McConnell Gives Poster Child of Corporate Welfare a Pass

There is nothing more rare in Washington than the opportunity to shutter the doors of a profligate federal agency. Thus the prospect of ending the wasteful and corrupt Export-Import Bank is even more enticing. Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has just handed the Democrats another gift that could possibly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for Republicans and reauthorize the poster child of corporate welfare.

In an irony of all ironies, McConnell was giving away political favors last week to Democrats willing to join him to…pass one of Obama’s biggest legislative priorities, Trade Promotion Authority and dubbed by others as Obamatrade for the special privileges granted to the potential trade deal. Irrespective of one’s views on trade in general, the idea that Republicans would expend political capital to pay off Democrats in order to help pass one of Obama’s top priorities is absurd. Yet, that is exactly what McConnell did when he promised Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) a vote on the reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank charter in exchange for her and a contingent of Democrats agreeing to vote for cloture on Obamatrade last Thursday.

McConnell has refused to negotiate or fight vigorously to allow votes on conservative priorities, but he is willing to surrender the one impending victory against corporate welfare in order to bail out Obama from troubles with his own party! Even more troubling, at a time when McConnell has blocked conservatives from offering amendments, even those that are germane to pending legislation, he is abdicating his authority as Majority Leader to set the Senate to Cantwell next month by allowing her to file cloture on a bill reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank. And according to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), this non-germane bill will be attached to the eventual highway bill, which is regarded by the Washington political class as “must pass legislation.” This will make it very difficult for conservatives to block the bill. And to top it all off, McConnell is doing all this while he claims to oppose the Export-Import Bank.

Republicans can pocket a victory that would shrink the size of government by simply doing nothing and allowing the Bank’s charter to expire, but McConnell, in order to help Obama, is willing to forgo that victory. The entire purpose of winning back the Senate when lacking 60 votes to affirmatively pass legislation is to control the floor and block liberal initiatives from coming to a vote. With every Democrat and many establishment Republicans potentially supporting Ex-Im’s reauthorization, allowing Cantwell control over the floor will ensure the passage of this handout to Boeing and General Motors – at a time when conservatives are working overtime to re-establish the Republican Party as a free market beacon for all.

McConnell’s double game is so infuriating because there has never been more momentum behind eliminating the charter of this corruption-laden federal entity. In addition to the conservative leaders in the House, the ranks of those who want to see Ex-Im expire include Reps. Jeb Hensarling, Paul Ryan, Steve Scalise, and Kevin McCarthy. Why can’t McConnell just take yes for an answer?

Sadly, McConnell doesn’t share conservative policy goals so naturally he has no qualms about sabotaging this impending victory over big government. In fact, he supports the big government cronies pushing for the Ex-Im Bank.

While McConnell works on his new memoir, The Long Game, he ought to include a lengthy chapter titled: The Double Game. (See “McConnell Gives Poster Child of Corporate Welfare a Pass”, originally posted HERE)

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