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Port Canaveral CEO Says Defunding Ex-Im Bank Would Hurt Florida Exporters

Port Canaveral’s CEO John Walsh says defunding the federal export import bank could hurt Central Florida businesses.

Walsh and other Florida port officials met with the US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in Washington DC this week to talk about trade policy- and the export-import bank.

The bank provides US exporters with financing and credit for foreign buyers of US goods, but some House Republicans have labeled it ‘crony capitalism’ and say it should not be reauthorized. Walsh says that would be a mistake.

“I call it one tool in the toolbox, but for those who are exporters, Orbital Sciences Corportation, fertilizer manufacturers, automotive people, it’s something that assures that they get paid," says Walsh.

Walsh says defunding the bank would put those companies at a disadvantage.

He says he’ll reach out to Florida congressional representatives to reinforce the bank’s importance.