HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Several area companies, including one in Hutchinson, could be affected by a decision from Congress whether to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank before its charter expires in September.

According to an article in Thursday’s business section in the Wichita Eagle, the Ex-Im Bank was established in 1934, and later expanded in 1946, to promote trade with the Soviet Union, and other countries.

Advocates claim that Ex-Im’s providing of loan guarantees to foreign-owned companies and foreign governments benefits both large and small businesses by encouraging foreigners to buy American products and services by subsidizing export financing. But questions of whether the Ex-Im bank really works have come up and congress is talking about doing away with the longtime program.

Several area corporations, including Mega Manufacturing in Hutchinson, are on the list of small local businesses that rely on the Ex-Im bank. Others in the area include water filter manufacturer United Industries in Sterling, Bradbury in Moundridge and ICM fuels in Colwich. Many feel the Ex-Im bank favors businesses while hurting tax payers with its estimated $2 billion price tag over the next ten years. Another matter is that the bank is not just helping small business like it was meant to do, but others like Boeing and several other large corporations.

The Ex-Im bank has also been the target of numerous legal matters due to corruption in the system.