April 27, 2012 3:30PM 

# House Republicans—Including ‘Tea Partiers’—Support Ex-Im 

By [Sallie James](https://www.cato.org/people/sallie-james) 

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A group of 30 House Republicans, including a few members who ran as Tea Partiers according to [this article by *CQ*](http://www.cq.com/doc/news-4070953), have sent a [letter](<http://www.clubforgrowth.org/assets/files/Conservative-Letter-ExIm-Reauthorization_4.26.12.pdf >) to the House Republican leadership calling for the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. (I’ve written [here](https://www.cato.org/publications/trade-policy-analysis/time-x-out-exim-bank) and [here](https://www.cato.org/publications/free-trade-bulletin/expanding-exims-mandate-is-big-mistake) on why that’s a bad idea.) Their names are right there at the bottom, folks.

The signatories trot out the usual talking points in support of the bank, including the [pretty easily debunked line that it “returns money to the U.S. Treasury,”](http://economics21.org/commentary/critics-export-import-bank-have-new-weapon-their-disposal-fair-value-accounting) and plenty of mercantalist nonsense. I wonder which part of the limited government, free market philosophy supposedly guiding the Tea Party movement would justify a government agency that acts as financier to some of the largest corporations in America?

##### Related Tags 

[Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Trade Policy](https://www.cato.org/trade-policy), [Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies](https://www.cato.org/herbert-stiefel-center-trade-policy-studies) 

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