Senator Maria Cantwell’s Epic 19-Chart Stand for the Export-Import Bank

Floor Charts
Jul 11, 2014 · 3 min read

(Alternative Title — How To Sell People On Your Program)

This week, I’m focusing on the avalanche of charts — all 19 of them — that Senator Maria Cantwell’s team brought to the floor in support of the Export-Import Bank.

“We have people here in the United States Congress who don’t have the good sense to know how valuable this is.”

First, start with the big picture. Billions of dollars and millions of jobs.

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Then enlist a little help from our business friends in Georgia.

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And then a shout-out to Florida.

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And hop to the Midwest for a helping hand from Wisconsin.

And who can forget Texas?

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She really likes Texas.

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“There are actually 4,355 different companies in the state of Texas that are involved in the supply chain through the Export-credit agency.”

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And hey, Ohio is in on it, too! More than 1,700 businesses, including Hartzell Propeller, benefit from the agency.

Next, make it personal with a quote from Joe Brown, president of Hartzell Propeller.

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Whew! That’s a lot of states. Now to space…

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AEROSPACE

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“There is a demand for 35,000 airplanes for the next 20 years.”

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For example, Gulfstream supports about 13,000 employees. They need the bank to help “win in the international marketplace.”

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But wait! Gulfstream actually sells product to China, too!

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But really, this is about manufacturing. Competitive manufacturing.

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And financing. They are a bank, after all.

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I might have led with this chart — because hey, who doesn't love a good “What the hell am I looking at,” moment?

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Now that we’ve cleared that up. Let’s feed the ‘but it costs too much’ beast.

And there you have it. Read her full speech here, or watch it on my favorite video archive, C-SPAN.

Until next week,

Charts guy.

I Love Charts

Charts, cartoons, visual humor and neat stuff. 

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