WASHINGTON D.C. — Not just manufacturers, but also agriculture, could be negatively impacted if the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is allowed by Congress to dissolve.

There’s mounting opposition in Con-gress to renewing the charter that would extend the life of the bank despite the billions of dollars provided to American exporters of manufactured goods and crops. EXIM extends financing to producers for selling their products to overseas buyers, along with credit insurance and loans to foreign purchasers of U.S.-made and -grown goods.

Overall, EXIM has helped American firms export $234 billion in products since 2007, according bank data.

Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat from Granger, is urging his colleagues to renew the charter, saying it must occur by June 30 or it will expire on Sept. 30. During a June 17 teleconference, Donnelly was dumbfounded at growing opposition, particularly from Republicans, to the bank created in the 1980s during the administration of GOP President Ronald Reagan – whom he said hailed it as "contributing in a significant way" to the U.S. economy.

Donnelly said since its inception EXIM has always been renewed, thanks to strong bipartisan support – but this year its renewal may be kept from the House floor for a vote after gaining approval earlier this month in the Senate. Such an outcome would place the exports of some U.S. manufacturers in jeopardy from the inability to obtain financing and insurance coverage on foreign orders.

He said more than 85 percent of the transactions approved by EXIM in 2014 involved small businesses, which the U.S. Small Business Administration says provides the majority of American jobs. He also pointed out other major countries such as Canada and China have their own export lending agencies, and failure by the United States to extend its own credit assistance program would place manufacturers here at a competitive disadvantage.

"We must work together not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans, to help our economy to continue to grow," said Donnelly.

Phil Abbott of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University said EXIM has more of an impact on manufacturers – including those that make parts for the agriculture industry. Growers, on the other hand, have the option to use the Foreign Agricultural Service, which many farmers take advantage of to finance the sale of crops overseas.

"The outcry I’ve seen has been in general mostly has been about manufacturing, not agriculture," said Abbott.

According to the bank’s website, the agency supports the sale of agricultural commodities and consumables, such as grain and soil additives, through its Short-Term insurance program. Financing assistance is available for the export of livestock through one of the bank’s short- or medium-term products.

EXIM is used extensively by U.S manufacturers and suppliers of new and used agricultural equipment, according to the website. The range of equipment benefiting from EXIM’s support has ranged from small items such as disc harrows to more complex machinery such as seeders and combines.

The bank is also able to help with financing in areas ranging from the export of greenhouses to individual growers to the development of large-scale integrated meat processing facilities.

In northern Indiana, Sullivan Pala-tek, manufacturer of industrial air compressors, has seen its exports nearly triple to 20 percent of its business over the past four years from EXIM’s assistance in financing product sales overseas.

Bruce McFee, chair and CEO of the company in Michigan City, said the biggest help from EXIM is extending credit on large orders that can take up to two months to ship and making sure customers placing orders have solid credit histories to avoid defaults.

Without such assistance, he said orders would be lost from cash having to be paid up front, which is not financially possible in many cases, especially in developing countries. Cash transactions are also difficult to manage, he said.

"The impact to us would be immediate," said McFee, who since 1994 has owned the company, which expanded in 2007.

Nineteen of the 46 senators voting were against renewing EXIM’s charter, which over the years has enjoyed nearly unanimous support. Opponents argue the bank is a tool for a handful of politically connected, large corporations including Boeing, General Electric and Caterpillar. They cite statistics that show about 30 percent of EXIM’s transactions benefited airplane manufacturer Boeing in 2013.