so many people, mr. speaker, have said, oh, that's not going to happen. we can't get there. it happened. it happened in the 1980's. it happened in the 1990's. we can do this. we are a blessed land, mr. speaker. and in western pennsylvania, we see that. we're having a big debate right now with respect to the president's greenhouse gas emissions and there's testimony being taken across the country, including in pittsburgh. the president promised in 2008 when he was running for his seat, quote, electricity rates will necessarily sky delem rocket. no single person should have the authority to impose a policy on a country that would cause electricity rates to necessarily skyrocket. that's why the rains act is so important. that's why senator reid has to move the rains act to the floor

of the senate. to have this congress have a voice. to have -- our constitution has an executive branch, a legislative branch and a judicial branch. the legislative branch is where those policy decisions should be made. i yield to the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: i'm looking at the orthern route approval act poster you have got. it says 434 days that that bill has been in the senate. and what has confused me, you are a new member in this body. i have only had a voting card for three years. i know it is a collaborative process, but as i look at that, does it mean that we have sent over a proposal to expand energy production to make those family providing jobs that you mentioned?

and the senate didn't like our idea and so they sent us back a different proposal and we dropped the ball? is that a possibility? >> mr. speaker, the gentleman from georgia is asking questions about what is happening on the senate side. they are simply not acting. 241-175. 434 republicans in this house. there are democrats voting for this bill. there is almost universal support for keystone xl. the president could allow it to go forward and thousands of jobs are in the waiting. thousands of jobs where people would be paying social security tax and medicare tax, increasing the supply of north american energy being able to be refined in this country, which means american jobs defining that. it's not coming up.

these are the questions that i think people -- we get phone calls all the time from our constituents and it's important that constituents call their members of congress. who are their employees? we are the employees of the american people. the senators are the employees of the american people, because they pay our paychecks. hard-earned tax dollars are what fund paychecks for the senate and house of representatives. we are the employees of the american people. we welcome phone calls from our bosses out there and need to be calling their employees and saying why aren't you approving the xl pipeline. why aren't you approving the rains act. t one person should make a decision. turn off the lights in coal mipes and factories because the frieses are going too high. when the president would say

that electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket and you are thinking of starting a plant, opening up a plant and looking at that, that's a cost. if the income doesn't exceed the costs, that factory isn't going to get built. so there are folks across the country, entrepreneurs who want to get things going, they want to hire people. but then they look at the costs, and no. we are going to put our money elsewhere. we need people investing in this country because that's what is going to cause this country to boom again. and look at some of the tax bills that we have passed out of the house which languish in the senate. where is the xl pipeline? i can't answer that question that the gentleman from georgia has. but i think maybe the senators could answer that question if their bosses, the people who pay

their salaries, would call them. i yield to the gentleman. mr. woodall: the gentleman said it so well. this isn't about one person or one chamber or one part of the government. we are in all of this together. families in western pennsylvania and north georgia, we are in this together. we will rise or fall as a nation together. and i go back to what you said when you first took the well. there are so many awful stories about washington, d.c. and the way that we work together. some of them are true and many of them are just lure. but my staff handed it to me fter you said it, that about 254 of the 536 bills that are -- 356 billssenate at are stuck in the senate

when i think about this stack of bills, it would be so easy for those to dismiss it as crazy republican ideas and this is a political stunt why are those guys talking about those bills and it's because what you said, 60 of these bills introduced by democrats, passed this chamber. 254 of these bills stuck in the senate passed with 2/3 of us coming together to send them over to the senate.

and we have an obligation to work together. the answer to the question about the 434 days, the senate hasn't said no. the senate hasn't said we have a better idea, send this back to you. the senate didn't say you are focused on the wrong pathway and look at a different approval. the senate did nothing. mr. rothfus: you raise a good point because the way the process is supposed to work, one side of our capitol, the house will pass the bill or maybe the senate will pass a bill and there might be a slightly different bill passed out of the chamber and the two sides come together in conference and there is some compromise. prior to coming to conference, i had a job in negotiating contracts and your client said whatever you do, get a and b but you understand that the other

side has come in and been told by your clients make sure you get c and d in that contract. the two you get together and negotiate -- 100%? you never do. that's negotiating. that's life. here, we have passed these bills, we are waiting to negotiate. they aren't even acting. and i go back to the appropriations process what has fundamentally broken. house and senate only four times since 19 7 getting this job done by september 30. that's a scandal. everybody knows in this country that april 15 is an important date. you can't call the i.r.s. and say can i get a continuing resolution on that? can i have three weeks. the gentleman from georgia pointed out that i have two of my young children with me, we know the tuesday before labor day, school starts. can i call the school and say,

we're not ready. can i have a continuing resolution on that summer to get three more weeks to get ready. it shouldn't happen. the spending bills will be passed whether through a continuing resolution that will extend it to december or january or february or march. why can't it get done by september 30? but if the other side of the congress, the senate hasn't passed any, where can you even gin to have that negotiation between the two different ideas of what's in those bills. we would love to negotiate with senator reid. i think you pointed out the skills act, which again the house passed some 13, 16 months ago. took a while for the senate to get going, finally did. passed the water resources and reform act last summer and got

it together with the senate and got it done. and we passed the temporary patch for the highway trust fund that we sent over to the senate. the senate has some other ideas, so they are making some changes. but this is the process that is supposed to work. they aren't even moving, mr. speaker. i yield back to the gentleman. mr. woodall: i think about those seven appropriations bills. we have gotten 12 out of committee and passed seven on the floor of the house. we have sent those over to the senate. i don't know if the senate is going to take our ideas, reject this is or come up

#stuckinthe senate. it's not all my way or your way or anyone's way, it's a negotiated pathway forward and when i ran for congress, that's what i expected or my constituents sent me here. mr. rothfus: would the gentleman yield? it isn't my way or the highway, but if you have one part of this congress, the senate not even acting, what is the communication there? it's no way. it's no way. we invite the senate to act. we invite the senate to come and start to talk about the keystone xl pipeline and thousands of jobs that are waiting and talks about the rains act and the alert act, to require the bureaucrats in this wealthy and powerful capitol to take a look

at the regulations that they are putting out and making an assessment whether those regulations are going to hurt wages or jobs. i talked to people who are capped at 29 1/2 hours. their hours -- they can't get above 30 hours, mr. speaker. so we passed legislation that again sits in the senate. we need to boom this economy again. that's how you pay for the critical programs that we have. we have to use the god-given resources we have in this country, yes, prudently, responsibly, there are ways to do that. we have made tremendous progress over the last 50 years. i'm from pittsburgh and talked about you had to bring two shirts to work because by noon, your shirt would be dirty. we are making tremendous progress with the environment.

i have another bill that i'm trying this house to move so we can send it over to the senate to help that progress continue h.r. 3138. and i hope to get this house moving. but we have to get the senate to ookt. i yield back. mr. woodall: i thank my for focusing on those commonsense points. i open up the newspaper and what hear it's about partisan nonsense, election year politics, when we are talking about over 350 bills, when we are talking about 60 those of bills being introduced by democrats but passed with republican and democrat support and 250 of those bills being passed with more than 2/3 vote. what it tells me we are not in the business of trying to make a point, we are in the business of trying to make a senate

difference and if we had a willing partner in the senate, we could absolutely make that difference. i would like to yield to my friend from indiana, former secretary of state, which has the executive side of things and had to be responsible forgettings things done and that's my frustration, i just need someone to stand up and be a partner and take responsibility in trying to make a difference in people's lives. >> i thank the gentleman. the gentleman is right. we need leadership. eaders are supposed to lead. in terms of the stack, this in of work that are sits harry reid's, senate majority leader's in-box, you realize what leadership isn't. and that's a real problem.

if my constituents, mr. speaker i that pile in my in-box, don't know how much longer i would last. and i wonder what the citizens, voters and taxpayers of nevada think at this point. i thank the gentleman for yielding because as chairman of the subcommittee on early childhood elementary and secondary education i rise to discuss the importance of improving education in my country and the house has done excellent work in that regard. we understand that parents, teachers and school administrators are all too aware that the current state of our education system threatens the american dream for the current and future generation of students. i know we want to create a better world and better life for our young students. it is as much a part of our american exceptionalism as the freedom that allows us to pursue the american dream. and to our credit, frankly, when

american citizens see what's not being done in the senate, they can look to the house for some greatness that had bin accomplished in terms of righting what is wrong on education. we are not faring well on the international education stable. we trail far behind in reading and math behind other countries. we are not competing to win in a 21st century world. the comical irony of that, if it wasn't just so plain sad, would be that the american education system is failing the students that its most passionate advocates claim to want to help. you could argue that while we aren't universally successful our best and brightest rival anyone else in the world and our leading institutions will continue to keep us afloat but i would say to the gentleman

from georgia, mr. speaker, the america that i know, the america that i believe in, the america that my constituents and i think americans across the country believe in, doesn't include a two-tier system. we want everyone to have an equal opportunity. we want everyone to only be limited by the capacity of their dreams. and at the subcommittee level what we call k through 12 education, in a broader sense at the education work forest committee and on the floor of the house, we have done some things to right that ship, as i explained. one of those bills passed the house was h.r. 10. success and opportunity through quality charter schools act. this was a bipartisan bill that this on 5-9-14, just year. the vote tally, mr. speaker, 360-45.

it's been in the senate for 82 days. 360-45. that is a huge bipartisan -- one of the biggest bipartisan victories we've had on the floor of the house. this is a charter school bill. it's school choice. i believe charter schools, like the majority of the people on the floor of this house, believe, that they play a critical role in creating educational options for all children. charter schools encompass two key principles american families want from our nation's education system, choice and flexibility. these innovative institutions will empower parents to play a more active role in children's education, open doors for teachers to pioneer teaching methods, and help students escape poor-performing schools. why do we want to continue to shackle students to

poor-performing schools and give them no choice, take away that equal opportunity for them to be successful? this bill, mr. speaker, this bill now sits on harr -- in harry reid's in box. across the nation, charter schools are leading the way in nnovation and improving school outcomes. school, rict, tinley expects every child to have a llege acceptance letter upon college graduation. no matter their background. their curriculum and focus has helped 100% of their students, to date, gain acceptance into college. this bill sits awaiting action in the senate.

not leadership. i yield to the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: i would like to ask my friend, because, serving on the committee you have an insight most of us don't have, i'm looking at those numbers, 360 members of this house voting yes. that's more than you need to pass a constitutional amendment for pete's sake. that's about as close to unanimous as we generally get. and i'm looking, hasn't been -- it hasn't been in the senate a week or two weeks, it's been there almost three months so far. what have they said? have they said, we've got a better idea, they sent back an alternative to the committee? what have you heard? >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. i would love at this point to say, we have a better idea, we're going to take it up. we'll show you. i take that as progress, sir. this is what we've heard. silence. yield back.

mr. woodall: these are not partisan issues. education is not a partisan issues. children are not partisan issues. votes with 360 members of this body, this is the hyper partisan house, so the news tell me, and two bills right there in front of you, making a difference in people's lives, could make that difference to -- today and yet it does -- the senate does nothing. i've been preaching the stuck in the senate hash tag message because i still believe, i told folks when we start this hour, this is a good news, bad news hour. the good news is, i'm sitting on a stack of 365 bill this is house has passed in a bipartisan way. the bad news is, they're stuck in the senate. but i believe that perhaps you and i can't move the senate as young congressmen but i believe the american people still can move the senate.

mr. rokita: i think the gentleman is right. if the american people show the senate that the american people care, as we know they do, this is still the home of the free. this is still an open republic. it is still we the people who are in charge. and we can make the change happen, we show the quote-unquote leaders of this country that we care. yield back. mr. woodall: i thank my friend, there are folks who get wrapped up in the partisan issues of the day and folk who was committed themselves to finding willing partners wherever those partners may be and what i have seen of you in our three years of working together is that you came here to do things that mattered and whoever you have to partner with, however late you have to work, however early you have to get up, whatever you have to do, if this job is worth doing it's because it's

making a difference in people's lives. it may be the mid western values night. we've been joined by the gentleman from illinois who has been a true champion, mr. speaker. you didn't have the great pleasure of coming in in this big freshman class of 2010 but what was so neat about it, to me, showing up at freshman orientation, i met these guys for the first time, met my democratic colleagues for the first time and when we talked about why we came here, couldn't tell the difference teen the two. american people sent a crowd of folk here's to do the things that mattered. the gentleman from illinois is one of those great partners. i'm happy to yield. >> i want to thank my good friend from georgia for hosting this hour. so important to talk about what really matters to people, our constituents, hardworking families, who are just trying to make it through, to get by and have hope for a brighter future. mr. speaker, i rise tonight

troubled over an email i received from a constituent of mine. jessica from lake in the hills, illinois, wrote me with concern about her current economic condition. she's a single mother with two teenagers but like many americans recently lost her job amidst the slow economic recoughry. of course she's greatly concerned about providing for her children now that her main source of income has dried up. as gallup recently confirmed, many americans like jessica are having to spend more on item they was to buy and less on itells they choose to buy. mr. hultgren: this mandatory squeezing is -- spending is squeezing out everything else in their budget. the rising cost of basic necessities like groceries, gas, and utilities for middle class families like jessica's smothers them as the cost of day-to-day living goes up and up. at the end of the month there's little left over for them to choose to buy something for their home, for their families, or for themselves. this is heartbreaking and frustrating because the house has passed legislation to lower

energy prices, create jobs, improve work-life balance and do many other things to help people. energy prices are an ever-present concern for americans who drive their kids to school, commute to their jobs, cool their homes, run their manufacturing plans or harvest their crops. the house passed lowering gasoline prices to fuel an american that works act. it would do just that. cut prices at the pump by opening new federal lands to energy development. the small business capital access and jobs preservation act would grow main street jobs by reducing regulatory burdens on american businesses. the working flexibilitying at would help workers manage work-life balance. that's especially crucial for families like jessica's, who are stretched thin between care for their families and working to earn a living. the house also acted on behalf of veterans. when our service men and women

return home the last thing they should have to worry about is unemployment. it's our duty in congress to ensure that there are jobs available for our veterans. but the employer mandate and the president's health care law has discouraged many small bys from hiring more workers at a time when our economy is still struggling to recover. h.r. 3474, the hire more heroes act is common sense legislation that relieves the employer mandate burden on businesses who want to hire veterans. just astounding to me that the senate refuses to take up this legislation that would help our veterans. still, i do have hope. i have hope that we can work across the aisle to help address the problems of the middle class. that's what the american people sent us here to do just this month, the house and senate passed and the president signed the work force innovation opportunity act, h.r. 803. h.r. 803, the skills act which helps reform and modernize our federal jobs training programs.

by 2022, our country will lack millions of skilled workers with degrees beyond high school such as paralegals, welders, radiology technicians and police officers. federally funded job training programs help americans of all working ages gain the knowledge and skills necessary to re-enter the work force, retrain for new jobs or increase value to their employer. when people in my home state of illinois have given up looking for work, our communs need the tools necessary to match available jobs with available and trained workers. h.r. 803 will help put local work forest investment boards in the driver's seat to tailor their services to build the local jobs of the 21st century. it also streamlines a confusing maze of programs and ensures the business community's voice is heard, putting businesses above bureaucrats. at the same time, it ensures we

have strong accountability over the use of taxpayer dollars. h.r. 803 is a good example of when regularred orer is followed and both sides agree to talk and worned -- and work out their difference the house can pass important legislation. we've also passed the permanent income -- internet tax freedom act, the bill i co-sponsored that permanently prevents states and local governments from taxing internet services. taxing the onramp to the internet is just bad policy. it hurts lower income families the most and penalizes americans for communicating with family or looking for a job online. again this bill passed with strong bipartisan support. in the science committee, we passesed, recently passed the rainey act which will help the strong manufacturing base in illinois and across the country. the bill creates a network of nationwide regional institutes, each specializing in the production of a unique technology, material, or process relevant to advanced

manufacturing. small and mid sized manufacturers can expand their research and development capabilities and train an advanced manufacturing work forest. the senate also introduced a companion bill and i trust the act will become law soon. when it does come down to it, i truly believe we can all agree on about 80% of the issues facing this nation. building relationships and working on common goals can help us address the other 20% without being divisive. but where does this leave middle class families right now? they're still finding their paychecks don't go as far as they used to go. energy pries are still high and groceries aren't getting any cheaper. more than 3350 -- more than 350 bills are stuck in the senate. many of those would help americans get back on their feet again. we don't need political posturing, we need real solutions for hardworking individuals and families.

let's help families like jessica's and get these bills passed through the senate now i yield back to my good friend from georgia. mr. woodall: i thank my friend. it is exactly that commitment to working together, to make a difference that i think folks long for in this place. that's exactly what you have there in h.r. 803. that's one of our success stories. you first came to the floor to support that in march of 2013. the reason we're able to call this success is because the senate got around to dealing with it in june of 2013, over a year, could have been making a difference in people's live. i'm thrilled we are now making that difference but we wasted a year. the family you talked about, a family trying to decide what tomorrow will look like doesn't have a year to twhafmente internet tax freedom bill you discussed just come out of this body this summer. that's something the senate could take up immediately, as

you said, came out of here with wild bipartisan support, it could begin to make a difference tomorrow. mr. hultgren: i agree with you and familiar list -- families like jessica are not looking for something to be given to them but looking for hope and that's the lemmings that we passed legislation like this makes sense. s i travel of my district, western suburbs of chicago, as i talk to people who want to start up small businesses, i ask them, i would love for them to hire 20 more people, i ask what would it take for you to hire one more person and over and over again it's things that deal with themes that cause us to struggle. they continue to provide a great

product or service, serve their customers. if they could just have an opportunity. if government can get out of the way. their fear is uncertainty coming out of washington, d.c.,, high taxes, increases in taxes and so much regulation that's out there and now the high cost of health care. we have taken some commonsense steps as my good friend has pointed out, so many of these votes have been strong bipartisan votes. people on both sides of the aisle, co-sponsors, getting this done with well over 300 votes and yet it languishes in the senate, 356 bills stuck in the senate. it's about time we get that moving. families like jessica's and other families want that will help and want us to get out of the way and have the senate act. i thank my good friend from georgia and i yield back. mr. woodall: i thank my friend. he is such a great leader,

bringing voices together is that skill set that sometimes this institution lacks. this isn't a partisan stunt. 356 bills republican, sit in the senate right now that if the senate moved them could begin to make a difference in the lives of american families and i want to tell you about those bills. 98% of them passed with a bipartisan vote. 98% of these bills passed with a bipartisan vote. 254 of these bills passed with either no opposition or 2/3 support. almost 200, no opposition at all. 60 introduced by my democratic

colleagues. making a difference for america is not a partisan exercise, mr. speaker. but it is a say credit trust. i'm so -- sacred trust, i'm so proud this house moving forward on these bills to make a difference. i know we can work together to encourage harry reid to do the same. i know our friends across the country, the bosses of the united states senate, can encourage the senate to do the same. this country is thirsty for leadership. i'm proud of my colleagues on both sides of the house for providing it. i look forward to partnering with the senate and the president to move these bills into that difference-making position for those families across this country. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 201, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. waters, for

30 minutes. ms. waters: thank you very much, mr. speaker. today we have democrats on the financial services committee here where we have gathered on the house floor to talk about the export-import bank which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and levels the playing field so that american businesses, large and small can compete successfully in the global markets. tomorrow, speaker boehner and the republican leadership will leave town for a five-week congressional recess and legislation to renew the export-import bank hasn't even seen a vote in our committee. when we return in september, there will be just 10 legislative days to renew the bank before its charter lapses on september 30.

this ideological push to abolish the exim bank is an irrational crews aid to destroy an agency that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and propels economic recovery without costing taxpayers a dime. the result could be the end of an institution that over the past five years has supported 1.2 million private sector american jobs and over 200,000 jobs last year alone. additionally, the exim bank reduced our national deficit by returning over $1 billion to taxpayers last year alone through interest and fees. still, critics of the bank say it is a risk to taxpayers, that it picked winners and losers and

that it interferes in the free market and therefore creates a less efficient economy. and for all of those reasons, it should be abolished, they say. but first, let me say, this notion that there is such a thing as pure free enterprise that, if left to its own devices, would flourish without -- with total efficiency and self-discipline and allocate resources and spread risks in such a way that accrues to the benefit of everyone in society. this notion of just pure free enterprise simply doesn't exist. in fact, one of the lessons we learned from the recent financial crisis is that markets must be embedded in systems of governance. the idea that markets are self-correcting, many of us thought, had received a mortal blow. regardless of the outcome,

republicans have already created uncertainty for thousands of american companies trying to compete against businesses in china, korea and across europe, all of which had their own version of the exim bank. mr. speaker, i would like to enter into the record a letter from mr. steve wilburn, c.e.o. f firm green, who lost $57 million in contracts because of uncertainty surrounding the future of the exim bank. at this time and before sharing this information with you, i'd like to yield to the gentlelady mrs. beatty.

mrs. beatty: mr. speaker and thank you to congresswoman maxine waters. mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of the export-import bank and current legislation h.r. 4950, to re-authorize the bank introduced by my freshman colleague and fellow financial services committee member, congressman heck from washington. the export-import bank has been helping united states businesses of all sizes sell their products around the world for over 80 years. but despite the bank's proven track record of creating jobs, helping american businesses compete globally and reducing the federal deficit, a faction of house republicans want to close the door of this important federal agency forever. mr. speaker, shutting down the export-import bank makes no sense to me and it makes no sense to my constituents. in my congressional district,

ohio's 3rd, 10 companies, including six small businesses have grown because of export-import bank. these businesses have been able to expand sales internationally and create jobs locally because of the export-import bank. earlier this month, i received a letter from c.e.o. of majestic paint, a manufacturer in my district. in his letter, he writes, quote, normally, we would not write in context of washington cross current about the bank. however, it would be unfortunate if the congress cannot reach a responsible bipartisan re-authorization of its work to encourage commerce for american-made products abroad and to help expand u.s. employment from sales beyond what is available on the home front, end of quote. mr. speaker, this is just one of many letters i have received from affected constituents.

i have heard from a young man who works at international risk consultants, a columbus-based company that provides guidance to small businesses to exports imly. he writes, quote, the exim bank offers solutions that work for small businesses that cannot find alternatives in the private market, end of quote. he closes his letter in this way. i think quote, perhaps the most devastating effect of not re-authorizing the exim bank will be visited upon the many firms that never began exporting, but would, if they were introduced to exim bank solutions. mr. speaker, congress should not allow an extreme faction of the republican conference to execute an ill-conceived and destructive bank.o close exim my constituents deserve better

and the people of ohio deserve better and the american people deserve better. i urge the house republican leadership to bring h.r. 49, a bill with over 200 co-sponsors to the floor so we can keep the export-import bank operating and most importantly keep americans working. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. ms. waters: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the record on the topic of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. waters: mr. speaker, and members, i would like to again nter a letter from steve

wilburn, c.e.o. of firm green who lost a contract because of uncertainty surrounding the future of the exim bank. i'll read you excerpts of his letter. mr. wilburn attended the panel and last month we invited him to be one of our democratic witnesses at a house financial services committee hearing on the exim bank. he is among the best witnesses we have ever had at a hearing and in his letter, he explained that firm green's export potential has been directly affected by the uncertainty of re-authorization of exim bank, u.s., and the aggressive finance terms offered by the korean exim bank. attached to his letter is another letter from a company in the phillipines, green energy

solutions, informing him that his business lost a $57 million contract. the letter begins, and i quote, dear mr. willburn in view of the uncertainty re-authorization of the exim bank and finance structure you proposed had become problematic. we made the decision in may this year not to proceed with your project offering. mr. wilburn goes on to say, in summation, as a combat decorated veteran, small business owner, job creator, exporter and concerned citizen, i believe we should not unilaterally disarm and abandon the very governmental agency that allows u.s. manufacturers and other u.s. exporters to fairly compete n the world's trading stage.

the main criticism of the bank i'd like to discuss right now is the assertion that the bank is the embodyment of corporate welfare, benefiting a handful of large companies which they claim represent crony capitalism. last april, again, i held a anel on the ex-im bank which included a number of small business owners. they came to washington to discuss their work with the bank and how the bank helped their companies compete in the global marketplace. every one of those panel members were extraordinarily decent people. hardworking business owners who create jobs and pay taxes and have families and a civic sense of duty. this is why i'm so offended by this label of crony capitalists that critics like to attach to uses of the bank. those of white house know what it's like to live behind a label understand how they work.

once you're able to put a label on something or to someone and it sticks, then you can be done with them. and if enough people can be convinced that customers of the ex-im bank are crony capitalist, well, there's nothing left to do but get rid of them. it's so important to note that while a good amount of the bank support goes to large company the vast majority of ex-im transactions, nearly 90%, help small piss. in fact, if the ex-im bank were abolished today it would affect small and medium-sized businesses just as much or more s large exporters. perhaps more given the distinct challenges and risks small businesses face when looking to export. moreover, large u.s. exporters that benefit from high dollar values of ex-im financing also have large domestic supply

chains which consist largely of small and medium sized businesses that benefit indirectly but it is very important -- indirectly but in very important ways from ex-im support. at this time, i would like to enter into the record excerpts from breck manufacturing and hancen engineering. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. waters: this is a letter from mr. gregg lay, vice president of hanson engineering, i'll read this letter first from hanson engineering. hanson engineering company is one of many small businesses in the south bay area of los angeles, california that is dependent on boeing contracts to support the business. 90%, he reads, he says, of our

contracts, support boeing aircraft, either directly or indirectly, but our prime aerospace countries throughout the -- companies throughout the world. my company staffs of moes who live -- 60 employees who live in the south bay and depend on the support of boeing for the well being of their families. without the re-authorization of ex-im bank it would be impossible for us to have a big impact on the health of our businesses. -- our businesses and its employees and their families. next, we have the letter from breck manufacturing. breck manufacturing company is a small business in california with 170 employees. we have a critical interest in sales of boeing commercial aircraft. the export-import bank plays an important role as intermediary in the sale of these aircraft this letter is to express our

support for the ex-im bank as it is key to securing additional sales of boeing commercial aircraft he goes on to say, our representatives, who support the military, should also be concerned with the ex-im bank because of the role it plays in supporting jobs and companies like ours, both large and small, across the country. he further states, we supply critical aircraft, structural components which are key to successful safe air transport and air defense. there are many others like us who represent thousands of high-skilled, well-paying positions with good benefits. please express our support for the ex-im fwoonk your colleagues. we're counting on them to do the right thing and support american manufacturing jobs. at this time, i'd like to yield to the gentleman from washington. mr. heck. who is a leder with the bill that is re-authorizing that

would re-authorize the ex-im bank if we can get the support from the opposite side of the aisle that we need. thank you. mr. heck: i thank the ranking member of the committee very much, mr. speaker. i'm going to offer four elegant, simple, straightforward reasons why it is so critically important that the u.s. congress re-authorize the export-import bank prior to its expiration on october 1 and they are simply as follows. the export-import bank creates jobs, helps small businesses, it promotes fiscal responsibility, and it advances economic growth. with respect to jobs, it's already been cited that in the last five years alone, the export-import bank is responsible for the creation of other a million jobs. 205,000 jobs in just the last year. but here's what's not been said. export-related jobs in america pay 13% to 18% more than nonexport jobs. society doesn't just create

jobs, it creates good jobs. it helps small businesses. 90%, nearly, of all transactions of the export-import bank are with small businesses. to put a fine point on that last year, it was 3,413 small businesses. businesses like pexco in washington which makes traffic signs to promote safety in construction, recently sold $125,000 a small order by any measure, to the netherlands. only one entity would guarantee payment because no one else could collect across international borders, and that entity, of course, was the export-import bank. stack, another veteran owned business in sumner. eight employees. they do exporting. they're going to hire three new employees on the basis of their international sales. but you know what is incredibly frustrating for somebody who comes from the private sector

is frankly the woeful deficiency in understanding because the small business support that the export-import bank provides does not stop with direct loans and loan guarantees to small businesses. because big businesses buy goods and services from small businesses as well. the greatest airplane maker in the world, boeing airplanes, uses 15,000 businesses in their supply chain and 6,600 of them are small piss. -- small businesses. i was recently on an alaska flight from sea tack to national airport in washington, d.c. -- from sea tak to national airport in washington, d.c., and a friend of mine, eric han was a few seats behind me as everyone was getting their luggage, shoving it in the seats, he said, danny you see this? he was pointing at the plastic

between the overhead bins, he said, we made that. general plastics has 185 employees, another small business. the export-import bank promotes fiscal responsibility. it's been more than a generation since there was any red penny supporting or subsidizing the export-import bank bank in the wake of reforms made in the reagan yores. more than one billion transferred to the u.s. treasury. if we deauthorize the export-import bank, our deficit is going up. finally the export-import bank promotes growth. let me give you a series of facts. we cannot change these facts by wishing them away. fact number one. 95% of the consumers in the world live outside our borders. 95%. plus, actually. another fact. since 1980, global trade has increased something like

five-fold. five-fold. let me give you another fact. if we in america want co-keep our middle class, we better learn how to sell to the growing middle class throughout the world. the export-import intank an outstanding tool to do that. america's economy is projected to grow by only about 2.4% a year over the next four years. do you know what the shame of that is? the shame of that is, it's not fast enough to absorb even the kids coming out of high schools and post-secondary education and colleges. we simply have to grow this economy faster. and there is no better way than to participate in the exploding global economy. every developed nation on the face of the planet has an export credit authority. in fact, about 60 in all. theirs are larger than ours. either in absolute dollars, or in terms of a percentage of

their gross domestic product. why? why would we unilaterally disarm? why would we unilaterally disarm? finally, let me say this. right now, tonight, as we sit, as we speak, the people of china are pouring billions of dollars into the development of a commercial aircraft. they call it the c-919. they say it will be available for sale within two years. frankly, i think it's going to be longer than that, three or four or five. but whenever it is, whenever it is, they're going to create even more fierce competition for an industry that is a bull wark of america's manufacture -- a bulwark of america's manufacturing base. a bulwark. what about china's export credit authority? it's six times larger in absolute dollars than america's. as a percent of g.d.p., it's 35

times larger system of i ask the members of the house, let us not wake up 63 days from now with no export credit authority. this is the 16th time by my count we've re-authorized the bank. almost every time, by virtually unanimous support. and there are more than 300 votes on this floor to pass it if they will but bring it to a vote. in the name of jobs, in the name of small businesses, and in the name of fiscal responsibility and in the name of economic growth, let us re-authorize the export-import bank. thank you very much and i yield back the balance of my time. ms. waters: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. al green. thank you, congressman, for the leadership and the support that

you've shown for the export-import bank. mr. green: thank you, madam ranking member of the full committee. and i am exceedingly proud to be part of this effort. i want you to know that when we succeed, it will be due in no small part to the energy that you have provided to help us get this legislation through. i would also like to thank mr. heck for h.r. 4950, an outstanding piece of legislation. it extends the export-import bank for seven years. the cap to increase $175 billion. i think it's an outstanding piece of legislation and of course i'm one of the persons who is supporting it. mr. speaker, let me start by saying that the export-import bank is not one of the too big to fail institutions. it wasn't involved in the credit default swaps, wasn't involved with derivatives,

wasn't involved with no doc loans. wasn't involved in all of these exotic products that nearly caused the collapse of the economy. if the truth be told, the export-import bank was one of the reasons why the economy was able to survive. it has been thriving, it has done well, it pays for itself by virtue of the loans that it makes, by virtue of the fees that it collects, by virtue of the products it ensures -- it insure. the export-import bank makes good sense. i find no business people in my community who are in opposition to the export-import bank. it is not too big to fail and it should not be too small to save. we ought to do what we have done 16 times in the previous 80 years, and that is re-authorize the export-import bank a clean bill, an do it with very little fanfare. unfortunately, that is not the circumstance that we confront

presently. unfortunately, there are persons who believe that the export-import bank no longer serves a useful purpose. well it serves a useful purpose for the people in my district and the facts speak for themselves. in my district, between 2007 and 2013, in the ninth congressional district, we had a total of 88 export importers. had 39 small businesses, 13 minority-owned businesses, 14 women-owned businesses. we are proud of these businesses owned by women because we still contend that when women succeed, america succeeds. the export-import bank is on the agenda to help women succeed. i would add that there are businesses that have indicated that they are supportive and i have a letter from the company in houston, the style of it is the south coast products company. i just shall read an excerpt

from their letter. i have many letter to read but i shall pick a few and just read excerpts this one reads, and it's addressed to the honorable maxine waters, we are a small manufacturer in texas that exports thread and valve lubricants, primarily to the oil and gas industry. we have used export-import bank's export credit insurance for 13 year. -- years. during that time, our export business has grown by a factor of 15 because of the security offered by our policy with export-import. i shall go to the last paragraph which reads, please, emphasize to your colleagues that ex-im bank is not corporate welfare. this is a business. a business that has written this to us. or a charity of any kind. it facilitates u.s. exports especially for small businesses like us, while support