No ‘secret’ Ex-Im vote, says Boehner aide

The office of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is denying that the House Republican Conference will hold a “secret” vote on whether to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

When asked whether there would be a private GOP conference vote on Ex-Im, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel replied: “No.”

{mosads}The Tea Party group Heritage Action, which has often clashed with GOP leadership, on Thursday issued a statement saying the House Republican Conference “is expected to hold a secret internal vote to determine the future of the Export-Import Bank, which is scheduled to expire in just 75 days.”

Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham denounced the alleged plan and said the bank’s “future should not be decided by a secret ballot.”

“Silence perpetuates the status quo and empowers the well-connected special interests in Washington,” Needham said. “Constituents deserve to know if their representative stands with Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren or with conservatives all across the country.”

Republicans are deeply divided on the bank, which conservative groups say should be abolished.

Prominent Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Texas) — the chairman of the Financial Services Committee that has jurisdiction on the issue — oppose the bank, arguing its financing is a form corporate welfare.

Democrats and some Republicans say that the bank helps sustain U.S. jobs by allowing businesses to compete against foreign competitors like China in emerging markets.

Lawmakers must vote to extend the bank’s charter by June 30 or it will shut down.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Thursday that he will allow for the upper chamber to vote on Ex-Im’s reauthorization, despite his personal opposition to it.

But the bank’s future in the House remains uncertain. If Hensarling doesn’t move a bill through his panel, leadership would have to go around his committee if they chose to bring up a bill reauthorizing the bank.