Sen. Sinema Promotes Export-Import Bank

By Bret Jaspers
Published: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 - 6:20pm
Updated: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 - 6:21pm
Bret Jaspers/KJZZ
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (right) and Kimberly Reed, chairwoman of the Export-Import Bank.

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is promoting a bill to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. 

The bank is really a federal agency that gives loans and insurance to foreign buyers of U.S. goods.

For several years, it didn’t have enough board members to approve large transactions. Critics in the Senate call it corporate welfare or say giving loans isn’t the government’s role. 

Sinema disagrees.

“Sometimes I’ve had colleagues of mine who say we shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers. And I say we should absolutely be in the business of picking winners,” she said on a trip to a Phoenix manufacturing company. “Because that’s the American standard. Is to have the best employees manufacture the best products and sell them to places all around the world.”

The bank’s authorization expires in September.