Dem senator mulls tethering Ex-Im, trade

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is considering attaching an amendment that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank to the trade promotion authority (TPA) “fast-track” bill in the Senate, according to her spokesperson.

Cantwell’s amendment would reauthorize the controversial bank for five years, spokesman Reid Walker told The Hill, but additional details are still being worked out.

{mosads}It’s unclear whether any House members would use TPA as a vehicle for Ex-Im — especially given how contentious a political fight Obama’s trade policy has become.

The bank’s charter expires June 30 unless Congress votes to reauthorize it. Senate leadership has said that they will have a vote on it, but it’s unclear whether the House will take up a bill.

Republicans are severely divided about whether to renew the bank, with Tea Partyers vehemently opposing the bank as a form of “corporate welfare.”

Other Republicans and Democrats, backed by the business community, say that the bank helps provide financing to U.S. businesses that sustain millions of domestic jobs while expanding in emerging markets.

Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told CQ Roll Call on Monday that Ex-Im is “on track” to expire, signaling bad news for the bank’s supporters.

Scalise’s statements come just about one month after a spokesperson for Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) — the fourth-ranking House Republican — said she was “optimistic” the bank would be reauthorized.