EX-IM BANK/NOMINATION/SCOTT GARRETT: “A long-brewing fight over former Rep. Scott Garrett’s candidacy to lead the Export-Import Bank, an agency he has twice voted to shut down, will come to a head this week when he testifies in front of a Senate panel reviewing his nomination.
President Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Mr. Garrett, a New Jersey Republican who served seven terms in the House before losing last November, has revived an internal GOP debate over the Ex-Im Bank’s effectiveness. Industry groups that benefit from the agency, which provides financing for U.S. exports, are pressuring lawmakers to oppose him.
Mr. Garrett is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday, where he faces wavering support from Republicans and opposition from Democrats. Republicans hold just one more seat than Democrats on the panel and at least two Republicans—Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Mike Rounds of South Dakota—have signaled they are undecided. Without a majority, his nomination can’t advance to the full Senate, a committee spokeswoman said.”
-Kristina Peterson and Byron Tau, “Donald Trump’s Ex-Im Bank Nominee, a Longtime Critic of Agency, Faces Senate Test,” The Wall Street Journal online, Oct. 31, 2017 05:30am