EX-IM BANK/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is giving former Rep. Scott Garrett a chance to save his nomination to lead the Export-Import Bank just weeks after the president privately questioned the appointment amid intense pushback from business groups.
The New Jersey Republican’s confirmation has been in doubt for months amid concern about his record in Congress, where he led efforts to try to kill the bank and took positions on LGBT issues that unnerved his corporate backers.
An administration official said Trump has ‘given Garrett an opportunity’ to try to prove he can secure enough votes in the Senate. The president has underscored his support for Garrett in conversations with conservative lawmakers, a second administration official said…
At stake in the fight are the agency’s loan guarantees for foreign buyers of U.S. exports and whether the bank will continue to be hamstrung by a lack of board members needed to approve deals.
Republicans and Democrats who support the Ex-Im Bank have problems with Garrett’s nomination. If Democrats are unified in trying to block his confirmation, he could not afford to lose more than two Republican votes. At least three GOP senators who back the agency appear to be on the fence about his appointment.”
-Zarchary Warmbrodt and Andrew Restuccia, “Trump gives Ex-Im pick a chance to rescue nomination,” Politico, Aug. 2, 2017 07:54pm