[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 7, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Kimberly A. Reed

  Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I am very honored to offer my support 
today for Kimberly Reed to be President of the Export-Import Bank of 
the United States. I think the Presiding Officer is very proud, too. We 
are both proud that the first woman to lead the Ex-Im Bank will also be 
the first West Virginian.
  As a former West Virginia small business owner, I know this is an 
engine for economic growth and long-term stability and prosperity. It 
is truly beneficial for those businesses to reach broader markets and 
new customers. Rural states like West Virginia have a lot of talent and 
a lot of great businesses, but we need to make sure these companies are 
hitting global markets and building in sales and supporting more jobs 
here at home.
  The Ex-Im Bank creates jobs and helps businesses, both big and small, 
to sell their products overseas at no cost--I repeat, at no cost--to 
the Federal Government, in addition to providing loans and other forms 
of credit. The Bank can also help with market research and to identify 
potential buyers and distributors of products in foreign countries. It 
is like having your own reconnaissance team, PR team, and a sales 
force, everything wrapped up into one.
  In 2014, I invited the former Ex-Im Bank Chairman, Fred Hochberg, to 
West Virginia. Since then the Bank has worked with 14 West Virginia 
businesses throughout the State, providing $11 million in loans to 
support $18 million in exports. The people in West Virginia had no idea 
of the opportunities that a small business person would have with the 
Ex-Im Bank. They had no idea how to get into foreign markets. They 
didn't have any idea about the collections process or the legal 
expertise in that arena. This helped them immensely.
  I know Kimberly wants to do the same thing for our State and for 
small businesses across rural America.
  I can state that Kim's West Virginia roots shaped her to be the 
leader she is today. Growing up in Buckhannon, WV, and graduating from 
West Virginia Wesleyan College and West Virginia University, Kim checks 
all of the boxes for the best and brightest our State can offer. Every 
West Virginian will know what it means when I say that she was a Golden 
Horseshoe awardee and a Governor's Honors Academy graduate.
  She hasn't lost sight of those roots, either. She continues to serve 
on the Wesleyan board of trustees and has worked with West Virginians 
every step of her career, whether it was as the senior adviser to the 
Secretary of the Treasury or the head of the Community Development 
Financial Institutions Fund.
  Kim exemplifies bedrock Appalachian values, and her deep commitment 
to serving her Nation through the House of Representatives and the 
Department of Treasury is a true testament to her character. I have 
always been proud to call her a West Virginian, and I know that I and 
the Presiding Officer will be proud to call her the President and 
Chairwoman of the Ex-Im Bank.
  I urge my colleagues to support Kimberly Reed to lead the Export-
Import Bank of the United States.
  Thank you, Madam President.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.