CEOs Urge Passage of Competitiveness Bill
The CEOs of some of the biggest U.S. chip manufacturers urged Congress Wednesday to pass a China competition bill as a means of boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing, according to Bloomberg.
“Chips on the table”: “‘We have put our chips on the table to help the U.S. regain process technology and manufacturing leadership,’ Pat Gelsinger of Intel Corp. told the Senate Commerce Committee. ‘We are slated to break ground in Ohio this year. I challenge Congress to find a path forward on CHIPS Act funding before then. I want to go bigger and faster.’”
- The NAM has been urging Congress to pass the House’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and the Senate’s America COMPETES Act, which include the CHIPS provision.
- Legislators are still working to resolve the bills’ differences so they can send a final bill to President Biden, a move not likely to happen before the end of May, according to Bloomberg.
Need for speed: “‘China is spending 80% of their dollars on commercialization,’ Committee Chair Maria Cantwell said. ‘This is about whether we take the next generation of technology and get it deployed faster and remain on the leading edge. And if we don’t, then all that manufacturing is going to go somewhere else.’”
Bipartisan support: The legislation has support from both Republicans and Democrats, with some holdouts, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
The NAM says: “The NAM remains engaged at the highest of levels with both the administration and leaders in Congress in support of this critical competitiveness legislation,” said NAM Vice President of Government Relations Jordan Stoick. “From CHIPS funding to the creation of a new supply chain resiliency program, which would support manufacturers, among other priorities, getting this bill across the finish line will advance American manufacturing leadership on the global stage.”