Biden says China’s Communist Party lobbied Congress against passing CHIPS bill

President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized some Republicans for siding with “the Chinese Communist Party” when it lobbied lawmakers for the bipartisan CHIPS bill, which was designed to make the U.S. semiconductor industry more competitive on the global stage.

Biden said Beijing lobbied lawmakers over the legislation as it went through Congress and that “some of our friends on the other team bought it.”

“China is trying to stay ahead of us and production” [chips]Biden said after touring an IBM factory in Poughkeepsie, New York.

“It’s no wonder that literally the Chinese Communist Party has actively lobbied against the Chips and Science Act that I pushed for in the US Congress. The Communist Party of China lobbied the US Congress against passing this legislation. Unfortunately some of our friends from the other team bought it,” he said.

The CHIPS and Science Act, which Biden signed into law in August, received bipartisan support when passed by Congress earlier this summer. Biden did not name Republicans in his comments.

Some critics argued that while the law injected cash into US industry, there were no provisions to counter China’s growing influence and trade practices.

The final draft of the legislation did not include proposals to curb US investment in China, exempt tariffs on certain items, help trade-affected workers and counter Beijing’s aggressive trade practices — measures identified in previous versions of the bill. legislation were included.

Biden was the Hudson River Valley area of ​​New York for a $20 billion new investment by IBM in the region.

He praised the company and praised the number of jobs created in the White House during his tenure.

He said the IBM investment, enabled by the CHIPS law, would help counteract the economic impact of the covid pandemic.

‘When factories around the world that make these chips close, the global economy will literally come to a standstill. More Americans were learning the term supply chain and what it means. Well, guess what? The supply chain starts here and ends here in the United States,” he said, adding: “I’m not kidding.”

“Since I took office, our economy has created 10 million jobs and 668 manufacturing jobs,” he noted. “Made in America is no longer a slogan, it’s a reality.”

He boasted that IBM’s move would create “10,000 high-paying jobs, union jobs.”

– ‘You don’t need a vocational education. So you get people = who usually wear blue collars – are going to make an average of $120,000 a year and it’s about time,” he added.

Biden was joined during his visit by two House Democrats in tough races: New York representatives Sean Patrick Maloney and Pat Ryan. He called them by name from the podium and praised the work they have done for their districts.

Biden has received low ratings from voters on his approach to inflation and the economy, while Americans express frustration at the high price of food, gas and housing.

But the administration has backed down, pointing to the large number of jobs created during Biden’s presidency.

“During this administration, our economy has created nearly 10 million new jobs and more than 668,000 manufacturing jobs – proving that under this administration, ‘Made in America’ is no longer just a slogan. Under President Biden, we are building a bottom-up and center-down economy where we cut costs and create high-paying jobs for our families so we can achieve it here in America,” a White House official said ahead of Thursday’s trip. .

IBM’s investment was prompted by the passage this summer of the $280 billion CHIPS Act, intended to boost the US semiconductor industry and scientific research.

On Tuesday, Micron Technology said it would invest up to $100 billion over the next 20 years to build a semiconductor manufacturing plant in New York, expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs.

Biden has been trying to capitalize on this kind of economic investment ahead of the Nov. 8 election, which will determine control of Congress.

Last month, he traveled to Ohio to speak at the site of Intel Corp.’s planned $20 billion semiconductor plant. Ohio has important House, Senate and gubenatorial races this year.

Some Democrats have kept Biden at bay this election cycle. But deputies Maloney and Ryan, who are in tough House races, will be by his side on Thursday.

Maloney, chairman of the Democrats’ congressional campaign, takes on Republican councilor Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th district.

Ryan takes on state councilor Colin Schmitt in the 18th district.

The two men, like many New York members of Congress, have seen their districts redrawn during the reclassification process.

Ryan won a close special election in August to serve the term of Democrat Antonio Delgado, who left his seat in the House after being named lieutenant governor by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. Ryan is running for a full term.

Maloney transferred from the 18th arrondissement to the 17th after his Hudson Valley home fell within the 18th arrondissement boundaries as a result of the realignment.

Hochul, who took office last year after Democrat Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, is also on the program with Biden. She wants to win a full term in next month’s election against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin.

In addition, Biden will visit the fundraising circuit on Thursday.

He stops in downtown New Jersey for a fundraiser at Governor Phil Murphy’s home in support of the Democratic National Committee.

He then heads to New York City for a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser organized by James Murdoch, the son of News Corp. publisher Rupert Murdoch.

James Murdoch and his wife Kathryn were major donors to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

In 2020, Murdoch resigned from News Corp.’s board of directors. due to disagreements over the editorial content of his father’s company, which operates Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.