#ncpol: Ellmers joins Dems in bringing Ex-Im Bank back from dead

booIt was a nasty piece of government waste and cronyism. It needed to go.  Its charter expired on June 30.  It WAS dead.  But congressional Democrats — and some Republicans — decided to carry water for the unions and the donor class by giving the bank a new lease on life.  A total of 127 Republicans joined 186 Democrats to vote YES.   ONE Democrat, Alan Grayson of Florida, sided with 117 Republicans to vote NO. 

As far as the North Carolina delegation was concerned — nominal Republican Renee Ellmers joined Democrats David Price, G.K. Butterfield, and Alma Adams to support reviving the Ex-Im Bank.  

Here’s a disgusted Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee:

[…] “The more Americans learn about the Export-Import Bank’s political lending, corruption and fundamental unfairness, the more they want it to end. That’s why we’re seeing a record number in Congress vote to end Ex-Im both in the Senate, where a majority of Republicans voted against it in July, and today in the House,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling said in a statement after the vote.

“The last time the House voted on a long-term reauthorization of Ex-Im, only 93 members voted against it. Today, 118 voted no,” he continued. “Momentum is moving in favor of those who oppose Ex-Im’s corporate welfare and instead support a competitive, free enterprise economy.”

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Stephen Fincher, R-Tenn., and faces an uncertain future in the Senate. There, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said that he will not bring a standalone bill reauthorizing Ex-Im to the Senate floor. However, McConnell did say he would accept the legislation if it were attached to another piece of legislation, such as the Highway Trust Fund.

Prior to the bill’s passage, Republicans opposing the bank and Democrats supporting it debated Ex-Im’s merits for an hour on the House floor.omgwtf

“This is going to be an important debate that we have today because it’s a debate about what type of economy are we going to have,” Hensarling said earlier on the House floor. “An economy based upon fairness, where your prosperity is dependent upon how hard you work on Main Street? Or is it dependent upon who you know in Washington?

“I respect the views of all members, but if we are ever, ever to deal with the threat of a social welfare state, we must first take care of the corporate welfare state, and the face of the corporate welfare state is the Export-Import Bank,” Hensarling, R-Texas, continued.[…]

 

We can’t even get HALF of the GOP majority to vote in favor of the free market.

Again, can someone please explain to me the importance of having a Republican majority?  I mean, when we have MORE THAN HALF of said majority that can’t agree on eliminating such a clear example of government waste, cronyism, and corruption, WHAT IS THE POINT OF VOTING REPUBLICAN??