Shelby Blocks Democratic Efforts to Vote on Export-Import Bank Nominee

(Morning Consult, Washington, 9 June 2016) The Obama administration’s nominee for the Export-Import Bank’s board of directors became the latest pawn in the ongoing floor fight between Senate Democrats and Republicans over executive nominations. On Thursday, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) blocked an an attempt by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) to call a vote on the nomination of J. Mark McWatters to serve on the export credit agency’s board. Heitkamp’s request marked the latest effort by Senate Democrats to bring stalled nominations out of committee and directly to the floor — all of those attempts have been blocked by Republicans. GE also announced on June 1st that Welland, Ontario, would be the new home of its Waukesha, Wis., facility, following Congress’s failure last summer to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, and that they intend to use Canada’s export-financing entity to pursue new business.