Chairman Reed Addresses U.S. Conference of Mayors to Discuss How EXIM Can Empower U.S. Businesses to Increase Exports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2020

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Washington, D.C. – President and Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Kimberly A. Reed addressed mayors from across the country today at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) 88th Winter Meeting, outlining how EXIM can support American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports and empowering businesses in their communities. More than 280 mayors are attending the annual USCM event held in Washington.

In her comments, Chairman Reed highlighted how EXIM partners with private-sector commercial lenders and insurance brokers nationwide to deliver financial products and services that can help U.S. companies of all sizes successfully compete around the world.

Chairman Reed also updated the mayors on EXIM’s historic seven-year reauthorization, which passed Congress with bipartisan support and was signed into law last month by President Donald J. Trump. This reauthorization provides certainty and stability to American workers and businesses that EXIM is fully open for business, and it gives clear direction to focus on economic and national security challenges from China.

“EXIM is focused entirely on the American worker and on finding ways we can support businesses in communities seeking to export their ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ products in an increasingly competitive global marketplace,” said Chairman Reed. “To fulfill this mission, I am committed to reforming EXIM and protecting the American taxpayer as we work to keep America strong. In addition, we also received clear direction from Congress to compete with China, which I take very seriously.”

Chairman Reed was joined in the discussion by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Joe Semsar and Atlantic Council Adrienne Arsht Latin American Center Director Jason Marczak.
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The three-day conference was presided over by USMC President Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan. With more than 85 percent of Americans living in U.S. metropolitan areas, the USCM is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today.

Chairman Reed’s prepared remarks can be accessed here on EXIM’s website.

ABOUT EXIM BANK:

EXIM is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports American jobs by providing competitive and necessary export credit to overseas purchasers of U.S. goods and services. A robust EXIM can level the global playing field for U.S. exporters when they compete against foreign companies that receive support from their governments. EXIM also contributes to U.S. economic growth by helping to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. In recent years, approximately 90 percent of the total number of the agency’s authorizations has directly supported small businesses. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt.

For more information about EXIM, please visit www.exim.gov.