Rubio: Don’t attach Ex-Im to highway bill
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Thursday said he opposes attaching an amendment that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank to a transportation funding bill.
The Republican presidential candidate has emerged as a top critic of the bank in the Senate, along with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), another presidential candidate who also opposes attaching Ex-Im to the bill.
{mosads}“I strongly oppose any effort to attach a reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank to a highway bill,” Rubio said in a statement. “The bank’s charter has expired, and it should stay closed for business. Congress should reject any effort to resuscitate it by attaching a reauthorization to a highway bill or any other ‘must pass’ bill being considered.”
The bank’s charter expired June 30. Supporters are hoping the bank will be reauthorized as part of a bill that would extend federal highway funding, which will expire at the end of July.
The business community argues that the bank’s financing of overseas projects helps sustain jobs. Conservatives, backed by the Tea Party, say it is a form of “corporate welfare” for big businesses such as Boeing.
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