EXIM's first Black leader faces challenges on China, climate, equity

(Sherrod Brown, Washington, 10 February 2022) U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, applauded Reta Jo Lewis’ confirmation as President of the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank. Lewis was confirmed by a vote of 56-40. Lewis currently serves as a Senior Fellow and Director of Congressional Affairs at the German Marshall Fund, where she leads bipartisan efforts to strengthen transatlantic cooperation. Before joining the German Marshall Fund, Ms. Lewis served in the Obama Administration as the State Department’s first-ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs. Reuters noted that EXIM starts a new era as Lewis takes office as the first person of color and the first Black woman to lead the agency, facing challenges on competing with China’s massive export financing, climate change and racial equity.