Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the passage of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America (CHIPS) Act in the U.S. Senate:
Today’s passage of the bipartisan CHIPS Act in the Senate is a critical step toward rectifying years of underinvestment in our nation’s manufacturing and research and development capabilities. This legislation will boost America’s domestic supply chains, create thousands of high-paying jobs, strengthen our technology infrastructure, increase national security and promote vital research to ensure that we remain a global leader in innovation.
The billions of dollars in funding allocated for the semiconductor industry will expand our ability to develop more chips and incentivize companies to ramp up production nationwide. We also welcome the stipulations in the bill that hold companies accountable for how they utilize taxpayer dollars; facilitate the growth of a well-trained, highly skilled workforce; and create opportunities for historically disadvantaged communities to participate in CHIPS Act–funded projects and training programs.
We will continue to advocate for many of the important trade-related provisions that were not included in this version of the bill and would have done more to protect working people. Provisions such as the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program—which expired in July—would have given workers who have lost their jobs to offshoring the opportunity to gain skills suited for newly built semiconductor facilities. Reinforcing U.S. labor laws and deterring China’s harmful trade practices are top priorities for our movement, and we won’t stop fighting until these necessary measures and reforms are in place. Working people deserve a voice and a seat at the table in every step of the process, and when we have one, we will build a more competitive America.
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