Boeing Co.'s planned layoffs in Southern California, announced this week, have revived concerns that the aerospace industry may suffer if Congress doesn't renew its support for the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
The bank's charter from Congress expired at the end of July after House Republican leaders prevented a vote to extend it. The federal agency helps U.S. companies sell their goods overseas by providing loans and other assistance.
Conservative critics contended that the Export-Import Bank provided corporate welfare to large corporations like Boeing, the biggest beneficiary of the bank's loans and other aid, as well as the nation's largest single exporter.