The White House reiterated President Trump’s position that Congress fully repeal 2022 legislation intended to fire up the U.S. semiconductor industry despite some Senate Republicans who say they are only willing to make reforms to the Biden-era law.
The CHIPS and Science Act gave $54 billion in grants for companies to manufacture and design semiconductors in the U.S. and $24 billion for a 25% tax credit for new semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Mr. Trump “made his position on that quite clear” when he said during his remarks at the joint session of Congress that the CHIPS Act is a “horrible, horrible thing.” The president told House Speaker Mike Johnson, seated right behind him, that he “should get rid of the CHIP Act.”
Usually called chips, semiconductors are used in many consumer products, including computers, cellphones and cars. They also help power the latest smart weapons and other defense technologies.
President Biden often boasted about the legislation as a key accomplishment during his term in office. It passed in 2022 with 17 Senate Republicans and 24 House Republicans voting with all Democrats in support.
Only nine of those House Republicans are still in office, but 12 of the senators are still serving in the upper chamber and the president will likely have to convince most of them to come to his way of thinking as far as a full repeal is concerned.
The Washington Times recently spoke to several of these GOP lawmakers who would consider reforming the law, but only one, Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, was open to a full repeal.
