U.S. Chamber's Donohue Receives Chairman's Award at Ex-Im Bank Annual Conference
Washington, D.C. - Thomas J. Donohue, the president and CEO of the United States Chamber of Commerce, today received the Chairman's Award from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). The award was presented at the Bank's 38th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
During last year's reauthorization, Tom Donohue highlighted how Ex-Im Bank's financing helps small and medium-sized businesses in communities across the country, said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. Tom understands the vital role exports play in helping our nation's businesses remain globally competitive and we are thankful for his support.
It's an honor to be recognized by an agency that provides such a critical service for American businesses operating in the global economy, said Donohue. Last year, pushing Congress to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank was one of the Chamber's top priorities. The Ex-Im Bank is an important engine for job creation in this country and is vital to companies of every size. The work of the Ex-Im Bank is essential to put trade opportunities in the hands of American companies and workers.
The Chamber was instrumental in educating members of Congress about the critical role Ex-Im Bank plays in supporting American businesses.
Donohue hosted the kickoff for the Bank's small-business Global Access Forums, and was one of the first people on board to help the Bank grow its small-business portfolio in an effort to meet its small-business mandate.
Ex-Im Bank's 2013 Annual Conference will feature prominent members of the business and government community including Vice President Joe Biden, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, former National Security Advisor General James Jones, Xerox Corporation CEO Ursula Burns, and Citibank Chairman Michael O'Neill. A full listing of speakers, panelists, and moderators is available on Ex-Im's website: www.exim.gov
About Ex-Im Bank
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years (from Fiscal Year 2008), Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.
Ex-Im Bank approved nearly $35.8 billion in total authorizations in FY 2012 - an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6.1 billion directly supporting small-business export sales - also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $50 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 255,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.