Their Take: America COMPETES Act Is Essential Step Forward

Following introduction of the House’s America COMPETES Act, industry and labor leaders continue to call for swift passage of the President’s proposed $52 billion in chips funding. The calls from industry come on the heels of an alarming report released by the Department of Commerce last week, which confirmed that the semiconductor supply chain remains fragile, with demand for chips continuing to outpace supply of these critical inputs. Many manufacturing fabs are running at more than 90% capacity, while manufacturers have, on average, fewer than five days’ worth of inventory.

Since the introduction of the America COMPETES Act, an increasingly broad group of supporters are weighing in to support the legislation as an essential step to get a bill to the President’s desk.

Here’s what important industry and labor leaders are saying, building on calls last week by the Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, SEMI, and the National Association of Manufacturers for Congress to act on this necessary funding:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “The Chamber strongly supports the legislative effort in Congress to advance policies to strengthen the ability of American workers and companies to compete globally, including with China. We were pleased to support the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), which would bolster new investments in basic research, fund the CHIPS for America Act to strengthen U.S. semiconductor capacity…We are pleased that the House is now starting the process of considering its version of this legislation. House action is an essential step in producing a bill that can be signed into law.”

AFL-CIO: “On behalf of the 12.5 million union members of the AFL-CIO, I write in strong support of the America COMPETES Act. This comprehensive legislation presents Congress with a rare opportunity to improve the United States’ competitiveness across a broad cross-section of industry, science, trade, and technology…Specifically, the $52 billion in funding for the CHIPS Act is critical to sustaining U.S. leadership in semiconductors and addressing the current chip shortage that continues to adversely impact production in the automotive sector and elsewhere.”

Teamsters: “On behalf of America’s supply chain union, I applaud the House Democratic leadership for moving forward with their own legislation that addresses the crucial issue of competing with China in a way that benefits U.S. working families for many years to come…I agree with President Biden that America COMPETES will bring manufacturing jobs back to this country and make American supply chains more resilient.”

Intel: “The introduction of the America COMPETES Act by the House of Representatives represents a significant step to get CHIPS Act funding signed into law. Since the onset of the global chip shortage, other countries are moving forward with policies to incentivize semiconductor manufacturing. It’s more important than ever that America levels the playing field for domestic chipmakers and regains technology leadership. We thank members of Congress from both parties for their continued attention and action on this issue, and urge Congress to act quickly to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain, make critical investments in R&D and increase manufacturing in the United States.”

American Automakers: “No other U.S. industry has been as severely impacted by the shortage of semiconductors as the automotive industry. It is critical that the United States make investments to expand semiconductor production so that American automakers have access to these essential components in auto manufacturing.  The America COMPETES Act includes $52 billion to dramatically increase semiconductor production in the U.S., including $2 billion for semiconductors specific to the auto industry.  We urge Congressional leaders to pass this incentive funding to increase U.S. semiconductor production.”