He hears all that, and he remembers what he saw on the front porch of his neighbor's house. Guess what, this guy is ticked off, and he has every right to be.

At the same time he is driving to work, there is a lady driving home from work. She teaches second grade at the local elementary school, and she has busted her tail all day long helping her students.

She views her job as a teacher as a mission field, trying to help her students get the skill set they need to start on their path to achieving the American Dream. She has worked hard all day long.

She is driving home, happens to have her radio on, happens to be tuned in to the same station where the same reporter comes on and talks about the Federal Government with an $18 trillion national debt, this program that gives money to favored corporations, connected corporations. This one company went bankrupt, cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.

She hears all that as she pulls into her driveway on the same street, sees the same guy sitting on his front porch, drinking coffee, reading the paper. She knows he can work but won't work, and he is getting her tax dollars. Guess what, she is just as mad as the second-shift worker, and she has every right to be.

Now, our job, as Members of Congress, is to remember people like the second-grade teacher and the second-shift worker and fight for things they care about. Here is one: they care about this concept that goes on in this town, where connected companies get special deals with their tax money, and they want that to stop.

We now have a chance to do that, to start the process of stopping the corporate welfare, and that is what Mr. Buck's Special Order hour is all about, stopping the Export-Import Bank from continuing the corporate connectedness, the corporate cronyism, and the corporate welfare.

Our job is real simple. All we have to do is nothing, something Congress is usually pretty good at doing. All we have to do is not reauthorize this Bank, which loans out billions of taxpayer dollars, puts billions of taxpayer dollars at risk, and helps connected corporate entities who got every lobbyist in this town hired to fight for their cause, at the expense of second-grade teachers and second-shift workers.

Let's not reauthorize this thing. Let's show those people we are actually fighting for them. Then once we do that, then we can actually also get into the social safety net, reform that, require work for able-bodied adults, treat taxpayers with respect, help people trapped in our social safety net system get to a better life.

We can reform it all, but let's start with those connected companies with the high-paid lobbyists getting the special deals.

One other thing I will add before turning it back over to the gentleman from Colorado, who is doing such a great job on this issue, and my good friend from Virginia, who is going to speak as well on this issue and doing a great job, this thing is not only bad because it loans out money, puts taxpayer money at risk, it is corrupt.

Just last week, Mr. Gutierrez, a long-term employee at the Ex-Im Bank, was indicted on bribery and fraud charges, bribery and fraud charges that go clear back to 2006.

For 7 years, he was scamming people, taking taxpayer money, helping himself, taking bribes from companies benefiting from the Export-Import Bank.

Last week, at the first hearing we have had on this issue this Congress, we had the inspector general at the Export-Import Bank say this--and I will close here. He said there may be more indictments in the Gutierrez case. More importantly, he said there may be indictments in the 31--that is right--31 open fraud investigations that the Ex-Im Bank and the Department of Justice are currently investigating.

Now, if that is not enough reason to get rid of this thing, I don't know what is. It puts taxpayer money at risk--corruption, fraud, 31 open fraud investigation cases. Everyone knows it is bad.

All Congress has to do to end it is not a darn thing. For goodness sake, maybe even Congress can accomplish that.

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