Joe Biden

ICYMI: Biden Administration Urges Congress to Pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act

July 19, 2022

Ahead of a vote in the U.S. Senate, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo led a series of White House Regional Press Calls to underscore the need for swift passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act – critical legislation that would boost domestic semiconductor production, create thousands of jobs, lower costs, and strengthen our national security.

During the calls, Secretary Raimondo stressed the importance of the legislation to our economic and national security and outlined the consequences of further delays by Congress: "If the U.S. doesn't act now, we will fall further behind in our global semiconductor production and jeopardize our technological and military advantage…. Semiconductors are unique in their importance. They underpin every single technology. They're necessary to make every single piece of advanced military equipment, and the reality is the United States is overly dependent on foreign countries for our supply of chips, which makes us incredibly vulnerable."

Read below for a round-up of the local coverage:


Idaho Statesman: Biden's commerce secretary says Congress must pass subsidy fast to help Micron, nationU.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters during a White House regional press call Monday that investments in the bill could spur manufacturing and strengthen supply chains in Idaho and Texas. The bill includes $52 billion in manufacturing and research initiatives over the next 5-10 years. "Idaho has a lot to lose by this not passing this week," Raimondo said. Without the incentives, the nation could fall further behind in global semiconductor production, while countries including South Korea, Japan, Germany and France compete for manufacturing contracts, Raimondo said. "The reality is that our national security depends on our ability to invest in key technologies, including and especially semiconductors," Raimondo said. "The United States is overly dependent on foreign countries for our supply of chips, which makes us incredibly vulnerable."

The Columbus Dispatch: Intel, Biden administration make another push for Congress to enact $52 billion chips package
While the comments of Gelsinger and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo were not new, the tone was stronger as both said time has run out for Congress to act. Otherwise, Intel and other chipmakers will be forced to look overseas for their investments. "If Congress fails to pass this the next couple of weeks, China wins, America loses," Raimondo said in a call Friday with Midwest reporters. "In fact, China is lobbying against this bill precisely because they know it will make America stronger and enable us to compete. China is not waiting. The rest of the world is not waiting."

Cleveland.com: Semi-conductor subsidy bill to get votes next week; Commerce Secretary urges its passage to enable construction of new Intel plant in Ohio
[Commerce Secretary] Raimondo said the compromise that will be voted upon next week is "a very narrow bill, focused primarily on the incentives to increase domestic production of semiconductors," and warned that failing to pass it would jeopardize the nation's economic and national security because the chips are needed to produce everything from Javelin missiles to life-saving hospital equipment. She said South Korea, Japan and countries in Europe are already offering incentives to locate chip companies within their borders. "The reality is, our reliance upon other countries for semiconductor chips leaves us vulnerable," said Raimondo. "If Congress fails to pass this in the next couple of weeks, China wins and America loses."

Houston Chronicle: Senate readies to vote on bill boosting incentives for semiconductor plants, with Texas projects hanging in balance
Biden administration officials urged Democrats and Republicans Monday to come together on a bill they said was critical to getting more semiconductor plants built in the United States, including proposed projects by Samsung and Texas Instruments in Texas…. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday executives had told her they were, "out of time" and if the legislation does not pass this month they would, "have to go elsewhere." "The reality is that South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, are right now very aggressively offering incentives to these companies," she said. "We know they'll take those offers if Congress doesn't do its job this week."

Dallas Morning News: Partisan wrangling threatens federal funding to boost domestic chip production
Biden administration officials also have been urging lawmakers to resolve their differences and pass the incentives in the name of national security…. During a conference call with reporters Monday morning, Raimondo described Texas as one of the states with the most to gain from the bill's passage – and one of the most to lose if it remains stalled. Companies now planning to build and expand operations in Texas if the legislation is approved are being aggressively courted by other countries making their own incentive offers, she said… She described the situation as an emergency that needs to be addressed immediately, because companies can't wait any longer to decide where to locate their operations. "CEOs call me, like the CEO of GlobalWafers, and say 'We really want to be in America, but if Congress can't get this done in July, we don't have faith that they will get it done. We're out of time and we just have to go elsewhere,'" Raimondo said.

Austin American Statesman: Vote looms on semiconductor bill that carries high stakes for Texas' technology sector
In a Monday call with reporters from Texas and Idaho, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo called on Congress to pass a bill designed to encourage companies to expand and build semiconductors manufacturing facilities in the United States. The push from the White House comes amid a global shortage of semiconductors, the computer chips that operate everything from your laptop to your car. Raimondo said Texas and Idaho are well-positioned to see expansions and new facilities from semiconductor companies, but said the bill could make or break Texas' ability to continue expanding its semiconductor industry. "If Congress passes the Chips Act, Idaho and Texas are states that have a lot to gain, but also the most to lose. We know that these companies that are in your states have offers right now from other countries to expand there. And we know that they'll take those offers if Congress doesn't pass this," Raimondo said, and emphasized increased semiconductor manufacturing in the United States is crucial for economic security, job creation, and national security.

KTVB (NBC Boise, ID): Will Micron expand in Idaho? Answer is in Congress' hands this week, Commerce secretary says
"If the U.S. doesn't act now, we will fall further behind in our global semiconductor production and jeopardize our technological and military advantage," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said Monday during a media call organized by the White House. "Semiconductors are unique in their importance. They underpin every single technology. They're necessary to make every single piece of advanced military equipment, and the reality is the United States is overly dependent on foreign countries for our supply of chips, which makes us incredibly vulnerable." The Commerce secretary pointed to Russia as an example of why access to advanced semiconductor chips is of strategic importance. "The United States has denied Russia access to semiconductor chips and, as a result, you're literally seeing military equipment, Russian military equipment, falling out of the sky because it doesn't work, because it has chips in that equipment that Russians have taken from dishwashers and refrigerators and put in the military equipment," Raimondo said. "That could be us. If senators vote no this week, that could be the United States, because we are entirely dependent on Taiwan for our most sophisticated chips." Raimondo, a member of President Joe Biden's cabinet, said Idaho and Texas are "at the forefront of the American effort to build more semiconductors," and she said Republican Senators Mike Crapo of Idaho and John Cornyn of Texas are leading the charge on what's been called CHIPS for America legislation. "We know that these companies that are in your states have offers right now from other countries to expand there. We know that they'll take those offers if Congress doesn't do its job this week and pass this CHIPS Act," she said.

BoiseDev: US Commerce Secretary confirms possible large Micron Boise expansion, urges passage of CHIPS Act
On a call with reporters from Idaho and Texas, Raimondo said both states have major deals in the works for new semiconductor manufacturing plants if the CHIPS act passes, noting both states "have a lot to gain and the most to lose" depending on the outcome of Congress's expected Tuesday vote. She said not passing these incentives means these semiconductor companies, like Micron, Samsung and Global Wafers, will move on other offers from foreign countries to relocate there instead of staying in the United States. Raimondo said losing steady access to semiconductors, which power nearly all technology in use today, would have "devastating consequences" for American economy as well as national security. "The United States is overly dependent on foreign companies for our supply of chips which makes us incredibly vulnerable," Raimondo told reporters. "All you have to do is look at what's happening in Russia right now. You're literally seeing Russian military equipment falling out of the sky because it doesn't work because it has chips in that equipment Russians have taken from fridges and dishwashers to put in the military equipment. That could be us."

Nexstar: US leaders stress urgency in push to pass semiconductor legislation
The United States could soon spend billions of dollars on semiconductor manufacturing. Lawmakers are weighing legislation to invest in the industry in ways that could have impacts on the economy and national security. Congress is working on a deal to spend more than $50 billion in financial incentives for companies to build semiconductor plants…. That's because the chips are used in virtually every electronic from phones to cars to military equipment. It's a category where Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves says the U.S. has fallen behind. "The rest of the world is wooing away these companies that are really ready to make investments in the United States," Graves said. If lawmakers don't pass something soon, there's concern the U.S. will lose out entirely.

Joseph R. Biden, ICYMI: Biden Administration Urges Congress to Pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/357012

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