Republican lawmakers clashed behind closed doors on Wednesday over whether to take up legislation to revive the Export-Import Bank in the coming weeks.
The discussion centered around efforts to force a vote on the legislation through a discharge petition, a parliamentary move that requires 218 signatures. Export-Import Bank proponents said last week they believe they can find enough signatures to force the vote to revive the bank, thanks to both Republican and Democratic support.
But Republican leaders told their rank-and-file to hold off on such a move, and lawmakers leaving the meeting said it seems the matter might have to wait until the election of a new House speaker, scheduled for Oct. 29.
“It’s contentious,” said Rep. John Fleming, R-La. “Now that we have the speaker’s election pending, that is not likely to come up. I think there is going to be a pushback that this really shouldn’t happen while we are waiting to elect a new speaker.”
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who is stepping down on Oct. 30, said he does not support forcing a floor vote and said the Export-Import Bank reauthorization should be handled by the House Financial Services Committee.
But the chairman of that panel, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, is a staunch opponent of the bank, which he has labeled a form of corporate welfare benefiting giant companies such as Boeing.
Hensarling’s opposition was instrumental in forcing the expiration of the bank on July 1.
“I believe the best way to deal with this issue is for regular order in the Financial Services Committee,” Boehner said. “There is still time for the committee to act.”
Rep. Steven Fincher, R-Tenn., said last week he plans to file a discharge petition with the House clerk that would trigger a vote on reauthorizing the bank. The petition would first require 218 signatures before triggering a waiting period before a vote.
“There are those who want to do the discharge petition and those who argue we should go through the authorizing committee, so it’s more a discussion about process, but obviously opinions about Ex-Im drive that,” Fleming said.
