Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 11 | Page 22

FedEx and other shipping companies rely on Boeing products, like this 2018 ecoDemonstrator flying over Eastern Washington, to move exports to global markets For Boeing, EXIM supported more than 30 billion dollars in total export value over the past five years — and that was without a fully functional bank due to the lack of a quorum on its board. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for our 1,850 suppliers across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, many of whom are small businesses who themselves support more than 134,000 jobs in the region. If we factor in those companies, the number of small, minority, and women-owned businesses EXIM supports grows expo- nentially. Clearly, the Pacific Northwest needs a fully functional Export-Impact Bank to support all of these international trading companies. For almost four years, the bank was unable to function due to its board’s lack of a quorum. The quorum was restored earlier this year, and the bank is working to process the backlog of almost 40 billion dollars in projects that are estimated to support approximately 240,000 U.S. jobs. 22 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS EXIM is a key tool used by our region’s agriculture industry Unfortunately, the bank’s congressional authorization expires September 30, 2019. We are eager for Congress to reauthorize EXIM’s charter prior to its expiration so it can continue supporting our regional exporting cluster. To learn more about the Export-Import Bank and get involved please go to https://watchusfly.com/campaigns/multi-action-ex-im-bank/. Learn more at: www.watchusfly.com