From July 19, 2022 post
Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined a bipartisan call on Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House leadership to bring the bipartisan United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) or CHIPS Plus approach to the House Floor before the end of July. This is vital legislation that will boost domestic manufacturing, accelerate U.S. production of semiconductor chips, reduce our reliance on foreign countries like China, and help lower costs for families and small businesses, all while creating new US jobs.
Pappas joined the Problem Solvers Caucus in a statement: "From stretched supply chains for critical goods to manufacturing shortages, our nation is facing unprecedented challenges in our strategic competition with China that are holding domestic producers back. We must take the initiative by investing in American competitiveness and addressing major supply chain issues. The bipartisan United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA) will boost domestic manufacturing, accelerate U.S. production of semiconductor chips, reduce our reliance on foreign countries like China, and help lower costs for families and small businesses, all while creating new US jobs."
The statement concluded: "Given how crucially important this legislation is for our ability to compete with China, we urgently request that the Speaker of the House bring USICA or a CHIPS Plus bill to the House floor before the end of July. Swiftly passing this legislation through the House will give America's manufacturers confidence to invest in good-paying jobs while taking on China and helping fix our supply chains.
In April, Congressman Pappas was named to the bipartisan conference committee working to negotiate a final piece of legislation based on the House-passed America COMPETES Act and the Senate's United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA).
Pappas fought to pass the America COMPETES Act in February to make transformational new investments in research, innovation, and American manufacturing that will ensure that America can outcompete any nation in the world, now and for decades to come. That legislation also included provisions introduced and co-led by Pappas to strengthen ‘Made in America' provisions and support small manufacturers and rural businesses.
The full statement can be found below:
"From stretched supply chains for critical goods to manufacturing shortages, our nation is facing unprecedented challenges in our strategic competition with China that are holding domestic producers back. We must take the initiative by investing in American competitiveness and addressing major supply chain issues.
"The bipartisan United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA) will boost domestic manufacturing, accelerate U.S. production of semiconductor chips, reduce our reliance on foreign countries like China, and help lower costs for families and small businesses, all while creating new US jobs.
"Semiconductor manufacturing is central to our ability to compete with Communist China and forms the core of USICA under the CHIPS provisions. American defense and civilian applications of artificial intelligence, next-generation wireless technology, and biotechnology require a competitive and self-sufficient domestic semiconductor industry. Commerce Secretary Raimondo and Defense Secretary Austin explained in their letter to Congressional leadership how important it is to act now:
‘If we miss this window, the United States will fall further behind in global semiconductor production and jeopardize our advantage in next generation design. Further, we will entrench our overdependency on other nations for our semiconductors – a vulnerability that requires immediate action.'
"We had hoped both Chambers could find common solutions on the differences between their respective bills. Unfortunately, the House and Senate have been unable to bridge their differences about the most contentious aspects of the legislation. As Senate Minority Leader McConnell stated, ‘the conference is stuck.' The House now can either pass USICA or take an approach often referred to as CHIPS Plus, combining full funding for CHIPS with other agreed upon provisions from the stalled conference."
Those additional provisions to be incorporated into CHIPS Plus include:
A Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation, which is crucial for the next generation of game-changing technologies, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and hypersonics.
Regional technology hubs, which will position more regions across the country to be global centers for translational research, development, and manufacturing of key technologies.
Stronger safeguards to protect U.S. research and intellectual property from theft by foreign adversaries. These are precisely the investments we need to make sure we are ready for strategic competition.
"Given how crucially important this legislation is for our ability to compete with China, we urgently request that the Speaker of the House bring USICA or a CHIPS Plus bill to the House floor before the end of July. Swiftly passing this legislation through the House will give America's manufacturers confidence to invest in good paying jobs while taking on China and helping fix our supply chains.
"We owe it to the American people to make progress on these critical issues that matter to them without delay."
Issues: Economy
Original source can be found here.
