Press Releases

WILMINGTON, Del.  — On Monday, March 27, 2023, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) hosted Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis in Delaware. The visit consisted of a moderated discussion with World Trade Center Delaware on issues related to international trade finance, supply chain disruptions including Blunt Rochester’s work to strengthen supply chains, and EXIM’s financing services and its Make More in America Initiative. After the moderated discussion, Blunt Rochester, Chair Lewis, and WTC Delaware President Carla Stone engaged in a roundtable discussion on the opportunities and challenges for Delaware businesses in utilizing trade finance services such as EXIM’s. Participants of the roundtable, which included several Delaware businesses, exporters, and importers, were able to ask specific questions about EXIM’s services.

In 2019, 128,300 jobs in Delaware were supported by international trade, representing 21.2% of all jobs in the state. In 2021, Delaware exported $4.7 billion in goods to foreign markets, a 21% increase compared to 2020 driven by continued economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Delaware exported approximately $5.24 billion in manufactured and nonmanufactured goods as well as re-exports. Since 2014, EXIM Bank has financed $35 million in exports from 9 Delaware companies.

“I am so thrilled to welcome Chair Lewis to Delaware today to engage with us about how we can best support Delaware businesses,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “For me, that means continuing my work to strengthen our supply chains, bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back to America, and help Delaware businesses learn about what resources are available to them. As the nation’s official credit export agency, EXIM’s services can help Delaware businesses grow and expand across the First State and across the globe. It was important for me to bring together Delaware businesses, World Trade Center Delaware, and Chair Lewis today to help establish new partnerships, so Delaware businesses can continue to grow, compete, and innovate.” 

“It is an honor to be in Delaware, the First State, alongside Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and the distinguished panel of speakers, business owners and community leaders who joined us for the event,” said EXIM President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis. “We are grateful to World Trade Center Delaware for convening this important discussion. Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy, and EXIM can play a key role in helping Delaware exporters level up and grow. EXIM is open for business in many sectors, and we are excited to expand our reach and help connect businesses in the region with our financing tools.”

“Small, minority, and women-owned businesses cite the lack of access to financing as a major impediment to exporting. As the state’s EXIMRegional Export Promotion Partner (REPP), World Trade Center Delaware can help EXIM reach these business owners and assist them with trade finance, credit insurance and other risk reduction instruments that will allow these companies to compete in the international marketplace,” said Carla Stone, President of World Trade Center Delaware.

Blunt Rochester supported legislation to help businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act, which helped small businesses secure pandemic relief funding to reopen their business, rehire, and retain employees. Blunt Rochester champions legislation to strengthen supply chains, such as the CHIPS and Science Act passed into law last year that included $52 million in funding for incentives to spur the domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips. Last month, Blunt Rochester, with Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), and Susan Wild (D-Pa.) introduced a comprehensive set of bills aimed at strengthening supply chains and spurring domestic manufacturing of critical goods. This includes Blunt Rochester’s Building Resilient Supply Chains Act, which would create a financial assistance program within the Department of Commerce to improve the resilience of supply chains.

World Trade Center ® Delaware (WTC Delaware) is the state’s premier international business resource. One of 320 World Trade Centers® in 100 countries, with over 15,000 employees, the WTC Delaware is Delaware’s bridge to an international community of trade experts, making it extremely agile in meeting Delaware’s need for trade assistance.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation’s official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt.

For additional photos from today’s events, please click here. 

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