Published in Last Word
Stephen Rubright, vice president for Congressional Affairs at the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im), met with members of ACEC’s International Committee this week to discuss the status of reauthorization efforts in Congress prior to the September 30th deadline.
House Republican leaders have targeted the Bank for elimination by letting the current authorization expire at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2014. ACEC is working with business coalition allies to support the Bank’s reauthorization, and has urged Member Firms to contact their lawmakers. Click here for more information and to access a sample letter.
Rubright noted that, if supporters of the Bank are unable to secure passage of a reauthorization bill prior to September 30th, there may be an effort to include a short-term extension in a larger “continuing resolution” to fund government operations into the fall. Should Congress fail to act, he said that the Bank would still be able to maintain support for existing loans, but would not be able to consider new applications.
Also appearing before the committee was Janet Phillips, deputy chief for security assistance at the Corps of Engineers, who discussed potential business opportunities for Member Firms through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and related programs. The Corps anticipates that a variety of projects overseas, including water, roads, environmental remediation, geospatial, and project/construction management, will require private sector support.
“The gathering this week was very timely,” said Committee Chairwoman Carol Bell of Stanley Consultants. “We learned valuable insights on business issues and opportunities that will be very helpful going forward.”
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