Providing for Consideration of HR 3495, Women's Public Health and Safety Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Florida.
I rise to oppose the demand for the previous question so that we
might, in fact, take up the issue of a long-term reauthorization of the
Export-Import Bank.
Something has changed. This is no longer an abstract philosophical
conversation. This is a real, manifest, concrete conversation in which
people are losing their livelihoods.
I stood here last week and reported that not one, but two, satellite
sales were likely lost. A subsequent announcement by Boeing to lay off
workers in El Segundo, California, is not abstract.
I referred to General Electric announcing that it was laying off 500
people as a result of the failure of this
body to do what it has done every chance it had under every President
for 81 years, almost always unanimously.
This is no longer an abstraction. People are losing their
livelihoods, and it will continue. It continued yesterday. General
Electric announced another 350 jobs lost. They are moving them from
Wisconsin to Canada.
This is not an abstraction. This is not some ideological tug of war.
You are taking away people's jobs.
And, by the way, last week, when GE announced its first layoff of
500, the spokesman for the majority party said it was immaterial. They
dismissed it. Well, if you opened up that envelope and found a pink
slip, you wouldn't think it was immaterial.
Last week I revealed a dirty little secret. I shared with you that
the Boeing aircraft company, the largest exporter in the United States
of America, the heart of our manufacturing base, didn't make airplanes.
They don't. They design and assemble them. They assemble them with
parts made mostly in America.
Now, here is today's dirty little secret: domestic content. The
Export-Import Bank requires anything it finances to be made out of 85
percent domestic content. Made in America, 85 percent.
Now, our largest exporter, in good times, finances about 1 in 5 of
its sales through the Ex-Im. But it is countercyclical. In bad times,
it is up to 40 percent, as a consequence of that material amount that
is sold. And, by the way, 70 percent of its sales are international.
They make all their airplanes with a minimum of 85 percent domestic
content.
People, stop and think. If you do away with the Ex-Im, you do away
with the 85 percent domestic content requirement.
Boeing wants to make airplanes in America with 85 percent domestic
content.
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Mr. HECK of Washington. I know this because 2 years ago there was a
coalition formed to lobby to reduce the domestic content. Boeing left
the coalition because they want to make airplanes in America. If you do
away with Ex-Im, you do away with the domestic content requirement.
Six to 8,000 of the 15,000 businesses in Boeing's supply chain are
small businesses. They are small businesses. You are holding a gun to
the head of America's number one exporter and forcing them--forcing
them--by virtue of competitive disadvantage to look at and consider
outsourcing.
More pink slips. More people losing their livelihood. This is no
longer an abstraction. You are taking away people's livelihoods.
Yes, it is unilateral disarmament. Every other developed country on
the face of the planet has an export credit authority, every other one,
except us now.
In God's name, defeat the previous question.
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