This Week in Congres

This Week in Congress

The U.S. House is in from Tuesday to Thursday. Right now, the only scheduled rules bill is H.R. 4863, which reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank and renames it the United States Export Finance Agency.

The bill also makes changes to the Agency, including establishing an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion as well as an office to promote renewable energy.

The bill also prevents the Agency from doing business with:

(A) The People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China.

(B) The Ministry of State Security of the People’s Republic of China.

(C) Those included on the Denied Persons List or the Entity List maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce.

(D) Those included on the Nonproliferation Sanctions list maintained by the Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation of the Department of State.

(E) Those included on the Arms Export Control Act debarred list maintained by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls of the Department of State.

(F) Those included on the Specially Designated Nationals List, Foreign Sanctions Evaders List, Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List, Palestinian Legislative Council List, List of Foreign Financial Institutions Subject to Part 561, or Persons Identified as Blocked solely pursuant to Executive Order 13599 maintained by the Office of Foreign Asset Controls of the Department of the Treasury.

(G) Any person who has paid a criminal fine or penalty pursuant to a conviction or resolution or settlement agreement with the Department of Justice for a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the preceding 3 years.

(H) A person who, in the preceding 3 years, appeared on—

(i) the Section 337 injunction list maintained by the United States International Trade Commission, if the person is subject to an exclusion order; or

(ii) the Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress by the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator in the Executive Office of the President, if the person was convicted in any court

It also prohibits funds for any loans to persons who committed “sanctionable activities.”

Export Financing is one of the biggest corporate welfare scams going. The vast majority of its budget goes to support big business-like Boeing at the expense of the taxpayer.

Campaign for Liberty members should call their Representative at 202-224-3121 and tell them to oppose H.R. 4863.

For more on this, see this column by Campaign for Liberty Chairman Ron Paul.

The House may consider another continuing resolution, as the current one expires on December 21, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committee will begin negotiating on a final appropriations bill tonight. (Note: the budget deal approved this summer set total spending bills but specific allocations for each separate appropriations bill still has to be officially agreed upon.)

The House will also consider a number of suspension bills, including:

H.R. 4625—Requires universities that accept funding for veteran students under the GI Bill to provide students with information regarding total costs of tuition, graduation rates, how much the student loan will be, and job placement rates.

H.R. 4356—Allows someone whose spouse has been killed or critically injured in combat to shut off cable, internet, and phone service even if the accounts are not in their name.