What ever happened to Spencer Bachus?

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Spencer Bachus

For over 20 years, Birmingham-native Spencer Bachus represented Alabama’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1993 to 2015. At one point he was even the Chairman of the prestigious House Financial Services Committee.

In 2013, during his 11th consecutive term, he announced his retirement from the House saying he felt it was time to allow others to serve.

“It is an honor that I never dreamed could have been possible for me and the words ‘thank you’ are far from adequate,” Bachus told POLITICO. “But as Ecclesiastes 3 says, to everything there is a season and I feel in my heart that now is the time for me to announce this decision and allow others to have the opportunity to serve.”

Bachus has been out of the headlines the past few years, until April 2017 when President Donald Trump tapped the former Congressman for a four-year term to serve as a Board member of the Export-Import Bank.

During his tenure as chairman of the Financial Service Committee, Bachus was a known supporter of the controversial bank and supported its re-authorization. He even once said the bank “is available to help those small businesses compete and win in the global marketplace.”

But Bachus has yet to assume the role as he, and other Ex-Im nominees, wait on the U.S. Senate for approval.

In December, nearly eight months after his nomination, the Senate Banking Committee finally approved Bachus and three other appointees, allowing their nominations to be considered on the Senate floor. But that’s yet to happen.

The bank is waiting for confirmation of at least three board members in order to resume its daily functions and approval of loans and guarantees above $10 million, which would allow the U.S. to resume export financing for major projects such as commercial aircraft, power turbines and chemical plants for the first time since June 2015.