WASHINGTON—Legislation that will, in part, support the domestic production of semiconductors has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The chamber approved the America Competes Act by a 222-210 vote, mostly along party lines. Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger was the only Republican to vote for passage, while Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy was the only Democrat to vote against it.
Introduced Jan. 25, America Competes came as a response to the Senate's U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which passed that chamber in June. The America Competes Act is intended to spur U.S. manufacturing, strengthen the manufacturing sector to better compete with China and address supply chain concerns.
Gina Raimondo
"This bill is essential to our supply chains, our economy, and our workers, and will unleash the next generation of innovation and manufacturing in the United States," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement Feb. 4. "Crucially, both the America Competes Act and the Senate's U.S. Innovation and Competition Act would invest $52 billion in domestic semiconductor production funding that will help lower costs for families, create good-paying manufacturing jobs, and ensure we're making technology crucial to our national and economic security, right here at home."
Representatives from both the House and Senate now will meet to resolve the two bills.
The National Association of Manufacturers had previously praised the America Competes Act, saying it marked "a major step forward" in alleviating supply chain issues.
"The introduction of the America Competes Act, which includes many components of the overwhelmingly bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, is a major step forward, and law makers can feel confident that supporting this bill means supporting the future of manufacturing in America," Jay Timmons, NAM's president and CEO, said in a Jan. 26 statement. "Not only would its provisions help address inflation and alleviate supply chain challenges we're facing today, but the bill provides significant investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, which would also help us avert future crises."
NAM has pledged to work with both the House and Senate to ensure that a version of the bill that "achieves shared goals" reaches Biden's desk.
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