U.S. lawmaker sees easier road to Ex-Im shutdown in 2015

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican majority in the U.S. Congress next year will make it easier to shut down the Export-Import Bank when its charter comes up for renewal in June, a senior Republican lawmaker said on Tuesday. Paul Ryan, the next head of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he backed fellow Republican Jeb Hensarling's push to close the export lender, which provides help to U.S. exporters and overseas buyers of U.S. products, such as Boeing planes. "We should reform welfare for businesses," he told reporters. "With the new majority coming in, I think we’ll have more people ... subscribing to the view I just mentioned." (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Doina Chiacu)