Post submitted by Aaron Rodriguez, former  Rapid Response Deputy Press Secretary 

Today, HRC announced its opposition to Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Garrett as President of the Export-Import Bank. Garrett is the second Trump-Pence nominee with a significant anti-LGBTQ record shamelessly chosen to replace an openly-LGBTQ public servant.

“Scott Garrett is not qualified to be the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. It makes no sense to appoint someone to lead an institution he does not believe should exist,” said David Stacy, HRC Government Affairs Director. “Among many House Members with anti-LGBTQ records, Scott Garrett managed to stand out for his extreme positions on the inclusion of LGBTQ people in our country. The Trump-Pence administration continues to dispatch anti-LGBTQ officials to all levels of government and Garrett is simply another disgraceful agent in their crusade against equality. We urge the Senate to reject his nomination.”

In 2015, Garrett pushed for the exclusion of openly LGBTQ candidates and refused to support the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) because it “actively recruited gay candidates and supported homosexuals in primaries.” Garrett’s stance  hateful remarks led to HRC to call for his removal as subcommittee chair in the House Financial Services Committee.

Scott Garrett served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently earning a score of zero in HRC’s Congressional Scorecard. During his time in Congress, Garrett voted against hate crimes protections for LGBTQ people, against the repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, refused to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and he twice voted in favor of writing discrimination into the U.S. Constitution by banning marriage equality.