WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 27, 2015 – U.S. Rep. Dennis A. Ross (R-FL-15), Senior Deputy Majority Whip, released the following statement after voting against H.R. 3611, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act:
“I voted against the reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank because the bank does not promote core conservative principles, such as fiscal responsibility and free enterprise. Instead, the Ex-Im Bank promotes corporate cronyism and corporate giveaways to foreign governments. I opposed reauthorizing the bank's charter in the past for this very reason.
“The Ex-Im Bank forces taxpayers to bare the risk of loans to private firms and is plagued by corruption and mismanagement. Furthermore, Congress requires 20 percent of Ex-Im’s loans go to small businesses, but Ex-Im consistently failed to meet this statutory requirement. In reality, only 0.009 percent of America’s small businesses received any help at all from Ex-Im. American businesses are strong enough to compete on their own, without taxpayer-funded subsidized financing.
“When elected into office, I promised the hard-working Americans in my district and across the country that I would fight to create jobs, support small business growth, and eliminate fraud and waste in our government and its programs. My vote against reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank stands firm in those promises, and I will continue upholding conservative principles for the betterment of our great nation and its people.”
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