U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, led a bipartisan letter to Senate Appropriators underscoring that Congress must fully fund the CHIPS and Science Act in the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill to ensure U.S. global economic and technological leadership.
“CHIPS and Science marks a significant bipartisan commitment to domestic manufacturing, regional innovation and strong supply chains,” the senators wrote. “Fully funded, it will foster an inclusive and highly-skilled 21st century workforce, expand scientific research and development across the nation, and unleash American innovation in emerging technologies.
Sen. Cantwell was joined in the letter by Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga).
In their letter, the senators warned of the repercussions resulting from past failures to fund commitments Congress made in both the America COMPETES Act of 2007 and 2010.
“The lack of funding for these efforts prohibited agencies from fully delivering on their potential,” they wrote. “Instead of the rapid growth in technological strength Congress envisioned, the United States has suffered insufficient growth in the skilled workforce, increased supply chain vulnerabilities and rising competition from overseas.”
“To fulfill the promise of the CHIPS and Science Act, Congress must avoid the funding pitfalls that followed previous COMPETES Acts and fully fund the Chips and Science Act,” the senators added.
The senators highlighted the critical priorities in the bipartisan bill, including:
The letter can be found here and below:
November 21, 2022
The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Richard Shelby
Vice Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen
Chair
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jerry Moran
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chair Leahy, Vice Chair Shelby, Chair Shaheen, and Ranking Member Moran:
The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167) recognized that both our national defense and economic security depend on advancing critical technologies and workforce skills—from semiconductors to quantum computing to pharmaceuticals. During a period of increased global competition, including with technologically capable nations like China and Russia, the United States must increase investment in the science and technology innovation that has long underpinned our economic and security leadership.
CHIPS and Science marks a significant bipartisan commitment to domestic manufacturing, regional innovation, and strong supply chains. Fully funded, it will foster an inclusive and highly-skilled 21st century workforce, expand scientific research and development across the nation, and unleash American innovation in emerging technologies. To that end, the law authorizes critical programs at the Department of Commerce (DOC), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Department of Energy (DOE).
Congress has twice before authorized meaningful growth in our scientific enterprise through the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69) and the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358). However, the lack of funding for these efforts prohibited agencies from fully delivering on their potential. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, key research agencies would have received $77 billion in additional dollars over the past 15 years under a COMPETES 2007 funding path. In 2013, the Government Accountability Office reported that only one of 28 new COMPETES programs was fully implemented and funded.
Instead of the rapid growth in technological strength Congress envisioned, the United States has suffered insufficient growth in the skilled workforce, increased supply chain vulnerabilities, and rising competition from overseas. As a result, the challenges motivating previous COMPETES Acts have only grown more pressing.
To fulfill the promise of the CHIPS and Science Act, Congress must avoid the funding pitfalls that followed previous COMPETES Acts and fully fund the Chips and Science Act. The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies priorities include:
As international competition for technological superiority intensifies, the United States must remain the global gold standard for scientific discovery, technological innovation, and workforce development. The CHIPS and Science Act recognizes this need and committed the nation to broad-based and geographically diverse investments in American leadership, including in manufacturing.
Therefore, we urge you fully fund the CHIPS & Science Act in the FY2023 Appropriations Bill for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.
Sincerely,
