Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, who represents Washington and thus Boeing, just won a guarantee of a vote in June on reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that subsidizes U.S. exports, primarily Boeing jets.
Cantwell had made it clear this week that she would vote against cloture on Trade Promotion Authority unless she was assured a vote on reauthorizing Ex-Im. As the vote was going on just around 11 am this morning, McConnell was huddled on the floor with three of Ex-Im’s fiercest advocates, Cantwell, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democrat Patty Murray of Washington — all three senators with large Boeing manufacturing presence in their states.
After the huddle, all three walked up and voted for cloture, pushing TPA past 60.
A leadership aide tells me that McConnell promised Cantwell that he would allow Ex-Im reauthorization to be introduced as a floor amendment “on an amendable vehicle in June.”
McConnell, who opposes Ex-Im, had already said he wouldn’t block a vote on Ex-Im. But if Cantwell is allowed to stick it on a piece of must-pass legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act, this deal could make it easier to pass Ex-Im through the House where both the majority leader and the relevant committee chairman are intent on letting it die.
