Trade Policy News
Follow developments in American trade policy, from free trade agreements to protectionist measures, with reporting and conservative analysis.
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opinion
An Interactive Timeline of the Export-Import Bank
See the history of the Export-Import Bank—from its inception in 1934 through the current debate over its reauthorization—in The Daily Signal’s interactive timeline. Use the arrows to advance or jump to an event using the scrollbar at the bottom. -
opinion
Export-Import Bank Creates Unfair Playing Field For American Business
You can tell a lot about a piece of legislation by looking at who is for it and who is against it. The battle over whether to keep the Export-Import Bank alive is a case in point. The Ex-Im Bank was established during FDR’s administration to encourage more trade with the Soviet Union. The Soviet… -
news
Paul Ryan on Export-Import Bank: ‘I Want to Get Rid of It’
Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, spoke today of his support for ending the Export-Import Bank. “I want to get rid of it,” Paul said of the bank. The bank’s charter is set to expire Sept. 30, unless Congress votes to reauthorize the bank. The Wisconsin Republican labeled the institution a manifestation… -
opinion
6 Reasons Lawmakers Shouldn’t Reauthorize the Export-Import Bank ‘With Reforms’
Export-Import Bank advocates believe it should be reauthorized "with reforms” before the bank’s charter expires Sept. 30. But lawmakers already tried that in 2012. The infographic below highlights some of the reforms Congress ordered the bank to make during the last reauthorization fight that failed to happen. Read more: Export-Import Bank Didn’t Make 2012 Reforms… -
opinion
Ending the Export-Import Bank Is All About Governing
This morning I read a piece in Politico about a difficult choice for Rep. Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee: reauthorize the Export Import Bank or let its charter expire? Specifically, the reporters describe his options as preserving the bank with the promise of future reform (that’s what they promised the last… -
news
Export-Import Bank Didn’t Make 2012 Reforms Ordered by Congress
“Reauthorize with reforms.” That’s the new mantra from supporters of renewing the charter of the Export-Import Bank. But a review of reforms that Congress ordered the bank to make during the last reauthorization fight shows the agency has done little to remedy issues identified by the lawmakers in 2012. Some House Republicans view reforms as… -
news
Schumer Plans to ‘Pressure’ House to Save Export-Import Bank
Advocates of pulling the plug on the Export-Import Bank are girding to resist what they see as a “blatantly partisan maneuver” in the Senate to save the agency. They’re talking about Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who promises the Senate will take up and pass a bill to reauthorize the 80-year-old bank before Congress leaves for… -
opinion
Why We Must Get Rid of the Export-Import Bank
When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce aligns with a disciple of Fidel Castro and hires a working-class hero to lobby Congress, when a liberal economist like Paul Krugman sympathizes with the CEOs of Boeing, Bechtel, and General Electric, it is obviously not business as usual on Capitol Hill. Welcome to Ex-Im 2014. For those with… -
news
Report: House GOP Support for Axing Export-Import Bank Holds Steady
With 26 legislative days left before the Export-Import Bank’s charter expires Sept. 30, a preliminary count of the agency’s supporters and opponents finds that 40 percent of House Republicans are against extending its life. According to an analysis conducted by The Hill newspaper, four in 10 House Republicans — 93 or so of the chamber’s 233 majority… -
news
Ralph Nader Calls for Ending ‘Secretive’ Export-Import Bank
Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader called for the end of the Export-Import Bank in an exclusive interview today with The Daily Signal. “I think it needs to be abolished, and if there is a legitimate need for export markets for U.S. products, there’s plenty of money in the private sector to provide for loans,”… -
news
John Stossel: Crony Capitalism at the Core of Export-Import Bank
As business leaders and members look to shift their strategy to gain back splintering support for reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, Fox Business host John Stossel and George Mason University economist Don Boudreaux on Friday hit hard at the federal agency on his show. -
news
Lawmakers Spar Over Whether to Renew Export-Import Bank
Republicans and Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee faced off today at a hearing on the future of the Export-Import Bank and its role in subsidizing companies such as Boeing, Caterpillar and General Electric. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the committee, established the narrative early into the hearing that although the 80-year-old federal agency is a boon… -
news
Marco Rubio: It’s Time to End Export-Import Bank
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., today joined the growing list of conservatives speaking out against reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. On CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Rubio said it was time for the bank—which provides taxpayer-backed loans to foreign companies and governments to buy U.S. products—to end. Unless Congress acts to save it, the bank’s charter expires Sept…. -
news
A Taxpayer’s Guide: Export-Import Bank Under Microscope at House Hearing
Rep. Jeb Hensarling today convenes the House Financial Services Committee for a much-anticipated hearing on the fate of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that the Texas Republican says has a well-deserved reputation for corporate welfare and cronyism. The Export-Import Bank, which provides taxpayer-backed loans to foreign companies and governments to buy U.S. products, turned… -
news
Export-Import Bank Faces Tough Road to Reauthorization After Kevin McCarthy’s Opposition
Today was supposed to be the day supporters of the Export-Import Bank struck back. After weeks of disappointing news and dimming prospects for the bank’s reauthorization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers picked Monday to roll out an “all-hands-on-deck” public-relations campaign in favor of the government agency. The leaders of both… -
news
Sunlight Report: Don’t Underestimate Export-Import Bank’s Corporate Friends
Despite losing a friend in House leadership and now his successor’s avowed lack of interest, the Export-Import Bank — which has been criticized for promoting corporate welfare — remains well-positioned to secure reauthorization this fall. That’s the conclusion of the Sunlight Foundation, which analyzed the lobbying efforts of the bank’s corporate beneficiaries. In fact, it’s… -
news
Incoming House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Says Export-Import Bank Should Close
The Export-Import Bank’s path to reauthorization just got more complicated. Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who will soon become House majority leader, said on “Fox News Sunday” that he opposes renewing the bank’s charter. Watch the part at 22 seconds where McCarthy explains one of the biggest problems with government. -
opinion
Laughing All the Way to the Export-Import Bank
This fall, the charter for the Export-Import Bank is set to expire. The Kronies don’t want you to know who or what is truly behind the bank. But here is the truth: Since its creation in 1934, the Ex-Im Bank has become “little more than a fund for corporate welfare.” At least that’s what Barack… -
opinion
Make Export–Import Bank Accounting ‘Fair’ to Taxpayers
The Wall Street Journal in recent days has published a variety of opinions on congressional reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank—which doles out subsidies to foreign firms to purchase U.S. products. Most of the arguments—pro and con—merit polite consideration. But others require a response. Such is the case with the June 17 letter to the editor… -
news
Eric Cantor’s Loss Reverberates at Boeing, Biggest Beneficiary of Export-Import Bank Subsidies
Boeing, the biggest beneficiary of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, watched its stock drop by the biggest margin in months following House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s primary election defeat Tuesday. A federal agency that subsidizes American exports, the Export-Import Bank regularly subsidizes Boeing’s foreign sales. Just last month, Boeing announced the bank would underwrite $10 billion…