U.S. Export-Import Bank: Actions Needed to Promote Competitiveness and International Cooperation

摘要

The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im), the United States official export credit agency (ECA), helps U.S. firms export goods and services by providing a range of financial products. Ex-Im, whose primary mission is to support jobs through exports, has a range of policy requirements, including support of small business. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Arrangement governs aspects of U.S. and some foreign countries' ECAs. GAO examined (1) Ex-Im's mission and organization compared with ECAs from other Group of Seven (G-7) countries (major industrialized countries that consult on economic issues), (2) Ex-Im's policy requirements compared with other G-7 ECAs, (3) Ex-Im's domestic content policy compared with other G-7 ECAs, and (4) the OECD Arrangements role in governing ECA activities. GAO recommends (1) that Ex-Im conduct a systematic review to assess how well its domestic content policy continues to support Ex-Ims mission, and (2) that the Department of the Treasury, with Ex-Im and international counterparts, develop strategies for further engagement on export credit issues with emerging economy countries.