Bernie Sanders Is GOP Ally In Opposing The Export-Import Bank

[eridani]

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/bernie-sanders-gop-ally-opposing-export-import-bank

Congressional Democrats are ramping up their attacks on Republicans for blocking the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that provides credit for foreign purchasers of U.S. goods. But their headline-grabbing criticism, which casts the GOP as job killers, puts the Democratic Party at odds with one of its leading presidential candidates: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

As a House member, Sanders authored legislation in 2002 that would have forbidden Export-Import Bank support from going to corporations that lay off more U.S. workers than foreign workers. Sanders argued that U.S. taxpayers were effectively subsidizing the offshoring of American jobs, and he noted that companies like General Electric were receiving Export-Import support even as the company shipped jobs overseas. A majority of House Democrats voted for Sanders' provision to rein in the bank, and Sanders later voted against reauthorizing the bank along with 26 Democrats.

During the 2002 debate, Sanders said that “this is an example of where progressives, such as myself, and conservatives, are coming together to protect the American taxpayer and the workers of this country in opposition to an outrageous example of corporate welfare.” That line of criticism was a mainstream Democratic position throughout much of the 2000s when George W. Bush was president; then-Sen. Barack Obama called the bank “little more than a fund for corporate welfare.”

[JackInGreen]

1. That's a mighty complex set of votes and reasons

The author doesn't go out of their way to make it clearer do they? Got a precis on that? I've read it twice and still not entirely certain what it means overall.

[jeff47]

4. "Don't give money to companies that offshore jobs" is complex? (nt)

[djean111]

2. Good for Bernie.

As a House member, Sanders authored legislation in 2002 that would have forbidden Export-Import Bank support from going to corporations that lay off more U.S. workers than foreign workers. Sanders argued that U.S. taxpayers were effectively subsidizing the offshoring of American jobs, and he noted that companies like General Electric were receiving Export-Import support even as the company shipped jobs overseas. A majority of House Democrats voted for Sanders' provision to rein in the bank, and Sanders later voted against reauthorizing the bank along with 26 Democrats.

During the 2002 debate, Sanders said that “this is an example of where progressives, such as myself, and conservatives, are coming together to protect the American taxpayer and the workers of this country in opposition to an outrageous example of corporate welfare.” That line of criticism was a mainstream Democratic position throughout much of the 2000s when George W. Bush was president; then-Sen. Barack Obama called the bank “little more than a fund for corporate welfare.”

Of course, the important thing here is that Third way-type corporatists are all FOR corporate welfare now. Thus the TPP and other corporate "trade" agreements.

And this further illustrates the folly of believing corporate candidates' campaign blather.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. ex-im was designed to help small companies.

Instead, it funds huge multi-nationals at the expense of the US taxpayer.

[Scuba]

5. Thank you Bernie!!!