The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan law on Thursday to make the United States more competitive with China by allocating billions of dollars to domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research.
The bill passed 243-187, and the Democratic Party did not vote against the bill. Twenty-four Republicans voted in favor of the bill, even after Republican leaders sought opposition at the last minute.
The bill, which passed the Senate on Wednesday, is now heading to the White House for the president Joe Biden Sign the law.
“It’s exactly what we have to do to grow the economy right now,” Biden said in a post-voting statement. “I look forward to signing this bill.”
Lawmakers called for prompt approval of the package before leaving Washington, DC for the August recess.But the final vote came later Years of controversy At Capitol Hill, in both Congressrooms, the law takes various forms and names.
US President Joe Biden responded to a note stating that the CHIPS Plus bill had passed the House of Representatives during a meeting with the CEO of the economy in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House in Washington. increase. , DC, July 28, 2022.
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The Ultimate versionKnown as Chips and Scientific Law, it includes over $ 52 billion for US companies that manufacture computer chips and billions of dollars in tax credits to encourage investment in chip manufacturing. It will also fund scientific research and provide tens of billions of dollars to accelerate the innovation and development of other US technologies.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Caliph, called the bill “a big victory for American families and the American economy.”
However, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) urged his colleagues to “reject this terribly flawed bill” and “start from scratch” in a pre-voting statement.
The Senate passed the bill With 64-33 votes on Wednesday 17 Republicans.. Among those votes included Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Previously warned If the Democrats continue to pursue an irrelevant reconciliation package, the Republicans will not support China’s competition bill.
Hours after Wednesday’s Senate bipartisan vote, Senate leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. Said Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va.Revealed that they had reached an agreement Drastic reconciliation bill..
“It was an important 24 hours here in Congress, a legislative one-to-two punch rarely seen by Americans,” Schumaer said in a winning lap after the vote on Thursday afternoon.
Schumaer and Manchin hope to pass the settlement package next week with only a majority in the Senate. The Senate is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris tying the votes.
Shortly after the deal was announced, Republican leaders urged members to vote against the Chips and Sciences Act. They opposed giving billions of dollars in subsidies to chip makers during times of historically high inflation, and mentioned the timing of the Democratic Party’s reconciliation agreement.
“The party Democratic agenda has brought us record inflation, and now they are ready to plunge our country into a catastrophic recession,” said House Minority Whip Steve Scallis, R-La. .. Office said in a note on Wednesday night.
Republicans reiterated their new stance in pre-voting floor debates. Frank Lucas, the top Republican of the House Science Commission, where many of the bill’s provisions were first hashed, said he would unfortunately vote against the settlement plan because of its “irreparable” relationship. rice field.
The committee’s chairman, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, responded with a petition to vote for a bipartisan bill “putting politics aside” on all lawmakers.
Some Republicans, who opposed the benefits of the bill itself, said they lacked “guardrails” to prevent money from falling into the hands of China. Other critics argue that the United States will have to spend billions more to get a real chance to compete with the world’s leading chip makers.
However, proponents of the bill are able to build more chips, an increasingly important component of a vast number of products, including household appliances, automobiles, medical devices, and weapons systems, for the US economy and national security. It states that it is essential for.
The tip is Covid-19 Pandemic.. At the onset of the outbreak, factories were closed, chip production in Asia was discontinued, and consumer demand for automobiles and upgraded appliances that required chips during lockdown surged. The US share of global chip production has also plummeted in recent decades, but China and other countries have invested heavily in the industry.
The United States also manufactures some of the most advanced types of semiconductors produced primarily in Taiwan, the epicenter of heightened political tensions with China.
Many modern warfare requires sophisticated semiconductors — each Javelin missile launch system Contains hundredsFor example, US defense officials have become worried about relying on foreign producers to supply chips.
Biden also blamed the lack of chips for ultra-high inflation that has plagued his presidency. The shortage of chips available for new car manufacturing Soaring used carsPushing inflation up.
“America invented semiconductors. It’s time to take them home,” Biden said this week.
