Senate ‘test vote’ shows support for bill providing $52 billion to US semiconductor industry to out-compete China
- America’s status as ‘number one economy and innovator in the world’ at stake, says Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he urges passage
- But other China priorities in competition bill could falter as negotiations get entwined in policy debates and political divisions in Congress
The US Senate appears likely to pass legislation that would deliver billions of dollars of federal funding to the American semiconductor industry, a top priority in the Biden administration’s continuing efforts to out-compete China, after a preliminary vote on Tuesday.
The Senate’s procedural vote passed 64 to 34, but the legislation will still require additional voting rounds before final passage in the chamber.
“Advancing this bill is crucial for lowering costs, solving our nation’s chip shortage and making sure America remains competitive in the 21st century,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said moments before voting, referring to the vote as a “test”.
“America will fall behind in so many areas if we don’t pass this bill, and we could very well lose our ranking as the number one economy and innovator in the world if we can’t pass this.”
