MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Business Council of Alabama President and CEO William Canary today issued a statement praising the announcement by the Trump Administration that the president would fill two vacancies on the agency’s five-member board. The two vacancies have prevented the bank from having a quorum and being able to approve loans more than $10 million, a threshold that affects both large and small businesses.

“On behalf of the Alabama business community, we profoundly thank President Trump for recognizing that the Ex-Im Bank is a vital tool needed to keep American exports moving and to maintain our competitiveness with other nations,” Canary said. “A fully operational bank will level the playing field for American manufacturers and the nearly 90 small and large businesses in Alabama fighting to compete overseas. We commend President Trump for moving forward with the nomination process, and we urge the Senate to take swift action on the president’s nominees.”

The BCA has long been a supporter of the bank and was active in pushing for the bank’s long-term charter renewal, hosting numerous Ex-Im events in Alabama, signing support letters to Congress and joining more than 650 other Ex-Im Bank users and suppliers from across the country in the nation’s capital to let our elected representatives know the value of Ex-Im financing.

Besides leading the charge to keep the playing field level, the BCA works alongside our partners – the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the Exporters for Ex-Im Coalition – urging Congress to help preserve jobs.

The Business Council of Alabama is Alabama’s foremost voice for business. The BCA is a non-partisan, statewide business association representing the interests and concerns of nearly 1 million working Alabamians through its member companies and its partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama. The BCA is Alabama’s exclusive affiliate to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.