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Paul LePage on Free Trade

 

 


Make Maine more competitive vs. fierce global competition

We must keep our young people in Maine. Recently, I asked some Bowdoin College students, "What can we do to keep you here?" One of them was Gregoire Faucher. Comment ca va, Gregoire? Ca me fait plasir de vous avoir ici ce soir. Unfortunately, Gregoire hears more about job prospects in Boston or New York or even New Hampshire than right here in Maine. He wants to stay in Maine. But he may have to leave to find higher-paying jobs and better opportunities.

Recruiting job creators to come to Maine is not easy. The global competition is fierce. Investment capital goes where it is welcomed and stays where it is appreciated. Since we took office, we have made Maine more competitive.

Source: 2014 State of the State speech to Me. legislature , Feb 4, 2014

Reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank.

LePage signed Letter on Ex-Im Bank

Press release on Letter from 31 Governors to House Republican leaders:

We urge you to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) before its charter expires this year. In its role as the official export credit agency, Ex-Im is a vital export finance tool for exporters in our states, at no cost to American taxpayers.

Ex-Im allows our companies and workers to compete on a level playing field against our competitors. Without Ex-Im financing, US firms would have lost many sales campaigns to their overseas competitors.

Reauthorizing Ex-Im is the right thing to do for our economy, companies and workers. 41 GOP lawmakers and 865 business organizations have called for the charter's immediate renewal. And, House Democrats have already introduced legislation to reauthorize the bank. Speaker Boehner, it's time to act; quit jeopardizing the nation's economy and American jobs.

Argument in opposition from FreedomWorks:

    Top Ten Reasons to Let the Export-Import Bank Expire
  1. It Has Outlived Its Purpose: In the 2010s, US exports have been setting record highs--they don't need government help.
  2. It Lets Government Pick Winners and Losers
  3. Its Risky Loans Put it in Danger of Needing Taxpayer Bailouts
  4. It Costs Taxpayers Money Annually, thanks to government accounting gimmicks
  5. Most of Its Funding Goes to Big Corporations Who Don't Need the Money
  6. It Lets Foreign Corporations Undercut US Competitors
  7. It Only Benefits a Few States, but Every State Bears the Costs
  8. It Is Prone to Corruption (like whenever you involve the government in handing out money)
  9. There Are Better Ways to Help US. Manufacturers: the government should lower and simplify the tax and regulatory burden US companies face.
  10. It Is Unnecessary. The Ex-Im Bank cannot justify its continued existence. It's also one of the easiest programs to retire, as its authorization expires in September 2014 if Congress simply does nothing.
    Source: Letter from 31 Governors 14_Lt_ExIm on Jul 15, 2014

    Support long-term reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

    LePage signed Letter from 26 Governors to Congressional leadership

    As governors of states whose economies and workforces depend on exports, we strongly urge Congress to support legislation that provides for the long-term reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) before its charter expires on June 30, 2015. The Ex-Im Bank is a crucial tool that both small and large businesses use to compete fairly in the world market, increase their exports, stimulate job creation, and contribute to the growth of our states' economies.

    As the official export credit agency of the United States, the Ex-Im Bank assumes the credit and country risks that private sector lenders are unable or unwilling to accept, and without it, U.S. firms would lose many sales to overseas competitors. The Ex-Im Bank allows our companies and workers to compete on a level playing field against international competitors who receive extensive support from their own export credit agencies.

    In 2014, the Ex-Im Bank supplied more than $20 billion in financing to support approximately $27 billion in exports. In that same fiscal year, the Ex-Im Bank supported more than 160,000 American jobs. And the overwhelming majority of the Ex-Im Bank's transactions--nearly 90 percent--assisted small businesses.

    The Ex-Im Bank is financially self-sustaining, and operates at no cost to hard-working American taxpayers. In fact, in fiscal year 2014 alone, the Ex-Im Bank returned approximately $675 million in deficit-reducing receipts to the U.S. Treasury.

    Last year, Congress reauthorized the Ex-Im Bank [for one year]. It is essential that both chambers act again, this time to pass a long-term, multi-year reauthorization.

    Source: Letter from 26 Governors to Congressional leadership 18LTR-EXIM on Apr 14, 2015

    Other governors on Free Trade: Paul LePage on other issues:
    ME Gubernatorial:
    Alan Caron
    Eliot Cutler
    James Boyle
    Janet Mills
    Kenneth Capron
    Mary Mayhew
    Michael Michaud
    Mike Thibodeau
    Shawn Moody
    Susan Rice
    ME Senatorial:
    Angus King
    Betsy Sweet
    Chris Lyons
    Eric Brakey
    Janet Mills
    Sara Gideon
    Susan Collins
    Susan Rice
    Zak Ringelstein
    Gubernatorial Debates 2021:
    NJ: Incumbent Phil Murphy(D)
    vs.State Rep. Jack Ciattarelli(R)
    vs.Candidate Hirsh Singh(R)
    vs.GOP Hair Doug Steinhardt(R)
    VA: Incumbent Ralph Northam(D,term-limited)
    vs.A.G. Mark Herring(D)
    vs.State Sen. Amanda Chase(R)
    vs.Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax(D)
    vs.State Rep. Jennifer Carroll Foy(D)
    vs.State Rep. Lee Carter(D)
    vs.Former Governor Terry McAuliffe(D)
    vs.State Sen. Jennifer McClellan(D)
    vs.State Rep. Kirk Cox(R)

    Gubernatorial Debates 2022:
    AK: Incumbent Mike Dunleavy(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    AL: Incumbent Kay Ivey(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    AR: Incumbent Asa Hutchinson(R,term-limited)
    vs.Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin(R)
    vs.Trump Adviser Sarah Huckabee Sanders(R)
    vs.A.G. Leslie Rutledge(R)
    AZ: Incumbent Doug Ducey(R,term-limited)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    CA: Incumbent Gavin Newsom(D)
    vs.S.D.Mayor Kevin_Faulconer(R)
    vs.Former Gov. nominee John Cox(R)
    CO: Incumbent Jared Polis(D)
    vs.Mayor Greg Lopez(R)
    CT: Incumbent Ned Lamont(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    FL: Incumbent Ron DeSantis(R)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Val Demings(? D)
    vs.Former Gov.Charlie Crist(? D)
    GA: Incumbent Brian Kemp(R)
    vs.Minority Leader Stacey Abrams(D)
    vs.Senate candidate Shane Hazel(L)
    HI: Incumbent David Ige(D,term-limited)
    vs.State Rep. Andria Tupola(R)
    IA: Incumbent Kim Reynolds(R)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Cindy Axne(? R)
    ID: Incumbent Brad Little(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    IL: Incumbent J. B. Pritzker(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    KS: Incumbent Laura Kelly(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    MA: Incumbent Charlie Baker(R)
    vs.Harvard Professor Danielle Allen(D)
    vs.State Sen.Ben Downing(D)
    MD: Incumbent Larry Hogan(R,term-limited)
    vs.State Rep. Robin Ficker(R)
    vs.State Rep. Peter Franchot(D)
    vs.DNC chair Thomas Perez(D)
    vs.RNC chair Michael Steele(? R)
    Gubernatorial Debates 2022 (continued):
    ME: Incumbent Janet Mills(D)
    vs.Former Gov. Paul LePage(R)
    MI: Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    MN: Incumbent Tim Walz(DFL)
    vs.Mayor Mike Murphy(R)
    NE: Incumbent Pete Ricketts(R,term-limited)
    vs.U.S.Senator Bob Krist(R)
    NH: Incumbent Chris Sununu(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    NM: Incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    NV: Incumbent Steve Sisolak(D)
    vs.A.G.Adam Laxalt(? R)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Mark Amodei(? R)
    NY: Incumbent Andrew Cuomo(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    OH: Incumbent Mike DeWine(R)
    vs.Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley(? D)
    OK: Incumbent Kevin Stitt(R)
    vs.State Sen. Ervin Yen(R)
    OR: Incumbent Kate Brown(D,term-limited)
    vs.Gov. nominee Bud Pierce(R)
    PA: Incumbent Tom Wolf(D,term-limited)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Lou Barletta(? R)
    RI: Incumbent Gina Raimondo(D,term-limited)
    vs.Lt.Gov. Dan McKee(D)
    vs.Secy.Matt Brown(? D)
    SC: Incumbent Henry McMaster(R)
    vs.State Rep. James Emerson Smith(? D)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Joe Cunningham(? R)
    SD: Incumbent Kristi Noem(R)
    vs.State Rep. Billie Sutton(? D)
    TN: Incumbent Bill Lee(R)
    vs.Senate nominee Marquita Bradshaw(? D)
    TX: Incumbent Greg Abbott(R)
    vs.U.S.Rep. Allen West(? R)
    VT: Incumbent Phil Scott(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    WI: Incumbent Tony Evers(D)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
    WY: Incumbent Mark Gordon(R)
    vs.Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss(D)

    Gubernatorial Debates 2023:
    KY: Incumbent Andy Beshear(D)
    vs.Former Gov. Matt Bevin(? R)
    Senator Rand Paul(? R)
    LA: Incumbent John Bel Edwards(D,term-limited)
    vs.Biden Adviser Cedric Richmond(? D)
    vs.Senator John Neely Kennedy(? R)
    MS: Incumbent Tate Reeves(R)
    (no prospective opponents yet)
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    Page last updated: Mar 02, 2021